Baseball: Top-ranked Irish look to bounce back against Red Storm
By JEFF BALTRUZAK
Assistant Sports Editor
The No. 1 Irish enter this weekend's series against St. John's on a losing note, having dropped the second game in a doubleheader with Valparaiso on Wednesday night at Eck Stadium. That loss snapped Notre Dame's nation-leading 16-game winning streak.
Even after the loss, the Irish boast an offense that is clicking after sputtering early and a pitching staff as dominant as ever. With just nine games left on its Big East schedule, the team looks to take a bite out of the Big Apple this weekend in a three game series against conference foe St. John's in Jamaica, N.Y.
Notre Dame has made this year's Big East race look like a 100-meter dash between Michael Johnson and Al Roker, as the Irish have raced out to a five game lead over the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers and the Red Storm.
"If we can have good success this weekend, it would be possible to clinch the regular season Big East title at home against Connecticut, which would be nice for the home fans," said Irish head coach Paul Mainieri.
The Irish feature the Big East player and pitcher of the week in Steve Stanley and Danny Tamayo. Stanley was recognized for an 8-for-14 performance last week and his first career home run.
Tamayo earned his honors with an eight-inning outing against Villanova on April 21 where he held a no-hitter until the seventh stanza. Tamayo, a senior from Miami, was one of the players Mainieri singled out as someone who needed made a considerable impact on this year's squad. Mainieri also noted the accomplishments of freshman Steve Sollmann, who leads the team in batting average and homeruns.
"Danny has given us a dominant second starter," said Mainieri. "Steve Sollmann had been very consistent, he's hit in the clutch, he's hit for power. They've been the big difference in us taking the next step up."
That next step up for the Irish has been the spotlight of being ranked No. 1, with all the prestige and annoyances of an honor the program has never experienced.
Mainieri isn't worried about any ill effects from Wednesday's home loss to Valparaiso.
"Our players are smart enough to know that anything can happen in a game," said Mainieri. "I'm really proud how we've handled the No. 1 ranking."
More importantly, with the program's new status comes a very good possibility of hosting a NCAA regional on May 25-27. "We're in the stretch run," said Mainieri. "We're in a great position in the conference, and also nationally."
The Red Storm enters the weekend series at McCallen Field with a 25-15 record (13-7 in conference play). St. John's defeated Pace 11-3 at home, Wednesday.
The Irish are ready to hit the road.
"We're upbeat, positive, and excited right now," said Mainieri.
All Sports Stories for Friday, April 27, 2001
