BASEBALL: It's test time for the Irish
By: JOE HETTLER
Sports Editor
The biggest test for the Irish baseball team isn't in Finance or Biology next week. It's against Rutgers and West Virginia.
Sure the players have to study for exams during the next several days. And there's that game against Oakland tonight at Frank Eck Stadium.
But there will be no greater test for this club than when they face the Scarlet Knights and Mountaineers over the next two weekends.
If Notre Dame hopes to return to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series, their quest begins here. Forget those first 44 games. They don't mean much now — not if the Irish can't knock off the second- and third-place teams in the Big East standings. At 13-3 and 12-3, Rutgers and West Virginia sit just a half-game and a game back, respectively, of the first-place Irish. And both teams would like nothing more than to upend the top dog in the conference in the next few days.
How will Notre Dame respond to these challenges? It's tough to tell. Last weekend, the Irish swept Connecticut in a three-game series that coach Paul Mainieri said was "critical" for his team.
But the Huskies are having a down year at only 19-20 and 7-12 in the Big East.
It'll be interesting to see how Notre Dame's freshmen respond to the heightened pressure that accompanies these big games. How these youngsters handle that pressure may be the difference between a Big East Championship and third place.
"These players know that every game is crucial at this point," Mainieri said, following his team's 8-4 loss to Michigan Tuesday night. "There's not time to let up, and each kid has to find out how to play his best because this is pressure time, with pressure games."
Another looming question is whether Mainieri can dig deep enough into his pitching staff to win a three-game series against teams like Rutgers and West Virginia. Starter Pete Ogilvie is still playing catch up since suffering from a sore shoulder. Grant Johnson won't pitch at all this season because of shoulder surgery in the off-season. That leaves the Irish staff with three consistent starters in Chris Niesel, John Axford and Ryan Kalita, but no real strong guy backing them up. It'll be key for those three to take the staff on their shoulders and carry them through these tough games.
Last year, Notre Dame won nearly every key series throughout the season and was virtually unstoppable down the stretch. But that squad was led by numerous seniors. The 2003 Irish have only a few older guys, with most players being freshman or sophomores.
Will this inexperience make a difference? Irish fans will know by the end of next week.
Notre Dame's had 44 games to prepare for next week. It doesn't get any easier after that either. They still have a tough series at Virginia Tech. Then there's the Big East Tourney. Then, if they make it, the regionals. And super regionals.
If they pass all of those tests, Notre Dame will be back in the College World Series with a chance at a national title.
But first, they need to beat West Virginia and Rutgers. Those are their first two tests, and they're big ones. Just ask Mainieri.
"We're going to really separate the men from the boys," he said.
The opinions of this column are those of the author and not necessarily The Observer. Contact Joe Hettler at jhettler@nd.edu
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, May 7, 2003
