Baseball: Notre Dame hopes for first Big East Tournament title Championship
By JEFF BALTRUZAK
Assistant Sports Editor
The Notre Dame baseball team will most likely be at graduation this weekend, but don't expect them to be especially perky.
The Irish will travel through the night on Sunday morning, leaving the Big East Championships in Bridgewater, N.J. at 4 a.m. and returning at 10 a.m., just in time to grab their sheepskins.
But before graduating, there's baseball to be played.
The No. 2 Irish squared off against Virginia Tech Thursday, vying for a Big East Championship postseason championship that has eluded the program since it began Big East play six years ago. The Irish have already secured the regular season Big East title.
The results of Thursday's game were not know known Wednesday night when The Observer went to press.
"This is where the season starts," said senior captain Alec Porzel, hitting .291 out of the third lineup slot. "Everyone's comfortable. I think we have a real light mood. We'll become more focused in practice."
The Hokies provided two blemishes on Notre Dame's 45-9-1 record, beating the Irish twice in Blacksburg on March 25. In both games the Irish had leads entering the final innings, only to see the advantages evaporate with Hokie rallies.
Virginia Tech, sporting a 27-26-1 record for the season, went 14-11-1 in Big East play. The Hokies have had problems on the hill, with Chip Runyon having the best ERA on the staff, allowing 3.53 earned runs per nine innings. In contrast, seven Irish pitchers have an ERA below 3.53.
"Most of all, I'm looking forward to Virginia Tech," Porzel said. "We're going to have Tamayo on the hill, and they haven't faced our big guns."
It will be Tamayo's first meeting with Virginia Tech this season. The senior righthander owns an 8-1 record, and opposing hitters have batted .209 against the Miami native. He will use the same pitching formula that has proved successful the entire spring.
"I'm not going to be doing anything different against them," he said.
Other than against Virginia Tech, the Irish have been dominant in Big East play with a 22-4 record. Today, the Irish will face either last year's champion Rutgers or Seton Hall. Notre Dame is a combined 6-0 against these two squads this year, outscoring them 50-13.
Being the No. 3 team in the country has proved to have other benefits besides prestige for the Irish. Notre Dame will host an NCAA Regional at Frank Eck Stadium on May 25-27. For seniors Porzel, Tamayo, Aaron Heilman, Mike Carlin, Ben Cooke and Mike Naumann, it will be their last home games in an Irish uniform.
"They've given every ounce of energy they possibly could," said Irish head coach Paul Mainieri. "The greatest thing is they're not prima donnas, they'll talk to a young kid."
While Mainieri said the seniors are not "an especially vocal group," their leadership by example has been undeniable. The tandem of the All-American Heilman and Tamayo have won 21 games for the Irish, and have emerged as one of the top weekend starting duos in the country.
Porzel has recovered from a season opening slump to raise his average more than 100 points duirng the latter half of the 2001 campaign. The shortstop has proven effective in the clutch, hitting .333 with runners in scoring position.
And with Porzel's resurgence has come the resurgence of the entire Irish offense. Notre Dame is hitting .321 as a team, and has provided the pitching staff with increased run support.
"Our offense is on a roll," said Porzel. "Everyone's looking to get RBIs — everyone's stepped up."
Hosting a regional has the added benefit of playing before the Irish faithful. Notre Dame has seen their home crowds grow as they inched up in the polls and claimed their status as a national powerhouse.
"We've watched the fan support grow and grow and grow," said Porzel. "We will play for ourselves and play for our fans."
With so much success this season, it's hard not to discuss Notre Dame baseball without mentioning the College World Series. The Irish haven't visited Omaha mid-June since 1957. Mainieri was born three months later.
But its clear the 2001 team knows what they're capable of achieving.
"This team has a lot of confidence — everyone knows what we expect," said Tamayo.
For all their on-field accomplishments, Mainieri says that this year's seniors will be remembered for different reasons as well.
"I think their legacy will be that they showed everyone the proper way to carry themselves as Notre Dame baseball players," he said.
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
