Notre Dame Baseball vs. Virginia Preview: Can the Irish End the Losing Streak?

It's been a rough run for the Irish.

The Notre Dame baseball team (24-10, 6-9) has lost a season-high seven straight games after losing to Michigan State on Wednesday and has been outscored 62-38 during that span.

Unfortunately, for Notre Dame's sake, things don't get any easier this weekend with Virginia on the schedule.

However, the Irish do get to play at home, where they've played better than on the road or at a neutral site. The Cavaliers are 24-10 on the season and were ranked earlier in the year.

Scouting Notre Dame

Despite struggling collectively as a team, Notre Dame has a couple of stars who have produced all season. ND's best player is right-handed starting pitcher Jack Radel, who very well could be a top 100 pick in this year's MLB Draft.

Radel previously won ACC Pitcher of the Week honors earlier in the year and is 3-2 with a 2.85 ERA in eight starts. Radel has a 0.85 WHIP and has held opposing hitters to a .168 average. In 47.1 innings pitched, Radel has struck out 64 batters while allowing just 29 hits and 10 walks.

Jack Radel’s draft stock is soaring. Today will continue the trend. The @NDBaseball righty just threw a complete game shutout against Clemson, lowering his ERA to 2.06 over 35 IP. Gets well above average extension. Big time carry on a FB into the high 90s. pic.twitter.com/NNVHjrROsL
— Jacob Rudner (@JacobRudner) March 20, 2026

Offensively, the Fighting Irish are led by catcher Mark Quatrani. The Cornell transfer leads ND in hits (40), home runs (10), extra-base hits (15), RBIs (35), total bases (76) and slugging percentage (.673).

Scouting Virginia

Similar to Notre Dame, Virginia has struggled a little bit as of late. The Cavaliers have lost three straight games and back-to-back series in conference play. However, Virginia came out of the gates hot. UVA won 10 of its first 11 games, 13 of its first 15, and its first three conference series.

The Cavaliers have 10 guys hitting over .300, including Sam Harris, who leads the team in home runs (10), RBIs (38), total bases (79), and slugging percentage (.622). But Virginia also has some elite pitchers, too.

Closer Tyler Karpa has seven saves, and five other relievers have ERAs under 2.10. The Cavaliers' bullpen is definitely the strength of its pitching staff, and more times than not, when Virginia gets a late lead, they hold on to it.

Series Schedule

Friday (Game 1): First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (ET) and available via the ACC Network.
Saturday (Game 2): First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) and available via the ACC Network.
Sunday (Game 2): First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET) and available via the ACC Network.