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Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Baseball Sweeps Top 20 Clemson in Weekend Series

Notre Dame recorded its first series sweep of the year after winning all three games against Clemson over the weekend.
Jared Shlensky|
Mar 14, 2025; Clemson, SC, USA; Notre Dame pitcher Jack Radel (25) pitches to Clemson during the bottom of the first inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadum in Clemson, S.C. Friday, March 14, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Ken Runiard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Mar 14, 2025; Clemson, SC, USA; Notre Dame pitcher Jack Radel (25) pitches to Clemson during the bottom of the first inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadum in Clemson, S.C. Friday, March 14, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Ken Runiard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Ken Runiard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Maybe a little bit of rest is all the Notre Dame baseball team needed. The Fighting Irish were supposed to play Central Michigan on Tuesday, which was later rescheduled for Wednesday, but Mother Nature didn't cooperate, and the game was never played.

And after losing back-to-back games to Louisville last weekend, Notre Dame responded this weekend with a series sweep over a Clemson team that was 18-4 entering Friday's series opener and ranked 19th in the nation.

Jack Radel set the tone with a four-hit, complete-game shutout on Friday.

On Saturday, Notre Dame rallied in the final two innings to pull off an 8-7 walk-off victory.

As for Sunday's series finale, ND got out to an early lead and never looked back to complete the sweep.

The Results

Game 1: Notre Dame 6, Clemson 0
Game 2: Notre Dame 8, Clemson 7
Game 3: Notre Dame 7, Clemson 4

ND's top two starters get back on track

Last weekend, ND's starting staff didn't perform well, especially its top two starters in Radel and Ty Uber. But that wasn't the case this weekend.

Radel retired 27 of the 33 hitters he faced, didn't walk a single hitter, and allowed just four singles. The right-hander also struck out eight, and maybe most impressive, 75% of his pitches went for strikes.

That's darn impressive, and following his stellar start on Friday, Radel's draft stock seems to be trending upward.

Not only does Radel have the stuff to potentially get drafted in the top 100, but he has the stats, too. Radel's ERA is barely over two (2.06), but he also has an excellent WHIP of 0.69 and has held opposing hitters to a .143 average.

But he wasn't the only Fighting Irish starter who pitched well this weekend. Uber recorded his team-leading fourth win after allowing just one run on five hits over five innings on Sunday. Uber really struggled last week against Louisville, so seeing him bounce back is huge for both him and the Irish.

Davis Johnson goes deep again

Last weekend was Davis Johnson's breakout performance. Johnson hit four home runs against the Cardinals, including two grand slams and two home runs in one game, and he went deep again this weekend.

Johnson hit his fifth home run of the year on Saturday, which is just one behind Mark Quatrani for the team lead.

Johnson wasn't an everyday player to begin the season, but he's forced head coach Shawn Stiffler to play him every day after two strong weeks at the plate.

Next Up

Notre Dame's next game is on Tuesday against Western Michigan. First pitch from Frank Eck Baseball Stadium is at 4:30 p.m. (ET).

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster

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