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Notre Dame Baseball Weekly Update: Tough Early Slate Hurts Irish

By Jack Leniart

Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of a bag of baseballs before the start of the game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Vanderbilt Commodores during game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) Omaha, NE - JUNE 23: A general view of the away jersey of the Vanderbilt Commodores and the home jersey of the Virginia Cavaliers before the start of game two of the College World Series Championship Series on June 23, 2015 at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Slap The Sign has your weekly Notre Dame baseball update.

After an auspicious 6-3 start that included a series win on the road against LSU, the Notre Dame baseball team has been less than stellar.

As of Wednesday night, the Irish are 14-19 overall with a 5-10 record against ACC opponents.

We can all agree that their record doesn’t look great. To be fair, though, we should consider the schedule they’ve played through the first 33 games of the season.

The Irish have played 12 games against teams currently ranked in the top-25 of the USA Today Poll. In those games, they are 4-8. *Insert joke about the 2016 football season*

While the rough part of their schedule is behind them, Notre Dame has a difficult four-game stretch coming up.

First, the Irish will travel down to Raleigh to play three games against #6 NC State. Then, they’ll head up to Indianapolis to play #13 Indiana at a neutral site.

For Notre Dame, going 2-2 in those games will be considered a success.

After that, the schedule becomes much more favorable for the Irish. Their final fifteen games are all against opponents currently outside of the top-25, and eleven of those games will be played in South Bend.

Notre Dame will have a good chance to finish with a respectable regular season record. After going 26-32 last year, I think a reasonable goal would be to finish with a .500 record or better.

Some may scoff at the idea of setting a goal to finish with a .500 record, but let’s put things in perspective.

The ACC is one of the top conferences in college baseball. Even the best teams struggle during conference play. Like any other college sport, schools don’t just rise to the top in a season or two.

Notre Dame is not a baseball powerhouse. The Irish have a long way to go before they can compete with the top-tier teams. But, it’s not inconceivable.

If Notre Dame is able to finish the year with some momentum, they’ll have a good shot to win a game or two in the ACC Tournament.

Next: Early 2018-2019 Notre Dame Hoops Preview

The Irish are currently tied for last place in ACC standings, but they’ll have plenty of opportunities to move up before the regular season concludes.

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