The Notre Dame Fighting Irish might feel a bit of vindication in that they didn’t make the College Baseball Regionals considering just how good the ACC turned out to be so far. Granted, that might also be the reason they should be in the regionals.
After all, eight ACC teams made the regionals and five of them are headed to the Super Regionals. Miami, Florida State, Duke, North Carolina and Louisville are moving onto the next round. Only North Carolina State, Clemson and Wake Forest were finished in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
It feels like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish might have even been closer to getting in than we all realized. Granted, there were some people who thought Virginia might have gotten in over them, but that wasn’t a given. Shawn Stiffler definitely has something to shoot for next year. And something to build on with the way this season ended.
Carson Tinney leaving the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Granted, it always feels like the Notre Dame baseball team is taking one step forward and two steps back. This time, it’s because star catcher Carson Tinney announced on Monday that he’s entering the transfer portal.
Tinney is a finalist for the Buster Posey award for best catcher in the game. He will almost certainly be the most sought after player in the portal. In 2025 he led the team with a .348 batting average, 17 home runs, and 53 RBI. He posted a team-best .753 slugging percentage, collecting 55 hits, 13 doubles, and committing just three errors in 49 games.
He entered the portal with a “do not contact” tag, meaning he already knows where he’s going. That would seem to indicate there isn’t any chance the Notre Dame baseball team can find a way to keep him.
Marcus Freeman gives update on quarterback race
With Fall Camp starting next month, the biggest question around the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is just who will be the starter. The race comes down to Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr. While Freeman isn’t willing to say who is winning the job yet, he did spell out what he’s looking for in the winner. He also, not for the first time, mentioned that thre might be ways where both QBs will be on the field at the same time.