Rain Forces Cancellation Of 12th Annual Baseball Bash Game Between Notre Dame And Michigan
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - The Notre Dame baseball team's scheduled game versus Michigan on Tuesday, May 15, has been called off due to rain. There will not be a makeup, leaving the Irish with a maximum of 54 regular-season games. The rainout marked the first cancellation in the 12-year history of the "Baseball Bash" series between the two longtime rivals, played at 5th/3rd Bank Ballpark (formerly Old Kent Park) just beyond the city limits of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Notre Dame will return to action with a three-game BIG EAST Conference series versus Connecticut, on March 17-19 (Thur.-Sat.) at Eck Stadium. The first two games will start at 6:05, with the series finale set for 1:05. Fans are reminded that free live video streaming of game-1 will be provided on und.com, with the footage featuring three camera angles, a real-time scoreboard (with balls and strikes), other informational graphics and a corresponding feed of the play-by-play radio call.
The final two games of the UConn series then will be telecast live on CSTV, in addition to possible future rebroadcasts on that network (check CSTV listings).
It appears that a minimum of one win in the UConn series would be enough to send the Irish to the eight-team BIG EAST Tournament (pending final confirmation of all tiebreaker possibilities, with the added variable of potential rainouts in the various final-week series). Notre Dame still could finish as high as fifth in the final BIG EAST standings.
Junior righthander Joey Williamson is slated to make his first career BIG EAST start - and the second start of his career - in the opener of the UConn series, as the usual game-1 starter David Phelps threw fairly recently in the opener of the series at Louisville on Saturday, May 12. Notre Dame's starting pitchers for the other two games of the UConn series are TBA, based on what relievers are needed in game-1 and how the playoff scenario takes shape after Thursday's games.
Williamson has been strong in his relief stints over the past three weeks and currently ranks second on the staff in season ERA (2.53), low opponent batting average (.210), wins (4-2), strikeouts (48) and appearances (16). He also ranks third on the staff with 46.1 innings pitched and his 9-inning averages include a team-best rate of 9.3 strikeouts/9 IP, 6.8 hits allowed (2nd-best on the staff) and 2.9 walks (4th-best). His 3.2 season strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks third-best among the Irish pitchers, behind Eric Maust (4.8) and Phelps (3.9). Williamson's other season stats include two saves (tied for the team lead), 12 more innings pitched than hits allowed (35), a pair of wild pitches and six hit batters.
Situationally, Williamson has been equally stingy versus righthanded batters (.205 batting avg./2nd-best on staff) and lefthander hitters (.222/3rd) while owning a lowly .158 opponent 2-out batting avg. that nearly is best on the staff (opponents are hitting .156 with 2-outs vs. Brett Graffy). Williamson also ranks third on the staff in opp. batting with runners on base (.219) and leadoff on-base pct. (.326), allowing an average of only 2.9 leadoff baserunners per 9.0 innings pitched.
Williamson's steady production out of the bullpen has included allowing just 2-for-13 batting by the first hitters he has faced (with 3 Ks and a double-play ball, plus a sac. bunt and a sac. fly). He struggled early with letting inherited runners score but has lowered his season "IRS" number to 5-of-14 inherited runners that have scored (36%).
The past four appearances for Williamson - twice at Rutgers and once versus Seton Hall (home) and Louisville (away) - include allowing just one run (0.73 ERA), five hits and one walk in 12.1 innings over that stretch, plus 13 strikeouts, no wild pitches and zero hit batters. He lowered an already solid 3.18 season ERA to 2.53 during that three-week span.
In the 17 seasons since Notre Dame began tracking opponent batting average (1991-2007), only eight pitchers have posted an opp. season batting mark lower than Williamson's .210 - with current sophomore LHP Sam Elam on pace to register the best mark in that category (.141). Others who have allowed low opponent batting averages include: RHPs David Sinnes (.163 in '92; .198 in '93), Aaron Heilman (.173 in '01; .198 in '98), Grant Johnson (.188 in '04) and Larry Mohs (.201 in '94), plus current junior LHP Wade Korpi (.204, in '06), former LHP Chris Michalak (.205, in '92) and recent RHP Jeff Samardzija (.209, in '04).
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