Valparaiso, Notre Dame Set for Midweek Clash

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Interstat) — The Notre Dame Fighting Irish look to steady their season when they host the Valparaiso Beacons in a nonconference baseball game Tuesday at Frank Eck Stadium.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies with a temperature near 73 degrees.

Notre Dame (16-15) returns home after a difficult weekend series against Virginia, which culminated in a 20-5, eight-inning loss on Sunday. The Fighting Irish had won the middle game of that set 5-3.

Valparaiso (9-22) also seeks momentum after dropping two of three to Bradley at home, including an 11-10 defeat on Sunday despite a late rally.

A key matchup will feature two hot hitters: Valparaiso’s Brayden Pleau and Notre Dame’s Jayce Lee.

Pleau, a left fielder, is coming off a powerful performance Sunday, going 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .325 (13 for 40) with two homers and 11 RBIs.

Lee, the Fighting Irish right fielder, provided one of the few highlights in Sunday’s blowout loss, hitting a three-run homer. He has driven in six runs over his last three games.

On the mound, both teams will look to bullpen arms after weekend series. For Valparaiso, reliever Spencer Boynton threw two scoreless innings Sunday. Notre Dame’s Garrett Snyder and Aiden Zerr logged an inning each in the same game.

Despite Valparaiso’s record, projections present a conflicting outlook. Interstat’s game simulator predicts a 3-1 Beacons victory, while its ELO rating system gives Notre Dame an 88.3% probability to win.

This begins a final stretch of midweek games before conference play resumes. Notre Dame travels to Florida State for a weekend series, while Valparaiso opens a series at Illinois-Chicago on Friday.