Preview: Western Michigan at Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (Interstat) — A surging Notre Dame squad looks to continue its strong start when it hosts Western Michigan in a nonconference baseball matchup Tuesday evening at Frank Eck Stadium.

The Fightin’ Irish (14-6) enter having won three of their last four, including taking two of three from Clemson over the weekend. Notre Dame’s offense has been potent, scoring seven or more runs in seven of its last 10 games.

Western Michigan (10-11) arrives after dropping a weekend series to Ball State, losing the final two games. The Broncos have shown resilience, however, winning three of their five series this season.

The game features a compelling pitching matchup. Western Michigan will look to right-hander Ricky Kidd, who has been excellent despite a 1-2 record over his last four starts. In his last three outings, spanning 19 innings, Kidd has allowed just three earned runs on five total hits while striking out 11. He is coming off a complete-game effort in a 5-2 loss to Ball State on Sunday, where he allowed two earned runs over seven innings.

Notre Dame is expected to counter with right-hander Ty Uber. Uber has been dominant in three of his last four starts, including five shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a win at Duke on March 8 and five scoreless frames against Tennessee Tech on March 1. His one rough outing came in a loss at Louisville on March 15.

Weather could be a factor, with game-time temperatures forecast near 37 degrees under cloudy skies.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, this contest projects to be a close one, with a predicted final score of Notre Dame 7, Western Michigan 6.

For Notre Dame, shortstop Noah Coy is coming off a two-RBI performance in Sunday’s win over Clemson. Western Michigan’s Cooper Hums, who had two hits in Sunday’s loss, will be a key bat for the Broncos.

This game serves as a final tune-up before both teams enter important conference series this weekend. Notre Dame opens Atlantic Coast Conference play at home against North Carolina, while Western Michigan begins Mid-American Conference action with a home series against Massachusetts.