Stanford Softball to Face Notre Dame in Pivotal ACC Series

The Cardinal have dominated, but this weekend will be a big test

Stanford infielder Taryn Kern (99) fields the ball in the first inning of a Women's College World Series semifinal softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 3, 2024. Texas won 1-0. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Another weekend is fast approaching, which means more softball is on deck. This week, the No. 17 Stanford Cardinal (20-3, 5-1 ACC) travel to South Bend, Indiana to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, resuming conference play after a weekend off.

While the Cardinal have been rolling, this weekend will be a major test.

Since losing their first-ever ACC contest in the opening game of the series to Georgia Tech, the Cardinal have found their rhythm in conference play, even taking home a sweep of Syracuse at home over the weekend of March 7.

But road games are a different beast, especially in conference play, as a new environment can force teams to adjust accordingly.

The Cardinal have been dominant at both pitching and hitting this season, but one can make the argument that their performance at the plate has been the driving force for the hot start to the season.

Led by Emily Jones' .486 average, the Cardinal are hitting .372 as a team and have been exceptionaly good at hitting balls out of the park, with 40 homers hit as a team thus far.

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Notre Dame on the other hand, is hitting .273 as a team with 17 home runs, putting together its best performance of the season in a 15-4 win over Lipscomb on Feb. 23. Overall for the season, the Fighting Irish are 13-16, having gone 2-3 over their last five games.

On the mound, the Cardinal will need to lean into their strong staff if they want to win the series. With the Irish having struggled to establish themselves as a force at the plate and the Cardinal proving to have one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, good performances on the mound and containing the Notre Dame bats could go a long way towards success for the Cardinal this week.

Notable players for Notre Dame include Addison Amaral (.375 BA, three home runs, 24 RBI) and Sydny Poeck (.328 BA, home run, six RBI).

After playing two separate two-game series, the Cardinal return to playing a three-game series this weekend, which spans from Friday-Sunday. First pitch for Friday's game will be at 3:00 p.m. (PT), first pitch for Saturday's game will be at 1:30 p.m. (PT) and first pitch for Sunday will be at 3:00 p.m. (PT). All three games will air on the ACC Network/ESPN.

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