Texas Looks to Start College World Series Off Strong Against Notre Dame

The Longhorns start their run in Omaha against the Fighting Irish on Friday.

For the 38th time in program history, the Texas Longhorns find themselves in the College World Series in Omaha. They're seeking their seventh baseball title and their first since 2005, but their road to the championship series starts on Friday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

Here's what you need to know about game one, from how to watch to a breakdown of the Fighting Irish.

How to watch: 

Friday at 6 p.m. Central/7 p.m. Eastern (ESPN)

A look at Notre Dame's Tournament so far

Many people thought Notre Dame should have been a top-16 seed and hosting a regional, however, the selection committee did not agree. Instead, they were sent on the road as the No. 2 seed in Georgia Southern's regional, which they won by beating Texas Tech in the regional final. They would follow up that performance with the upset of the tournament, as they went into the Knoxville Super Regional and knocked off the No. 1 overall national seeded Tennessee, who was widely considered the best team in the country. 

Notre Dame by the numbers

Record: 40-15

Runs scored: 418

Runs allowed: 248

Team ERA: 3.95

Team Avg.: .294

Notre Dame wins this game if...

Their pitching can slow down the Texas offense just enough. The Longhorns have a lineup that can hurt you from top to bottom; if you aren't careful, they can easily put up runs in bunches. If the Fighting Irish wants to win this game and find themselves in the winners' bracket, they must slow down this potent Texas lineup. 

Texas wins this game if...

Pete Hansen returns to form and bounces back from a rough outing against East Carolina. Texas' usually reliable ace only lasted four innings against East Carolina, allowing five earned runs on seven hits with only three strikeouts. If Hansen cannot put up his usual ace-like numbers against Notre Dame, this could become a bullpen game early and that could spell big trouble for the Longhorns. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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