Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY DAVID MCKINNEY T he spring season of Olympic sports in South Bend is already underway. Here's an overview of several of those squads, including a projection on where each is expected to finish in the ACC and nationally. BASEBALL Record Through March 12: 7-6 overall, 1-2 ACC ACC Predicted Finish: 6th NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Regionals Coach's Expectations: "I sort of stay away from the whole expectations scene," head coach Mik Aoki said. "I hope our team just focuses on trying to be the best Notre Dame we can be every single time we come out to practice or come out to play. "Having said that, I think we have a pretty good team, but it is very much a work in progress." Top Player: Senior outfielder Jake Johnson started all 53 games for Notre Dame in 2017 and was first on the team in on-base percentage (.401) and second in batting average (.305). He also was the only position player all season to avoid com- mitting an error. Athlete To Watch: Aoki said it is hard to ignore what freshman relief pitcher and Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet has done early in his Irish career. In 17 2/3 innings of work, Kmet had recorded one save, a 2.55 ERA and 14 strikeouts. "He's done a really good job coming out of the bullpen for us," Aoki said. "He's been a really steadying, consistent influence." Don't Miss: Notre Dame will host No. 12 Clem- son for a three-game series April 6-8. MEN'S GOLF Tournament Results Through March 12: 6th out of 16 teams at Mobile Sports Authority Intercolle- giate Feb. 12-13 and 16th out of 16 squads at the Prestige at PGA West Feb. 19-21 ACC Predicted Finish: 8th-10th NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Regionals Coach's Expectations: "It's my first year, so we didn't have too many expectations in the fall," head coach John Handrigan said. "We were just trying our best to improve each day, and we set some smaller goals for guys improving each day. "We had a pretty solid fall and were pleased with that. Our goal this spring is to continue with that and continue to improve." Top Player: Junior Ben Albin is coming off an impressive sophomore season during which he had one win, two top-five finishes, three top-10 showings and five top-25 efforts. In his winning performance at the Georgetown Intercollegiate, he posted a school-record 11-under-par 202. Albin finished the season second on the team in stroke average (72.65). Athlete to Watch: As a freshman, John Felitto had one top-five finish and two top-25 showings, including a win in his collegiate debut at the Notre Dame Kickoff Challenge, where he shot a 135 and set a school record for a 36-hole tournament. Felitto appeared in seven tournaments for Notre Dame as a freshman and could have an expanded role in 2018. Don't Miss: The Irish will compete in the ACC Championships April 20-22 at New London, N.C. WOMEN'S GOLF Tournament Results Through March 12: 7th out of 12 teams at the Florida State Matchup Feb. 9-10 and 6th out of 15 squads at the Westbrook Invitational Feb. 25-26 ACC Predicted Finish: 10th-12th NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Regionals Coach's Expectations: "We had a really good fall season and capped it off with the best stroke aver- age in the history of the program after the fall," head coach Susan Holt said. "We've really done a good job of maintaining that this spring through our first two events. We've had really good bal- ance in our lineup all year, and that's contributed to our success this year more than anything. We have four solid players in those top four spots, and we're getting consistent contributions from our fifth spot this spring." Top Player: Junior Emma Albrecht finished 2017 with a 73.44 stroke average, the second-lowest single-season mark in school history. In the nine events Albrecht competed in, she led Notre Dame scorers in five of them and had one top-10 finish, four top-20 showings and six top-25 efforts. "She had a great year last year," Holt said. "And I've been really impressed with how she picked up where she left off in the fall. She's played really well and is averaging under par. "She's been our consistent performer for the last two years. She's definitely stepped up and filled that spot for us." Athlete To Watch: Holt said freshman Abby Heck has been everything the Irish hoped for when they signed the two-time individual state champion. "I've been really impressed with Abby Heck," Holt said. "She's played in every event and is aver- aging just over 73.5 strokes. She's played really, re- ally solid all year for us, and it's been fun to watch her come in and make an immediate impact." Don't Miss: The Irish will head to Greensboro, N.C., to compete in the ACC Championships, April 20-22. MEN'S LACROSSE Record Through March 12: 3-1 overall ACC Predicted Finish: First NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Final Four Coach's Expectations: Head coach John Corrigan said the Irish will become the best version of them- selves throughout the rest of the season if they can continue to turn in complete-game performances. "They must have an aggressiveness, an assertive- ness, a decisiveness — it's about putting your nose on the ground and poise and communication," Corrigan said. "If we're doing all that effectively, we'll be where we want to be. That's the way we need to play. "That's the challenge, and it's a big one, being completely dialed in for 60 minutes." Top Player: Longstick midfielder/defender John Sexton was an All-American in 2017, and ranked second on the team in both ground balls (46) and turnovers caused (23). Prior to the season begin- ning, Sexton was named to the Tewaaraton Award watch list, given annually to the country's top male and female college lacrosse players. Athlete To Watch: Sophomore Bryan Costabile was also named to the Tewaaraton Watch list fol- lowing a freshman season in which he started all 15 games for Notre Dame and ranked fifth on the team in goals with 17. Costabile scored a goal in his first seven career starts for Notre Dame and recorded a hat trick in a victory over Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Don't Miss: No. 4 Notre Dame will host No. 3 Duke April 7. WOMEN'S LACROSSE Record Through March 12: 5-3 overall, 1-2 ACC ACC Predicted Finish: Fifth NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Second round Coach's Expectations: "We have standards that we would like to play to, and we're trying to be the best team we can and get better one day at time," head coach Christine Halfpenny said. The Irish Are Prepared For Spring Success Junior Emma Albrecht fired a 9-under-par 207 — tied for the lowest 54-hole score in program history — to place fourth at the Westbrook Invitational Feb. 25-26 in Peoria, Ariz. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS