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The observer | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2023 | ndsmcobserver.com
ND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
BASEBALL
Irish earn top seed, await update on Miles’ injury
Irish take two of three vs. UNCG By TYLER REIDY
By JJ POST
Sports Writer
Sports Writer
Though it was far from pretty, Notre Dame baseball took its first series over the weekend. Playing at North Carolina-Greensboro, the Irish were outscored by seven runs overall, but survived close games Friday and Sunday. With the result, Notre Dame now sits at 3-3 as February draws to a close.
The ACC women’s basketball tournament will start in Greensboro, North Carolina Wednesday afternoon. Fresh off of a conference-title win over Louisville on Sunday, Notre Dame will enter the tournament holding the top overall seed. Rounding out the upper echelon of the bracket is No. 2-seed Duke, No. 3-seed Virginia Tech and aforementioned No. 4-seed Louisville. Duke had a chance to clinch the top seed in the final round of regular season games, but their loss to North Carolina paired with the Irish’s win bumped them to the second slot. Elsewhere in the tournament, Notre Dame will face one of either North Carolina State or Syracuse in the first round. The Wolfpack in particular represent see WBB PAGE 14
Friday: Notre Dame 6, UNCG 5
MARY VOTAVA | The Observer
Irish sophomore guard Olivia Miles drives to the basket during Notre Dame’s 78-76 home overtime victory over Louisville on Feb. 16, 2023.
ND SOFTBALL
Meet Lexi Orozco, Irish softball’s newest star By TYLER REIDY Sports Writer
As Notre Dame softball prepares to begin ACC play, head coach Deanna Gumpf is stressing one big theme: belief. For graduate infielder Lexi Orozco, belief has carved out a special career. By joining the Irish after a four-year stint at Utah State, Orozco sought out a special type of challenge. In her teammates, coaches and the overall environment of ND softball, she has found exactly what she was looking for. Growing up in San Marcos, California, Orozco’s support system set her up for success. Her mother, Angela, also played softball in her youth and encouraged Lexi and her four siblings to be active. At the same time, she showed them the meaning of empathy, forming a lasting image of leadership in Orozco’s mind. “She has always taught me to understand those around you, and understand the person that sits in the jersey rather than the jersey itself,” Orozco said. “At the end of
the day, we’re people, and performance doesn’t dictate the person that stands in that jersey.” Orozco also quickly befriended current Irish graduate pitcher Payton Tidd, a fellow San Marcos native. Tidd’s family became an important link as Orozco navigated the recruiting process. Long before the two ever led San Marcos High School to a state title, their college offers began rolling in. At age thirteen, Orozco had narrowed her search to Utah and Utah State, ultimately committing to the latter. “I think what led me to Utah State as a 13-year-old, and I tell this story to everyone, is that it came down to the decision of wearing Nike or Under Armour, and I told my dad I wanted to wear Nike,” she said. “From an early age, I knew that Utah State was right for me because it checked everything off with my 13-year-old brain.” Though Orozco may now sheepishly look back on the decision, it turned out to be a good one. As a freshman, she logged 46 starts. By the end of
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Email Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu
her four years in Logan, she had played 169 games as the Aggies’ primary shortstop. “There were a lot of older girls in front of me, and the only thing I knew that I could rely on was to compete and compete respectfully,” Orozco said. “I think that’s what landed me where I was for my whole career. I never looked back once I kept moving forward through all the ups and downs.” In Orozco’s case, the ups were numerous. During her illustrious career, she set or tied Aggie records for RBI (138), slugging percentage (.631) and home runs (39). Orozco earned a First-Team All-Mountain West selection in 2019, following it up with an NCFA Division I Third Team All-Region honor in 2022. With four magnificent seasons behind her, Orozco knew she could thrive anywhere heading into her graduate season. That “anywhere” was originally supposed to be a lot closer to the San Diego area. Even as coach Gumpf welcomed her for a v isit, see OROZCO PAGE 14
After hitting .110 in the Lipscomb series, the Irish offense came out swinging. Each of Notre Dame’s first six hitters reached in the top of the first with the help of two Spartan errors. By the inning’s end, four runs had crossed home plate. Irish sophomore starting pitcher Radek Birkholz nearly sold the early lead, but he escaped a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the bottom of the first. Birkholz finished the day with three scoreless innings. However, his offense failed to add on, and Notre Dame soon paid for it. With graduate student Aidan Tyrell on the mound, UNCG loaded the bags without recording a hit. After a run-scoring sacrifice f ly, senior catcher Dallas Callahan crushed a threerun homer to right-center, tying the game at four. The next two innings passed without a score, as sophomore reliever Jack Findlay settled things down for the Irish. Notre Dame needed a big hit, and it came in the top of the ninth. Graduate infielder Carter Putz opened with a single, drawing junior catcher Danny Neri to the dish with one out. Though he entered the game with just two career home runs, Neri got a hold of one. W hen the ball landed over the right field fence, he had given Notre Dame a 6-4 lead. Findlay surrendered a run and made matters interesting before stranding two Spartans in scoring position to end the game.
Saturday: Notre Dame 0, UNCG 12 Game two proved to be a forgettable one for the Irish. Allowing a run in seven of eight innings pitched, Notre Dame suffered its most lopsided regular season loss in over four years. The Irish
recorded more errors (five) than hits (three), walking seven Spartans and plunking four more. Meanwhile, UNCG freshman starter Jay Miller tossed a gem, working a shutout over seven innings. The Spartan offense rewarded him with a field day at the plate, highlighted by backto-back bombs from sophomore infielder Rowan Watt and Callahan in the third. Junior Jackson Dennies suffered the loss, surrendering three runs in two innings to start the game.
Sunday: Notre Dame 7, UNCG 4 Despite the shutout, Notre Dame’s bats were no worse for the wear on Sunday. Graduate outfielder Brooks Coetzee wasted no time, starting the action with a first-inning RBI single. In the fifth, the Irish lead ballooned to five on Neri’s second key hit of the series, a two-run single with two outs. UNCG then promptly minimized the deficit to 5-3 on a threerun blast from junior infielder Dosi Jonas, which forced Irish graduate transfer starter Blake Hely from the game. W hile the Irish hitters rebuilt the lead to four, junior pitcher Matt Bedford carved up the Spartans in the middle innings. He worked three scoreless frames, striking out four in the process. Head coach Shawn Stiff ler removed him entering the ninth, and things got dicey again. UNCG again drew a run back, requiring graduate Carter Bosch to earn the final out with the tying run up to bat. He wrapped it up on a called third strike, securing Notre Dame’s first series win of 2023. With graduate outfielder Jack Zyska still healing from an injury in the field, Notre Dame’s veterans stepped up. Zack Prajzner, Coetzee, and Putz combined to go 11for-30 at the dish. The three mainstays from the College World Series lineup also scored seven of the 13 Irish runs. In their final tune-up before ACC play begins, Notre Dame will visit UAB from March 3-5. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST. Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu
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