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Underdog school the University of Notre Dame has been turning a lot of heads recently in the collegiate baseball world. Although Major League Baseball is one-third of the way through their season, NCAA college baseball is at its peak, with the College World Series starting in the days ahead.
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"The 2022 Omaha 8" - NCAA Baseball
The College World Series started a few weeks ago with 64 teams, and now after dozens of games, we are finally down to eight teams. This year we have witnessed many crazy upsets, with top teams falling to underdogs. Perhaps the biggest upset of the year was Notre Dame defeating the #1 ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers in order to reach Omaha and get into the final eight.
In a three-game set against Tennessee, the Fighting Irish won the deciding game on the road, thanks to a late push in the seventh and eighth innings and five shutout innings from freshman Jack Findlay to close out the game.
"Freshman Jack Findlay gave up 1 hit in 5.0 innings in one of the most hostile atmospheres in college baseball and facing the best offense in the country. Findlay now holds a 1.99 ERA for the season." - Matt Freeman
Tennessee's baseball team was seen as an unstoppable powerhouse, ranking #1 in the country for the majority of the NCAA baseball season. The squad went 57-9 this season. They were undefeated in the postseason until the met the Fighting Irish, who defeated them in Game 1 of the Super Regionals. Their offense appeared unstoppable, having a team batting average of .308 and hitting over 150 home runs as a team this year.
However, this all stopped when the Irish pulled off the biggest upset of the year in college baseball, ultimately punching their ticket to Omaha, Nebraska.
Could Notre Dame win it all this year?
Although the Fighting Irish were looked at as a powerful team, no one expected them to defeat Tennesse and advance to Omaha. The club has an electric offense, with an overall team batting average just shy of .300. However, many believed Tennessee would simply outscore them.
It was the Fighting Irish who did the scoring in the deciding game against Tennesse. They scored one early in the second inning, then exploded for six runs in the seventh and eighth innings, and ultimately won by a final score of 7-3.
"THE UPSET OF THE YEAR IN COLLEGE BASEBALL. Notre Dame defeats No. 1 Tennessee and heads back to Omaha" - The Sporting News
If Notre Dame wins it all this year, it will be the first national title the school has won since the program's inception all the way back in 1892. The Fighting Irish have proven they can defeat some of the best teams — including the best team — in college baseball. Even though they are underdogs compared to Texas A&M and Stanford University, they are definitely capable of defeating them. If the Irish win a national title, it will shock everybody. They are a great team, and if they keep the momentum going, they will see success.
