Notre Dame's Cavan Biggio is having a productive year at the plate. (Notre Dame)

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Weekend Preview: March 20-22

This Week:

• Surprising Notre Dame plays its first home series against Louisville (Aaron Fitt)

• Freshman Faces: Texas A&M righthander Turner Larkins (Kendall Rogers)

• Five teams that really need wins this weekend (Kendall Rogers)

• National Notebook (Kendall Rogers & Aaron Fitt)

Surprising Irish Carry Momentum Into Louisville Series

When the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference schedule was released, this weekend’s Louisville-Notre Dame series didn’t look like it would be a marquee matchup. There was the mild intrigue of the first ACC series between these two Big East refugees—the two newest members of the ACC. But Notre Dame’s first year in the ACC was a disaster, as the Fighting Irish went 22-31 overall in 2014 and 9-21 in conference play to finish in the Atlantic Division basement. No outsiders harbored any significant expectations for them heading into this spring.

But Notre Dame has been one of college baseball’s brightest surprises through the first five weeks, getting off to a 15-4 start that includes road series wins at Oklahoma and Clemson. The Irish are 3-3 in ACC play after trips to Georgia Tech and Clemson, and if they can win a series against 11th-ranked Louisville (15-6, 5-1) this weekend, they could make a strong push for the Top 25. No one outside of South Bend expected that, but Irish coach Mik Aoki felt like 2014 was something of an aberration.

“I felt like with all the different issues we dealt with last year, from losing guys like (Dan) Slania and (Eric) Jagielo (in the draft) to entering a new conference, to the fact that the crazy weather delayed the installation of our artificial surface, and quite frankly I think we just didn’t handle all of it well, from the coaching staff to the support staff, right through to the players,” Aoki said. “But I felt good about this team. I felt we had a talented group of freshman arms coming in to bolster our pitching staff. I felt like guys like Cavan Biggio and Kyle Fiala and Robert Youngdahl and Ryan Bull — a bunch of guys that just seemed to struggle last year — I felt like they would come back to who and what they are as players this year. I don’t think last year was indicative of who and what they are.”

Notre Dame RHP Peter Solomon (John Williamson/Notre Dame)

The most prominent individual turnaround is Biggio’s. The son of former Astros great Craig Biggio, Cavan brought more than just a famous name to South Bend: He was one of the nation’s top recruits out of high school, ranking No. 67 in the 2013 Baseball America 500, making him the second-highest ranked prep position player to attend college that fall. Biggio scuffled through a trying freshman year, hitting .246/.329/.353 with two homers and just 16 RBIs in 187 at-bats. Like most high-profile recruits, Biggio was not accustomed to failure, and a big key to his development was learning to cope with adversity, according to Aoki. He also needed to do a better job with his off-field habits, like making sure he ate enough and did not neglect his strength and conditioning work. Aoki credits the coaching staff at Harwich, where Biggio played in the Cape Cod League, with helping further his development, and he credits Biggio for really buying in to the team-first concept.

“For him it was maturity on the field and maturity off the field, taking ownership of his development, fitness and physical strength, those kind of things,” Aoki said. “Two things have impressed me most: He’s improved dramatically in terms of his defense. The other part is I think he’s come out of being into himself and is now into the team. So now when he puts a ball on the barrel and the second baseman catches it, he’s not as concerned about the hit it took on his batting average just as long as we’re winning. I think that’s a big evolution in a young player’s development. He’s been a consummate teammate, a terrific player. He’s been one of the best players on the field every time we’ve taken the field, and it’s not just because he’s getting hits. He’s got some stolen bases, he’s got three or four dirt-ball reads, he’s becoming a more complete player even than he was in high school.”

Biggio has been an offensive dynamo, hitting .394/.522/.662 with nine doubles, two homers, 12 RBIs and six stolen bases in six tries. He is also fielding .991 at second base, where he has just one error. Quite simply, he has blossomed into one of the best all-around players in the ACC, living up to the sky-high expectations he carried with him to Notre Dame.

The Irish are outstanding defensively up the middle, as Biggio is joined by standout junior shortstop Lane Richards and talented sophomore catcher Ryan Lidge. Like Biggio, the switch-hitting Lidge benefitted from his summer ball experience (in the Northwoods League, in Lidge’s case) and has gotten much stronger as a sophomore. He’s hitting .317/.416/.429 with two homers and 14 RBIs, and Aoki said he and Richards have both shown more ability to drive balls into the gaps and over the fence this year. Richards (.329/.360/.457, 15 RBI) doesn’t have a home run yet but has the strength to hit a half-dozen or so this spring, Aoki said. But he’s not thinking about his stats; Richards is “consumed with wanting to help our team win,” Aoki said. And he’s the glue for Notre Dame’s strong infield defense.

“He’s very steady, but his arm strength allows him to make some of those really good plays — he’s got an absolute bazooka,” Aoki said. “He’s athletic enough to make plays out of balance. He’s steady Eddie on balls that are hit at him and are supposed to be converted, and every now and then he can make a highlight play.”

Another key to the offense has been the emergence of senior outfielder Robert Youngdahl (.315/.390/.466), who struggled last year after arriving in South Bend as a rare junior-college transfer for the Irish. Aoki thinks Youngdahl was trying too hard to prove himself to his new teammates and scouts, and this year he’s playing much more relaxed, not living and dying with every at-bat. Aoki said he “may be the most talented kid on our team,” with good speed, a quality lefthanded swing with some pop, and even the ability to contribute off the mound, where he’s 87-90 with a decent breaking ball from the left side.

Notre Dame still isn’t an elite offensive club, but is dramatically improved. Last year, the Irish ranked 269th in the nation in batting (.245) and 271st in scoring (3.8 runs per game). This year, the team batting average is up to .275 (111th nationally), and the scoring average is way up to 6.4 runs per game (64th). Aoki isn’t shocked by the improvement; the way he sees it, his players are simply performing up to their ability.

“Does that mean I thought we’d go 15-4? No, but it doesn’t surprise me that that’s where we are,” Aoki said. “The thing I’ve been most proud of with this group is I think their compete factor has just been so high, every game. We give very few at-bats away over the course of the game. We compete, make them work for every single out that they get over the course of a game. That has been the most gratifying part, to watch these kids go out and play their rear ends off.”

On the mound, Notre Dame’s staff does a good job pitching to contact and letting the strong defense work behind it — in fact, the Irish lead the nation with 28 double plays. Senior righthander Scott Kerrigan (1-2, 3.99) pitches off an 89-92 sinker and mixes in a decent 12-to-6 curveball and a changeup against lefties. Junior righty Nick McCarty (3-1, 2.15) is in the same mold, albeit with less velocity; he also gets plenty of groundball outs with his two-seamer and commands the zone with his breaking ball and adequate changeup.

Nick McCarty (Danny Karnik/Notre Dame)

The Saturday starter is one of Notre Dame’s four big-time freshman arms, righthander Brandon Bielak (2-1, 5.26). He’s been up and down so far this spring, but he’s a good competitor with a live-bodied, athletic frame and power stuff, with a low-90s fastball that touches 94 along with a breaking ball and changeup.

A second freshman righty, Peter Solomon (2-0, 1.46, 4 SV, 15-3 SO-BB in 12.1 IP), has held down the closer role. Solomon was Notre Dame’s biggest-name recruit, ranking No. 261 on the BA 500, and has shown the outstanding stuff the Irish expected, working at 90-94 with a good power curveball and a changeup.

A third freshman, setup man Brad Bass (2-0, 1.86), has a 6-foot-6, 245-pound frame that Aoki calls “ginormous,” and a power arm to match. He complements his big fastball with a slider. Lefty Sean Guenther (1-0, 3.77) is the fourth member of this standout group of freshman pitchers. Guenther really impressed Aoki on Sunday at Clemson after the Irish gave up a six-spot to blow a 6-0 lead. Guenther came in the next inning and allowed a leadoff triple—then pitched his way out of it without giving up a run.

“You don’t see that very often from freshmen, no matter how talented they are,” Aoki said. “That’s not an outlier; he’s been very good in that setup role … All four of them have been really, really good. I think they’ve shown poise beyond their years. They’re all extremely talented kids. When it’s all said and done, those guys will probably end up being front-of-the-rotation type of guys. I don’t know whether that will happen this year or if it’s going to be next year. They’re absolute front of the rotation guys.”

That’s a bright sign for Notre Dame’s future, but also for its present. They may be freshmen, but they aren’t intimidated, and their talent makes a big difference.

The Irish have proven they are dangerous by opening ACC play with solid showings on the road at Georgia Tech and Clemson. The schedule doesn’t get any easier — after playing Louisville, the Irish host Virginia, travel to frisky Pittsburgh, then host Florida State. But at least four of their next five series are at home; Notre Dame’s first 18 games were away from South Bend, which makes its strong start even more impressive.

“There’s no gimmes in this league, but we’re kind of running the gauntlet,” Aoki said. “(The Cardinals) have been playing well — they always seem to pitch well, they always seem to have a bunch of power arms and athletic lineups. We’ll certainly have our hands full, that’s for sure.”

But so will their opponents.

Freshman Faces: Texas A&M’s Turner Larkins

This is everything Turner Larkins wanted when he chose to attend Texas A&M last summer.

Larkins, like many talented pitching prospects out of high school, had options besides playing for the Aggies. Ranked the 90th high school prospect nationally, the talented righthander clearly had the ability to make himself very signable in the draft. However, he placed a hefty price tag on his potential services, and the result was the Milwaukee Brewers taking a flier on him in the 28th round in the draft.

Texas A&M’s Turner Larkins have been a pleasant surprise this spring. (Texas A&M)

The choice was clear for Larkins: Head to College Station.

“We felt like coming out of high school, he had a real chance to be an impactful guy right away,” Texas A&M coach Rob Childress said. “We like to make things extremely competitive in the fall, and Turner really embraced that. He was impressive on the mound in the fall, and we felt like if he wasn’t in the weekend rotation, he’d definitely be our Tuesday starting pitcher. Now he’s in our weekend rotation.”

“Really,” he continued, “he’s pretty much right where we expected him to be.”

Though the physical-looking 6-foot-3, 200-pounder made his first weekend start against Auburn last weekend, and was masterful, he’s had a gradual ascension. Sticking to the plan, Larkins began the spring in the midweek role, and impressed in his first performance against Stephen F. Austin. In his debut, he struck out nine, walked one and allowed just five hits in 5.1 shutout innings. Larkins was cool, collected and unafraid to challenge hitters on the inner half of the plate. Like his physical stature, Larkins’ approach was veteran-like.

He didn’t have a terrific start against a very good Dallas Baptist club, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits in 4.2 innings. But the silver lining? Larkins struck out five and didn’t issue any free passes.

His composure against the Patriots impressed Childress and the Aggies. And once lefthander and Friday starter A.J. Minter went down with a season-ending elbow injury, it was clear: Larkins needed to be in the weekend rotation, and the Aggies were very confident in his abilities.

“I would just say the biggest thing and surprise for him is just being able to handle those pressure spots,” Childress said. “You know, guys get revved up, and he’s just one of those kids where, so far, no stage has been too big for him. He’s done a nice job in big situations, and he’s doing a great job of controlling his outings.”

Larkins has earned the respect of his coaches, and opponents.

“He’s got an extremely mature mound presence for a freshman,” one coach who has faced Larkins and the Aggies said. “He was a plus arm in high school, but he’s taken a big jump from a pitchability standpoint. He locates and pitches with plus stuff. To me, he looks very similar to Ross Stripling when he was at A&M.”

Larkins has taken the next step as a pitcher with Childress’ help. The righthander was more of a fastball-changeup-curveball pitcher out of high school, but has since added a hard 84-86 mph slider, and the pitch is becoming a nice weapon for him. The righty also is showing good command of his 88-93 mph fastball, while his 82-84 mph changeup has good and consistent fade, and his 76-78 mph curveball has good bite and depth to it.

“He’s one of the guys on our staff we’ve asked to take a step forward, and he’s done exactly that,” Childress said. “He’s developed a quality slider and a very good changeup. He also possesses a really good curveball, particularly against lefthanded hitters. But overall, he’s made the most strides with the slider. That’s become a really good pitch for him, and he’s got a legitimate four-pitch mix.”

After starting a few midweek games, Larkins made his strongest impression to date last weekend against Auburn. Looking to earn a series sweep in the Sunday finale, the Aggies looked to the righthander to put together a strong start. He did what was needed, striking out seven, walking no one and allowing just a run on four hits in 6.1 innings. He passed the first of many tests in the SEC.

“I was very proud of him. He was really, really good,” Childress said. “From the first pitch on, and to get into the sixth inning, he was really good other than that one mistake to (Sam) Gillikin. We really couldn’t have asked for a better performance by him.”

The Aggies head to Alabama this weekend to face hard-hitting Casey Hughston and the Crimson Tide. And like last weekend, they will need their fast-rising freshman to rise to the occasion.

Five Teams In Need Of Wins This Weekend

1. Auburn — The Tigers were in consideration for the Top 25 just a week ago. Now, coach Sunny Golloway’s club is trying to keep its head above water. AU hit .198 for the weekend against Texas A&M last week, and now sitting 0-3 in league play, the Tigers can ill afford to struggle at home this weekend against a Vanderbilt club that has a three-headed monster in the weekend rotation with Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Jordan Sheffield. Auburn’s offense must step up, or this team could be staring at a 1-5 or 0-6 SEC start.

2. Georgia — Remember when the Bulldogs were in the rankings mix after taking a series from Florida State a few weeks ago? Well, things have changed, and not for the better. Georgia is still without hard-throwing righthander Robert Tyler, and as a team hit just .156 (dead last in the conference) the first weekend of SEC play against Missouri. We’ve got a long way to go, but this weekend’s series against Tennessee is crucial in perhaps determining which SEC East club could be left in the dust.

3. North Carolina — The Tar Heels entered the season with very high expectations, but are in some trouble after losing five of their last seven, including a road series against Pittsburgh last weekend. UNC now hits the road this weekend to face a surging and confident Georgia Tech club. This weekend’s series is big for starting pitcher Zac Gallen, who struck out 12 in seven sterling innings against Duke two weekends ago, but who struggled immensely at Pitt last weekend. The Tar Heels have struggled to find consistency from their talented rotation, forcing them to lean heavily on Trent Thornton and sidewinder Trevor Kelley. And losing starting shortstop Wood Myers (broken leg), one of the team’s best hitters, was a big blow that UNC is still trying to recover from.

4. Oregon — If Ducks head coach George Horton is looking for a little breathing room, he’s won’t get it this weekend. The Pac-12 looks terrific and red-hot Arizona State comes calling to Eugene, Ore. The good news is the Ducks are back home, the bad news is they’re losers of four of their last five. UO scored just nine runs in three games in a series loss at California last weekend, while lefthander Cole Irvin must return to normal this weekend after allowing four runs in three innings.

5. Baylor — Steve Smith’s Bears actually have some potential on the mound with Austin Stone, Daniel Castano and others, but the offense is a massive issue right now. The Bears, losers of 11 of their last 12, are hitting .245 as a team and have just one everyday starter — Logan Brown — who’s hitting over .300. Sitting at 7-13 overall, the Bears desperately need a series win over West Virginia this weekend.

National Notebook

• Houston heralded righthander Jake Lemoine will miss the next 1-3 weeks with a shoulder impingement. Lemoine was pulled from the game after just 1.2 innings against Buffalo last weekend, and hasn’t been quite right through the first few weeks of the season. Lemoine’s velocity hasn’t been as consistently good as it can be, and he proved to be very hittable against Texas A&M in the Houston College Classic a few weeks ago. On top of Lemoine’s struggles and injury, the Cougars have removed senior righthander Aaron Garza from the weekend rotation. Garza (5.96, 22.2) has allowed 15 earned runs with just 14 strikeouts this spring. Pitching was supposed to be a major strength for the Cougars, but it is a question mark heading into a tough road series at New Mexico.

• UC Santa Barbara head coach Andrew Checketts made the wise decision earlier this season to move stud righthander Dillon Tate from the closer role to the weekend rotation. Tate has been terrific in the role, showcasing mid-90s heat and an explosive slider. But it has come at a cost, especially now with the loss of righthander James Carter for the season. Carter, serving as UCSB’s closer since Tate’s move to the rotation, will have Tommy John surgery next week to repair an injured UCL. The veteran had yet allow an earned run in 9.2 innings of work, along with 12 strikeouts and three walks.

• Keep an eye on: California. The Golden Bears didn’t enter the season with especially high expectations from us pundits, but coach David Esquer’s club has been terrific thus far, sitting at 15-5 overall with a road trip to Washington on the docket this weekend. The Bears are getting significant contributions from several players, but none more than hard-hitting senior first baseman Chris Paul. Paul is hitting .426/.529/.721 with four homers and 17 RBIs, leading a Cal offense that enters the weekend hitting .306, which ranks 23rd nationally.

• Crazy statistic alert: Buffalo’s Nick Sinay certainly wouldn’t be classified as a great hitter. He’s hitting .250 with just four RBIs and a .273 slugging percentage. However, go across his stat line and he somehow has a .441 OBP. How, you ask? Well, Sinay leads UB with eight hit-by-pitches, six more than the next player on the team. Amazingly, he’s got a ways to go before he earns the distinction of being the player with the nation’s most HBPs. That award belongs to Evansville’s Jarod Perry, who has been hit a whopping 14 times in just 16 contests.

• By the numbers: Fans love numbers, and each week, we’re going to unveil a few intriguing statistics. This week, we do a quick listing of the top five teams, nationally, in terms of batting average and ERA. In terms of batting averages, the top five includes Arizona (.342), UCF (.337), East Carolina (.324), Campbell (.322) and LSU/Florida Atlantic (.319). For ERA, the five leaders are Tulane (1.56), Texas A&M (1.67), TCU (1.71), Illinois (1.90) and Iowa (1.98).

• The showcase series in the ACC this weekend pits No. 13 Virginia against No. 20 Florida State in Charlottesville. Because of the wintry weather in the first month of the season, this weekend marks Virginia’s first home weekend series of the season — the latest date for its first home weekend since 1988. The Cavaliers have won 11 straight home series in ACC play and 27 of their last 28 dating back to April 2009, so a return to Charlottesville could be just what they need after getting swept in a trio of one-run games last weekend at Virginia Tech. Virginia has a significant statistical and talent advantage on the mount against the Seminoles, but FSU boasts the ACC’s top offense, with a league-best 176 runs and 19 homers. Aaron Fitt will be on hand all weekend with coverage from Charlottesville.

• Kendall Rogers will have coverage this weekend from a big series in the Big 12. No. 2 TCU carries an eight-game winning streak into the series in Fort Worth against Oklahoma State, which has won six straight since dropping a home series against Illinois. It’s a matchup between the two teams that battled for the Big 12 regular-season title last year, and this series could have major ramifications for postseason positioning down the road. The Cowboys are still looking for consistency from their rotation, but their bullpen has been a major strength just as it was last year: 12 OSU relievers have combined to go 6-2, 2.09 with 84 strikeouts in 86 innings.

• The SEC Network’s Thursday Night package kicks off tonight with a great SEC West rivalry matchup: LSU at Arkansas. It’s a matchup between LSU ace lefty Jared Poche’ and Arkansas righty Dominic Taccolini. Trey Killian’s return bolstered the Arkansas rotation last weekend, but the Hogs still got swept by Vanderbilt in Nashville. They need to avoid another losing weekend against LSU, or they’ll find themselves in a deep early hole. The Hogs have lost seven of their last eight games to fall to 10-9 overall. One bright spot: third baseman Bobby Wernes made one of the best defensive plays you’ll see an infielder make in Wednesday’s loss to Southeast Missouri State. Check it out.