· Notre Dame checks in at 24th nationally in Perfect Game's preseason poll, the first preseason ranking in the Mik Aoki era. · All four starters return in the infield, headlined by junior second baseman and Baseball America preseason first-team All-American Cavan Biggio. · 472.2 of 554.2 innings pitched last season are back for the Irish in 2016.

Notre Dame returns 85 percent of its pitching from one of the ACC's top units last season.

Notre Dame baseball is primed for a big season in 2016. For the first time in head coach Mik Aoki's six-year career with the Irish, his program is ranked in the Perfect Game preseason Top 25, checking in at No. 24 nationally. Blue & Gold Illustrated has you covered as college baseball's opening weekend begins, including the Irish's three-game series at Santa Clara.

Team Preseason Expectations No. 24 Notre Dame is one of seven ACC schools that made it in the Perfect Game Top 25, a list that also includes No. 2 Louisville, No. 9 Virginia, No. 11 Miami, No. 13 N.C. State, No. 20 Florida State and No. 22 North Carolina. Aoki's squad plays five of those six ranked ACC teams this year, with the series against the Hurricanes the only one scheduled at home. They also have games against No. 5 LSU, No. 12 Oregon and No. 23 Michigan. The preseason ACC coaches poll pegged Notre Dame fourth in the Atlantic Division, trailing projected champion Louisville, Florida State and North Carolina State. The same poll predicted the Irish eighth out of 14 teams overall in the loaded conference. Seven ACC teams reached the NCAA tournament last season, and four of those advanced to Super Regionals, with Virginia eventually emerging as national champion. Preseason rankings vary a bit in other publications. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper pegs the Irish at No. 27, while Athlon placed Notre Dame all the way up at No. 9. Both Baseball American and D1Baseball.com - two of the six polls the NCAA uses in its collective rankings - projected Notre Dame to qualify for the NCAA Regionals.

Returning Lineup Notre Dame's infield returns all four starters - senior first baseman Zak Kutsulis, junior second baseman Cavan Biggio, senior shortstop Lane Richard and junior third baseman Kyle Fiala. That group helped Notre Dame to a .979 fielding percentage last season (No. 9 nationally) and 75 double plays in 60 games, the most in college baseball. Starring out of that quartet is Biggio, the son of MLB Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio (Astros, 1988-2007). The Irish junior won a Rawlings Gold Glove last season, making him the only second baseman in college baseball to pickup the distinction, and just the second honoree in school history (A.J. Pollock, 2009). Biggio was named a preseason first-team All-American this year by Baseball America. "It's a great help to just begin the year," said Aoki to UND.com, regarding all the returners in the infield. "They know all of our stuff, in terms of our first-to-third throws and our bunt defenses. "Honestly, baseball isn't like football and basketball where you have set plays. For those guys, it's an experiential thing of knowing where to be and looking for things on the field. It's nice to just not have to worry a ton about them. In a way, they're kind of coaching themselves out there."

Greatful for our indoor facilities & always excited to get outside! We've done it all in the 1st 2 days of practice. pic.twitter.com/PyJRTSH7Il — Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) January 31, 2016