Winning in South Bend isn’t just about football. People forget that. They see the gold helmets and the 80,000-seat stadium and assume everything else is just background noise. But if you actually look at the notre dame baseball stats from the last few seasons, you’ll see a program that has been on a wild, emotional, and statistically bizarre roller coaster.
Last year was a grind. Honestly, it was. Shawn Stiffler, now heading into his fourth season in 2026, had to navigate an ACC that felt more like a gauntlet than a conference. The Irish finished 2025 with a 32-21 overall record. Not bad, right? But the conference play—that’s where the story lives. They went 14-16 in the ACC.
The Numbers That Defined the 2025 Season
Let’s talk about the bats first. Everyone looks at batting average, but in modern college ball, it’s about who can clear the fence when the wind is blowing out at Frank Eck Stadium.
Estevan Moreno was basically the heartbeat of the lineup. He hit .276, which doesn't sound like a "wow" number until you see the power metrics. He posted a .485 slugging percentage. That’s the kind of production that keeps opposing pitchers up at night. Then you had Carson Tinney, who absolutely caught fire. Tinney mashed 17 home runs in 2025. To put that in perspective, that tied him for 6th all-time in a single season in Notre Dame history with guys like Brant Ust and Jeff Wagner.
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- Team Batting Average: .258
- Total Home Runs: 63
- Stolen Bases: 22 (A bit low, honestly, for a team that usually likes to pressure the defense)
- Total Runs Scored: 343
The pitching side was... complicated. Jackson Dennies and Jack Radel carried a heavy load, but the team ERA sat at 5.84. In the ACC, if you aren't under 5.00, you're living on the edge every single weekend. Dennies ended with a 6.41 ERA over 26.2 innings by late March, which shows just how much the "small sample size" of early-season non-conference games can skew the perception of a staff.
Why the 2022 Peak Still Haunts the Stats
You can't talk about notre dame baseball stats without acknowledging the shadow of 2022. That was the Link Jarrett year. The year they went 41-17 and knocked off #1 Tennessee in Knoxville to reach Omaha.
That team hit .276 as a group but had a team ERA of 3.91. That is the magic number. When Notre Dame wins big, it’s because the pitching is elite. Since then, the ERA has crept up. In 2024, it was 5.72. In 2025, it stayed in that same neighborhood. If Stiffler wants to get back to a Super Regional in 2026, that number has to drop. It’s non-negotiable.
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Historical Context: The Legends
Sometimes we get so caught up in the current RPI and bubble watch that we forget how deep this history goes. Did you know Dan Peltier hit .446 in 1989? Or that Steve Stanley, maybe the greatest to ever wear the uniform, had 119 hits in a single season back in 2002?
Stanley’s career batting average of .384 is just silly. He played 256 games. He was a vacuum in center field and a nightmare on the basepaths. If you’re looking at all-time notre dame baseball stats, he is the gold standard.
All-Time Home Run Leaders
- Jeff Wagner: 49
- Brant Ust: 46
- Niko Kavadas: 46 (Who could forget that 2021 run?)
- Frank Jacobs: 37
Kavadas was a different breed. In 2021, he hit 22 home runs in just 47 games. That’s roughly one every two games. It’s one of the most dominant statistical seasons in the history of the program, especially considering the quality of pitching in the ACC that year.
What to Watch in 2026
The 2026 schedule is out. It’s a beast.
The Irish are opening with their usual warm-weather road trips because, well, South Bend in February is basically an ice rink. They have to find a way to improve their road record. In 2025, they were actually decent away from home, going 16-10, which is rare for a Northern school.
Keep an eye on the strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last season, the staff gave up 125 walks. That’s too many free passes. To compete with the likes of Wake Forest or Florida State, who are consistently at the top of the conference standings, the Irish pitchers need to rediscover the zone.
The "Small Ball" Misconception
There’s this idea that Northern teams have to play "small ball"—bunt, steal, scratch out runs. Notre Dame has kind of bucked that lately. They’ve leaned into the long ball. With guys like Tinney returning and the development of younger bats like Jayce Lee, the 2026 squad looks built to slug.
But slugging alone doesn't win in May.
You need the ERA to sit around 4.50. You need a fielding percentage above .975. In 2025, they were at .975, which is solid, but the 19 errors in the first 19 games of that season proved costly. Cleaning up the "hidden" stats—passed balls, wild pitches, and mental errors on the bases—is where the 2026 team will either sink or swim.
Practical Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you're tracking notre dame baseball stats for the upcoming season, don't just look at the wins and losses in February. Look at the quality of contact.
- The Friday Night Factor: Watch who starts the series opener. If the Irish find a true "Friday Night Ace" who can go 6+ innings consistently, their win probability jumps by nearly 40% based on historical trends.
- The Home/Road Split: Frank Eck Stadium is a pitcher's park early in the year and a hitter's park once it warms up. Adjust your expectations for total runs accordingly.
- Midweek Trap Games: Notre Dame often plays local mid-major teams on Tuesdays. These games are where they test their bullpen depth. High scoring is common here.
The 2026 season feels like a pivot point. Stiffler has his players in the building now. The statistical profile of this team is shifting from a scrappy underdog to a power-heavy lineup that needs its pitching to catch up.
Next Steps: Dig into the 2026 roster and identify the incoming freshman pitchers. Their ability to eat innings in middle relief will be the most important "stat" that doesn't show up on the back of a baseball card but decides the ACC standings by May.