It’s been 10 years since Northwestern and Notre Dame sat in opposing dugouts.
Tonight, both teams will have a chance to renew their long-standing rivalry in one of Chicago’s finest baseball venues.
The Wildcats and Fighting Irish will square off at 7 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. This marks the second straight major league venue NU will play in, after the team was swept at the Metrodome in Minneapolis last weekend.
Growing up about halfway between the two schools in Valparaiso, Ind., senior shortstop Tommy Finn said the opportunity to play in a pro park takes some of the pressure off.
“You’ll look around and say, ‘Wow, am I really out here right now?'” Finn said. “We were talking about how quiet it was at the Metrodome, but at the same time it was the most relaxing game we played. The games went by so quickly because everyone is having so much fun playing in a big league ball park. You got to sit back and just soak it in.”
While the two teams have not played in about a decade, tonight’s game marks the 124th meeting between the schools. NU won the April 6, 1999 game in a 20-10 slugfest, but the Irish still lead the all-time series, 65-57-1.
Both teams are coming off rough weekends in conference play. NU once again struggled with blown leads against the Gophers, dropping two of the three contests by two runs or less. Notre Dame lost two of its three games at Big East rival Cincinnati, falling to 6-6 in conference play. NU added a last-minute game against Trinity International Tuesday, and picked up a 15-6 victory at Rocky Miller Park.
That victory may give the Cats some momentum entering the big stage. But coach Paul Stevens said the opportunity to play at the home of the Sox should speak for itself.
“If you cant stay focused going into a situation like U.S. Cellular Field, playing Notre Dame, under the lights, in a phenomenal facility, that they’re graciously allowing us to play in, then you can’t get psyched at all,” Stevens said. “The fact of the matter is these kids are tickled pink.”
Tickled pink enough to arrive early for the festivities. Finn said the team might have the chance to take some ground balls before the game starts.
“You’ve got to stop and look around and just realize how awesome it is,” Finn said. “We’re getting a really fortunate opportunity to play in front of a decent amount of people at one of the greatest fields around.”
