Notre Dame baseball has been irrelevant for so long, it’s hard for some college baseball cognoscenti to take the Fighting Irish seriously. 

With just one NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006, that one coming six years ago, Notre Dame is still in prove-it mode under second-year coach Link Jarrett, even after this surprise run to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference and into the top 10 of the national rankings.

“We definitely have a chip on our shoulder,” senior second baseman Jared Miller said before the Irish exited the ACC Tournament with Friday’s 14-1 loss to Virginia.

A group of classic scrappers with underwhelming individual stats and a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, the 2021 Irish have fully embraced Jarrett’s aggressive coaching style that he brought north with him from UNC Greensboro. 

Mistakes will happen, especially at the college level. Jarrett, named this week as ACC Coach of the Year, wants his players to know they have the freedom to power through even the most damaging of temporary setbacks.

“He lets us use all of our talents and go out there and just play,” Miller said. “It’s a fun style of baseball, and we’re getting used to it. We just go out and play coach Jarrett’s style of baseball, and it’s been a good year.”

Despite a season opener that didn’t happen until Feb. 27, the Irish having four early-season games either canceled or postponed, Notre Dame claimed its 30th win of the season in Game No. 40. 

“To get to 30 wins when you’ve played 40 games — pretty good,” Jarrett said after an ACC Tournament-opening 8-0 in over Virginia Tech. 

A former Colorado Rockies farmhand who played shortstop at Florida State three decades ago, Jarrett still believes there’s another gear for his program and for this year’s team as well. He calls his team’s defense “exceptional” and praises the depth and versatility of a pitching staff wracked by offseason injuries to closer Tommy Vail and right-hander Jack Sheehan. 

“It’s a little tricky to do what we’ve done,” Jarrett said. “When you look at our pitching stats and how many people have started and closed and middle relief — and all of the outs are important — we have to continue to develop (starting pitching). That would help.” 

How close is Notre Dame to realizing the vision Jarrett had for the program when he arrived on campus in July 2019? 

“We’re close,” Jarrett said. “I have no beef with what these guys have done. I’m still learning them. We’re probably now at the back end of one full season playing and coaching together …  but we’re getting there.”

Jarrett, a rising star in the college game, will keep pushing, keep teaching, keep building. It will be interesting to see where the seeds fall on Monday when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced, but the Irish already have earned their invitation.  

“I think our baserunning at times could be a little bit better and our bunting game isn’t what I want it to be,” Jarrett said. “”But, all in all, obviously I’m excited about what we’ve accomplished. I’m very pleased with where we are.”