Feb. 25, 2005

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DESTINATION DESERT – The Notre Dame baseball team (3-1), ranked as high as 19th in the national polls, heads west this week for a three-game series vs. the University of Dayton (3-2) at the spring training facility of the Chicago Cubs, HoHoKam Park, in Mesa, Ariz. … the teams will play two 9-inning games on Saturday, Feb. 26 and then a single game on Sunday the 27th.

PROBABLE PITCHING ROTATIONS

Game 1
ND – Tom Thornton, LHP, Jr. (’05: 1.80, 0-0, GS, 5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks … ’04: 3.88, 9-2, 99.2 IP, 95 H/.251, 24 BB, 77 Ks)
UD – Craig Stammen, RHP, Jr. (’05: 4.50, 1-1, 2 GS, 12 IP, 9 H/.200, 3 BB, 7 Ks)

Game 2
ND – Jess Stewart, So., RHP (’05: 0.00, 1-0, GS, 5.1 IP, 5 H, UER, 3 BB, K; ’04: 3.39, 7-1, 40 IP, 41 H/.263, 8 BB, 20 Ks)
UD – Luke Trubee, RHP, Jr. (’05: 2.70, 2-0, 2 GS, 13.1 IP, 18 H/.316, BB, 13 Ks)

Game 3
ND – Jeff Samardzija, So., RHP (’05: 1.80, 1-0, GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, K; 2.95, 5-3, 64 IP, 50 H/.209, 17 BB, 42 Ks)
UD – Kaleb Thompson, LHP, Sr. (’05: 9.00, 0-1, GS, 4 IP, 3 H/.200, 2 BB, 3 Ks)

NOTRE DAME PROBABLE GAME-ONE LINEUP (vs. RHP), * indicates lefthander hitter, ** indicates switch hitter

Pos. – Player, Yr./Ht./Wt./Hometown … 2005 Statistics and Notes

2B – #2 Brett Lilley*, Fr./5-7/165/North Canton, OH … .308 (4-for-13), RBI … 3 R. BB. 4 HBP, K, 0-1 SB, 0 Es … ’04 Hoover HS (SS): .375, 5 RBI, 16 ABs (hand injury) … ’03 Canton Central Catholic HS: .469, 45 R, 15 2B

LF – #6 Danny Dressman*, So./5-9/180/San Jose, CA … .267 (4-for-15), 5 RBI … 2 R, BB, 2 Ks, SAC … ’04: .264, 18 RBI … 25 R, 7 2B, 18 BB, 2-4 SB, 5 SAC

1B – #14 Matt Edwards, Sr./6-2/195/Mechanicsville, VA … .214 (3-for-14), RBI, HR … 5 R, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 2 K … ’04: .310, 10 HR, 54 RBI … 13 2B, 32 BB, 3B, 48 R … career: .337, 21 HR, 128 RBI, 32 2B, 62 BB … ’03: 1st team all-BIG EAST, 2nd team all-region

CF – #9 Craig Cooper, Jr./6-2/220/Plainview, NY … .333 (4-for-12), RBI … 2-4 SB, R, 3 BB, HBP, 2 Ks … ’04: .360, 10 HR, 48 RBI…12-17 SB,42 R,13 2B, 25 BB … career: .337, 10 HR, 64 RBI, 24-34 SB, 19 2B, 65 R … 1st player ever to lead BE in avg. (.470), OB, slug. (’04)

C – #11 Sean Gaston*, So./6-0/185/Brownsburg, IN … 0-for-9, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, HBP, K, SF … ’04: .316, 11 RBI … 11 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 23 GP/12 GS … Missed 17 games in ’04 due to mononucleosis … National player of the year in ’04 (started 10-for-12)

RF – #17 Cody Rizzo, Jr./6-1/200/Temecula, CA … .273 (3-for-11), 3 RBI … R, 4 BB, 4 Ks, SF, SAC, E … ’04: .263, 4 HR, 29 RBI … 5 2B, 39 R, 21 HBP, 5-6 SB … career: .289, 4 HR, 70 RBI, 16 2B, 93 R, 15 BB, 6-8 SB … owns top HBP seasons in ND history (28 in ’03)

DH – #36 Steve Andres*, Jr./5-10/200/Napa, CA … .100 (1-for-10), 2 RBI, HR … 4 R, BB, 3 HBP, 3 Ks … ’04: .320, 8 HR, 39 RBI … 44 BB, 13 2B, 4 3B … career: .293, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 68 R, 15 2B, 64 BB

SS – #4 Greg Lopez, Jr./6-0/185/Upper Arlington, OH … .333 (3-for-9), RBI … 2 R, HBP, K, SAC, 0-1 SB … ’04: .332, 2 HR, 34 RBI … 39 R, 14 2B, 10 SAC, 4-5 SB … career: .300, 2 HR, 61 RBI, 58 R, 15 2B, 19 SAC … 3rd team all-BIG EAST (’04)

3B – #7 Ross Brezovsky*, Fr./5-10/170/Naples, FL … .375 (6-for-16), 5 RBI … 2 R, 3 2B, BB, 2 HBP, 4 K, 2 E … ’04 Collier HS: .390, 21 RBI, 10 SB (2nd team all-state) … Gold Glove Award as prep shortstop

OFF THE BENCH (2005 Statistics and Notes) OF – #16 Alex Nettey, Jr./6-1/200/Dolton, IL … .571 (4-for-7), RBI … 2 R, 2B, HBP, 2 SAC, 1-2 SB … career: .242, 9 RBI, 22 R, 6 2B, 7 BB, 4 SB

IF – #5 Eddie Smith*, Jr./5-11/165/Olympia, WA … .200 (1-for-5), RBI … R, HBP, E, 2 GP/1 GS … ’04 Centralia CC: .307, 38 R, 8 2B, 11 SB, 18 HBP

1B – #44 Mike Dury**, So./6-5/230/Indianapolis, IN … .250, HR, 2 RBI … 4 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP

IF – #3 Tony Langford, Fr./5-11/175/Fort Worth, TX … 0-for-1 … ’04 FWCDHS: .413, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 8 2B

C – #25 Nick Mainieri , Jr./5-11/180/South Bend, IN … 1 GP (0-for-1, RBI, 2 BB) … ’04: 4 GP, 3 R, 2 BB

WEEK-TWO BULLPEN (2005 Statistics and Notes)

RHP – #37 Dan Kapala, So./6-5/225/Royal Oak, MI … 5.40, 1.2 IP, 1 GP, 3 H, BB … ’04: 2.70, 2-1, SV, 28 GP, 40 IP, 37 H/.248, 16 BB,40 K

RHP – #47 Ryan Doherty, Jr./7-1/255/Toms River, NJ … 0.00, 1-0, SV, 2.1 IP, 2 GP, H, 3 Ks, HB … ’04: 2.38, 5-1, 34 IP, 46 K, 11 BB, 19 H, .160 opp. avg. … converted 12-of-13 saves (’04), 1-of-17 IBR scored … car.: 2.30, 7-1, 13 SV, 62.2 IP, 90 K, 22 BB, 40 H, .179

LHP – #13 Wade Korpi, Fr./5-10/190/Lake Worth, FL … 3.38, 5.1 IP, 1 GS, 7 H (.412), 5 BB, 3 Ks, HB … ’04 Santaluces HS: 1.18, 10-0, 125 Ks, 28 BB, 28 H, 65 IP, 2 SV)

RHP – #51 Joey Williamson, Fr./6-1/190/Lantana, FL … 0.00, 3.0 IP, 1 GS, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks, WP … ’04 Santaluces HS: 0.57, 9-1, 68 IP, 90 Ks, 22 BB, 43 H

LHP – #44 Mike Dury, So./6-5/230/Indianapolis, IN … 0.1 IP, H … ’04: 1.88, 2-0, 14.1 IP, 11 GP, 13 H/.255, 4 BB, 10 K

RHP – #20 Derik Olvey, So./6-2/205/Pelham, AL … 3.52, 1-0, 4 GP/2 GS, 15.1 IP, 14 H/.241, 3 BB, 7 Ks … 3.00, 0-1, 3.0 IP, GP, 4 H, BB, K

LHP – #24 David Gruener, Fr./6-2/210/Gig Harbor, WA … 2.25, 4.0 IP, GP, 5 H, BB, 3 Ks, BK … ’04 Life Christian Acad.: 1.90, 4-1, 30 IP, 65 Ks, 5 BB

RHP – #3 Tony Langford, Fr./5-11/175/Fort Worth, TX … ’04 FW Country Day: 1.11, 5-3, 50 IP, 81 Ks, 18 BB

RHP – #38 Tyler Jones, 6-4/210/Arlington, TX … ’04: 9 GP, 14 R/13 ER, 3 K/4 BB, 17 H … car.: 3-1, SV, 29 ER, 25 GP/2 GS, 32 IP, 24 Ks/15 BB

LHP – #54 Matt Whittington, So./6-1/185/Melbourne, FL … 0.00, 3 GP, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks, WP … ’04: 0.00, 3 GP, 5 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks, WP)

LHP – #33 Scott Bickford, Sr./6-5/170/Owings, MD … ’04: 0.00, 2 GP, 2 IP, 3 BB, K, H … career: 5.65, 1-0, SV, 14.1 IP, 15 K/7 BB, 15 H

INJURY UPDATE – Junior DH and Notre Dame’s 2004 RBI leader (58) Matt Bransfield remains out indefinitely with a hand injury suffered in the season opener … two pitchers who are returning from reconstructive elbow surgery – senior John Axford and sophomore Jeff Manship – continue to be eased back slowly and likely will not see any game action this weekend.

RADIO, LIVE-STATS & HOTLINE – All of Notre Dame’s 2005 regular-season and postseason games again will be broadcast by South Bend-based WDND 1580 AM (and its sister station, WNDV 1490) … the broadcasts are available via the internet at www.und.com (College Sports Pass subscription required) … und.com also provides links to livestats on the website’s main page, for all home games and select road games (including all three of this week’s games vs. Dayton) … call the ND Sports Hotline at 574-631-3000 for schedule and result information for all varsity sports currently in season (from the main menu, select “4” and then select “1” for baseball information).

ND-DAYTON SERIES NOTES – Notre Dame holds a 42-10 series edge (10 straight wins) vs. its old Midwestern Collegiate Conference rival Dayton … the teams met just twice from 1994-2004: an 8-1 ND win in 2001 (at Eck Stadium) and a 10-9 win for the Irish in the 2003 opener (played at Arizona State) … Mike Naumann picked up the ’01 win over UD (6 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, K) while Kris Billmaier (2 RBI, R), Joe Thaman (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Steve Sollmann (2-for-4, 2 R) helped lead the offense … the series dates back to a 1922 game at Dayton (10-0 ND win), with the teams not playing again until 1978 … the 2003 game at ASU marked the first in the series to be played on a truly neutral site (ND posted MCC Tournament wins over UD at South Bend’s Coveleski Stadium in 1989, ’90 and ’91).

RECAPPING THE LAST ND-UD GAME – Kris Billmaier’s solo home run thwarted Dayton’s upset bid as 11th-ranked Notre Dame downed the Flyers, 10-9, at Arizona State’s Packard Stadium in the 2003 season opener … ND took a 9-4 lead into the 7th inning before seeing Dayton rally to tie the game … Billmaier connected on a 1-1 pitch in the top of the 8th, driving an offering from LHP Caleb Thompson over the leftfield fence … three UD errors in the first three innings led to six unearned runs … ND pounded out 18 hits for one of the most productive season openers in the program’s history … 2B Steve Sollmann (3 R, 3B), DH Steve Andres (RBI, 3 R, 3B) and 3B Matt Edwards (R, 2B) each had 3-hit games in the opener … RHP Chris Niesel (6 IP, 4 R, 6 H, 2 BB, K) was in line for the victory but Dayton rallied vs. Ryan Doherty before Brandon Viloria retired all four batters he faced to pick up the win and J.P. Gagne closed the 9th for the save … Thompson (5 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 Ks) logged five innings in relief of RHP Drew Chesebro (3 IP, 8 H, 7 R/1 ER, 2 Ks).

I REMEMBER THAT GAME – Five current Notre Dame players and three from Dayton played in the 2003 ND-UD game:

Notre Dame

Steve Andres, starting DH (3-for-4, RBI, 3 R, 3B)

Matt Edwards, starting 3B (3-for-4, R, 2B)

Craig Cooper, starting CF (2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB)

Greg Lopez, pinch-hitter/shortstop (0-for-1)

Ryan Doherty, relief pitcher (0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 BB, HB)

Dayton

Aaron Hepner, starting catcher (1-for-4, R)

Drew Chesbro, starting pitcher (3 IP, 8 H, 7 R/1 ER, 2 Ks, 60 p)

Kaleb Thompson, relief pitcher (loss, 5 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 Ks, loss)

CAN I GET A DO-OVER? – Junior All-America closer Ryan Doherty is on pace to set four ND career record (see below), despite a rocky outing in his college debut … Doherty had trouble adjusting to a tight strike zone in the 2003 opener vs. Dayton (at ASU), allowing 5 runs on 4 hits, 2 walks and a hit batter in just 0.2 IP … when excluding that game, Doherty’s career ERA drops from 2.22 to 1.54 … his sophomore season also included just one rough outing (at Pittsburgh, 4 R, 3 H, 2 BB, K, 0.1 IP) … the Dayton and Pittsburgh games comprise 9 of the 16 earned runs allowed by Doherty in 48 career appearances – with his ERA in the other games being an impressive 0.98.

DOHERTY DOMINANCE – Junior All-America closer Ryan Doherty is on pace to set four Notre Dame career records, including an ERA mark that has stood for more than 40 years (set in 1961 by fellow All-American Nick Palihnich):

Doherty’s Current Career Stats … Standing ND Record
2.22 ERA (16 ER/65.0 IP) … 2.36 (Nick Palihnich, 1959-61)

12.88 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched (93 Ks/65.0 IP) … 12.66 (Dan McGinn, 1964-65)

4.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio (93 Ks/22 BB) … 4.09 (Chris Niesel, 2002-04)
5.68 hits allowed per 9.0 innings pitched (41 H/65.0 IP) … 6.27 (Dan McGinn, 1964-65)

WE’RE TALKING ABOUT … (OUTDOOR) PRACTICE! – For the second straight week, Notre Dame headed out a day early in order to get an extra day of extra practice … ND’s current 7-1 streak in season openers was sparked by the first season (’98, with the 10-1 win over Florida State) of the Mainieri era in which the Irish opted to use a missed-class-day for a practice day leading into the opener … the only season since ’98 in which the Irish have not used the practice day led to the only opening-day loss since ’98 (7-6, vs. New Orleans in 2001).

NOTRE DAME IN ARIZONA – The ND baseball team is looking to improve on its 5-12 all-time record in games played in the state of Arizona … those previous games include a 1-5 mark at Arizona State (2-16, 5-10, 5-9 in ’92; 11-4 in ’93; 3-16, 8-14 in ’03) and 0-5 at Arizona (3-5, 4-12, 1-6 in ’60; 6-19, 9-10 in ’93) … the Irish split four games at the 1991 Oakland A’s Tournament in Phoenix, with a 4-2 win over Dartmouth, an 8-5 win over Nebraska and a pair of losses to Ohio State (1-6, 11-12 in 11) … the ’03 season-opening trip to the Valley of the Sun included wins over Dayton (10-9) and Newman (15-5), both at ASU.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS (also see www.daytonflyers.com) – Dayton is off to a 3-2 start after playing three games at Wofford (13-8, 5-2, 2-5) and splitting a pair vs. Youngstown State in Jefferson City, Ind. (2-4, 8-5) … the Flyers returned 18 of 35 letterwinners from their 2004 team that went 25-28 and finished 4th in the West Division of the Atlantic-10 (11-13) … UD is batting .271 with a 42-35 scoring edge, 6 home runs, 3-of-3 stolen bases, a .964 fielding pct. (6 errors), a 5.00 staff ERA, 27 strikeouts thrown, 12 walks allowed and a .243 opp. batting avg. … top hitters include junior C/IF William Benoit (.538, 4 RBI, 2 HR), junior 3B Joe McSoley (.353, 6 RBI, 3 HR) and sophomore OF Bobby Getty (.333, 2 RBI) … see starting pitcher stats at top of release.

FRIEND OR FOE? – Notre Dame sophomore LHP/1B Mike Dury was a 2003 summer-league teammate on the Indianapolis-based Mustangs team with two current Dayton players: junior 3B Joe McSoley and sophomore OF Kevin Miller.

TAKING ON THE ALMA MATER – Notre Dame third-year assistant coach David Grewe earned three letters with the Dayton baseball team, as a 3B/1B/C from 1995-98 … he started at 3B for the 1996 team that set the UD record for wins in a season (highlighted by a win over eventual NCAA champ LSU) and helped the 1998 team post the program’s first winning season since 1979, batting .324 in that ’98 season while ranking among the team leaders in five categories … Grewe’s mentor during his days as a player at Dayton – 10th-year UD volunteer assistant Terry Bell – remains one of his close friends in the coaching ranks.

BACK HOME, SORT OF – Notre Dame junior SS Greg Lopez was born in Tucson and spent much of his childhood and youth-baseball days in Arizona (his family now lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio) … the trip to Mesa also brings several other ND players closer to their home states and families, including: junior LF Steve Andres (Napa, Calif.), junior RF Cody Rizzo (Temecula, Calif.), sophomore OF Danny Dressman (San Jose, Calif.), freshman LHP David Gruener (Gig Harbor, Wash.) and junior IF Eddie Smith (Olympia, Wash.).

ALUMNI GATHERING – Several recent Notre Dame standouts are expected to be in Mesa this weekend cheering on the Irish, including several key members of the 2002 College World Series team: all three members of the outfield (LF Brian Stavisky, CF Steve Stanley, RF Kris Billmaier), 2B Steve Sollmann, catcher Paul O’Toole and RHP Grant Johnson … one of the first leaders of the Paul Mainieri era, catcher Bob Lisanti, also will be on hand to check out his alma mater.

MONTH-BY-MONTH WITH THE IRISH – Notre Dame traditionally has posted a better won-loss record in the second half of the season, with the first 10 seasons of the Paul Mainieri era featuring a 154-72-1 (.681) combined record during Jan.-March and a 296-100 (.748) record during April-June (a difference of nearly 70 pct. points).

Notre Dame’s Monthly Record in the Paul Mainieri Era (see PDF)

PRESEASON RESPECT – Notre Dame is one of just seven teams to be a consensus preseason top-20 pick (in the Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, USA Today/coaches and baseball writers polls) each of the past five seasons (’01-’05), with the others including Cal State Fullerton, Stanford, LSU, South Carolina, Arizona State and Rice … the Irish also are one of seven teams that have been in the BA preseason top-20 every season since 2000 (others include Rice, LSU, CSF, Georgia Tech, Stanford and Baylor) … ND checked in at 20th in BA’s 2000 preseason poll, followed by 9th in 2001, 5th in ’02, 12th in ’03 and 20th in `04

MILESTONE WATCH Matt Edwards – needs 4 more runs for 100 in his career; 39 RBI shy of cracking the ND career top-10 list Ryan Doherty – needs 7 more strikeouts for 100 in his career Cody Rizzo – needs 7 more runs for 100 in his career, 1 more HBP for 50 Matt Bransfield – needs 15 more hits for 100 in his career Steve Andres – needs 17 more hits for 100 in his career Paul Mainieri – needs 16 more wins for 800 in his 23-year career

OPENING-GAME EXPLOSION – The 2005 season opener vs. Florida A&M saw Steve Andres and Matt Edwards both homered and the Notre Dame offense nearly tie an NCAA record by totaling nine times hit-by-pitch, as the Irish pushed across the program’s most runs in a season opener since 1963 (and 4th-most ever to open a season) en route to an 18-3 victory over Florida A&M (at UCF) … the program’s 113-year history includes just three openers in which Notre Dame scored more runs: 21-1 vs. Chicago in 1943, 19-0 vs. Winona in 1909 and 20-3 at Indiana in 1963.

BASERUNNER BONANZA – Notre Dame enjoyed an efficient day in run production during the opener vs. FAMU, bringing home more than half of its 33 baserunners … only 13 of those runners reached on hits, plus nine on walks and nine via the hit-by-pitch … ND batters delivered an RBI in 9-of-11 chances with a runner on third base and fewer than two outs in the 2005 season opener.

TRIPLE DOUBLES – Notre Dame turned three different types of double plays in the opening win over FAMU: a 6-4-3 (from Lopez to freshman 2B Brett Lilley to Edwards) in the 2nd inning, then a hit-and-run popup that Edwards converted into a 3-U double-play in the 3rd, and finally a lineout to Gruener in the 6th for a 1-3 DP.

HBP HIGHWAY – Notre Dame players were hit-by-pitch 106 times in the 2004 season (good for 5th in NCAA history) but the Irish already are nearly 20% of the way after totaling 17 HBPs in the four opening-week games … the plunk-fest began with 9 HBPs in the opener vs. Florida A&M, one shy of the record set by Washington in a 1998 game vs. Rice … junior LF Steve Andres had 3 HBP in the ’05 opener while Craig Cooper, Matt Edwards, Matt Bransfield, Greg Lopez, Eddie Smith and Ross Brezovsky also were plunked by Rattlers pitchers … ND and FAMU (2) combined for 11 HBPs (one shy of that NCAA record of 12) … freshman 2B Brett Lilley was hit-by-pitch in his first four plate appearances during the final game of the weekend vs. Central Florida, one shy of yet another NCAA record.

EIGHT-SPOT – Notre Dame’s impressive 2004 offense included several big-scoring innings and the 2005 Irish already have one of those big innings in the books, after putting eight runs on the board in the 6th inning of the opener vs. FAMU … the inning included 5 hits (leadoff home run by Matt Edwards, 2-run single by Danny Dressman), 3 walks (2 with bases loaded), 2 HBPs and a costly error … that capped five straight scoring innings for the Irish in the opener.

FIRST-TIME FOES – Florida A&M became the 284th different opponent faced by the Irish in 113 seasons of college baseball … the Irish now are 17-1 in their past 18 games vs. a first-time opponent (seven straight wins), dating back to a win over Sam Houston State at the 2001 Alamo Invitational … ND is slated to face one more first-time opponent in 2005 (South Dakota State).

BIG OPENINGS – Notre Dame’s 7-4 record in season openers during the Mainieri era included three straight one-run wins from 2001-03 but the Irish now have won the past two season openers by a combined score of 25-4 (7-1 vs. San Diego State; 18-3 vs. Florida A&M)

NEW HEROES – Junior OF Alex Nettey and freshman 3B Ross Brezovsky were the late-game heroes as Notre Dame overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat Florida A&M, 4-3 … Nettey a 1-out, 0-1 pitch over the centerfielder’s head in the bottom o of the 9th and scored the winning run moments later on Brezovsky’s ground-rule double that kicked over the rightfield fence.

OLVEY RETURNS – Sophomore righthanded reliever Derik Olvey suffered the hard-luck loss in the 2-1 game vs. UFC while making his first appearance since March 23, 2004 (he missed most of his freshman season due to tendonitis) … Olvey, who allowed the game’s final run in the bottom of the 7th, was touched for four hits and one walk in three innings (with one strikeout).

A WIN AND A SAVE – Junior All-America closer Ryan Doherty notched the victory in the 4-3 comeback vs. Florida A&M, after taking the mound with runners on first and second in the top of 9th … Doherty alertly caught the lead man in a rundown and then popped up the next batter to end the threat … the next day, Doherty recorded the final five outs vs. UCF (4-2) for his first save of the season and 15th of his Irish career … he retired five of the seven batters he faced, striking out three while allowing one hit and hitting a batter … John Corbin (20, ’97-’00) and J.P. Gagne (19, ’00-’03) are the only ND pitchers to total more career saves than Doherty.

SITUATIONAL SLUMP – Notre Dame put just two leadoff batters on base in the 2-1 loss to UCF while batting 1-for-9 with runners on base (1-for-7 in scoring position) and 2-for-10 with 2 outs.

THORNTON TAKES ON TROUBLE – Tom Thornton made several scrambles out of trouble to keep the first game vs. USF tight heading into the middle innings … in the 2nd, UCF had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs but Thornton set down Marshall Bernhard swinging at an 0-2 pitch before rolling up a 6-4-3 double play … the Knights again had two in scoring position in the 3rd (2 outs) but Thornton induced a leftside groundout … runners were at 2nd and 3rd again in the 4th (with no outs) but Bernhard lined out to 2B Brett Lilley before Thornton struck out Chandler Rose (0-2 pitch) and Justin Mahon (3-2), both swinging … UCF finally scored in the 5th, sparked by Courtney Probst’s leadoff single to center field and pair of stolen bases (he scored on Matt Horwath’s 1-out single up the middle, on a 2-2 pitch).

FANTASTIC FANS – The many Notre Dame fans at UCF’s Bergman Field last week include several noteworthy faces, among them: former ND players Brad Lidge (Houston Astros closer), Javi Sanchez (Miami native preparing for spring training with Twins organization) and Jeff Perconte (local lawyer), Tampa Bay Devil Rays owner Vince Naimoli (one of several ND alums who are involved in the top levels of MLB administration) and the namesake of ND’s home stadium, Frank Eck.

SIX-SHOOTERS – The Irish have scored 11 runs in the 6th inning this season but once again have struggled with early run production (no 1st-inning runs, 3 in the 2nd) … ND’s 4-2 win over UCF included a three-run 6th, as three hits, a hit batter and an error brought home three runs … Matt Edwards had a standup double, Craig Cooper and Cody Rizzo hit RBI singles and Danny Dressman added a run-scoring groundball.

Inside the Numbers of the Opening-Week Stats

• Notre Dame’s .274 team batting avg. in last week’s games was below the ND program’s avg. team batting mark (.289) for opening-week games in the 11-year Mainieri era … since 1999, only the 2002 Irish squad has posted a lower opening-week batting avg. – but things ended up all right for that team, as it advanced to the College World Series.

• The .371 team slugging pct. was well below the Mainieri-era avg. for opening week (.433) and lowest since ’99 (.299)

• The .421 on-base pct. was far ahead of the Mainieri-era avg. for opening week (.366) and 3rd-best of the Mainieri era, behind his first team (.450, in ’95) and the ’03 squad (.429)

• The first nine pitching staff of the Mainieri era averaged a 6.75 opening-week ERA but the past two seasons have yielded the top opening-week ERAs in that 11-year span (0.57 in ’04, 1.80 in ’05)

• The .287 opponent batting average was below the avg. .303 batting allowed in the previous 10 opening weeks (just .170 in 2004).

• The Irish pitchers issued an uncharacteristic high walk total in the ’05 opening week (19 BB, in 4 GP) after walking just 5 batters in the pair of 2004 opening-week games.

• The Irish fielded at a .957 clip (above the avg. .952 in the previous 10 opening weeks), allowed just 3 unearned runs in 4 games (avg. 1.5/gm in the ’95-’04 opening weeks) and turned 10 double plays after totaling just 19 DPs in 30 opening-week games from ’95-’04.

SUNSHINE STATE SMILES – The Irish now are 15-3 in their past 18 games played in Florida, with one of those losses coming at Florida State in the 2002 NCAA Super Regional series.

STILL GOING – The Irish last week extended the program’s second-longest scoring streak to 151 games, trailing only a 231-game scoring streak from 1999-2002.

ROAD WARRIORS – Notre Dame will be looking to continue its strong play outside of Frank Eck Stadium, after compiling a 27-5 road record in 2004.

DECADE OF DOMINANCE – Notre Dame enters the 2005 season with a 241-79-1 record in the decade of the 2000s (’00-’04), yielding a .752 win pct. that ranks second-best in all of Division I baseball (now 244-80-1, .752).

OPENING-WEEK BATTERS – Junior RF Cody Rizzo now owns a .423 career batting avg. during opening-week games (11-for-26, 8 RBI, 4 R, HR, 2B, 4 BB, 7 Ks, 1-1 SB) while junior SS Greg Lopez is a .364 career opening-week hitter (8-for-22, 3 RBI, 5 R, 3 Ks, 1-2 SB).

FREE-BASE FACTOR – Junior RF Cody Rizzo already owns the ND career record for times hit-by-pitch (49) but surprisingly had no HBPs during the opening-week (his teammates totaled 17 HBPs in those four games) … Rizzo made up for his lack of HBPs by walking four times in the opening week, equaling his BB total from all of the ’04 season.

OPENING-DAY SALVOS – Junior LF Steve Andres and senior 1B Matt Edwards both homered in the opening win over Florida A&M, marking the first time that multiple Irish players have the left the yard in the same opener … Edwards also became the first ND player ever to collect multiple opening-day home runs in his Irish career (also in ’04, vs. San Diego State at USC) … Andres, who also homered at Arizona State during the ’03 opening week, joins Edwards and two others – IF Brant Ust (’98 vs. N.C. State; ’99 vs. James Madison) and OF Kris Billmaier (’03 vs. Dayton and Newman) – as the only ND players with multiple career HRs during opening-week games … in addition to Ust (Jr., SS, ’99; vs. JMU, at FIU, 8-4), Billmaier (Sr., RF, ’03; vs. Dayton, @ASU, 10-9), Edwards (2) and Andres, three other ND players have homered in a Mainieri-era opener: Bob Lisanti (Sr., C, ’96; at Georgia Tech, 4-12), Dan Leatherman (Jr., 1B, ’98; vs. Florida State, in Orlando, 10-1) and Matt Bok (Sr., DH, ’02; vs. Missouri, @UNO, 7-6) … Billmaier and Lisanti are among several former ND players expected to be in attendance at the games this weekend in Mesa.

SILENT BULLDOG TAKES A BITE – Sophomore RHP Jess Stewart, nicknamed the “Silent Bulldog” by ND pitching coach and fellow Virginia native Terry Rooney, had a noteworthy debut in last week’s 4-2 win at Central Florida (5.1 IP, UER, 5 H, 3 BB, K, HB, 7 groundball outs, 93 pitches) … Stewart became just the third pitcher in the 11-year Paul Mainieri era to not allow an earned run while pitching 5-plus innings during opening week … the others include Scott Cavey vs. Air Force in 2000 (0.00, 6 IP, H, BB, 6 Ks) and Alex Shilliday vs. Florida State in 1998 (0.00, 5 IP, H, 4 BB, 6 Ks; in Orlando).

STARTER SUCCESS – Jess Stewart’s solid start followed on the heels of fellow sophomore RHP Jeff Samardzija (5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 3 BB, K, 2 HB; win, 18-3 vs. Florida A&M) and junior LHP Tom Thornton (5 IP, R, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks, 71 pitches; no-decision in 2-1 loss at Central Florida) both posting 1.80 ERAs during the season-opening weekend in Orlando … it marked the first time that three Mainieri-era pitchers (since ’95) have logged a 1.80 ERA or better in the same opening-week action (min. 5 IP) … the ’04 opening week was the first time that multiple pitchers had an ERA of 1.80 or lower: Thornton (see below) and Chris Niesel in the 7-1 win over San Diego State (1.59, 5.2 IP, 3 H, BB) … prior to ’04, just three other ND pitchers had logged 5-plus innings on the opening weekend and emerged with an ERA of 1.80 or better (each picked up the win): the Alex Shilliday and Scott Cavey games noted above and Aaron Heilman’s 2001 start at Mississippi State (1.50, 6 IP, 5 R/ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks).

TALL TOM TAKES TWO – Tom Thornton is the only pitcher in the Paul Mainieri era to post an opening-week ERA of 1.80 or better in multiple seasons, with a minimum of 5.0 innings pitched per opening week (he won at USC in 2004, allowing a single run in 4 hits and 2 walks in 6 IP, with 4 Ks) … his career opening-week stats now include a 2.61 ERA in 10.1 IP (1-0, 3 GP/2 GS, 4 R/3 ER, 9 H, .231 opp. avg., 6 BB, 7 Ks, HB).

STEWART SLAYS THE KNIGHTS … AGAIN – Jess Stewart has defeated Central Florida each of the past two seasons, logging 5-plus shutout innings in both outings (3-2 in ’04, 4-2 in ’05) … his combined stats in those two games vs. UCF include 7 hits allowed, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts and a hit batter in 10.1 innings.

WHO’S BACK/WHO’S GONE – The Irish return six of nine position starters but will be looking for others to step into the voids in the lineup created by graduation and the Major League draft … All-America 3B Matt Macri moved on to pro ball after his stellar ’04 season while second 2B Steve Sollmann (the winningest four-year starter in the program’s history) and clutch-hitting catcher Javi Sanchez were the leaders of the ’04 senior class, taking their considerable leadership skills with them on to postgraduate life and their own pro baseball careers … OF rates as the strongest and deepest position for the Irish in ’05, with juniors Steve Andres (LF), Craig Cooper (CF) and Cody Rizzo (RF) the likely starters as opening day approaches … senior 1B Matt Edwards, junior SS Greg Lopez and junior DH Matt Bransfield also add to the veteran core – with the three new starters likely to include sophomore C Sean Gaston and a pair of prep shortstops at 2B (Brett Lilley) and 3B (Ross Brezovsky) .. on the mound, the Irish must replace two frontline starters in Grant Johnson and Chris Niesel (both signed as early ’04 draft picks) but junior LHP Tom Thornton returns after leading BIG EAST pitchers with nine wins in ’04 … three others – senior John Axford and sophomores Jeff Manship and Derik Olvey – could be top members of the ’05 rotation after completing their respective comebacks from injuries that wiped out their ’04 seasons … junior All-America closer Ryan Doherty leads an impressive group of bullpen talent that also includes hard-throwing sophomore Dan Kapala but must replace steady LHP and ’04 graduate Joe Thaman … a stable comprised of several veterans and four highly-regarded newcomers adds further depth to a pitching staff that will be looking to improve on its 2004 team ERA (3.43) that ranked 9th in the nation.

DYNAMIC DUO – Two freshman pitches on the 2005 Notre Dame staff, LHP Wade Korpi and RHP Joey Williamson, are the first high school teammates ever to sign with the Irish in the 11-year Paul Mainieri era … each was an all-state performer at Santaluces High School in ’04 while combining for a 19-1 record, 0.87 ERA and 215 strikeouts in 133 innings.

ERA ELITE – Notre Dame finished in the top-20 of the national charts for team ERA in five of the previous seven seasons, owning the nation’s best team ERA during portions of 2000 and ’01 … the ’00 staff surged atop the national ERA charts in late April (2.72) and finished 16th (3.93) … the Irish returned to the top spot among the ’01 team ERA leaders for three weeks in April, finishing 5th at 3.22 (best at ND since ’92, third-best since ’75) … ND went on to finish 13th in the ’02 ERA rankings (3.57), 18th in ’03 (3.53) and 9th in ’04 (3.43), joining Texas and Rice as the only teams ranked among the nation’s final top-20 ERA leaders every year from ’00-’04 … the Irish finished 12th in the final ’98 ERA rankings (4.02).

BIG SHADOWS – Notre Dame’s 2005 roster includes some big bodies, with seven who are 6-foot-4 or taller: junior RHP Ryan Doherty (7-1, 255) and LHP Tom Thornton (6-6, 220), senior RHP John Axford (6-6, 160), sophomore RHP Jeff Samardzija (6-5, 215), senior LHP Scott Bickford (6-5, 170), sophomore LHP/1B Mike Dury (6-5, 230) and sophomore RHP Dan Kapala (6-5, 225).

HBP … PDQ – Junior RF Cody Rizzo already owns the ND records for times hit-by-pitch in a season (28, in ’03) and career (49 – and counting) … Rizzo is 2 HBPs shy of cracking the NCAA career top-20 list, with former San Francisco player Anthony Hurtado holding the record of 92 … Rizzo helped set the team HBP record in 2004 (106), good for 5th on the NCAA all-time list … two newcomers – freshman 2B Brett Lilley (state record in Ohio with 19 HBP in ’03) and junior IF Eddie Smith (team-record 18 HBP at Centralia CC, in ’04) – could help the Irish approach triple-digit HBPs again in ’05 … the departed players combined for 36 HBPs in ’04 (led by 15 from C Javi Sanchez, 11 by 2B Steve Sollmann).

Jeff Samardzija NOTES (RHP, So., 6-5/215; Valparaiso, IN … 2004 Freshman All-American)

Sophomore RHP Jeff Samardzija allowed just one earned run in 5.0 IP vs. Florida A&M in the 2005 season opener … his resulting1.80 ERA is 4th-best by an ND opening-day starter in the past 10 seasons and is 2nd-best since 2000 (trailing only the 1.59 ERA posted by Chris Niesel in the ’04 opener vs. San Diego State) … became first walk-on pitcher ever to start a season opener in the 11-year Paul Mainieri era … was fourth sophomore in Mainieri era to draw season-opening start, joining Darin Schmalz (’95 win over Texas, at Fullerton), Alex Shilliday (5 shutout innings to help beat Florida State, 10-1, in ’99 at the Disney Sports Center) and Niesel (allowed 4 runs in 5 IP vs. Dayton in ’03 no-decision).

TOP OPENING-DAY STARTER ERAs IN PAST 10 SEASONS (see PDF)

Samardzija’s 2004 Stats (see PDF)

2004 Nine-Inning Averages: 7.0 hits, 2.4 walks, 5.9 Ks, 12.0 groundouts

2004 Situational: .261 opp. batting with runners on, .228 with 2 outs, 29% of leadoff batters reached (2.7 per 9 IP) … averaged nearly 18 outs per 9 IP in 2004 via Ks or groundouts

2005 Opener: Shook off the rust (he did not participate in ’04 summer or fall ball) while limiting Florida A&M to a single run in the ’05 season opener (played at UCF) …his totals in that game included 9 groundouts, 4 hits allowed (.235 opp. batting avg.), 3 walks, 2 hit batters and a strikeout … his situational stats in the ’05 opener included 1-for-5 batting by lefthanded hitters, 2-for-8 by RH hitters (.250), 3-for-8 with 2 outs (.375), 2-of-5 leadoff batters reached, 18 outs per 9 IP via Ks or GOS … the 78-pitch outing included just 42 strikes but he picked up 10 total groundball outs and stranded three runners at 3rd base (plus two more at 2nd) … with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 1st, he caught Dan Flaherty looking at full-count pitch for a clutch K … then, facing the same scenario in the 2nd, the two-sport star rolled up a rightside groundball off the bat of Kevin Cleathen … Flaherty stroked an RBI triple in the 3rd but Samardzija rolled up another groundball to Lilley, preserving the 3-1 lead (he went on to record his only 1-2-3 inning in the 5th).

• Notre Dame’s first baseball/football athlete since Scott Sollmann in the mid-’90s
• His 2.95 ERA in 2004 ranked 2nd among BIG EAST regulars, behind West Virginia ace LHP Zac Cline (2.65)
• Owned 2nd-best opponent batting avg. (.209) on BIG EAST pitching charts, behind BC 1st-rounder Chris Lambert (.196)
• His .209 opponent batting avg. in ’04 ranks 3rd-best ever by ND freshman while his 20 appearances rank 5th
• 3rd among ND’s 2004 regular pitchers (20-plus IP) in opp. batting, innings and groundouts (85), also 4th among regulars in ERA and GP, 5th in wins and Ks
• Owned 2004 staff’s best opp. batting avg. by LH hitters (.160)
• Held unique distinction of ranking 4th on ’04 staff in relief appearances (14, closed 4) and 5th in starts (6)
• Ended 2004 regular season with 2.45 season ERA that ranked 47th in nation
• Helped salvage ’04 season as Irish overcame injuries to three top pitchers (John Axford, Jeff Manship, Derik Olvey)

• ’04 season highlights included 22-inning scoreless streak (2nd-longest by ND pitcher in Mainieri era) and 4-0 win over #20 Central Florida (7 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, HB, 4 Ks, 10 groundouts, 2 popups, 25 batters faced, took perfect game into 4th inning; LH batters hit just 1-for-14 vs. him)
• Combined with Derik Olvey to allow just two hits and seven baserunners vs. Penn State in Round Rock (4 IP, save, BB, K, 13 BF; 4-2)
• Picked up 5-3 win at WVU in 7-inning opener that extended to 10 (2 IP, BB, K, 5 GO, 7 BF; 5-3)
• Suffered tough-luck loss in first start, taking no-hitter into 7th before St. John’ scored 2 unearned runs for 2-1 win (7.1 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 Ks, 11 GOs, 26 BF, 85 pitches, retired first 14)
• Picked up 7-3 win over Michigan in Grand Rapids, as starter in planned rotation (4 IP, H, R, 3 BB, 3 Ks, 61 pitches)

• Lettered with 2003 and ’04 ND football teams as reserve wide receiver, saving best game of career for the `04 Insight Bowl (5 catches, 89 yards)

• 2nd on 2004 ND football team with 16.1 yards per catch (17 for 274) while appearing in all 12 games

• Earned all-conference, all-area and all-state (as centerfielder) at Valparaiso High School (.467, 55 RBI, 7 HR, 6 3B), after stellar ’02 season on mound (3.28, 6-3 record, 50 Ks, 27 BB)

• Never missed a start in final three seasons at VHS, spanning football, basketball and baseball (160-plus games)

• Runner-up for Indiana Mr. Football Award and named top receiver in state

THREE NEW STARTERS AROUND THE HORN – Notre Dame’s 2005 lineup includes three first-year starters around the infield: sophomore C Sean Gaston, freshman 2B Brett Lilley and freshman 3B Ross Brezovsky … that’s the first time the Irish have fielded three or more first-year starters (i.e. not including players who started previously for ND at other spots) in the infield since the first season of the Paul Mainieri era, when sophomores Randall Brooks (2B), J.J. Brock (SS) and Mike Amrhein (3B) each moved into the 1995 lineup after playing sparingly in ’94 … the 1997 season saw freshman 1B Jeff Felker and 2B Brant Ust make their debuts as starters but that season ultimately included three first-year starters (Ust went on to split time as a starter at 2B, SS and 3B while junior Todd Frye eventually logged the most starts at 2B, in his first season as a regular).

First-Year Starters … Converted Starters
’05 – so. C Sean Gaston, fr. 2B Brett Lilley, fr. 3B Ross Brezovsky
’04 – so. SS Greg Lopez … jr. 1B Matt Edwards (03 3B), jr. 3B Matt Macri (03 SS)
’03 – so. SS Matt Macri … so. 3B Matt Edwards (02 SS), jr. C Javi Sanchez (02 SS)
’02 – so. SS Javi Sanchez (after early Edwards injury)
’01 – fr. 2B Steve Sollmann, fr. 1B Joe Thaman
’00 – … jr. SS Alec Porzel (98 2B)
’99 – fr. C Paul O’Toole, fr. 3B Andrew Bushey … so. 2B Alec Porzel (97 LF)
’98 – sr. 1B Dan Leatherman … so. 3B Brant Ust (97 SS)
’97 – fr. 1B Jeff Felker, jr. SS/2B Todd Frye, fr. 2B/SS Brant Ust … sr. C Mike Amrhein (96 LF, 95 3B)
’96 – fr. SS Paul Turco, jr. 3B J.J. Brock
’95 – so. 2B Randall Brooks, so. SS J.J. Brock, so. 3B Mike Amrhein … jr. C George Restovich (94 DH), sr. 1B Craig DeSensi (93 DH)
’94 – no changes
’93 – fr. 1B Robbie Kent, jr. 3B Matt Haas … so. SS Paul Failla (92 LF)
’92 – fr. C Bob Lisanti, jr. 3B Cory Mee
’91 – fr. 2B Greg Layson … sr. C Mike Coss (90 SS), jr. SS Craig Counsell (90 3B), junior 3B Cory Mee (90 2B)
’90 – so. 2B Cory Mee … jr. SS Mike Coss (88-89 3B), so. 3B Craig Counsell (89 LF)
’89 – fr. 1B Joe Binkiewicz

STATE ROLL CALL – The Notre Dame list of all-time monogram winners includes players from 44 home states … pitchers Brandon Viloria (Wailuku, Hawaii) in 2000 and Cody Wilkins (Hudson, N.C.) in ’04 became the first players from their respective states ever to monogram with the Irish baseball program … the only states that have not produced ND baseball letterwinners include Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Vermont … the 11-year Paul Mainieri era has featured players from 36 states, including 16 states/provinces on the ’05 roster (see list below):

Florida (4) – Ross Brezovsky (Naples), Wade Korpi (Lake Worth), Matt Whittington (Melbourne), Joey Williamson (Lantana)
Indiana (4) – Mike Dury (Indianapolis), Sean Gaston (Brownsburg), Nick Mainieri (South Bend), Jeff Samardzija (Valparaiso)
California (3) – Steve Andres (Napa), Danny Dressman (San Jose), Cody Rizzo (Temecula)
Texas (3) – Tyler Jones (Arlington), Tony Langford (Fort Worth), Jeff Manship (San Antonio)
Maryland (2) – Scott Bickford (Owings), Brent Weiss (Cockeysville)
Ohio (2) – Brett Lilley (North Canton), Greg Lopez (Upper Arlington)
Virginia (2) – Matt Edwards (Mechanicsville), Jess Stewart (Manassas)
Washington (2) – David Gruener (Gig Harbor), Eddie Smith (Olympia)
Alabama (1) – Derik Olvey (Pelham)
Colorado (1) – Matt Bransfield (Englewood)
Illinois (1) – Alex Nettey (Dolton)
Massachusetts (1) – Tom Thornton (Middleboro)
Michigan (1) – Dan Kapala (Royal Oak)
New Jersey (1) – Ryan Doherty (Toms River)
New York (1) – Craig Cooper (Plainview)
Ontario (1) – John Axford (Port Dover)

DOUBLE-DIGIT DINGERS – The 2004 Notre Dame baseball team more than doubled the program’s home run output from the ’03 season (31 to 68), with four Irish players hitting 10-plus home runs for the first time in the program’s history: junior 3B Matt Macri (14), sophomore DH Matt Bransfield (12), sophomore 1B Matt Edwards (12) and – a player with a more unique first name – sophomore RF Craig Cooper (10).

CLASS RANK – Notre Dame’s current senior class helped Notre Dame compile a 149-49 record (.753) spanning the 2002-05 seasons … if the Irish reach 50 wins this season, the class of ’05 will pass the class of ’04 (195-61-1) with the program’s most wins in a four-year period … the ’04 seniors also rank as the ND class with the best career win pct. (.761).

PROSPECTS – The Sept. 2004 Perfect Game/Baseball America list of the nation’s top college prospects for the 2005 Major League draft included three Notre Dame players among the top 150 prospects: junior OF Craig Cooper (50th; 10th among OF), junior closer Ryan Doherty (90th) and senior RHP John Axford (145th) … the annual Baseball America preview issue also ranks prospects by class (namely the non-juniors) and RHP Jeff Manship was rated the nation’s No. 46 sophomore prospect … Manship was the No. 3 freshman prospect prior to the 2004 season, before being sidelined with an elbow injury (after pitching in the summer of ’03 with the U.S. National Team).

MAINIERI NEARING 800th WIN AS COLLEGE HEAD COACH
The Paul Mainieri File
Career: 784-452-2 (.634, 22-plus seasons; 1,238 total games)
At Notre Dame: 453-173-1 (.723, 10-plus seasons; 627 total games)

Notre Dame’s Paul Mainieri – now in his 11th season as head coach for one of the nation’s elite college baseball programs – couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic as the calendar turned from 2004 to 2005:
• The previous spring saw his 10th Notre Dame team continue the program’s record-setting ascension and the ensuing fall of 2004 then included the first-ever reunion of Mainieri’s former players … a spirited turnout at that event helped pay tribute to the players – and their coach – who had combined to rack up 450 wins during the previous 10 seasons.
• Shortly after the calendar flipped to 2005, Mainieri was honored with a 25-year coaching certificate at the American Baseball Coaches Association convention and was voted as the ABCA’s chair of the Division I Baseball Coaches … three weeks later, he returned to his hometown of Miami to be honored at Christopher Columbus High School with the Explorer Diamond Award – a prestigious honor recognizing alums for postgraduate accomplishments.
• Then, just days prior to the 2005 season opener, outgoing Indiana governor Joe Kernan bestowed the state’s highest honor (the Sagamore of the Wabash) on the Notre Dame baseball head coach.
• The energetic coach who once was touted among the nation’s top young coaches steadily has evolved into a respected elder statesman – and his 2000-04 teams combined for the nation’s 2nd-best win pct. in the 2000s (.752, 244-80-1).
• The 47-year-old Mainieri – who in ’02 became the nation’s only coach to repeat as one of eight ABCA regional coaches of the year – continued the program’s standard of excellence in his first 10 seasons, with: seven conference titles, seven trips to the NCAAs, 450 wins, 40 players who have been drafted or signed free-agent contracts, and 14 selected in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Draft – with his Irish players combining for 12 All-America and nine Academic All-America seasons … his squads have extended the program’s string of consecutive seasons with 40-plus wins to 16.
• In addition to on-field success, Mainieri’s Notre Dame teams have combined for a 100-percent graduation rate (59 of 59), among players who completed their eligibility (11 who signed professionally after their junior year have returned to complete or near completion of their degree requirements) … ND is the only Division I baseball program to produce Academic All-Americans in each of the past five years, with two honored every season from ’00-’03 … the current squad combined for a 3.07 team GPA in the 2004 fall semester, led by 17 players with a GPA of 3.0-plus and seven at 3.4-plus.
• Two of Mainieri’s former Notre Dame assistant coaches – Brian O’Connor (at Virginia) and Cory Mee (Toledo) – were named Division I coaches within weeks of one another, during the summer of 2003.
• In nine seasons of BIG EAST play, the Irish have won more league games (157-54, .744) than any other team in the conference, which has sent five different teams to the NCAAs since 1999.
• Mainieri, who spent the previous six years as head coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, is in his 23rd year of coaching on the collegiate level, with an overall record of 784-452-2 (.634) … he ranks 2nd on the Notre Dame baseball career coaching wins list (453-173-1/.723), behind Hall of Famer Jake Kline (558, ’34-’75).
• His 2001 team claimed the program’s first No. 1 national ranking, the ’02 team made the program’s first College World Series appearance in 45 years, the ’03 squad became the first to repeat as BIG EAST Tournament champions since 1986, and his ’04 team turned in an historic 51-12 record while becoming the first two win three straight BIG EAST titles.
• Highly-regarded prospects and diamonds in the rough have comprised the recent Notre Dame incoming classes – highlighted by the nation’s top-ranked freshman class in 2002 and the No. 7-rated class for the prospective 2006 freshmen … all told in the Mainieri era, eight of 10 Irish players who were drafted out of high school have gone on to be drafted in a higher round at Notre Dame while 19 who were undrafted as preps went on to be drafted as members of the Irish program … three of Mainieri’s former ND players – Brad Lidge (Astros), Aaron Heilman (Mets) and Christian Parker (Yankees) – have pitched in the Major Leagues, with Lidge emerging as one of the game’s elite closers in 2004.

The Paul Mainieri Era (1995-2005) – By The Numbers
231 – ND-record scoring streak (’99-’02)
151 – Active scoring streak
100% – Team graduation rate
73 – Record-setting 1997 home run total

51 – Record-setting 2004 victory total
45.0 – Average victories per season
40 – Players who moved on to pro ball
36 – Different home states
25-1 – NCAA win over South Alabama (’02)
22-4 – Record-setting BIG EAST mark in 2001
18 – Consecutive BIG EAST wins (’01)
17 – Players with 3.0-plus GPA (fall ’04)
14 – Players drafted in first 10 rounds
10 – Consecutive 40-win seasons (16 straight for program)
5 – Consecutive preseason top-20 seasons
4 – NCAA Regionals at Eck Stadium
2 – First-round draft picks
1 – Recruit class ranking (2002 season)
1 – College World Series team (’02)
1 – National ranking in 2001 season

IRISH OFFENSE SEES RED IN 2004 – Third-year ND assistant coach David “Red” Grewe helped the Irish experience great success in 2004:

• Grewe’s star defensive pupil with the record-setting ’04 squad was catcher Javi Sanchez, a converted infielder with no catching experience prior to the ’02 fall season …Sanchez steadily progressed, defensively and offensively, under Grewe’s watchful eye … his late surge as a junior included MVP honors at the BIG EAST Tournament and a spot on the NCAA Fullerton Regional all-tournament team … by the time the 2004 season rolled around, Sanchez had become a polished catcher with the refined defensive skills and clutch-hitting ability that prompted the Minnesota Twins to select him in the 14th round of the ’04 Major League draft.
• Sanchez was one of several ’04 players whose success stories are linked to Grewe’s effective style of instruction … 3B Matt Macri failed to live up to his tremendous pre-college hype in his first two seasons with the Irish but that all changed in an All-America junior season that saw Macri’s reworked hitting approach place him among the national and BIG EAST leaders in multiple categories … he became just the third ND player – and first in 15 years – to reach 80 hits and 40 walks in the same season while racking up a 1.174 “OPS” (combined on-base and slugging percentage) that rates among the best in the program’s history.
• Other players on the ’04 team – namely OF Craig Cooper, SS Greg Lopez and DH Matt Bransfield – showed huge jumps in their production after a second year of instruction from Grewe … the hard-swinging Cooper became the first player ever to lead the BIG EAST in conference batting avg. (.370), slugging and on-base in the same season while combining with Bransfield (24 RBI) and Macri (7 HR) for a Notre Dame sweep of the BIG EAST triple-crown titles.
• The ’04 ND offense produced a 49-point jump in the team’s slugging pct. from 2003 (.430 to .479) while finishing with a .407 on-base pct. (up from .383 in ’03) that ranks 4th in ND history and best in the 10-year Paul Mainieri era … the Irish also ranked 19th on the NCAA scoring charts with 7.8 runs per game in `04, good for fourth in the ND record book (just two Irish teams since the late 1950s have scored at a higher clip) … more than half of the `04 team’s record-setting 51 wins (26) came by a margin of 5-plus runs, including eight in which the Irish posted a double-digit cushion.
• The ’04 team’s rejuvenated power included an unprecedented four players with 10-plus home runs, yielding a home run total that more than doubled from ’03 (31 to 69, four shy of the team record) … Grewe also challenged the ’04 hitters to display greater plate discipline and they responded with a +23 margin of walks (275) plus hit-by-pitch (106, 5th in NCAA history) minus strikeouts (358) – well above the ’03 squad (-61).
• The ’04 offense’s quick-strike ability came to fruition down the stretch, plating first-inning runs in 12 of the final 17 games. The full force was on display in the series finale at Connecticut, when ND erupted for 10 hits (3 home runs) and 10 runs before the hosts had even stepped into the batters box … all nine starters fashioned hit streaks of seven-plus games in ’04 – led by a 13-game tear from former walk-on outfielder Steve Andres (two others had double-digit hit streaks, plus four with 9-game streaks).

ROONEY MAKES BIG IMPACT WITH 2004 STAFF:

• Upon his arrival in the fall of ’04, ND pitching coach Terry Rooney set about educating the Irish pitchers on the concept of “offensive pitching” that focuses on aspects that the staff can control – being mechanically-sound, working to advantage counts, high first-pitch strike percentages and controlling the running game … the ND pitchers quickly bought in to Rooney’s defined plan, yielding a 3.43 ERA that ranked 9th in the nation and maintained the program’s string of five straight seasons among the nation’s top-20 ERA leaders (matched only by Texas and Rice).
• An emphasis on limiting free passes yielded just 162 walks allowed by the ’04 staff (down from 200 in ’03), for an average of 2.63 walks per 9 IP that ranks 2nd in the ND record book behind the ’01 staff (2.48) that was led by senior stars Aaron Heilman and Danny Tamayo.
• Rooney’s ’04 staff also posted the program’s second-best K-to-walk ratio (2.69, trailing only the 2.92 in ’01) while the .248 opponent batting average ranks 5th-best by an Irish staff since the wood-bat days of the early 1970s.
• The impressive numbers by the ’04 staff reflected the strong performances by a diverse group of pitchers who were molded by Rooney to maximize their individual strengths … he helped nurture ace RHP Grant Johnson’s return from ’03 shoulder surgery while overseeing the transformation of LHP Tom Thornton from a serviceable midweek starter (’03) into a big-game pitcher in ’04 … Rooney also started working with two-sport standout Jeff Samardzija in early ’04 and helped shape the wide receiver into a Freshman All-American who finished 2nd on the BIG EAST’s ERA charts.
• The program’s 112 previous seasons never had seen multiple pitchers log 28-plus appearances but Rooney’s debut season featured three – senior LHP Joe Thaman, hard-throwing freshman Dan Kapala and 7-foot-1 closer Ryan Doherty – who each logged 28-30 GP … that three-pronged relief led the way for a 2004 bullpen that owned a 2.97 ERA, a .225 opponent batting avg. and nearly a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Thaman had not pitched since high school (he was the Irish first baseman in the ’01-’04 seasons) but Rooney quickly transformed him into a reliable lefthanded bullpen presence … Kapala arrived as a raw – but highly promising – prospect and soon was progressing at a rate faster than any previous pitcher coached by Rooney … Doherty tackled his first season ever as a closer with dominating efficiency, earning All-America honors while threatening a number of longstanding Notre Dame records.
• Rooney’s leadership of the ’04 staff also was evident in the fact that Notre Dame had to overcome the absence of three injured standouts – junior John Axford and freshmen Jeff Manship and Derik Olvey – while also coping with Johnson’s gradual return to full-strength … the Irish ranked among the national ERA leaders all season and peeked in the final month, posting shutouts in the final four series openers of the regular season while compiling impressive numbers (1.92 staff ERA, .230 opp. batting, 3-to-1 K-to-walk ratio) over an 11-game span that included series vs. top teams Rutgers, Virginia Tech and Central Florida, plus the ever-challenging BIG EAST Tournament.

40-SOMETHING – Notre Dame owns 16 straight seasons with 40-plus wins, including 51 in 2004, 50 in ’02, 49 in ’01, 48 in ’89 and ’92, 46 in ’90, ’93, ’94 and ’00, 45 in ’91 and ’03, and 44 in ’95 … ND’s active streak of seasons with 40-plus wins ranks third in Division I, behind Florida State and Wichita State (both with 27 straight 40-win seasons).

2004 Honors and Awards (for 2005 returning players)

Ryan Doherty (So., RHP)
• Third Team All-American (American Baseball Coaches Association, National College Baseball Writers)
• First Team All-Great Lakes Region (ABCA)
• Second Team All-BIG EAST

Craig Cooper (So., OF)
• Second Team All-BIG EAST

Greg Lopez (So., SS)
• Third Team All-BIG EAST
• Notre Dame Baseball Rockne Student-Athlete Award
• BIG EAST Player of the Week (April 19)
• Alamo City Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

Tom Thornton (So., LHP)
• CoSIDA Academic All-District V selection
• NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team
• Florida Atlantic Classic All-Tournament Team
• BIG EAST Pitcher of Week (Feb. 23, March 15)

Steve Andres (So., OF)
• CoSIDA Academic All-District V selection
• NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team
• Alamo City Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

Matt Edwards (Jr., 1B)
• NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team
• Florida Atlantic Classic MVP

Jess Stewart (Fr., RHP)
• Alamo City Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

Sean Gaston (Fr., C)
• BIG EAST and national player of the week (College Baseball Writers) for March 1

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL QUICK FACTS
Location – Notre Dame, IN 46556
Founded – 1842
Undergraduate Enrollment – 8,311
Nickname; Colors – Fighting Irish; Gold and Blue
Conference – BIG EAST
Athletic Director – Kevin White
Home Stadium (capacity) – Frank Eck Stadium (2,500)
Surface, Dimensions – Grass, 331-381-401-381-331
Head Coach – Paul Mainieri (Fla. Int’l ’80)
Career Record – 781-451-2 (22 seasons)

Record at Notre Dame – 450-172-1 (10 seasons)
Assistant Coaches – David Grewe (Dayton ’98), Terry Rooney
(Radford ’96)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost – 20/11
Position Starters Returning/Lost – 6/3
Letterwinning Pitchers Returning/Lost – 10/5

Total Returners – 23 (12 position players/12 pitchers)
Newcomers – 7
2004 Record – 51-12 (20-6 BIG EAST/1st)
Postseason – 2-2 in NCAA South Bend Regional
Baseball SID Contact – Pete LaFleur
Sports Information Office/Fax – (574) 631-7516/7941
LaFleur’s E-mail – lafleur.4@nd.edu
Notre Dame Sports Hotline – (574) 631-3000
Website – www.und.com

MLB CONNECTIONS • In addition to several current Major League players who honed their craft with the Irish baseball program, a number of Notre Dame graduates currently serve as top executives in Major League Baseball: Cleveland Indians owner and CEO Lawrence Dolan (’54, ’56 ND Law), Indians president Paul Dolan (’83), Tampa Bay owner/CEO/VP Vince Naimoli (`59), Arizona Diamondbacks general manager/VP Joe Garagiola, Jr. (’72), Oakland A’s president Mike Crowley (’85), recently-retired Los Angeles Dodgers V.P. of External Affairs Tommy Hawkins (’59, ND basketball star), MLB Executive VP of Administration John McHale (’71) and MLB Director of Special Events Brian O’Gara (’89).
• Former Notre Dame pitcher Brad Lidge ranked as one of MLB’s top rookies in his first full season with the Houston Astros (3.60 ERA, 97 Ks, 85 IP, 78 GP, 60 H, 42 BB) and was the winning pitcher in the historic no-hitter vs. the New York Yankees on June11, 2003 (2 IP, 2 Ks; 8-1) – the first no-hitter vs. the Yankees since ’58 (6,980 games) and first suffered by the Yankees at home since `52. Lidge – one of MLB’s elite closers in ’04 (NL record for Ks by a reliever) – is one of three ND pitchers from the Paul Mainieri era who have gone on to pitch in the big leagues (also Aaron Heilman with the N.Y. Mets and Christian Parker with the Yankees) while two early-’90s Notre Dame players – IF Craig Counsell and LHP Chris Michalak – have played for multiple MLB teams.

MULTI-SPORT STARS Current sophomore RHP Jeff Samardzija, who latched onto 5 passes for 89 yards in the 2004 Insight Bowl, is the Notre Dame baseball program’s latest two-sport start … others have included:
• Johnny Mohardt – teamed with George Gipp in backfield on Knute Rockne’s 1920 national championship team, captained ’21 baseball squad, played professionally in both sports (teammates included legends Red Grange, Ty Cobb).
• Future Notre Dame athletic director Dick Rosenthal pulled off another double (’51’-53), earning two baseball letters and All-America basketball honors … joining him on the diamond and the court was Jim Gibbons, who later served his alma mater as an assistant baseball coach and assistant vice-president.
• Former Washington Redskins safety Pat Eilers won an ND baseball monogram in ’88 while Frank Jacobs (’91) – one of the top long-ball hitters in Irish history – started at tight end for the ’88 national championship football team … Irv Smith, a starting tight end in ’92, earned baseball letters in ’90 and ’91.
• Shortstop Paul Failla, a third-round California Angels draft pick (’94), was a backup QB on the ’93 football team while Scott Sollmann led the ’94 Irish with .402 batting and saw football action as a special teams player/reserve WR (’94-’95).
• College Football Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Theismann was a 39th-round draft choice of the Minnesota Twins (`71) … he played six baseball games with the Irish in 1970, also playing in various summer leagues.

COAST-TO-COAST – The Notre Dame baseball team has traversed to all corners of the nation in recent years, including visits since 1990 to states spanning from Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington … since 1957, the Irish have played in 34 different states (plus Washington D.C.) and 116 cities (including scheduled 2005 trips) … in the past 13 years, the Irish have posted wins on the fields of many perennial college baseball powers, including four wins on the road over Miami (4-2 in ’89, 2-1 in ’92, 6-3 in ’92 NCAAs, 5-2 in ’95) plus other road triumphs over Texas (13-4 in ’91), Louisiana State (6-3 in ’91), Arizona State (11-4 in ’93), Wichita State (8-6 in ’93), Florida State (4-3 in ’93 NCAAs; 10-4 and 3-1 in ’02 NCAAs), Clemson (8-1 in ’94), Mississippi State (7-0 in 2000 NCAAs, 7-5 and 4-2 in ’01), USC (3-1, in ’04) and Florida Atlantic (3-2, in ’04).

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON – Six current Irish players are second-generation college baseball players: senior 1B/3B Matt Edwards (Norm “Cookie” Edwards, Stetson), senior LHP Scott Bickford (Mark Bickford, Salisbury State), junior C Nick Mainieri (Paul Mainieri, New Orleans), junior IF Eddie Smith (Ed Smith, Gonzaga), sophomore LHP/1B Mike Dury (John Dury, N.C. State) and sophomore RHP Jeff Manship (John Manship, Arizona).

OPPONENT PROSPECTS – Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents feature 19 players who were listed by Perfect Game/Baseball America (Sept. ’04) among the top-150 draft-eligible college prospects for the 2005 MLB draft … those players include four in the top 25: USC catcher Jeff Clement (2nd), St. John’s closer Craig Hansen (8th) and the Texas A&M duo of SS Cliff Pennington (12) and RHP Kevin Whelan (25) … Clement’s USC teammate, RHP Zack Kalter (77), also is on the list, as is SJU ace Anthony Varvaro (71) and two other A&M players: RHP Robert Ray (33) and catcher Craig Stinson (68) … four players from Rice – RHPs Bryce Cox (83) and Josh Geer (95), RHP/OF Lance Pendleton (93) and LHP Matt Ueckert (127) – also are among the top-150 prospects, as are Michigan 2B Chris Getz (59) and RHP Derek Feldkamp (133) … the other five top prospects among ND’s 2005 opponents include: Oral Roberts OF Travis DeBondt (82), Central Michigan RHP Jayson Ruhlman (79), Bowling Green OF Nolan Reimold (94), Evansville 1B Eric Lis (106) and Rutgers OF John DeFendis (113).

NOT SHORT ON TALENT – Pail Mainieri consistently has recruited prep shortstops and utilized them in other parts of the Notre Dame lineup … the latest to fit that mold are a pair of current freshmen who have become the starters at second (Brett Lilley) and third base (Ross Brezovsky) … others of note who came to ND as prep SS and started at other positions have included: Randall Brooks (CF in ’97), Allen Greene (LF in ’97 LF, CF in ’98), Alec Porzel (LF in ’98, 2B in ’99), Andrew Bushey (3B in ’99-’02, also played some C in ’02), Matt Edwards (3B in ’03, 1B in ’04-’05), Greg Lopez (3B in ’03) and Matt Macri (3B in ’04) … Mainieri also pulled off a rarer position switch when he moved then-freshman Steve Sollmann from CF to 2B (Sollman went on to be an All-American and standout defensive player at his new position of 2B).

SCHEDULE CHANGES – Please note that a handful of Notre Dame’s 2005 games have undergone time changes … namely, the March 7 game vs. Texas State (in Round Rock) will start at 3:30 p.m. CST while the next game, March 9 vs. Texas-San Antonio, has been shifted to a 7:15 p.m. start (in San Antonio).

NOTRE DAME BASEBALL 2005 ROSTER (see PDF for full one-page roster)