Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Andrew Bushey Named BIG EAST Baseball Player Of The Week

Feb. 26, 2002

Notre Dame senior tri-captain Andrew Bushey (Boardman, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney HS) has been honored as the BIG EAST Conference baseball player of the week, after batting 6-for-9 in last weekend’s action at the University of New Orleans Classic.

Bushey, who started at both catcher and third base during the tournament, collected his six hits vs. Missouri and host UNO before missing the Southern Illinois game due to injury. His many stellar defensive plays included a strong throw to nail an attempted basestealer in the UNO game.

Bushey became the eighth Notre Dame player in the eight-year Paul Mainieri era to post five-plus hits in a game, batting 5-for-5 in the heartbreaking 8-7 loss to the host Privateers . He hit a first-pitch double to right-center in the 2nd inning of that game before stroking an RBI single up the middle in the 4th (on a 1-2 count) for a 3-3 tie. Bushey then greeted reliever Brandon Migues in the 6th with a leadoff home run, tying the game at 4-4 by driving a 1-1 pitch over the rightfield fence his first home run since 2000 and the sixth of his career (he also homered in a game at UNO in 1999, as part of ND’s record-tying seven-HR output).

His big game versus UNO also included a leadoff single through the left side in the 8th (1-1 count) and a 1-1 single to left-center in the 9th, plating Kris Billmaier for a 7-5 lead.

The 5-10, 190-pound lefthanded hitter is one of four current members of the Notre Dame baseball program who have been named BIG EAST player of the week during the past three seasons, with the others including: senior centerfielder Steve Stanley (Feb. 23 and April 23 of 2001), junior leftfielder Brian Stavisky (April 24, 2000, Feb. 19 and April 2, 2001) and senior catcher Paul O’Toole (March 13, 2000).

Bushey’s breakthrough 2001 season saw him earn 1st team all-BIG EAST honors as a third baseman, after batting .335 with 36 RBI and 17 doubles. He also ranked second among all 2001 BIG EAST players with a .425 conference batting average and 27 RBI in conference games.

Bushey has appeared in 162 career games (starting all but one) as a four-year starter with the Irish, with his career stats including 169 hits, 36 doubles, 73 RBI and 51 walks. He averaged 17.58 at-bats per strikeout (211/12) as a sophomore in 2000, representing the 10th-best ratio at Notre Dame (since 1969).