June 24, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame assistant baseball coach and pitching coach Sherard Clinkscales has resigned from the Irish coaching staff to pursue other professional opportunities.
Clinkscales has been at Notre Dame for three seasons (2007-09) after joining head coach Dave Schrage’s inaugural staff in `07.
A former all-Big Ten Conference pitcher himself, Clinkscales in his three seasons with the Irish helped produce seven pitchers (eight selections) who were selected in the Major League Baseball draft – including five selected in the 2008 draft (most pitchers in a year in Irish history, led by third-round pick Kyle Weiland) and two others in the ’07 draft. Sam Elam was selected in both the ’08 and ’09 drafts.
Among Clinkscales’ most notable pupils at Notre Dame were ’07 first-team all-BIG EAST hurler David Phelps (eight wins, 1.88 ERA) – plus Phelps, Eric Maust and Wade Korpi who in ’08 comprised the only entire weekend league rotation to earn all-conference honors (Maust and Korpi were second-team selections). In ’07 he worked with Mike Dury who finished as Notre Dame’s all-time leader in ERA (2.20). In ’09 Ryan Richter was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, as the only BIG EAST pitcher to make the squad.
Clinkscales’ Irish pitchers in 2008 led the BIG EAST in earned-run average in league games at 3.52, after finishing third in ’07.
“I want to thank Dave (Schrage) for giving me the opportunity to be a collegiate pitching coach,” Clinkscales said.
“I enjoyed my time in South Bend and will miss the players and staff, but I feel like personally this is the right move for me. I want nothing but great things for the Notre Dame baseball program going forward.”
“I appreciate all of Sherard’s hard work over the last three years, not only with our pitching staff but with all areas of our program,” Schrage said. “He has been a great representative of Notre Dame and our baseball program, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Clinkscales came to Notre Dame after 10 years as a Major League Baseball scout. An Indianapolis, Ind., native, he went on to star as a pitcher at Purdue and still owns the Boilermaker career record for strikeouts per nine innings (8.72). He also played basketball at Purdue.
— ND —