Junior Cole Johnson allowed two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work to pick up the victory.

Baseball Picked Fifth In Preseason BIG EAST Baseball Poll

Jan. 4, 2010

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Notre Dame baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2010 BIG EAST preseason baseball poll as determined by a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams. The Irish received a total of 84 points.

Notre Dame placed junior RHP Cole Johnson (Hudson, Ohio) on the preseason All-BIG EAST squad. Johnson, who earned second-team all-BIG EAST in 2009, went 7-3 with a 4.56 ERA last season. He struck out 64 in 94.2 innings of work and opponents batted just .252 against him.

Six everyday starters, senior outfielder and 2008 first-team all-BIG EAST choice David Mills (Battle Creek, Mich.), junior first baseman David Casey (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.), junior second baseman Greg Sherry (Mendham, N.J.), junior third baseman Mick Doyle (LaGrange Park, Ill.) junior catcher Cameron McConnell (Bannockburn, Ill.) and senior designated hitter Ryan Connolly (Binghamton, N.Y.), all return from last year. The Irish also return senior Brayden Ashdown (Tucson, Ariz.), senior Casey Martin (Chesterton, Ind.), senior Ryne Intlekofer (Moorpark, Calif.) and junior Matt Scioscia, who combined to start 79 games for the Irish last season.

The depth of pitching on last year’s squad was one of its strengths and it will be quite evident heading into this season. Notre Dame returns 11 of its top 13 pitchers from last year’s club, including Johnson, but also regain the services of junior Ryan Sharpley (Marshall, Mich.), who missed all of 2009 following offseason shoulder surgery. In addition to Johnson, the Irish also return fellow weekend starters in junior Brian Dupra (Rochester, N.Y.) and senior Eric Maust (Alpharetta, Ga.).

Notre Dame also welcomes back sophomore Steve Sabatino (Lockport, Ill.), sophomore Ryan Richter (South Bend, Ind.), sophomore Joe Spano (Verona, N.J.) and sophomore Dustin Ispas (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) — all of whom made starts for the Irish a year ago.

Sophomore Will Hudgins (Richmond, Va.) and junior Todd Miller (Franklin, Tenn.) look to solidify the back end of the bullpen after totaling eight saves for Notre Dame in 2009. Senior Steven Mazur (Round Rock, Texas) and Mills also return to give reliable options out of the Irish bullpen.

The coaches also selected West Virginia SS Jedd Gyorko as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and tabbed USF RHP Randy Fontanez the BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

Louisville earned nine of a possible 11 first-place votes to edge second-place USF as the 2010 favorite. The Cardinals had 119 points in the poll, while the Bulls were second with 113 points and three first-place votes.

Louisville returns seven starting position players and the majority of its pitching staff from last year’s team that went 47-18 overall and 19-7 in the BIG EAST. The Cardinals made their third straight NCAA tournament appearance and reached the NCAA Super Regional round for the second time in three years. Louisville is ranked No. 13 in the Ping Baseball preseason poll and No. 19 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.

Louisville returns four players who were tabbed as Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, including RHP Tony Zych (6-2, 3.25 ERA, 2 saves), 1B Andrew Clark (.350, 9 HR, 55 RBI), 2B Adam Duvall (.328, 11 HR, 51 RBI) and OF Stewart Ijames (.349, 8 HR, 39 RBI), who missed the 2009 season due to injury. Zych was named to the all-tournament team at the 2009 BIG EAST Championship, while Clark and Duvall were both All-BIG EAST selections a year ago. The Cardinals also return all-America third baseman Phil Wunderlich, who was the team’s leading hitter with a .367 batting average to go with 18 home runs and 78 runs batted in last season.

USF held first place in the BIG EAST standings for most of the regular season and reached the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Championship in 2009. Head coach Lelo Prado – the 2009 BIG EAST Coach of the Year – led the Bulls to a 34-25 record (18-9 in BIG EAST play) and a second-place finish in the final standings, marking the Bulls’ best showing since joining the conference. Fontanez went 7-3 with a 3.09 ERA last year, finishing second in the conference in ERA and innings pitched (99.0). He was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team by OF Junior Carlin, who hit .384 last season.

Connecticut was picked third in the preseason poll following the Huskies’ run to the title game of last year’s BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies and head coach Jim Penders are led by OF George Springer, who was last year’s BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. Springer was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team after he hit .360 with 16 home runs and 56 RBIs last season. Connecticut was 36-24 overall and 14-13 in the BIG EAST last year.

St. John’s was tabbed for fourth in the preseason poll. The Red Storm went 30-22 overall and 16-11 in BIG EAST play to finish fourth in the 2009 standings. Head coach Ed Blankmeyer has led St. John’s to three BIG EAST regular-season titles, one tournament crown and five NCAA tournament appearances. Preseason All-BIG EAST OF Jimmy Parque (.360, 5 HR, 61 RBI) is expected to provide the offensive punch.

West Virginia was projected to finish sixth by the BIG EAST coaches after the Mountaineers went 37-18 overall and 17-10 in the BIG EAST last year under head coach Greg Van Zant. Gyorko is the catalyst behind the potent West Virginia lineup as the shortstop hit .421 with eight home runs, 58 runs batted in, a school-record 28 doubles and 96 hits as a sophomore. In addition to his selection as BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, Gyorko is a Preseason All-America Second Team selection by Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Cincinnati and Rutgers were picked seventh and eighth, respectively, in the preseason poll. Bearcat head coach Brian Cleary brought Cincinnati to the title game of the BIG EAST Championship and a second-place finish in the regular season in 2008 and looks to return to the top half of the standings after a rebuilding year in 2009. Rutgers was the 2007 BIG EAST tournament champion under head coach Fred Hill, who looks to return the Scarlet Knights to the postseason following a two-year absence.

Pittsburgh was ninth in the preseason poll as coach Joe Jordano looks to replace the production of All-BIG EAST First Team 2B Chris Sedon, who signed a professional contract after last year. Seton Hall was 10th in the preseason balloting as head coach Rob Sheppard is faced with the departure of two All-BIG EAST pitchers from last season. Villanova was 11th, with coach Joe Godri turning to Preseason All-BIG EAST DH Matt Szczur (.346, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 18 SB) for offensive production. Szczur was the key player behind Villanova’s run to the 2009 NCAA football championship. Georgetown was 12th in the preseason poll as head coach Pete Wilk has Preseason All-BIG EAST C Erick Fernandez (.349, 5 HR, 28 RBI) to lead a young lineup.

The 2010 baseball season begins Feb. 18 with the early season highlighted by the second annual Big Ten/BIG EAST Challenge taking place in Florida. The first weekend of league play is March 26-28 with all 12 schools in action.

Preseason BIG EAST PollTeam    Points (First Place Votes)  Points1.  Louisville (9)                  1192.  USF (3)                         1133.  Connecticut                 944.  St. John's                  875.  Notre Dame                  846.  West Virginia                   797.  Cincinnati                  538.  Rutgers                         499.  Pittsburgh                  4410. Seton Hall                  3211. Villanova                   2312. Georgetown                  15
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year:Jedd Gyorko, Jr., SS, West Virginia
Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year:Randy Fontanez, Jr., RHP, USF
Preseason All-BIG EAST TeamPos. Name, Class, School Key 2009 Stats (All Games Played)P Randy Fontanez, Jr., USF * 7-3, 3.09 ERA, 99.0 IP, 57 K, 24 BB, .250 OBAP Jarryd Summers, Jr., West Virginia 7-3, 3.05 ERA, 94.1 IP, 99 K, 35 BB, .239 OBAP Cole Johnson, Jr., Notre Dame 7-3, 4.56 ERA, 94.2 IP, 64 K, 36 BB, .252 OBAP Tony Zych, So., Louisville 6-2, 3.25 ERA, 2 SV, 44.1 IP, 31 K, 10 BB, .235 OBAC Erick Fernandez, Jr., Georgetown .349, 5 HR, 28 RBIC Jeff Arnold, Sr., Louisville .246, 3 HR, 32 RBI, 13 SB1B Andrew Clark, Sr., Louisville * .350, 9 HR, 55 RBI2B Adam Duvall, Sr., Louisville .328, 11 HR, 51 RBI, 12 SBSS Jedd Gyroko, Jr., West Virginia * .421, 8 HR, 58 RBI3B Dan DiBartolomeo, Jr., West Virginia .439, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 5 SBOF George Springer, So., Connecticut * .358, 16 HR, 57 RBI, 12 SBOF Stewart Ijames, So., Louisville .349, 8 HR, 39 RBI (2008)OF Jimmy Parque, Jr., St. John's .360, 5 HR, 61 RBIOF Junior Carlin, Jr., USF .384, 0 HR, 27 RBIDH Matt Szczur, So., Villanova .346, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 18 SB* - unanimous selection

— ND —