May 13, 2007
By Pete LaFleur
This weekend’s drive from the Notre Dame baseball team’s hotel to Louisville’s Patterson Field includes passing by a local amusement park, situated right next to the freeway. A rollercoaster is tucked into the corner of that Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom facility, providing a quick visual parallel to Notre Dame’s up-and-down 2007 season. The metaphor cuts even deeper for members of the senior class, who readily toss out the word “rollercoaster” when describing their four-year careers as members of the Irish baseball program.
Mike Dury played sparingly in his first three seasons with the Irish before becoming an everyday player and top long-ball threat this season.
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Senior co-captains Danny Dressman and Mike Dury, in particular, have navigated through plenty of high points and low points over the course of their Notre Dame careers. Both players drew inspiration and soaked up words of encouragement from former and current teammates – and they now serve as examples for the younger members of the team, providing proof that hard work and determination can overcome the most trying of times.
“As a senior, I know what these freshmen are going through,” says Dressman. “It’s another big class – just like when we came in four years ago – and I just try to be a leader, telling them that you can only live up to expectations so much. You have to be self-motivated and be your own player. That’s what I’ve tried to do ever since my freshman year, and I’m having fun with it.”
“Maybe younger guys who are freshman and sophomore who aren’t really getting a chance can look to Mike and me and say `If I continue to work hard and stick it out, then I can be a key contributor later in my career.’ In these last two years, I couldn’t have asked for a better situation – and this season has been my most memorable.”
The aforementioned rollercoaster on the edge of Kentucky Kingdom is not one the monstrous contraptions, with huge hills and plunging descents. Rather, the ride has a smaller collection of hills but there are more of them – steadily up and down, up and down. Such has been the season for the Irish baseball team, which has yet to lose more than three in a row (prior to Sunday’s game) but does not have a winning streak of longer than five games. The Irish have struggled through 15 different games in which the offense has generated only 0-2 runs – but those low moments have been offset by 13 games with double-digit runs, plus 14 different offensive explosions in which Notre Dame has scored five-plus runs in an inning (nearly matching the 15 “big innings” totaled by the 2006 offense).
Danny Dressman is a third-generation Notre Dame student and combines with his mother, the former Diane Shillingburg, as the first mother-son monogram winners in ND athletics history (Mrs. Dressman was a member of the Irish tennis team in the late 1970s).
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The current Irish co-captains are at opposite extremes in body type, with the switch-hitting Dury checking in at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds while Dressman (5-8, 180) is one of several pesky lefthanders on the roster. Despite their physical differences, the pair have developed a strong bond of friendship over the past four years and have several notable similarities in their family background – as both have grandfathers who graduated from Notre Dame while both of their mothers were college athletes.
And then there is their competitive streak. Dury and Dressman are two of the many Notre Dame players over the years who love to do battle in a number of sports, card games and the like. They were teammates on the Madison (Wis.) Mallards during the summer of 2005, with Dressman playing a lead role during that Northwoods League season. But one of his fondest memories from that summer was defeating his roommate Dury on the basketball courts, in a game of “HORSE” – with a look of depressed amazement flowing across the face of the multi-sport talent Dury after he missed the final shot.
Dury and Dressman have remained roommates in their senior year, while residing in a house that includes the other three fourth-year seniors (catcher Sean Gaston and pitchers Dan Kapala and Jess Stewart). Former Irish pitcher Jeff Manship – who began his pro career in 2006 – also lived in the house with his classmates during the 2006 fall semester, while working towards completion of his degree requirements.
“It’s been a great experience with all of the seniors living together this year,” says Dury, a longtime friend and teammate of Gaston’s, stretching back to their days with the Indiana Bulls club team that won the 2001 national title. “Most of us knew each other pretty well except for Jess, who had been more of a quiet guy. But he’s really come out of his shell and has become just as close to us as everyone else in the house – we’ve really enjoyed having `Stew’ live with us this year.”
The star-crossed careers of the senior class have included injuries to both Kapala (’06) and Gaston (’07) that have held each out for an entire season. But now, with the 2007 regular season nearing an end, the team’s veterans are hoping to “ride the rollercoaster” on the upswing for as long as possible – as they look to claim the program’s sixth straight BIG EAST Tournament title while helping lead the Irish to the NCAAs for the ninth straight season.
Dury and other veterans such as Matt Weglarz will be hoping to extend their careers into the 2007 postseason.
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In a season when many have written the team off, the Notre Dame seniors will be hoping to write a great ending to their Notre Dame experience.
“We’ve got to win that BIG EAST Tournament and we’re not going to sit and mope about it,” says Dury. “We’ve still got some work to do just to qualify for the tournament but I still like what this team is capable of doing.
“We talk about how tradition never graduates. You always want to leave a place better than it was when you came. If we keep playing well, and are playing our best baseball by the time we reach the tournament, I really like our chances.”
Adds Dressman, “When you struggle, you have to come together as a team. Any time you see a big play, you’re going to see guys get fired up. As an offense, we have to set the tone and take the pressure off the pitchers. Our character has to come out – when we have a good approach at the plate, we can put up 10 or 11 runs. It’s just a matter of finishing strong and I think we can make a run at this.”
The current seniors signed on with the Notre Dame baseball program in the fall of 2002, just months removed from the completion of an historic ’02 season that saw the Irish advance to the College World Series. The signees in that class ultimately would include 10 highly-regarded players (nine signed in the fall and one the following spring), plus two-sport star Jeff Samardzija and a walk-on pitcher. That all added up to 12 new players who came to Notre Dame in the fall of 2003 and began their college careers the following spring, in the 2004 season.
Dressman was part of a 2004 freshman class that was ranked 6th-best in the nation by Baseball America.
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Baseball America – which two seasons earlier had rated Notre Dame’s 2002 freshmen as the nation’s top incoming class – heaped similar praise on the 2004 freshmen, rating that group of Irish newcomers as the nation’s 6th-best recruiting class. Notre Dame’s 2004 lineup was stacked with veteran talent that helped produce a record-setting win total (51-12) and earned an NCAA Regional at Eck Stadium (the fourth time since ’99 that ND was picked as a host team). The ’04 position players were headlined by a pair of All-America infielders – third baseman Matt Macri and second baseman Steve Sollmann – while future All-American Craig Cooper served mostly as the rightfielder on that team. Cooper launched 10 home runs in that sophomore season, joining Macri (14), Matt Edwards (12) and Matt Bransfield (12) in making the 2004 team the first in Notre Dame history with four double-digit home run players.
Seven of the nine starting position players in ’04 – Macri, Sollmann, Cooper, Edwards, Bransfield, shortstop Greg Lopez and catcher Javi Sanchez – received at least all-BIG EAST honors in their careers, with leftfielder Steve Andres and centerfielder Cody Rizzo rounding out a solid 1-through-9 lineup. The pitching staff was equally impressive, with Grant Johnson (a 2nd-round pick in the ’04 MLB draft) and All-American Chris Niesel fronting a strong starting group that also included lefty Tom Thornton and the rookie Samardzija. Lefthander Joe Thaman (a converted first baseman) and the righthanded Kapala shared setup duties while 7-foot-2 Ryan Doherty saved 12 games and struck out 46 batters in 34 innings. All four of the starters mentioned above went on to be drafted by Major League clubs, while Doherty was a rare junior free-agent signee.
Such was the talent pool that the 2004 freshmen dipped into, treading lightly as they searched for playing time and tried to remain upbeat about their future contributions to the Irish program. Several would go on to leave the team (all well before the arrival of the current Irish coaching staff) while Samardzija and Manship later signed pro contracts following their junior seasons in 2006 – leaving just five members of the “dirty dozen” class that held such promise when they arrived on campus back in the fall of 2003.
Despite many chances to become bitter or resentful about their personal situations – or the fate of their class as a whole – Dury and Dressman have remained refreshingly candid about their careers, with the maturity to take a step back and see the big picture of their all-around experience.
“We came in a highly-touted class that accomplished plenty in high school,” says Dury. “We had several noteworthy prospects and with that comes a lot of unhappiness with playing time. We came into a team loaded with players, so a lot of us didn’t get playing time right away. Some couldn’t handle it and they chose to leave. There was a lot of talent and competition. Even the fall scrimmages were really intense.
Dury has made the most of his offensive chance this season, launching nine home runs – including two while batting righthanded.
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“It was a tough situation for me but – based on what I was showing to the coaching staff – the fact was that I didn’t deserve to be in the lineup. We had Matt Edwards, Craig Cooper and Steve Andres swinging well and, when I got out there, I didn’t do as well as they did. As a coach, you have to play your best guys. I knew I had to stay positive and knew that this is where I wanted to be. I was going to get my chance and needed to be ready when it came.”
Contrary to the experience of his future co-captain, Dressman immediately was given the chance to win a starting position. The Irish coaches were eager to regain stability at the key position of center field, after a patchwork combination of five players had started in that spot during 2003 (when corner outfielder Kris Billmaier ultimately made the most starts, 31, in the miscast role of center field). Notre Dame never had to worry about who would be playing center field during the four seasons prior to 2003, as two-time All-American Steve Stanley brought his fielding mastery to that position throughout the 1999-2002 seasons.
Stanley – whose career hit total (385) remains among the highest in college baseball history – had started all 256 games of his career and logged nearly 99% of the innings in center field during that span (he patrolled center for all but 25 innings in his career, including one stretch of 764.2 consecutive innings). Just months after the College World Series had signaled the end of Stanley’s stellar career, comments by the Irish coaching staff comparing the new signee Dressman to Stanley may have been premature, and possibly became detrimental to that year of transition in center field.
“Any time you get compared to someone who will go down as one of the top players in Notre Dame history, it’s a lot of pressure,” says Dressman. “One of the things I struggled with was finding my identity as a player, and living up to someone who is so respected on and off the field. It took a couple years to find out what kind of player I was. I got the opportunity last year to step in and I wanted to take advantage of it. I haven’t looked back since.”
Dressman was the primary starter in center field for the first half of the 2004 season, but Rizzo later proved to be the team’s top option at the position and made 26 starts in center (essentially matching Dressman’s 28 starts, most of which came in the first month). With Dressman’s first college season not even completed, the rollercoaster was in full swing for him and the entire freshman class. Dressman finished the 2004 season with a batting average of just .264, plus 25 runs scored and only two stolen bases. He struck out seven more times than he walked (25/18) and had a modest on-base percentage of .350.
Dressman opened his career as the heir apparent to All-American Steve Stanley in center field.
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Despite watching some of their classmates leave the program in the early years, Dressman and Dury stayed the course and were eager to make contributions on a 2005 squad that would be looking to replace the offensive production of Macri, Sollmann and Sanchez. Dury continued to be a top relief pitcher but his effectiveness at the plate in 2005 (.209 batting/9-for-43, 8 RBI, HR, 2 2B, 2 BB, 11 Ks in 16 GP/10 GS) was similar to the disappointing previous season (.250/4-for-16, 2 RBI, HR, 3 BB, 4 Ks, 9 GP/4 GS) – with hope still remaining for later in his career, due to the limited sampling of at-bats (59, scattered over 126 games) during the first two seasons.
Dressman’s second season led to his own soul-searching, as he made only eight starts and totaled just 55 ABs in 2005 (he hit .273, with 9 R, 5 BB, 12 Ks and a stolen base). Junior Alex Nettey – formerly an invited walk-on who steadily had worked his way into the lineup – ended up being the regular centerfielder in 2005, a position he also held in ’06 before his graduation opened the spot once again for Dressman.
“The fact of the matter was that my sophomore year I lost the job in center field,” says Dressman. “Nettey played unbelievably and deserved to be there. I’m just glad I ended up with another chance to play at my natural position, where I can make the biggest impact on the team’s success.”
Dressman bounced back to be a key contributor and second team all-BIG EAST selection in 2006, when he joined Rizzo, Bransfield and Andres in the corner-outfield rotation. The San Jose native had an early nine-game hit streak (yielding a .479 season average) and opened the annual Spring Break trip by batting 7-for-12 with 8 RBI – earning BIG EAST player-of-the-week honors – before going 5-for-10 to help sweep Pittsburgh in an early BIG EAST series. His 11-game hitting streak in late March and early April ended up being the second-longest by an Irish player in ’06 and Dressman also played a key role in the showdown series at Connecticut, finishing the 7-6 opener with the rare stat line of three doubles in one game (one of those hits tied the game, in ND’s 9th-inning rally).
In addition to finishing as the 2006 team’s third-leading hitter (.321), Dressman ranked second in walks (30) and sacrifice bunts (12), third in on-base pct. (.428) and fifth in stolen bases (6). His walk-to-strikeout ratio did a 180 from the previous two seasons, as he ended ’06 with one of the team’s top plate-discipline ratios (+19; 30 walks plus 5 hit-by-pitch, minus 16 Ks) – compared to his -13 PDR over the course of the ’04 and ’05 seasons (23 BB, 1 HBP, 37 Ks). Dressman hit mostly in the 2-hole or #3 spot while ranking as the ’06 team’s second-best hitter with runners on (.365) and with 2-outs (.328). He also hit above .300 in lefty-lefty matchups (.310 vs. LHPs) and made just one error all season, playing primarily in right field.
Dressman is quick to credit two of his classmates with keeping his spirits up following the frustrating 2005 season, setting the stage for his reemergence in ’06.
“It was really rough for me during my sophomore year and I owe a lot to guys like Mike Dury and Dan Kapala,” says Dressman. “It wasn’t memorable as a whole for the program – we won `only’ 38 games and ended the 40-win streak – and it wasn’t a time of great memories for me either. But I couldn’t be happier that I stuck it out. I enjoyed playing last year with Manship, Samardzija and those guys, and we made it fun.
“But I really owe it to my friends for helping me hang in there through the rough times.”
Dury has been a valuable support system for the Irish pitchers (such as Eric Maust) and hitters while also serving as part of a mutual support system with his fellow co-captain Dressman throughout their career.
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Dressman also includes various former Irish players among those who urged him on with words and enouragement. “I look at guys who have had to deal with things like me, the ups and downs,” he says. “Matt Bransfield and Craig Cooper came out on top with great seasons later in their careers. A guy like Steve Sollmann always has given me great advice and is someone I really respect. Recently, I saw so many of the guys at Greg Lopez’s wedding and talked with a lot of them. Those who had to deal with adversity are the ones I can relate to the most, and I hope they realize how much they’ve helped me during my career.”
The 2006 season again saw Dury log key pitching appearances but he made only five starts as a position player, batting 6-for-26 (.231) with a pair of home runs and 7 RBI (2 2B, 22 BB, 9 Ks). That left him with three-year offensive totals of just 85 at-bats and 17 RBI (spread out over 129 games), plus 4 home runs, 4 doubles and 17 more strikeouts (24) than walks (7).
As Dury was preparing for the start of the 2007 season, he knew plenty of spots in the lineup would be up for grabs, due to the graduation losses of Cooper, Rizzo, Bransfield, Lopez, Nettey and Andres (plus Gaston’s preseason surgery). He was determined to make the most of this final chance and had one former Irish player firmly in his corner.
“Javi Sanchez is a guy I really look up to. I try to mold the way I go about my business after him and he’s a great mentor,” says Dury, in reference to the former Irish infielder/catcher. “Javi is always sending me text messages or leaves a voicemail, passing on little motivational quotes that mean a lot to me.”
Sanchez should know a little something about bouncing back from a subpar season to become a key contributor later in his career. As a freshman in 2001, he went hitless in a meager 13 at-bats and made just two starts that entire season. There were discussions with the coaching staff that he might have a better chance at playing time by moving on to another school for the remainder of his career. But Sanchez stuck it out and worked harder than ever, leading to a classic success story that saw him become one of the most beloved Irish players in recent years.
After major injuries had sidelined then-freshmen Macri and Edwards, the 2002 team was faced with a dilemma regarding who to start at the pivotal position of shortstop. Sanchez – whose primary playing background was at second or third base – eventually was given his shot and refused to let his teammates down, ultimately batting .281 with 50 runs scored, 24 walks, 5 home runs and 8 sacrifice bunts. His stellar postseason included being named MVP of the BIG EAST Tournament, earning a spot on the NCAA South Bend Regional all-tournament team and making several memorable defensive plays in the Super Regional series at top-ranked Florida State (to top it off, he added a home run in the College World Series opener versus Stanford).
Former Notre Dame player Javi Sanchez has provided countless words of advice and encouragement to his former teammates, most notably Mike Dury.
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That 2002 season would have been enough to fill most player’s career highlight reel but Sanchez had more in store during his final two years. The 2003 team suddenly was chock full of leftside infielders (namely Macri, Edwards and Lopez) but the catching depth was suspect, following the graduation of the hard-nosed duo of Paul O’Toole and Andrew Bushey. Sanchez answered the call and quickly learned yet another new position, going on to make 56 starts behind the plate in ’03 while batting .303 with 42 runs scored. One year later – with Gaston settling into his first college season ¬- Sanchez earned all-BIG EAST honors as co-captain of the record-setting 2005 team (he often served as the cleanup batter on that team and totaled a career-best 41 RBI).
“Before this season started, Javi was telling me that he knew I wanted to produce and help the team. But he also told me to throw away my old numbers and to focus on having fun in my final year while playing for one of the nation’s best programs, at a great school,” says Dury.
“With help from guys like Javi, I came into this season with more confidence in my swing. Javi was a great player for this program and is a very positive influence for me.”
Dury failed to reach even 50 at-bats in any of his first three seasons but was hopeful that more consistent playing time in 2007 would boost his effectiveness. That certainly has proven to be the case, as the switch hitter entered the Louisville series as the team leader in slugging pct. (.513; a boost of 101 points from his .412 combined slugging in ’04-’06), home runs (8; doubling his previous three-year total), doubles (14) and total bases (80) while ranking second in RBI (32) and times hit-by-pitch (11), third in on-base pct. (.378) and runs scored (30), and fourth in games started (46). He was one of five Irish players to appear in each of the first 48 games this season, with his top situational stats including a .412 leadoff on-base pct. (3rd-best on the team) and .280 batting with runners on base (5th-best on the team and 24 points above his overall .256 batting mark). Dury’s 40 total hits this season, prior to the UL series, include six more that have gone for extra bases (23) than singles (17).
The season opener versus Prairie View saw Dury get off to a quick home run start and he added a grand slam versus Duquesne on the Spring Break swing through Florida. Later that week, he came off the bench to hit a pair of bombs in the 11-4 win over Dayton. Notre Dame’s first BIG EAST game of the season featured Dury’s biggest home run to date, as he drove a pitch from South Florida ace Danny Otero over the rightfield fence for a solo blast that held up as the game’s only scoring.
Dury became the first Notre Dame player since the late 1990s to homer from both sides of the plate in the same season.
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A piece of history awaited Dury in game-2 of the midseason West Virginia series, when he connected on his first righthanded home run of the season. In the process, he joined current athletics department compliance staffer Allen Greene as the most recent Notre Dame players to homer from both sides of the plate in the same season (Greene did so back in ’98). Dury – whose season highlights include a seven-game hitting streak – also went on to launch a key three-run blast in the 7-3 win over Ball State.
Dressman also had appeared in each of the first 48 games this season while entering the Louisville series as the team leaded in sacrifice bunts (10), also ranking second in stolen bases (9) and starts (47), plus third in batting average (.310; above .300 since mid-March), runs scored (30), hits (54) and RBI (25), and fourth in on-base pct. (.375). He has made at least six starts in five different lineup spots this season (2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th) and has proven to be an effective offensive producer in all situational categories – ranking second on the team in leadoff on-base pct. (.458) and batting with runners in scoring position (.320), third in percentage of runners advanced (59%) and fifth in 2-out batting (.258; his 8 RBI with 2-outs are 4th-most on the team).
The lefthanded-hitting Dressman actually owns the team’s third-best batting average versus LHPs (.383), also ranking as the team’s fourth-best hitter against righthanders (.283), and he has struck out just 13 times all season (in 174 at-bats, for a rate of 13.4 ABs per K). Extensive work with the baseball program’s strength coach Mike Joseph also has improved Dressman’s already above-average ability in hitting to all fields, to the point where now “it’s almost my strength to hit the ball the other way,” he says.
In addition to compiling a 10-game hitting streak this season (the second double-digit streak of his career), Dressman also was named to the BIG EAST weekly honor roll after batting 11-for-20 over the final five Spring Break games (6 RBI, 5 R, 3B, 2B, SB). He earlier helped post the 16-6 win over then-#7 Nebraska (2-for-2, RBI, 2 R, BB, SF) and recently went 4-for-13 (3 R) to help win the series at league leader Rutgers.
Dressman and Dury’s strong defensive play this season has been an added bonus and has “exceeded expectations,” according to Schrage. Dury split time as a DH and first baseman earlier in the season but has emerged as the regular at first, with just four errors all season.
Dressman’s stellar play in center field this season has included making just one error and logging a current errorless streak of 40-plus games.
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Dressman has made just one error all season and will be looking to push his errorless streak to 40 games in the opener at Louisville. He has played nearly 95% of the innings this season in center field (387 of 411) while suddenly becoming the elder statesman – or “Gramps,” as he’s often called – of an outfield teaming with newcomers and others who have converted to the position. The current alignment includes junior Ross Brezovsky (who previously had started at second base) in left filed while sophomore Ryan Connolly has emerged in right field, after missing all of the 2006 season due to a shoulder injury.
“Ross is starting to look like a natural in the outfield,” says Dressman. “I try to let him know that the toughest thing is a hard ball hit right at you, knowing whether to come in or out. That’s one thing I try to work on with these guys: getting the correct read right off the bat.
“Ryan Connolly is our most energetic player in the outfield and brings great speed on the basepaths. He also has shown some good offensive ability and could be a real key part of the lineup.”
Dury averaged 23 innings pitched per season in his first three years but the two-way talent has logged just 12.1 innings this season, in large part due to his expanded role as a position player. The lefthander is closing in on breaking a Notre Dame record that has stood for more than 45 years, as his 2.20 career ERA is below the standing record of 2.36 set by Nick Palihnich from 1959-61 (the ND record for career ERA includes a minimum of 60 innings pitched). Dury’s other career stats as a pitcher include a 6-1 record, three saves, a 2.2 K-to-walk ratio (66/30) and 75 hits allowed in 81.2 innings (with a .245 opponent batting avg.).
His pitching highlights have featured closing out the 2005 and ’06 BIG EAST championship victories, in addition to saving the 2005 NCAA elimination game versus Stetson (2 IP, H, 3 Ks; 7-4). His 2.17 ERA and .208 opponent batting average helped set up closer Kyle Weiland’s record-setting 16 saves in ’06, with his top moments that season including picking up the win in the opener of the big series at UConn and saving game-2 before tossing a shutout inning in the series finale (a 1-1, 13-inning tie).
Dressman has been flanked by an assortment of newcomers in the outfield this season, most recently Ross Brezovsky (left) and Ryan Connolly (right).
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The transition from being a lefthanded setup pitcher to an everyday player appears to have reinvigorated Dury. “Going into the season, coach Schrage told me they would be giving me a shot at first base and as a key RBI guy. That’s been my main goal: to really lead this team.
“I love coming out of the bullpen in a big situation, but it’s not the same as being in the game every day. Knowing a set position over the past month has made a big difference for our entire lineup. We were rotating guys in and out abut struggling. One error would lead to a couple big innings and we would lose by one run. The infield group has become close and we are working well together.
“There were a couple of weeks where I know I struggled,” adds Dury. “Coach told me to just enjoy the fact that I’m in the lineup, and that is what I’m trying to do. I love being able to help this team in pressure situations, at the plate or on the mound.”
Those who have watched Dury bat may be surprised to learn that he originally was a righthanded hitter and did not add the lefthanded swing until his freshman year of high school. The change came at the urging of his father John – who thought his son might want to avoid the “curse” of being a righthanded hitter and lefthanded pitcher.
“In high school, we saw so many righthanded pitchers that it was worth trying to switch-hit,” says the younger Dury. “It was a struggle initially, because I didn’t have any power. I didn’t hit my first lefthanded home run until my junior year of high school. But now I don’t think that I’m stronger on either side. I’ve became comfortable with it and my hitting coaches at Notre Dame have helped my swing develop, especially over the past two seasons.”
Dury and Dressman both have extensive family ties to Notre Dame, including grandfathers (Len Dury ’54 and Charles Dressman, Sr.) who both graduated from the University. Dressman’s parents Chuck and the former Diane Shillinburg are 1979 Notre Dame graduates – with Diane and Danny representing the first mother-son monogram winners in the history of ND athletics (the current Mrs. Dressman was a member of the Irish women’s tennis team in the late 1970s).
Most of Dury’s throwing this season has been from the first-base bag but he still owns the top career ERA (2.20) in the Notre Dame record book.
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“My parents met during the final month of their senior year,” says Dressman. “My dad was from Maryland and my mom from Denver. My dad went on to dental school and was stationed for 18 months in the Navy, at Moffett Field. Our family has been in San Jose ever since.
“I grew up around plenty of Notre Dame fans and came to that great 1988 football game versus Miami. My dad is a pretty hardcore fan, yelling at the TV when he watches the games. After I came to the Notre Dame baseball camp in the summer of 2002, that pretty much sealed it and I knew this was the place for me.”
Dury has plenty of other athletes in his family, as his father John played baseball at North Carolina State, his mother Nancy was a basketball player at Marian (Ind.) College, and his brother Tim played football at the University of Indianapolis. Dury’s great uncle Walt Sahm served as co-captain of the 1964-65 Notre Dame basketball team and still holds the Irish record for career rebounding average (16.9), while a cousin Bill Sahm played on the 1976-77 Irish hoops team.
“My dad was a spot starter at N.C. State but he tore his labrum, and back then there was no surgery for that injury,” says Dury. “My dad threw hard and was not much of an actual pitcher, so he always wanted me to be a pitcher and not just throw hard.
“My dad ended up coming to Purdue to coach under his good friend Dave Alexander, who had coached my dad at Chatard High School and now is a scout for the Marlins. My mom still was playing basketball in college at that time and soon after that they got married and settled in Indianapolis.”
Dury’s impressive three-sport career at Chatard brought him in contact with former Notre Dame pitcher Mike Harmon, who served as the team’s coach. “He is a fun-loving coach who wanted the best for me,” says Dury of Harmon. “He got into my head that I could hit and pitch in college, so I kept working hard at both aspects of my game. Coach Harmon helped solidify my decision on choosing Notre Dame, but it’s always somewhere I wanted to go.”
The numerous accomplishments in Dury’s prep career include being named Indianapolis area athlete of the year for 2002-03, after leading his three teams to a 58-6 combined record and state titles in football (second straight) and basketball (he also received the prestigious Mental Attitude Award in both of those sports). An all-state performer as both a football quarterback and two-way star in baseball (.420, 10 HR; 1.08, 8-1, 77 Ks/5 BB), Dury joined Valparaiso native Samardzija among the finalists for the 2002 Indiana Mr. Football Award – following a season that included 2,000-plus passing yards, 25 touchdowns and only a pair of interceptions. He was named to the all-tournament team for the Indiana basketball state championship, after totaling 18 points and 10 rebounds in the title-game win over Fort Wayne Elmhurst.
“Growing up in Indiana, that’s all we did was play basketball. It seemed like there was always someone better than me in basketball and better than me in football. But I always felt baseball was my best sport,” says Dury.
“Whatever was in season was the sport I loved. I was not a quarterback growing up because I was too heavy and they played me on the line. My first year of quarterback was not until my freshman year in high school. Every season, I was competing in front of a lot of people in pressure situations. It helped with each sport just getting out there, competing and having fun with your teammates.
“Baseball is my favorite sport,” he adds. “I’m not as gifted athletically as Samardzija, but I knew I had to make a decision and always wanted to come to Notre Dame. It’s been a dream of mine since I was growing up. The best chance I had of coming here was through baseball and I jumped at the opportunity. I love this school and don’t regret it for one minute. Even when I was on the bench, I’ve always loved being at this place and I’m happy I finally got the opportunity to play every day.”
Both co-captains have played key roles in completing the transition to Schrage’s coaching system. Dury gained an early insight into his future coach, after serving on the player panel that helped interview the finalists for the position.
“When we talked to coach Schrage, you could tell he was the type of coach who would care about us as players,” says Dury. “He had an interest in us as individuals and that has continued to be the case as we’ve gone through the season. He brought in some of his own things but also was open to keeping some old traditions and has looked to us as captains to help him through the first season.
“To see what coach Schrage has gone through, after losing his wife to cancer, we’ve learned a lot from him. He has stayed strong and is such a good role model for us. He has tremendous faith and is a great leader for our program.”
Dressman posted a 3.73 GPA in the 2006 fall semester, as a double major in history and computer applications, and is on pace to help maintain the program’s spotless graduation rate over the past 13 seasons. Dury took a 3.12 cumulative GPA (including a 3.67 and 3.33, respectively, in the ’06 spring and fall terms) into final exams and could look into law school at some point in his future.
Before they head off into the “real world,” the Irish captains hope to lead their teammates on a lateseason push.
“My career as a whole has been a rollercoaster and that also is a great way to describe this season for our team,” says Dressman. “As a senior, you want to come up with the big hits for your team at the end of the season. I have yet to finish a season strong during my career and that’s something that eats at me.
“I would trade anything to be hot at the end of the year rather than at the beginning.”