Nov. 25, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior infielder Chloe Saganowich has been selected as the 2014 University of Notre Dame softball team captain, Irish head coach Deanna Gumpf announced Monday.
Saganowich becomes the 51st different captain in team history, and will be just the fifth player to serve as a singular captain in the program’s 26 seasons of varsity competition. She will also hold the distinction of being the first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) era Notre Dame softball team captain during the inaugural campaign for the program in its new conference.
“I am so proud to announce Chloe Saganowich as our team captain,” Gumpf said. “She was a unanimous pick by her teammates and has earned this leadership role through her actions on and off the field. She leads by example every day and will do whatever is asked of her to make this team the best it can be.”
“It’s an honor and privilege to be named captain of this team,” Saganowich said. “We have a special group of girls, and I am confident in our team’s ability to accomplish our goals in this first year of ACC competition. I know my teammates are behind me, as I am them, and we are all very excited for the season to get here.”
Saganowich played every inning in the field (386.1) at shortstop for Notre Dame in 2013, helping guide the Irish to a 43-15 record, including a 19-3 conference mark, and the program’s 13th BIG EAST Conference regular-season championship. Offensively, she finished the year with career-highs in home runs (3) and RBI (18), and tied a career-best with six doubles. Saganowich batted .304 over 22 games in BIG EAST play, chipping in four doubles, eight RBI and four runs scored.
The Treasure Island, Fla., native was selected to the 2013 BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team after leading Notre Dame with a .556 batting average and adding a home run, two RBI and three runs in three tournament starts. Saganowich was also an all-BIG EAST second team choice in 2012, a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star (2012-13), and has participated in Notre Dame’s Rosenthal Leadership Academy for the past two years.
The Irish return 13 monogram winners, including four seniors and eight starters, for their first ACC season. Notre Dame opens its 2014 schedule on Feb. 8-9 at the Auburn Plainsman Invitational at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala.
For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.
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— Tony Jones, Media Relations Assistant