Catching up with Notre Dame slugger Niko Kavadas

Granger, Ind. — Former Penn standout and Notre Dame power hitter Niko Kavadas misses sports just like everyone else.

"I miss it so much. I'm staying up late to watch some Korean baseball, been watching a lot of old replays. It's been really tough."

The sports shutdown hit close to home when, 13 games into his junior year, the season came to an abrupt end.

"It's was super difficult because we were having a lot of success." said Kavadas.

Notre Dame had won 11 of their first 13 games, a stretch that included a three-game sweep of Atlantic Coast Conference power North Carolina. Kavadas was off to an incredible start individually as well. The infielder was hitting .255 with 17 RBI and seven home runs, which tied for the most in the ACC.

"We were excited to be playing well and when the season got trimmed, that was a really difficult pill to swallow." said Kavadas.

Kavadas is currently living back at home with his parents in Granger, but has found a place to keep working on his game. The musclebound lefty has been taking cuts at the Harris Township baseball diamonds, and has enlisted the help of his little brother, CJ, who throws him batting practice nearly every day.

"One of the things we always talk about is, like, the on-off switch. Once you switch it off its so much harder to flip it back on." said Kavadas, "So if you just keep it on at all times and keep working, and stay sharp its much easier to continue to grow and develop as a player."

His development through three seasons with the Fighting Irish has him on the radar of nearly every scout in Major League Baseball. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound, hard hitting lefty was hoping to hear his name called in the 2020 MLB amateur draft. However, the league has made some drastic changes to the event, making Kavadas' future slightly murky. The biggest difference is the number of rounds. Usually the MLB draft is a 40-round marathon, this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on the league's club financially, there will be just five rounds.

"I was hoping that I was going to get an opportunity to play professional baseball after this year and I still very well may. " said Kavadas, "I think that I've proven myself over the last three years, and that I've earned that opportunity, but if it doesn't happen again its what's important now. What can I do next year to make that a reality after my senior year."

If Kavadas does end up back on Notre Dame's campus next year, he has big plans for his final year with the Fighting Irish.

"I want to go to Omaha. That's been a goal of mine every since I was five years old. I want to go to Omaha and I want to win. I think this team showed what it's capable of this year, and I'm excited to come back next year and make those dreams a reality."