Aug. 26, 2016
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is set to present a pair of annual academy sessions this fall at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Irish Pitching Academy is scheduled for Oct. 10 through Oct. 24, while the Irish Hitting Academy will run from Oct. 12 through Oct. 26 on the Notre Dame campus.
Sessions for the three-week hitting academy will take place on consecutive Wednesday nights, with 6-8 p.m. (ET) instructional periods scheduled for Oct. 12, Oct. 19 and Oct. 26 at Melissa Cook Stadium. The cost is $225 per player for the three-week academy.
All registered players are required to bring their own bat and helmet to each session, and limited availability remains for each academy session.
Notre Dame associate coaches Kris Ganeff and Lizzy Ristano and select Notre Dame players will lead the innovative hitting academy geared toward offensive skills and drill development. Players will learn about their swing through a combination of lecture, video analysis and drill training exercises.
One of the top offensive programs in NCAA Division I softball, Notre Dame placed fourth in the final national statistics standings with a .347 team batting average in 2016, the third straight season over the .345 average plateau for the Irish. Notre Dame previously led the NCAA with a .357 batting average in 2014, and was sixth nationally with a .351 team clip in 2015. The 2016 Irish offense added a team record 346 RBI to help Notre Dame reach its 18th straight NCAA Championship.
Register here for the 2016 Irish Hitting Academy.
Notre Dame head coach Deanna Gumpf and volunteer assistant coach Jamie Spitale will present the fourth annual three-week Irish pitching academy on consecutive Mondays, hosting 90-minute pitching academy sessions from 6-7:30 p.m. (ET) on Oct. 10, Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 at Melissa Cook Stadium. The full cost is $200 per pitcher for the entire pitching academy.
Each pitcher is required to bring their own catcher, and sessions will be limited to 20 pitchers.
The Irish Pitching Academy incorporates lecture, video analysis and drill work to best refine a pitcher’s mechanics. Instruction covering both physical and mental aspects of the game during the academy will help develop key skills to bring success inside the circle.
Register here for the 2016 Irish Pitching Academy.
The Notre Dame pitching staff finished among the top five teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 11 major statistical categories in 2016, placing second in total strikeouts (347), strikeouts looking (77) and wins (43). Entering her 16th year as head coach at Notre Dame, Gumpf has mentored eight conference pitchers of the year, three pitchers who were named conference player of the year, four National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America pitchers, 15 pitchers who have received NFCA all-region recognition and one pitcher who was a top 10 draft pick in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league.
For more information, and to register for Notre Dame softball instructional camp academies, contact Notre Dame associate softball coach Kris Ganeff at Ganeff.2@nd.edu.
Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.