June 20, 2001

Notre Dame’s Aaron Heilman (Logansport, Ind.) and Steve Stanley (Upper Arlington, Ohio) gained more national recognition on Wednesday, as each earned All-America honors from Baseball America magazine.

Heilman was one of five pitchers named a first team All-American-marking just the first time in the righthander’s storied career that he has been named an All-American by Baseball America (he received numerous other All-America honors throughout his four-year career).

Stanley was one of three outfielders named by BA to its third team All-America squad, with the junior centerfielder earlier earning second-team honors from USA Today.

Heilman and Stanley’s selection to the USA Today and BA teams marks the second time in the last four years that multiple Notre Dame players have earned All-America honors (Heilman and infielder Brant Ust were 1998 All-Americans).

Heilman-the 17th all-time Notre Dame student-athlete to be a four-year All-American in the same sport and just the fifth to do so in a team-oriented sport-has been named a first team All-American by every organization that has released its 2001 All-American teams. He now has racked up nine career All-America awards from the four major organizations (no other ND player has more than three).

Stanley joins Heilman (’99, ’00, ’01) and Ust (’98) as the third Notre Dame player in the last four years to be named an All-American by at least two of the four major national organizations (BA, USA Today, Collegiate Baseball magazine and the American Baseball Coaches Association-which has yet to release its All-America teams for 2001).

Heilman-who was selected by the New York Mets with the 18th overall pick of the 2001 Major League Draft-turned in a dominating 2001 season that included repeating as BIG EAST Conference pitcher of the year and ranking as the nation’s only unbeaten pitcher with more than 13 wins (15-0, second overall in wins) while his 1.74 earned-run average ranked sixth nationwide.

He totaled 111 strikeouts in 114 innings-ranking third in the ND recordbook for season Ks, behind his 118 in both 1999 and 2000-while allowing just 31 walks and 70 hits, which factors out to a walks-plus-hits average of 8.0 per nine innings. Heilman’s 15 starts in 2001 included 12 complete games and three shutouts while his .173 opponent batting avg. included just three home runs allowed and a .220 opponent slugging pct. He closed his career with wins in 25 of his final 26 decisions and is one of 15 all-time Division I players to reach 40 wins (43-7) and 400 Ks (425), plus a 2.49 career ERA that ranks 2nd in Notre Dame history and best since 1961.

Stanley-the 2001 BIG EAST Conference co-player of the year-turned in an inspiring performance in the 2001 NCAA South Bend Regional that included a .609 batting average (14-for-23). That postseason surge boosted his season average to an even .400-ranking 43rd in the nation and best by a Notre Dame player since Scott Sollmann hit .406 in 1995.

Stanley’s 102 hits led all BIG EAST players and marked just the second time an ND player had cracked 100 (Dan Peltier had 115 in ’89). Stanley also led the BIG EAST in runs (76) and triples (5) while ranking 2nd in stolen bases (31-of-39), 3rd in batting average and on-base percentage (.457) and 6th in total bases (129). He collected 12 more walks (29) than strikeouts (17), hit 14 doubles and his first career home run, and made just two errors (in addition to countless big-league plays) while joining senior shortstop Alec Porzel as the only Irish players to start all 63 games. Stanley-who has patrolled CF for all but 14 career innings while starting all 188 of ND’s games the past three seasons-ranks 3rd at Notre Dame in career stolen bases (84), 6th in hits (266), 7th in batting average (.364) and 8th in runs (179).

BASEBALL AMERICA 2001 ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

THIRD TEAM