Former Notre Dame pitcher Jeff Manship returns to the area tonight as the Beloit Snapper's starting pitcher in their game versus the South Bend Silverhawks.

Pro Baseball Update: Manship Returns To Town With Eye-Popping Midwest League Stats

May 10, 2007

Former Notre Dame pitcher Jeff Manship compiled nearly a 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (111/28; 3.96) during his final season with the Irish in 2006, with that K/BB ratio ranking among the best by an Irish pitcher in recent years. But that mark has nothing on Manship’s current effectiveness, as the San Antonio native returns to South Bend tonight for a start just minutes from the Notre Dame campus. Manship – whose dominating start to the 2007 professional baseball season includes 45 strikeouts and just 3 walks, with his 0.92 ERA and lowly .150 opponent batting average somehow an apparent afterthought – will join his Beloit Snappers teammates in battling the South Bend Silverhawks tonight at downtown Coveleski Stadium. He is one of 17 former Notre Dame players who remain active at various levels of pro ball, with those former players including three current Major Leaguers, four who currently are at the triple-A level and a pair in double-A.

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Craig Counsell.

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Notre Dame’s current big leaguers include Milwaukee Brewers infielder Craig Counsell and a pair of National League pitchers: Aaron Heilman (N.Y. Mets) and Brad Lidge (Houston Astros). Former Irish third baseman Brant Ust currently is playing in triple-A with the Tacoma Rainers (a Seattle Mariners affiliate) while longtimep pro player Chris Michalak is serving as a lefthanded starting pitcher for the Columbus Clippers, the triple-A team for the Washington Nationals. Outfielder/first baseman Brian Stavisky likewise is one step from the majors (with the Modesto A’s, an Oakland farm team) while RHP Danny Tamayo has yet to return from the shoulder injury that curtailed his 2006 season with the triple-A Omaha Royals.

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Brant Ust

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The former Notre Dame players currently in double-A include second baseman Steve Sollmann (Huntsville Stars/Brewers) and 3B Matt Macri (Tulsa Drillers/Rockies) while six other are on high-A rosters: the RHP duo of Grant Johnson and Jeff Samardzija (Daytona Cubs), catcher Javi Sanchez (Ft. Myers Miracle/Twins), 1B Craig Coope (Lake Elsinore Storm), RHP Chris Niesel (Kinston Indians) and RHP Dyan Doherty (Visalia Oaks). Manship could soon find himself moving up from low-A ball while former Irish LHP Tom Thornton has latched on with the Nashua (N.H.) Pride, of the independent Canadian American League.

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Chris Michalak – pictured during his 2001 season with the Toronto Blue Jays – again is one level away from another return to the big leagues (photo by Pete LaFleur).

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Michalak’s 15-year pro baseball career has included Major League stints with several teams (the ’98 Diamondbacks, ’01 Blue Jays and ’01/’02 Rangers) while Counsell’s 12 years in the Major League career includes stints with the Rockies, Marlins, Dodgers, Diamondbacks (twice) and Brewers (twice).

Former Notre Dame Players Currently Active in Pro Baseball (stats as of May 9, 2007)

Craig Counsell, IF (Milwaukee Brewers) – 23 GP, 62 AB, 3 R, 12 H, 4 2B, 3B, 7 RBI, 9 BB, 12 K, 1-1 SB, .301 OB, .290 slug, .194 batting avg.

Recent articles on Counsell:

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=584713
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/marlins/content/sports/epaper/2007/04/15/a12b_sunpitch_0415.html

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Brad Lidge

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Brad Lidge, RHP (Houston Astros) – 2-0, 4.02 ERA, 17 GP, 15.2 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 19 K, .288 opp. avg.

Recent articles on Lidge:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2842914

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070414&content_id=1898496&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_perspectives.jsp?ymd=20070410&content_id=1890908&vkey=perspectives&fext=.jsp

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Aaron Heilman

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Aaron Heilman, RHP (New York Mets) – 3-2, 3.07 ERA, 15 GP, 14.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 9 K, .204 opp. avg.

Recent articles on Heilman:

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/SPORTS01/704190430/1040/SPORTS

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/ny-spmnotes105165498apr10,0,5745439.story?coll=ny-mets-print

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070404&content_id=1878754&vkey=news_nym&fext=.jsp&c_id=nym

Danny Tamayo, RHP (Omaha Royals/Pacific Coast League; Royals, AAA; currently on DL)

Chris Michalak, LHP (Columbus Clippers/International League; Nationals, AAA) – 0-1, 6.75 ERA, 3 GP, 3 GS, 8.0 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, HR, 3 BB, 4 K, .290 opp. avg.

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Brian Stavisky

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Brian Stavisky, OF (Sacramento River Cats; A’s, AAA) – 17 GP, 61 AB, 5 R, 13 H, 4 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 13 K, 1-2 SB, .250 OB, .328 slug, .213 batting avg.

Recent article on Stavisky:

http://www.endeavornews.com/news/2007/0407/sports/056.html

Brant Ust, 3B (Tacoma Rainers/Pacific Coast League; Mariners, AAA) – 11 GP, 36 AB, 9 H, 4 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 13 K, .270 OB, .444 slug, .250 batting avg.

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Matt Macri

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Matt Macri, 3B (Tulsa Drillers/Texas League; Rockies, AA) – 4 GP, 16 AB, 2 R, 4 H, K, .250 OB, .250 slug, .250 batting avg. … started his season late due to a hamstring injury

Steve Sollmann, 2B (Huntsville Stars/Southern League; Brewers, AA) – 30 GP, 101 AB, 24 R, 32 H, 4 2B, HR, 12 RBI, 21 BB, 15 K, 9-10 SB, .462 OB, .386 slug, .317 batting avg.

Javi Sanchez, C (Fort Myers Miracle; Twins High-A) – 15 GP, 41 AB, 4 R, 5 H, 2B, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 10 K, .294 OB, .146 slug, .122 batting avg.

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Javi Sanchez

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Recent article on Sanchez:

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/apr/05/miracle_manager_still_learning_job/

Craig Cooper, 1B (Lake Elsinore Storm/California League; Padres, high-A) – 27 GP, 92 AB, 15 R, 28 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 16 BB, 25 K, .407 OB, .457 slug, .304 batting avg.

Grant Johnson, RHP (Daytona Cubs/Florida State League; Cubs high-A) – 1-1, 3.77 ERA, 12 GP, 14.1 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 6 ER, HR, 5 BB, 14 K, .211 opp. avg.

Chris Niesel, RHP (Kinston Indians/Carolina League; Indians, high-A) – 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 7 GP, 14.0 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 9 K, .240 opp. avg.

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Ryan Doherty

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Ryan Doherty, RHP (Visalia Oaks/California League; Diamondbacks, high-A) – 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 3 GP, 3.0 IP, H, 2 R, ER, HR, 3 K, .083 opp. avg.

Jeff Samardzija, RHP (Daytona Cubs/Florida State League; Cubs, high-A) – 0-1, 3.52 ERA, 6 GP, 6 GS, 30.2 IP, 41 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 14 K, .333 opp. avg.

Recent articles on Samardzija:

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=315&p=2&c=637169

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=315&p=2&c=636225

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/NDSports05/704070382/-1/SPORTS/CAT=NDSports05

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Jeff Samardzija

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Jeff Manship, RHP (Beloit Snappers/Midwest League; Twins, low-A) – 3-0, 0.92 ERA, 6 GP, 6 GS, 39.0 IP, 20 H, 5 R, 4 ER, HR, 3 BB, 45 K, .150 opp. avg.

Recent articles on Manship:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070501&content_id=236114&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

http://mnsg-twins.blogspot.com/2007/05/prospect-highlight-jeff-manship.html

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/christensen/?p=110

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2007/04/04/sports/sports01.txt

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=5020&line=205193&spln=1

http://www.startribune.com/509/story/1137239.html

Tom Thornton, LHP (Nashua Pride; Canadian American League, independent) – season has yet to start

Recent articles on Thornton:

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2007/04/07/news/sports/sports03.txt
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070407/SPORTS/70407032/-1/sports

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Grant Johnson

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Chris Niesel

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Steve Sollmann

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