#25 Austin Pearce Baseball Roster

Switch-hitting outfielder who could develop into key power hitter … a physical and strong player who uses big frame (6-2, 210 pounds) for power from both sides of the plate … expected to compete for time at open leftfield position … has excellent leadership qualities, as former state championship quarterback in football … could make key strides in 2007, due to strong work ethic and new one-sport focus … hit 1-for-6 as member of Blue team in fall intrasquad series (RBI, BB, 3 Ks) … former high school teammate Michael Rogers plays in the BIG EAST, as a freshman infielder at Seton Hall (they were 2006 co-captains at Jesuit High School) … joins Notre Dame baseball program that includes eight previous monogram winners from Oregon.

PREP & PERSONAL: Two-sport standout at Jesuit High School, captaining 2006 baseball team to conference title while quarterbacking football team to ’05 state title … hit .494 as a senior (5 HR), earning team MVP, all-conference and allstate … lettered in baseball all four years, as rightfielder and pitcher … played in 2006 senior all-star game (Dallas, Ore.) … ranked sixth in state with .470 batting average as a junior, also third in state with .759 slugging pct. and in top-10 with a .537 on-base pct. … totaled 28 RBI in 24 games during ’05 season (honorable mention all-state, first team all-league, team MVP) … captain of ’05 summer team (.426 batting, .723 slugging, .543 onbase) … hit .333 in 21 regular-season varsity games as a sophomore and .266 as a freshman on JV team … batted .356 in summer of ’03, as member of JHS varsity … three-year football letterwinner who helped team win 2004 and ’05 conference titles … passed for 1,096 yards and 16 touchdowns in senior season, also rushing for 526 yards and 12 TDs … other JHS products who have earned monograms at Notre Dame include All-America distance runner Pete Burger (’80), soccer midfielder Eric Evans (’87), current senior saber fencer Valerie Providenza (’04 NCAA champ), swimmer Roger Rand (’92), fencing epeeist John Haugh (’87), soccer forward Maggie Manning (’06) and four football players: linemen Jim Ruzicka (’70) and Elton Moore (’77) and brothers Brian (punter) and Kevin (split end) Doherty (both ’74) … other Lake Oswego natives among ND monogram winners include Evans, Manning, football guard Jim Leahy (’69; Lake Oswego HS), baseball pitcher Mike Miadich (’92; LOHS) and rower Catherine Sedun (’05) … born Oct. 17, 1987, in Portland … son of Steve and Linda Pearce … full name is Austin Jesse Pearce … enrolled in the First Year of Studies.