#32 Jess Stewart Baseball Roster

• Jess Stewart 2007 game-by-game stats (updated regularly)

• Jess Stewart final 2006 game-by-game stats (updated regularly)

Battle-tested reliever who can enter tough lategame situations or turn in long relief stint with equal efficiency … workhorse with a solid track record of success … expected to be a stabilizing force on the young 2007 staff … a strike-thrower and bulldog on the mound … combines size (6-3, 215) with heavy, tailing two-seam fastball … also throws a quality slider and changeup … was one of top freshmen on 2004 staff (7-1 record) before seeing his sophomore season cut short by knee problem that later required surgery (he returned to make 22 appearances in ’06) … has made strides in strength and overall conditioning while developing greater command of his fastball … has advanced mechanics and a clean, fluid delivery … has proven that he can be a dominant strikeout/groundout pitcher … ironed out his delivery and worked on a slider during 2004 fall workouts … enters final season with a 2.97 career ERA – just .07 shy of a top-10 spot in the ND record book – in 94 innings (12-4 record, 45 GP/11 GS, 99 H/.268 opp. avg., 26 BB, 45 Ks) … nearly half of runs against him have been unearned (24 of 55) … his low career walk rate (2.49 BB/9 IP) ranks 15th in ND history … had two impressive outings in 2003 Blue-Gold fall intrasquad series, logging four shutout innings for Blue (4 H, 7 UER, BB, K) … played sparingly in summer of 2006 for Clark Griffith League’s Wilson (N.C.) Tobs (1 GP, 2 IP, 3 H) and in summer of ’04 for CGL’s Herndon (Va.) Braves (8 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 5 Ks) … one of eight Virginia natives to monogram with Notre Dame baseball … inherited No. 32 jersey worn previous four seasons by all-BIG EAST pitcher Ryan Kalita … posted Dean’s List GPA (3.47) during 2003 fall semester and again in spring of ’05 (3.93) … could face former Harris Rangers summer teammate Jake Bruton when Notre Dame plays Harvard in 2007 season.

AS A JUNIOR: Valuable middle reliever who finished 3rd on the team with a 2.31 season ERA while totaling twice as many strikeouts (21) as walks (10) in 22 appearances (3rd-most on staff) that included a 4-2 record and a save … allowed just 7-of-34 leadoff batters to reach base (.194, best on staff) … his groundout rate of 12.46 GOs/9 IP (54 total) narrowly trailed team leader Brett Graffy (12.49) … closed seven games (2nd on team) … his other stats included 39 hits allowed (.258 opp. avg., 1 HR) in 39.0 innings (he had a single wild pitch and did not hit a batter) … ranked 5th on staff in opp. RH batting (.240) and groundout/flyout ratio (1.4), with other situational stats including .291 batting by LH hitters, .309 with 2-outs and .348 with runners on … averaged 4.9 Ks, 2.3 walks and 9.0 hits allowed per 9 IP … allowed 9-of-19 inherited runners to score while his first batters faced hit 6-for-17 (BB, 3 R, SF, 2 SAC, 2 Ks) … pitched in early loss to Oklahoma (2 IP, UER, H, BB, 3 Ks, 3-4) … threw versus Iowa twice on spring break trip in San Antonio (4 IP, H, 2 BB, K in 6- 2 win; 4.2, IP, 4 H, 4 R/1 ER, BB, 2 Ks, WP in 8-10 loss) … picked up wins over Central Michigan (1.1 IP, R, 3 H, BB, 2 Ks; 11-9) and Pittsburgh (0.1 IP; 9-8) … helped close 10-4 win at USF (IP, 2 Ks) before notching long-relief win over St. John’s (5.2 IP, UER, 2 H, BB; 13-7) … helped edge IPFW, 4-3 in 10 innings (1.2, IP, H, K) … had 4 Ks in 1.2 innings of 11-5 win over Rutgers (H) before getting long-relief win in 14-12 battle with RU (4.1 IP, 2 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks) … pitched in wins at UConn (1.2 IP, 2 H; 7-30 and at home versus Louisville (IP, K; 11-3) … tossed inning at BIG EAST Tournament versus West Virginia (K; 12-4) before impressive stint in title-game shutout of Louisville (3.0 IP, H, BB, K; 7-0) … retired only batter he faced in final game of season, at Kentucky in NCAAs (4-10).

AS A SOPHOMORE: Had impressive openingweek start in 4-2 win at Central Florida (5.1 IP, 5 H, UER, 3 BB, K) but was slowed by chronic knee problem that limited him to 15.0 innings (3.60 ERA, 1-1, 11 GP/3 GS, 19 H, 8 BB, 4 Ks) … more than half of the runs charged to him (8 of 14) were unearned … logged just 3.1 innings from March 10-May 14 before throwing 2.0 shutout frames at Pittsburgh (BB, K; 5-8) and registering two outs versus #17 USC (2 H, 3 UER; 3-9).

AS A FRESHMAN: Turned in solid 2004 season as reliever and midweek starter (8 GS), with his 7-1 record bested by just three previous ND freshmen (Grant Johnson, 9-5 in ’02, is only ND freshman since 1990 with more wins) … just six BIG EAST pitchers had more than seven wins in ’04 … posted 3.39 ERA in 12 appearances (40 IP, 41 H, 8 BB, 20 Ks, .263 opp. batting avg., WP, 11 HB, BK) … led staff in groundouts per 9 IP (12.6) and groundoutflyout ratio (1.93) … 2nd on staff in low walk avg. (1.80 BB/9 IP) and opp. batting with runners on base (.182), 3rd in wins and 2-out batting (.174), 4th in starts (8), 5th in opp. batting by LH hitters (.263) and groundouts (56) … other situational stats included .263 batting by RH hitters (matching his LH avg.) and .439 opp. leadoff on-base … other 9-inn. avg.: 9.23 H, 4.50 Ks (2.5 K-BB ratio … averaged 17.1 outs per 9 IP via Ks or GOs … made debut as starter vs. Florida Memorial (at FAU), allowing 2 runs in 5.0 innings (5 H, BB, 4 Ks, 2 hb; 12-3) … had brief relief stint in team’s first loss, vs. local team Texas-San Antonio at Irish Baseball Classic (IP, 2 H, R) … turned tables on UTSA two days later in IBC title game, earning spot on all-tournament team with strong 5.2 IP as winning starter (8 H, 4 R/3 ER, 3 Ks, 2 HB; 13-5) … won as starter vs. Detroit (3 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, K, BK, HB; 16-6) before no-decision vs. Western Michigan (4 IP, 5 H, 3 R/2 ER, BB; 12-3) … received just one run of support in strong start vs. Valparaiso (5 IP, H, 6 Ks, 2 HB, 16 batters faced; 9-3, bullpen lost his 1-0 lead) … added wins over Oakland (5 IP, 5 H, 4 R/1 ER, 2 Ks, 3 HBP; 17-5) and Toledo, in planned rotation (4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, BB, WP; 9-3) … suffered only loss after rough start and costly errors behind him vs. Cleveland State (0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R/1 ER, BB; 5-12) … tossed 3rd-7th innings of planned rotation to pick up 3-2 win over Central Florida (2 H, BB, 3 Ks, 19 BF) … pitcher of record after shutout inning vs. Virginia Tech (2 H, key DP ball; 2-1).

PREP & PERSONAL: All-conference, team captain and MVP for ’03 Osbourn City High School team that ranked 24th nationally (1.41, 6-3, 90 Ks, 12 BB, 51 H, 63 IP, save) … rated 269th on Baseball America list of nation’s top prep prospect in ’03 (11th-ranked in Virginia) … first team all-state, area/district player of year and team MVP as junior on nationally-ranked ’02 team that went 24-1 (3.24, 8-1, 58 Ks, 28 BB, 47 H, 58.1 IP, 3 saves) … played third base while batting .434 in ’02 (2 HR, 13 2B, 25 RBI) … threw two no-hitters in ’02 … stroked game-winning double in ’02 regional final, sending team to state tournament … rated 8th-best prospect at ’02 Team One South Showcase (at Georgia Tech), also top prospect at Mid-Atlantic Showcase … member of 2001 u-16 World Series championship team … played three years with Harris Rangers summer team … member of National Honor Society … his grandfather Jack Stewart (4-2 record) was one of top pitchers on 1945 ND baseball team … made official visit on weekend of ’02 ND-Michigan football game … born Feb. 6, 1985, in Baltimore … son of Deborah Stewart … full name is Jess Keating Stewart … a finance major, in the Mendoza College of Business.