Sophomore David Phelps - pictured during the 2005 Blue-Gold Series - will get another shot as the Blue team's game-1 starter when the 2006 series opens tomorrow at Eck Stadium (Oct. 5, 5:05 p.m.; photo by Matt Cashore).

Rosters And Starting Rotations Set For Annual Blue-Gold Series (Oct. 5, 7, 8)

Oct. 4, 2006

The Notre Dame baseball team – under the direction of new head coach Dave Schrage and his staff – will hold its annual Blue-Gold intrasquad series this week at Eck Stadium, with the seven-inning games to be played on Thursday, Oct. 5 (5:05 p.m. EDT), Saturday, Oct. 7 (9:30 a.m., prior to the ND-Stanford football game) and Sunday, Oct. 8 (noon). Each game is open to the public and free-of-charge.

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Sherard Clinkscales (far right) and John Fitzgerald (second from left) will serve as the bench managers for the 2006 Blue-Gold Series.

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Members of the coaching staff will square off as bench managers of their respective teams. Pitching coach Sherard Clinckscales will coach the Blue team while volunteer assistant John Fitzgerald – who spent the past three seasons as head coach at Illinois Tech – will be the Gold team’s skipper. Notre Dame head coach Dave Schrage and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Scott Lawler will join the fans in the stands while serving as “general managers” for the teams.

In addition to the new twist of having the Blue-Gold Series overlap with a home football weekend, the games also will include the added feature of guest coaches in the form of local media members. Clinkscales will be assisted by Colin Burns (from Irish Eyes) in game-1, by Irish Illustrated’s Tim Prister in game-2 and by Jeff Jeffers of WNDU-TV for game-3. Fitzgerald’s guest coaches will include WSBT TV’s Pete Byrne (game-1), Blue and Gold Illustrated’s Ryan O’Leary (game-2) and ESPN Radio’s Sean Stires (game-3). Note that other guest coaches could be added from members of the media and various supporters of the Irish baseball program.

Starting rotations have been announced for both teams and are as follows:

Game 1
BlueDavid Phelps (RHP, So.)
GoldJoey Williamson (RHP, Jr.)

Game 2
BlueWade Korpi (LHP, Jr.)
GoldSam Elam (LHP, So.)

Game 3
BlueEric Maust (RHP, Fr.)
GoldBrett Graffy (RHP, So.)

Phelps and Williamson – who both pitched in the Alaksa League during the summer of ’06 (Phelps with the Mat-Su Miners and Williamson with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots) – each have past experience as a game-1 starter in the Blue-Gold series (Williamson in the fall of ’04 and Phelps in ’05).

Saturday’s lefthander matchup will feature two pitchers who are coming off dominating summer seasons. Korpi compiled a 1.43 ERA, held opposing hitters to a .209 batting average and posted nearly a strikeout per inning (49 Ks in 50.1 IP) while leading the Staunton Braves to the Valley League championship series (he also was 3-3 with limited run support while allowing 32 walks and just 38 hits).

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Wade Korpi will pitch for the Blue in game-2 while being opposed by Sam Elam, in a matchup of lefthanders who are coming off impressive summer seasons in their respective collegiate wood-bat leagues (photo by Marcus Snowden).

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Elam was named the Jayhawk League pitcher of the year after fronting the staff for a Hays Lark team that finished fourth at the annual National Baseball Congreess World Series. His summer stats included a 2.77 ERA and 7-0 record, plus a lowly .127 opponent batting average, 14.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings (77 Ks in 48.2 IP) and an equally-impressive 1.01 “WHIP” (walks plus hits per inning pitched), after yielding just 28 walks and 20 hits all summer. Elam also was named by Baseball America as the top prospect in the 2006 Jayhawk League, following his impressive summer-long performance on the mound.

The starting pitchers for the series finale will feature another surging sophomore in Graffy and intriguing newcomer Eric Maust, who currently is serving as a backup punter with the Notre Dame football team. Because of his status with the football team, Maust was not among the Irish baseball program’s list of 10 official letter-of-intent signees (released in November of ’05) that are among the current crop of freshmen.

Three others have joined Maust and the 10 signees to form a group of newcomers that currently numbers 14 (with possible additions from any of four walk-on candidates). Catcher/first baseman Matt Weglarz is attending his first year of graduate school at Notre Dame after playing at Missouri State (he has one year of eligibility remaining). Schrage and Lawler had an up-close view of Weglarz during their days at Evansville, a Missouri Valley Conference rival of Missouri State.

Weglarz also played against Notre Dame in San Antonio at the 2005 Irish Baseball Classic, when Missouri State still was known as Southwest Missouri. He was the starting catcher and batted in the 3-hole during the first loss to Notre Dame that week (6-4; 1-for-5, R) and then moved to first base and the cleanup spot in the rematch (a wild 12-11 Irish victory), again batting 1-for-5 with an RBI single and two runs scored.

Freshman infielders Dylan Blake and Will Harford are invited walk-on members of the 2006-07 team while four others (listed below) are walk-on candidates and may be added to the final roster for 2007.

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Junior Ross Brezovsky joins catcher Sean Gaston and fellow infielder Jeremy Barnes as the returning position players on the Blue team (photo by Matt Cashore).

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Clinkscales has 10 position players at his disposal for the Blue team, with those players including three returning starters from the 2006 Irish squad: senior catcher Sean Gaston, junior infielder Ross Brezovsky and sophomore infielder Jeremy Barnes. Other position players on the Blue team include senior first baseman/DH Mike Dury, sophomore outfielder Ryan Connolly (who missed all of his freshman season in ’06 due to injury), third baseman/catcher Eddy Mendiola, the freshman outfielder foursome of Billy Boockford, Austin Pearce, Brayden Ashdown and David Mills, and infielder Harford (plus IF Herman Petzold and OF Dan Goldrick, both freshman walk-on candidates).

In addition to starters Phelps, Korpi and Maust, the Blue team’s pitching staff also will feature lefthanded veteran Dury and senior RHP Dan Kapala, who missed all of the 2006 spring season following shoulder surgery (Kapala is expected to throw an inning in game-2). Dury is not the only two-way player on the Blue team, as Boockford (RHP) and Mills (LHP) also can be used on the mound. Freshman RHP Andrew Scheid rounds out the Blue staff that will take the hill for the Irish pitching coach Clinkscales.

Junior Brett Lilley has emerged as a top option at shortstop this fall and is expected to fill that role for the Gold team, after missing the 2005 Blue-Gold series due to a lingering back injury. Lilley’s classmate Tony Langford could see DH duty for the Gold (much as he did as a freshman, before missing the ’06 season due to elbow surgery) while senior outfielder Danny Dressman ranks as the Gold’s most experienced position player. Other Gold team position players include Weglarz (C/1B), freshman catcher Ryan Smith, freshman infielders A.J. Pollock, Ryne Intlekofer and Blake, freshman outfielder Michael Wright and junior C/OF Chris Soriano (who earned a walk-on spot on to the ’06 roster).

Fitzgerald has eight pitchers at his disposal on a Gold team staff that is fronted by Williamson, Elam, Graffy and sophomore relief ace Kyle Weiland. The staff also includes freshman RHP Steven Mazur, senior utility player John Seabaugh and two RHPS who are walk-on candidates: freshman Beck Roan and sophomore Spencer Howard, who was a member of the baseball team at Bradley in 2006. Langford is expected to return to the mound as a key righthanded reliever during the 2007 spring season.

The Gold will be designated as the home team for game-1 and game-3 and will utilize the third-base dugout for those games (the Blue will be the home team in game-2). No pitcher will throw more than 75 pitches and there typically are other restrictions for pitcher use during the series (TBA).

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Two-way player Mike Dury – pictured during action in the 2005 Blue-Gold Series – will join classmate Danny Dressman as captains of their respective teams in the 2006 intrasquad series (photo by Pete LaFleur).

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Dury and Dressman will serve as the Blue-Gold Series captains for their respective teams.

Recent years have seen multiple Irish players unable to participate in the Blue-Gold Series but only two current members of the team will not play in the series this week. Junior RHP Jess Stewart is unable to pitch due to injury while sophomore IF/1B Evan Sharpley currently is the backup quarterback with the Notre Dame football team.

Dressman is a .381 career hitter in the Blue-Gold series (8-for-21, 2 RBI, 7 R, 2B, 6 BB, 3 SB) while Gaston owns a .346 career batting average in the series (9-for-26, 6 RBI, 7 R, 3B, 2 2B, BB, SB).

Williamson had no-decision as the Blue’s starter in the 2004 intrasquad game (3 IP, R, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks) and then picked up the game-2 win as a reliever for the Blue in the 2005 series (2.1 IP, 2 H, BB, K). His career stats in the Blue-Gold Seris include a 1.69 ERA and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings (4 H, 3 BB, 2 GP/1 GS, 1-0).

Phelps started for the Blue in the 2005 series (3.1 IP, 6 R/5 ER, 5 H, 4 B, 2 Ks) while Korpi’s two career starts in the series include four Ks in 6.0 innings (9 R/6 ER, 9.00 ERA, 8 H, 4 BB, 0-0). Korpi was the Gold’s game-1 starter in the 2004 series (2.1 IP, 5 R/2 ER, 5 H, BB, K) and then started game-2 in 2005 (3.2 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks).

Elam registered two relief decisions (1-1) during the 2005 series, with a 7.36 ERA in 3.2 IP (3 R, 6 H, 3 BB). He was the Blue’s hard-luck loser in game-1 (1.2 IP, H) but came back to win game-3 (2.0 IP, 3 R, 5 H3 BB).

Sunday’s series finale will feature two starting pitchers making their Blue-Gold debut, as Graffy did not pitch in the 2005 series due to a minor injury.

Dury has yet to allow an earned run in 4.0 innings spanning two Blue-Gold appearances (2 UER, 6 H, 2 Ks). He pitched one inning for the Gold in the 2003 series (3 H) and then closed game-3 for the Blue in 2005 (2 UER, 3 H, 2 Ks). Weiland was the Gold’s game-2 starter in the 2005 series, earning no-decision (5 IP, 4 R, 5 H, BB, 4 Ks).

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Irish fans will have the chance to see Tony Langford back in action – as a hitter – for the first time since the 2005 Blue-Gold Series (photo by Pete LaFleur).

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Langford was the Gold’s winning pitcher in the 2004 intrasquad game, despite allowing three runs in 3.0 innings (3 H, BB, 4 Ks). He then took the loss for the Gold in game-2 of the ’05 series (1.0 IP, 2 UER, H, BB), yielding a 6.75 career ERA in the series (1-1, 4.0 IP, 5 R/3 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks).

Stewart allowed 10 runs – amazingly all unearned – spanning two appearances in the 2003 series (3.0 IP, 7 UER, 4 H, BB, K) and then the 2005 series finale, earning the win for the Gold in that game (4.1 IP, 3 UER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks).

The Blue won the 2005 intrasquad series (7-6, 6-4, 3-6), led by the hitting of Brezovsky (4-for-9, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2B, BB, SAC, 2 SB), Gaston (4-for-11, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2B) and 2006 alums Matt Bransfield (2-for-5, RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, SF, SB) and Alex Nettey (4-for-11, RBI, 3 R, 2B). Top hitters for the Gold in the 2005 series included Dressman (4-for-7, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB), former RF/C Cody Rizzo (4-for-10, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B) and Barnes (3-for-7, RBI, 2 R, 3 BB).

The 2004 Blue-Gold Series was shortened to one game, with Brezovsky providing the key two-run double in the 8th inning of the Gold’s 10-9 win. Former catcher Javi Sanchez (4-for-9, 5 RBI, 3B, 2B) helped the Blue win the 2003 intrasquad series (9-7, 13-10, 1-5) – despite a strong showing from Gold players Bransfield (10 times on-base, 4-for-7, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 6 RBI, 4 R, 2 2B, SB, SF) and Dressman (4-for-11, 5 R, RBI, 2 2B, 3 BB, 2 SB). Bransfield and Rizzo helped the Gold win the series in the fall of 2002 (9-1, 7-6, 1-6), with their classmates Nettey (4-for-9, RBI, 2B), Craig Cooper (4-for-10, 2 RBI, 3 R, 3B, BB, SB) and Steve Andres (4-for-10, 3 RBI, R, SB) having strong showings for the Blue in the ’02 series.

The most noteworthy Blue-Gold series of the current decade took place in the fall of 2001, featuring a first look at the nation’s top-ranked freshman class (a group that included the likes of Chris Niesel, Matt Macri, Grant Johnson and John Axford). The young Gold team won the first (7-4) and third (3-2) games in the 2001 series while the Blue dominated game-2 (19-8). Second baseman Steve Sollmann paced the Blue by hitting 8-for-13 (HR, 3B, 3 2B) while Niesel (R, 3H, 5 Ks) and Axford (5 H, BB, 5 Ks) picked up wins for the Gold in their max. 5-inning stints. Macri batted 5-for-11 as the Gold’s starting shortstop, with a triple and linedrive hme run in the decisive third game. Macri also closed the 7th inning to save that game, striking out Sollmann and inducing a groundout from Paul O’Toole for the dramatic ending.

Niesel later added an opening win for the Gold in the 2002 series (5 IP, R, 3 H, 7 Ks) while the pitching stars in 2003 included LHP Joe Thaman, a converted first baseman who won game-1 for the Blue (4 IP, 5 H, 3 Ks).

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Senior Dan Kapala is slated to pitch an inning for the Blue in Saturday’s game that precedes the ND-Stanford football game (photo by Pete LaFleur).

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BLUE TEAM (manager: Sherard Clinkscales)
LHP/1B- #44 Mike Dury (Sr.; Indianapolis, Indiana)
C – #11 Sean Gaston (Sr.; Brownsburg, Indiana)
RHP- #22 Dan Kapala (Sr.; Royal Oak, Michigan)
IF – #7 Ross Brezovsky (Jr.; Naples, Florida)
LHP – #13 Wade Korpi (Jr.; Lake Worth, Florida)
OF – Ryan Connolly (So.; Binghamton, New York)
IF – Jeremy Barnes (So.; Garland, Texas)
3B/C – Eddy Mendiola (So.; Miami, Florida)
RHP – David Phelps (So.; Hazelwood, Missouri)
OF – Brayden Ashdown (Fr.; Waldorf, Maryland)
RHP/OF – Billy Boockford (Fr.; Glen Ellyn, Illinois)
RHP – Eric Maust (Fr.; Alpharetta, Georgia)
LHP/OF – David Mills (Fr.; Battle Creek, Michigan)
OF – Austin Pearce (Fr.; Lake Oswego, Oregon)
RHP – Andrew Scheid (Fr.; Highlands Ranch, Colorado)
IF – Herman Petzold (Fr.; Saint Clair Shores, Michigan)
IF – Will Harford (Fr.; Chicago, Illinois)
OF – Dan Goldrick (Fr.; Chicago, Illinois)

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Senior outfielder Danny Dressman will serve as captain of the Gold team (photo by Matt Cashore).

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GOLD TEAM (manager: John Fitzgerald)
C/1B – Matt Weglarz (Grad. Student.; Kansas City, Missouri; played as undergrad at Missouri State)
OF – #6 Danny Dressman (Sr.; San Jose, California)
UTIL – #19 John Seabaugh (Sr.; Granger, Indiana)
SS – #2 Brett Lilley (Jr.; North Canton, Ohio)
DH – #3 Tony Langford (Jr.; Fort Worth, Texas)
RHP – #51 Joey Williamson (Jr.; Lantana, Florida)
C – Chris Soriano (Jr.; Randolph, New Jersey)
LHP – Sam Elam (So.; Mesquite, Texas)
RHP – #21 Brett Graffy (So.; Homer Glen, Illinois)
RHP – Kyle Weiland (So.; Albuquerque, New Mexico)
IF – Ryne Intlekofer (Fr.; Moorpark, California)
RHP – Steven Mazur (Fr.; Round Rock, Texas)
IF – A.J. Pollock (Fr.; Hebron, Connecticut)
C – Ryan Smith (Fr.; Waldorf, Maryland)
OF – Michael Wright (Fr.; Lockhart, Texas)
RHP – Spencer Howard (So.; Lexington, Kentucky; member of 2006 baseball team at Bradley/did not play)
IF – Dylan Blake (Fr.; Coon Rapids, Minnesota)
RHP – Beck Roan (Fr.; Coeur D’alene, Idaho)