June 22, 2002

Notre Dame senior centerfielder Steve Stanley (Upper Arlington, Ohio) has closed his stellar career as one of just four players in the nation to earn consensus first-team All-America honors for the 2002 season. Stanley earlier was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball magazine and USA Today Baseball Weekly before earning the same honor last week from the American Baseball Coaches Association, Baseball America and the National College Baseball Writers of America.

Notre Dame freshman righthander Grant Johnson was one of four pitchers named by Baseball America as a second team Freshman All-American, after also earning Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.

Stanley – who also was named to the College World Series all-tournament team – was one of just two position players and four total players who were named a consensus first team All-American for 2002. Clemson senior shortstop Khalil Greene also earned that distinction, as did a pair of sophomore righthanders: Houston’s Brad Sullivan and Richmond’s Tim Stauffer.

Stanley’s stellar season included BIG EAST-leading numbers for batting average (.439, seventh in the nation), on-base percentage (.506), runs scored (77), hits (119) and total bases (147), also ranking second among the conference’s players in stolen bases (32), third in walks (38) and fourth in triples (4). The only repeat BIG EAST player of the year in the league’s history, Stanley also posted BIG EAST-best numbers for conference batting avg. (.431), runs (30) and hits (44) in BIG EAST regular-season games, also ranking third in league on-base pct. (.508), fourth in stolen bases (11), sixth in total bases (57) and eighth in doubles (8).

His other 2002 numbers included just 11 strikeouts in 331 plate appearances (30.1 PAs per K), one error in 159 fielding chances (.994 fielding pct.), one home run, three triples, 17 doubles and eight sacrifice bunts. Stanley started every game of his ND career (256, second-best in NCAA Division I history), ranks third in NCAA history for career hits (385) and also holds Irish records for career runs scored (256), stolen bases (116) and at-bats (1,003), while ranking second in the ND record book for career total bases (461), third in batting average (.384), seventh in walks (126) and second in sac. bunts (30).

Stanley’s .439 season batting average ranks third in ND history and is the best by an Irish player since 1993 while his 119 hits bested Dan Peltier’s ND record (115, in 1989). His 77 runs scored rank as the fourth-most in a season ever by an Irish player.

Stanley – who collected hits in all nine NCAA Tournament games in 2002, with a .430 career batting average in the NCAAs (40-for-93, with 26 runs in 22 NCAA games) – joins former ND centerfielder Eric Danapilis (’93) and righthander Aaron Heilman (’01) as the third Irish baseball player to be named a consensus first team All-American.

Johnson – who tossed a one-hit, one-walk masterpiece vs. South Alabama in the NCAA regional round – finished the season ranked second among BIG EAST pitchers in wins (9-5, tying the ND freshman record), including seven consecutive winning decisions prior to the College World Series. His 3.46 season ERA was good for ninth among the final BIG EAST statistical leaders while his 86 strikeouts ranked sixth in the BIG EAST and bested the ND record for Ks by a freshman (78, by Heilman in 1998). Johnson’s 101.1 innings pitched also led the BIG EAST and set an ND freshman record, with his other final season stats including a .249 opponent batting average, with just 44 walks, nine hit batters and five wild pitches in 18 appearances (14 starts).

The Notre Dame baseball program now has produced eight Baseball America Freshman All-Americans (since 1990), with Johnson joining first teamers David Sinnes (’90) and Heilman (’98) as the third ND pitcher to be named a Freshman All-American by BA. The others include 2B Greg Layson (’91), OF Paul Failla (’92), IF Brant Ust (’97), OF Brian Stavisky and 2B Steve Sollmann (’01) – with all but Failla named to the first team.

The four starting pitchers named to BA’s first team Freshman All-America squad included (stats prior to the CWS): San Jose State’s Matt Durkin (2.75, 11-3, 85 Ks in 98 IP), Rice’s Phil Humber (2.67, 11-1, 128 Ks in 108 IP), Chris Lambert of Boston College (2.76, 9-3, 87 Ks in 78 IP) and Old Dominion’s Justin Verlander (1.90, 7-6, 137 Ks in 114 IP). Johnson was joined on the second team by the following starting pitchers: Florida International’s Derek DeCarlo (3.53, 11-0, 92 Ks in 94 IP), Ryan Gehring of Illinois-Chicago (2.80, 9-1, 71 Ks in 87 IP) and Ohio State lefthander Scott Lewis (2.84, 8-2, 91 Ks in 92 IP).

Here are links to the various All-America and Freshman All-America teams:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/leagues/NCAA/AA061902.html

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/leagues/NCAA/drewAA061802.html

http://www.abca.org/topnav/awards/allamericans/2002%20Ncaa%20Div%20I%20All-Americans.html

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2002-06-05/colleges.htm

http://www.collegiatebaseball.com/allamericans/currentallamericans.htm

http://www.collegiatebaseball.com/allamericans/currentfrallamericans.htm

http://www.sportswriters.net/ncbwa/news/allamerica02.html

Here’s a rundown of Notre Dame’s 2002 honors and awards:

Steve Stanley (Sr., CF)

* First Team All-American (Baseball America, American Baseball Coaches Association, USA Today Baseball Weekly, Collegiate Baseball, National College Baseball Writers Association)

* BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year

* One of three finalists for ABCA National Player of the Year

* College World Series All-Tournament Team

* NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team

* Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

* Notre Dame Team MVP

* 2nd-round Draft Choice (Oakland A’s)

Andrew Bushey (Sr., 3B)

* Second Team Verizon/CoSDIA Academic All-American

* Third team all-BIG EAST Conference

* BIG EAST Player of the Week (2/25)

* Notre Dame Student-Athlete Award

* 15th-round Draft Choice (Colorado Rockies)

Brian Stavisky (Jr., LF)

* Third Team Verizon/CoSDIA Academic All-American

* Second team all-BIG EAST Conference

* NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team

* Irish Baseball Classic MVP

* 6th-round Draft Choice (Oakland A’s)

Paul O’Toole (Sr., C)

* Second Team all-BIG EAST Conference

* NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team

* BIG EAST Player of the Week (4/1)

* 21st-round Draft Choice (Chicago Cubs)

Steve Sollmann (So., 2B)

* MVP – NCAA South Bend Regional

* National Co-Player of the Week (Collegiate Baseball, 6/3)

* Second team all-BIG EAST Conference

Matt Bok (Sr., DH)

* Third team all-BIG EAST Conference

Joe Thaman (So., 1B)

* BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week (5/13)

* Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

Kris Billmaier (Jr., RF)

* NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team

Grant Johnson (Fr., RHP)

* NCAA South Bend Regional All-Tournament Team

* National Co-Player of the Week (Collegiate Baseball, 6/3)

* Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team

J.P. Gagne (Jr., RHP)

* BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week (4/15)

Peter Ogilvie (Jr., RHP)

* BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week (4/22)

John Axford (Fr., RHP)

* Irish Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team