NOTRE DAME BASEBALL University Of Notre Dame FROM A-Z ACADEMICS – The Notre Dame baseball squad Notre Dame Baseball posted a 3.15 team GPA in the ’03 fall semester, led by “By the Numbers” 20 at 3.0-plus (12 at 3.4-plus). Irish players have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors 19 3,210 times since ’82, with an unmatched two honorees All-time varsity baseball games each of the last four years: 2B Jeff Perconte (3.76 GPA, econ./gov’t; ND Law grad) and LHP Mike 1892 Naumann (3.92, pre-prof. science; three 4.0 semes- First varsity baseball season ters; Baylor Medical School) in 2000; Naumann (join- 1620 ing Perconte as elite 1st-teamer); and LF Brian ESPN Radio WDND (AM) – and its sister station Stavisky in ’01; 3B Andrew Bushey (3.43, finance) WNDV 1490 – are scheduled to broadcast all of the and Stavisky (3.50, management) in ’02; and current 2004 ND baseball season senior 2B Steve Sollmann (3.30, marketing) and RHP 2,166 J.P. Gagne (3.40, finance) in ‘03. Top ‘04 candidates ALUMNI – Notre Dame’s 816 baseball mono- Innings played in center field by Steve Stanley include Sollmann, junior RHP Grant Johnson (3.36, gram winners include several who have gone on to during 1999-2002 seasons (out of 2,191) marketing) and four sophomores in the College of Arts successful administrative careers: executive direc- and Letters: the DH/OF/C duo of Matt Bransfield tor of the ND Alumni Association Chuck Lennon (C, 1,032 (3.34) and Steve Andres (3.40), SS Greg Lopez ’60-’61); former ND assistant V.P. for special events Combined college starts by the 2002 eight-member Jim Gibbons (P/OF, ’52-’53); former U.S. senior class (3.36) and LHP Tom Thornton (3.36). ALL-AMERICANS – Notre Dame players have Congressman from Ohio Ron Mottl (RHP, ’55); Mid- 816 combined for 40 major All-America awards (27 in last American Conference commissioner Rick Chryst All-time letterwinners six seasons). RHP Aaron Heilman owns 12, twice (OF, ’81-’83); Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski 731 named third team All-America by Collegiate Baseball (P, ’78-’79); Indiana governor Joe Kernan (C, ’67- Paul Mainieri’s career coaching wins while earning ’99 third-team honors from the American ’68); Major League Baseball executive John Baseball Coaches before earning All-America from McHale (1B, ’43) and former ND athletic director 478 Dick Rosenthal (1B, ’52-’53). Lennon (left) and Record-setting strikeout total by ’99 staff CB, the ABCA, Baseball America and National College Baseball Writers in ’00 and consensus honors in ’01 Kernan are pictured above at ND’s 2002 College 425 (including USA Today). Sophomore 3B Brant Ust was World Series ring ceremony. Aaron Heilman’s record-setting career strikeout total an ABCA, BA and NCBWA third-team All-American in .406 ’98 while CF Steve Stanley earned ’01 All-America BIG EAST RECORD BOOK (see p. 190) – In just Dan Peltier’s ND record for career batting avg. from USA Today (2nd team) and BA (3rd team) and eight seasons, Notre Dame has made its mark in the the consensus nod in ’02. RHPs Chris Niesel and J.P. 315 BIG EAST baseball record book. Notre Dame in ’99 Gagne joined current senior 2B Steve Sollmann as David Sinnes’ career K record (pre-Heilman) became the first team to win more than 18 BIG EAST NCBWA third team All-Americans in ’03 (Niesel was games (20-5, plus 22-4 in ’01) while the ’01 squad 279 2nd team from CB, Sollmann from ABCA). smashed the record for consecutive BIG EAST wins All-time Notre Dame opponents ANSON – Brothers Sturgis and Cap Anson (18). The ’99 Irish pitching staff set a BIG EAST record 256 helped popularize baseball at Notre Dame in 1866 with 199 strikeouts in conference play (bested by Steve Stanley’s streak of consecutive games (Cap later became one of pro baseball’s most dynamic Virgnia Tech’s 205 in ’02) while the ’01 Irish totaled a started, second in NCAA history players). Notre Dame began playing off-campus com- record 17 triples. Five ND players (more than any petition in 1888 and the first varsity game was held 239 other school) rank among the top 21 players for BIG Alec Porzel’s record total for games played (prior to April 21, 1892, a 6-4 home win over Michigan. EAST career batting average in conference games Stanley’s 256) AVOIDING 0-and-2 – The 9th-inning rally vs. Rice (min. 150 ABs): 2B/CF Randall Brooks (3rd, .418, 69- at the ’02 College World Series helped avoid the only for-165, ’96-’97), IF Brant Ust (5th, .413, 100-for-242, 238 0-2 effort at a postseason tournament in the nine-year ’97-’99), IF J.J. Brock (13th, .399, 89-for-223, ’96-’98), J.J. Brock’s record total for games started (prior to tenure of coach Paul Mainieri (now nine conference C/DH Jeff Wagner (18th, .390, 98-for-251, ’96-’99) Stanley’s 256) tournaments, six regionals, a super regional and the and CF Steve Stanley (21st, .381, 110-for-399; 11th 204 CWS). The Irish have gone 0-2 at a postseason tour- among players with 200-plus ABs). Wagner’s 24 con- Pat Pesavento’s record consec. starts (pre-Stanley) nament just twice all-time (of 38): the ’49 NCAA first ference HRs trail only former Seton Hall great Mo 118 round (vs. Wake Forest) and in ’60 vs. Minnesota and Vaughn (26) in BIG EAST history and he is tied for 6th Heilman’s record season K total (’99, ’00) Ohio State (district playoffs). ND avoided 0-2 in each with 83 RBI. Ust (19) is 8th on the HR list while former of its last 31 postseason tournaments (since ’60) and Irish 1B Jeff Felker (‘00) ranks 5th in BIG EAST dou- 80 in 18 of last 19 regular-season tournaments (0-2 just bles (26) and former Irish 3B Andrew Bushey (’02) is Winning seasons (out of 111) three times in 24 under Mainieri). Notre Dame played 10th (24). Former ND catcher Paul O’Toole (’02) is 73 28 straight tourneys (regular-season and postseason) 2nd in games (99), 4th in RBI (86), 7th in hits (109), 8th Record-setting home run total by 1997 team without starting 0-2, from ‘97-’02. in ABs (333) and 9th in runs (79). 72.3 ALUMNI AWARDS – Four with ties to the Irish baseball program Team winning percentage in the 1990s have been recent recipients of awards from the Notre Dame Alumni 50 Association. Former 1B/OF Jim Gillis ('51; see p. 141) received the Victory total in 2002 College World Series season ’03 Harvey Foster Award (given to athletes, or those in athletic 49 endeavors, for distinguished civic/University activities). A longtime Jeff Wagner’s career home run record organizer for the ND Club of Los Angeles, Gillis served two terms on the Monogram Club board and is president and owner of Gillis 43 Broadcasting (he served in the FBI, at the urging of the award’s States on all-time monogram winner list namesake Harvey Foster). Former SS/3B Harry Durkin (‘53) Capozzi Durkin 36 received the ‘03 Richard Rosenthal Award (given to former Alumni Association board members for exem- Games needed by 2001 squad to reach 30 wins plary activity). The retired trial lawyer was president of the ND clubs of New Jersey and Fort Lauderdale (team record) (Fla.) before representing Region 17 on the Alumni Association's Board of Directors (he now serves as regional director of ND Senior Alumni). Frank Eck (‘44) – benefactor of ND’s baseball stadium (Eck +36 Stadium) and several other campus facilities (see pp. 76-77) – received the ’03 Sorin Award (given for Notre Dame’s most games over .500 in a season distinguished service to the University). Former ND pitcher Angelo Capozzi (‘54) received the ’01 Dooley (43-7-1; May 5, 2001) Award, recognizing his outstanding service to humankind with medical missions in underdeveloped coun- tries (he co-founded Rotoplast International reconstructive surgery, in ’92). 2 2004 Baseball Notre Dame Baseball “By the Numbers” 36 Players’ home states during 10-year tenure of head coach Paul Mainieri 34 States played in by Irish (since ’57) 24 Notre Dame’s record streak of games with one loss (23-1) during ’98 and ’01 seasons 23 BEATING NO. 1 – Notre Dame has defeated the nation’s top-ranked team five times in the NCAAs, includ- College World Series record set by Notre Dame for ing 10-4 and 3-1 wins at Florida State in the 2002 Super Regionals (pictured) and the College World Series rally runs scored in an inning (1957) vs. Rice (5-3). The Irish also registered a 6-3 win at Miami in the ’92 Atlantic Regional and a 8-1 win at Clemson in the ’94 East Regional plus two regular-season wins over No. 2 Miami (2-1 at UM in ’92, 1-0 at ND in ’99). 20 Players who posted 3.0-plus GPA in fall of ‘03 BIG EAST RECORD BOOK, PART II – Former Irish a season (8) and career (18, besting Incantalupo’s 15) 19 SS Alec Porzel (’01) is the only player in the BIG EAST while his 2.45 BIG EAST ERA ranks 6th among pitch- States represented on 2004 roster ers with 80-plus IP (2nd among pitchers with 100-plus career top-10 for RBI (1st, 102; 13 better than previous 18 IP) – and second-best since 1990 (C.J.