2001 OUTLOOK

Personnel Breakdown Experience the Difference Top Returners Ninth-ranked Notre Dame team looks to build off NCAA Aaron Heilman (Sr., RHP) • Preseason 1st Team All-American Tournament lessons during promising 2001 campaign. • Career: 28-7, 2.80 ERA, 314 Ks Experience is a tricky thing in the squad ironically will be- • 2000: 10-2, 3.21 ERA, 118 Ks world of competitive sport. More often gin the 2001 season on than not, achieving success on a high the same field where it level requires a certain level of experi- ended in 2000, as a par- Alec Porzel (Sr., SS) ence that backs up the play on the field. ticipant in Mississippi • Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Yet the process of attaining that expe- State’s National Bank of Year (Collegiate Baseball) rience often can be a painful one. Commerce Classic. • Career: .317, 29 HR, 158 RBI Such is the case for the 2001 Notre “This team is going to • 2000: .342, 9 HR, 58 RBI, 10 SB Dame baseball program, which took part have a lot of resolve due in a whirlwind–literally–NCAA Regional to how close it came last Steve Stanley (Jr., CF) Tournament last spring at Mississippi year to reaching its ul- • Second Team All-BIG EAST (’99) State. The Irish won a pair of elimina- timate goal. They know • Career: .344, 53 SB, 103 R tion games in that tournament–includ- it takes a lot of hard • 2000: .362, 29 SB, 24 RBI, 51 R ing one that was delayed past midnight work and focus due to a nearby tornado–before drop- throughout the whole ping a back-and-forth title game versus year. And they are will- Paul O’Toole (Jr., C) the host Bulldogs, losing 10-9 on a home ing to commit them- • Preseason All-BIG EAST Team in the ninth to cap a 46-18 selves to doing what it • Career: .309, 16 HR, 78 RBI season. takes to accomplish • 2000: .302, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 16 SB After the Irish had returned to cam- those goals.” The unexpected return of three-time All-American pus, head Paul Mainieri addressed At the time Notre Aaron Heilman elevated Notre Dame to a spot as high Brian Stavisky (So., RF) the team by making reference to the Dame trudged off Missis- as the top 10 in the national polls. • Preseason 1st Team All-American “Rocky” character portrayed in the sippi State’s Dudy-Noble • 2000: .298, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 5 3B popular of motion pictures. His Field to end its 2000 season, the Irish at West Virginia–was the 31st selection message was simple: Rocky lost the first knew they likely would be returning • Preseason BIG EAST Player of the of the 2000 Major League Amateur Draft title fight but he came back to win the nine of their top 10 hitters and six - but never signed with the Minnesota Year (Baseball America; BE coaches) second ... and he did so because of the ers with significant experience on the Twins. And once the 6-5, 225-pound experience and lessons he had learned college level. What they didn’t antici- righthander had attended his first class Top Players Lost the first time around. pate was returning to school in the fall of the 2000 fall semester, Heilman offi- “That experience at Mississippi State with three-time All-America cially was back for his senior season. Scott Cavey (Sr., RHP) really whet the team’s whistle and gave Aaron Heilman (Logansport, Ind.) still Now that he’s back, Heilman has the • Career: 15-4, 4.20 ERA, 138 Ks them a taste of how close they truly are a member of the Irish roster. chance to become just the 17th Notre • 2000: 6-3, 4.58 ERA, 61 Ks/22 BB to getting to the College World Series Heilman–whose career stats at Notre Dame student-athlete ever to be a four- and making a very strong statement to Dame include a 28-7 record, 14 saves, a year All-American (he already is the Jeff Felker (Sr., 1B) college baseball that Notre Dame is here 2.80 ERA, 314 in 280 baseball team’s first three-year honoree) • Career: .311, 232 HR, 155 RBI and here to stay,” said Mainieri, whose and an 18- game last season and could become just the fifth Notre • 2000: .307, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 21 2B Dame student-athlete competing in a team-oriented sport to post a fourth All- America season. John Corbin (Sr., RHP) “The fact that Aaron decided to come • Career: 13-7, 20 SV, 4.64, 112 Ks back to Notre Dame speaks volumes • 2000: 5-4, 11 SV, 4.69, 54 Ks about what is important in his life,” said Mainieri, who is set to embark on his seventh season at Notre Dame with pos- Top Newcomers sibly the deepest collection of all-star Steve Sollmann (Fr., 2B) caliber players during his tenure with • Cincinnati, OH (St. Xavier HS) the Irish. “Aaron has said many times how • Tri-state area male athlete of year much he loves Notre Dame. And he didn’t want to give away that last year Joe Thaman (Fr., 1B/LHP) cheaply.” • St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Univ. HS) The return of Heilman gives the Irish • Defensive whiz at first base five players who earned 2001 preseason all-BIG EAST Conference recognition Aaron Edwards (Fr., RHP) from the league’s coaches (no other • Chambersburg, PA (Chambersburg HS) school had more than three), with the others including senior Alec • Preseason BIG EAST Rookie of Porzel (Lisle, Ill.), junior centerfielder the Year (Baseball America) Senior shortstop Alec Porzel ranks as the BIG EAST’s top all-around player, with Steve Stanley (Upper Arlington, Ohio), his bat and baserunning ability leaving him on the doorstep of becoming the junior Paul O’Toole (Lakewood, first Irish player ever to reach 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in his career. Ohio) and sophomore rightfielder Brian 14 • 2001 Notre Dame Baseball ◆ Notre Dame’s probable starting lineup for the 2001 season includes senior shortstop Alec Porzel, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. SEASON OUTLOOK

Stavisky (Port Allegany, Pa.), with ing back could have some sort of im- Porzel and Stavisky each receiving pre- pact on the rotation we use in almost season BIG EAST player-of-the-year nods every game that we play.” from different publications. As if Heilman’s return wasn’t enough Heilman and Stavisky also were bad news for teams on Notre Dame’s 2001 tabbed by Baseball America as 2001 pre- schedule–it clearly helped produce the season first team All-Americans–defend- highest national ranking in the ing champ LSU was the only other school program’s history, at ninth in BA’s pre- with multiple players on that list, with season poll–the All-American headed one being a transfer student–while into 2000 fall workouts looking to add Heilman (seventh), Stavisky (17th) and another pitch to his already impressive O’Toole (46th) combined to give Notre repertoire that includes a low-to-mid- Dame three players among the top 50 90s sinking , a sharp-breaking on BA’s list of college baseball’s top pros- and an ever-improving . pects (only Georgia Tech had more play- In fact, Baseball America cited ers in the top 50). Heilman for having the “best true slider” Heilman’s return also sets in motion in all of college baseball while listing a dramatic shift in the probable start- him as one of three with the ing rotation, with his classmate Danny best overall control of his pitches. Tamayo likely filling the number-two Tamayo–known for his devastating spot while surging junior Matt changeup and ability to set up hitters– Buchmeier is slotted as the third returned to form in the 2000 season af- Junior Matt Buchmeier (left) and sophomore J.P. Gagne round a potentially starter. Sophomore J.P. Gagne could as- ter undergoing “Tommy John” recon- dangerous four-man rotation for the Irish in 2001. sume a swingman type of role, as a num- structive elbow surgery, with his 2000 ber-four starter and top middle reliever. season including a 3-1 record, 3.62 ERA knows how to pitch. He sets guys up, his career). “When people look at our situation, and a three- shutout to beat Missis- gets them out and moves on to the next In addition to Gagne, top candidates they realize we now can throw a battle- sippi State in the NCAAs. The Miami batter.” for middle-relief work include sopho- tested veteran like Heilman against the native’s pinpoint control is far and away Buchmeier (Greenwood, Ind.) could more righthanders Brandon Viloria other team’s ,” says Mainieri. the best on the Irish staff but he still prove to be one of the “x factors” in (Wailuku, Hawaii) and Matt Laird “But Aaron’s return will impact more remains somewhat of an unknown com- Notre Dame’s 2001 season, after post- (Bellaire, Texas) and a pair of than just one game a week, because now modity, having logged just 47 innings ing a 4-2 record and 3.88 ERA for the lefthanders, in senior Mike Naumann we have potentially one of the BIG during his first three seasons. Irish in 2000 before turning in a domi- and freshman Joe Thaman. EAST’s top number-two starters in “Hopefully, Danny gets the chance to nating summer season as a member of Laird–a product of the powerhouse Tamayo while having the option of us- go out and show what a quality pitcher the Hays (Kan.) Larks in the Jayhawk Bellaire High School program–enjoyed ing Gagne’s versatility in that swingman he can be,” says Mainieri. League. a decent freshman season in which he type of role. Essentially, Heilman com- “He’s just a classic performer who “One word is all you need to know won five of his seven decisions while when discussing Matt’s rise as a pitcher: ranking fourth among Irish regulars with confidence,” says Mainieri. a 3.83 ERA. “He was a little gunshy as a fresh- “Matt last season showed signs of man but he’s really come on during the great things to come and the key thing past year, and much of that is because for him is just developing more overall he believes strongly in his ability ... of consistency,” says Mainieri. course it helps that he’s got pretty good Viloria earned a walk-on roster spot ability to go along with that belief.” in the fall of 1999 before responding Buchmeier’s hard-throwing style has with a 3.18 ERA, 15 strikeouts and just improved as he has developed his body, one walk in 17 innings of mostly relief with a key to his 2001 season being con- work. “Brandon can give you steady pro- sistency with his fastball’s velocity. duction in that setup role, because he Gagne (Bloomington, Minn.) was one comes out and attacks the hitters by of the more surprisingly effective pitch- throwing strikes,” says Mainieri. ers in the BIG EAST during the 2000 sea- Naumann (Tucson, Ariz.) earned son, particularly among freshmen (he third-team CoSIDA Academic All- was named to the BIG EAST all-rookie America honors for the 2000 season, team). after doing his part on a staff that A classic battler who will be looking ranked 16th in the nation for team ERA for better success versus leadoff batters (3.93). His 24 relief appearances yielded this season, Gagne was the first Notre the second-best ERA on the staff (3.48) Dame pitcher to win his first five deci- and a 2-1 record while his schoolwork sions in a season since 1996–and the has yielded seven Dean’s List semesters first freshman to do so since 1990 (he (three of them 4.0s), a 3.91 cumulative finished 7-1, with a 4.46 ERA and 44 grade-point average as a science pre-pro- strikeouts in 19 appearances, 13 of them fessional major and acceptance into sev- starts). eral medical schools (with plans to at- The chief area of concern for the Irish tend Baylor’s prestigious medical in 2001 is the , which no longer school). includes graduated all-time saves leader “A young man like Mike Naumann is Senior Danny Tamayo has battled back from “Tommy John” reconstructive John Corbin (who also set the season a tremendous inspiration, because he elbow surgery to rank as one of the top number-two starters in the BIG EAST. record in 2000 with 11 saves, for 20 in has gone out and achieved his dreams ◆ Notre Dame’s returners accounted for 91 percent of the team’s stolen bases in 2000 (69 of 76), plus 2001 Notre Dame Baseball • 15 76% of the hits (494 of 642), 72% of the RBI (268 of 371) and 84% of the home runs (42 of 50). SEASON OUTLOOK

of playing college baseball and then ul- is on the line,” says Mainieri. Fenster of Rutgers). And timately going to medical school,” says Edwards was tabbed by Baseball at least one group of Mainieri. America as the BIG EAST Conference’s outside observers ex- “At the same time, he has played an preseason freshman of the year. pects more, as Collegiate important role during his career by “He could very well prove them right, Baseball magazine pitching in some big-game situations if he keeps improving and maintains the tabbed Porzel as its pre- and that will make him a valuable vet- poise that we saw all during fall ball,” season BIG EAST player eran in that bullpen this season.” says Mainieri. of the year for 2001. Thaman’s everyday role will be as a Seven other pitchers round out the “It’s Alec’s time to defensive whiz at first base but he also Irish relief corps, with that group in- step forward and get the should see some time on the mound, cluding senior Mike Carlin (Manhattan, credit he deserves for a after gaining some pitching experience Kan.), a pair of inexperienced sopho- great career as a four- at his hometown school, Saint Louis Uni- mores and four freshmen. year starter at Notre versity High School. Sophomore Peter Ogilvie (Buffalo Dame,” says Mainieri. “Joe is a player who definitely can Grove, Ill.) remains a promising yet un- “The most impressive contribute for us on the mound. Any- proven commodity, after missing all of thing about his previous time you have a 6-4 lefthander who has the 2000 season due to an elbow strain. three seasons is Alec’s good command of his fastball, you want The 6-4, 210-pound righthander was ability to consistently to get him some innings and see what highly touted as a prep due to his size perform in the clutch he can do,” says Mainieri. and arm strength. and he’ll fill the same Top contenders for Corbin’s role Walk-on addition Nick Colagiovanni role this year, by likely include hard-throwing junior Drew Duff (Garfield Heights, Ohio) has been a again in the (4-2, 5.05 ERA in 2000) and freshman pleasant surprise due to his competi- number-three hole.” Aaron Edwards, a poised newcomer who tiveness and ability to throw several A trio of lefthanded- may have the best on the staff. pitches consistently for strikes while his hitting juniors–third Duff is a fiery competitor and one of classmate Michael Morgalis (Cincinnati, baseman Andrew the team’s hardest throwers but will Ohio) could emerge as a contributor due Bushey, O’Toole and Third-year starting catcher Paul O’Toole is the hard- need to prove he can fill the closer’s role. to his classic 6-4 “projectable” pitcher’s Stanley–forms the core nosed leader of the Irish and also has made a “Drew brings a lot of moxy out to the body. of the Irish squad while name for himself as a proven late-season performer. mound but he needs to show that he Sophomore Ryan Kalita (Oak Park, embarking on their third can develop better command of his Ill.) has shown progress since following season as everyday starters. for 1999-2000–has made a seamless fastball and pitch well when the game in the footsteps of his brother Tim (a Bushey (Boardman, Ohio) was a transition from the (where he lefthander picked in the mainstay at the hot corner in 2000– played for most of his prep days) to the seventh round of the 1999 starting 62 of 64 games while batting middle infield, effectively reversing a draft) while a pair of .275 with three home runs and 30 RBI– trend from earlier Mainieri-coached freshmen–righthander and has been billed by Baseball America teams, in which several were Brian Kaplan (Ormand as the BIG EAST’s best defensive third recruited and then converted into out- Beach, Fla.) and lefty baseman. fielders. Cody Wilkins (Hudson, A classic throwback player on the de- “Steve Sollmann looks like he’s been N.C.)–could see some in- fensive side and a potentially-potent playing second base all his life but since nings as they continue ad- , Bushey also has quickly he’s such a great athlete, it’s not that justing to the college taken to his new secondary position of big of a surprise,” says Mainieri, who game. catcher–to the point of being the top tried a variety of second basemen dur- The probable starting backup for his classmate O’Toole. ing the 2000 season, including current position players include “Andy is due for a breakout year so Notre Dame law student Jeff Perconte seven veterans and a pair that he can show what a great hitter he (whose final season was hampered due of freshmen, in second really is,” says Mainieri of Bushey, who to injury). baseman Steve Sollmann will join Heilman and Porzel as captains “Steve also is a very solid all-around (Cincinnati, Ohio)–the of the 2001 squad. batter and we’ll look at him in the num- brother of former Irish all- “Fans also will be impressed with how ber-nine spot, in order to give us a sec- star Scott Bushey has adjusted behind the plate. ond leadoff-type hitter who can get Sollmann–and rookie first His agility and quick hands make him a things back to the top of the order. He baseman Thamann. natural for catcher ... but his first home could be the catalyst to some high-scor- Porzel is the team’s still will be at third.” ing innings for us.” veteran leader and has On the other side of the diamond, the Thaman continues a string of defen- posted team-best RBI to- first-year defensive duo of Sollmann and sively-talented Notre Dame first tals in each of the past Thamann is expected to comprise a for- basemen that included recent graduates two seasons (58 in 2000, midable right side of the infield due to Dan Leatherman (’98) and Jeff Felker plus a .342 batting aver- their all-around athleticism. (’00). age and nine home runs). “Those two players are such tremen- “If you want to see a clinic on how Billed by Mainieri as the dous all-around athletes and they cer- to play first base, then come out and BIG EAST’s most under- tainly have the ability to keep a lot of watch Joe Thaman field that position,” rated player prior to balls from leaving the right side of the says Mainieri. 2000, Porzel went on infield. Plays like that often can make “It will be interesting to see how Joe Junior Andrew Bushey was tabbed by Baseball to earn second-team all- the difference in whether you win or adjusts at the plate but he has bulked America as the BIG EAST’s best defensive third BIG EAST shortstop hon- lose ballgames,” says Mainieri. up since arriving and really can hit the baseman and could be due for a breakthrough ors as a junior (behind Sollmann–who was named the Cin- ball hard. I think he’ll be fine offen- season at the plate. player-of-the-year Darren cinnati tri-state male athlete of the year sively after getting some college expe- 16 • 2001 Notre Dame Baseball ◆ Notre Dame’s 10 returning pitchers accounted for 35 of the team’s 46 wins in 2000, plus 74 percent of the strikeouts (336 of 454) and 77 percent of the innings pitched (412.2 of 545). SEASON OUTLOOK

rience under his belt.” his prep teammate Thamann. pound lefthanded-hitter O’Toole (Lakewood, Ohio) remains the Another freshman walk-on, Soran actually hit for a higher emotional leader of the Notre Dame in- Leahy (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), showed average with a wooden bat field and is coming off a solid season promise during 2000 fall drills and was than he did during his (.302, 8 HRs, 39 RBI) that saw him earn converted from a shortstop into a re- freshman season with the selection to an NCAA All-Regional team serve catcher. Irish (.298), when his 14 for the second straight year, after mak- Stanley-one of eight Ohio natives on home runs (with alumi- ing plays all over the field at Mississippi the squad-again should bat second in num bats) ranked fourth State–ranging from a booming the lineup, after leading the 2000 Irish among the nation’s fresh- to throwing out a pair of attempted in batting average (.362), stolen bases men. basestealers. (29) and runs scored (51). The speed- But the pride of Port “Paul has made himself into quite a ster then led the prestigious Cape Cod Allegany, Pa.–cited by player during the past year–becoming wooden-bat summer league with a .329 both Baseball America and stronger and hitting the ball with more batting average (plus 20 SBs) and was the BIG EAST coaches as authority–and that’s a special commod- one of three Irish players–joined by the league’s preseason ity anytime you have a lefthanded-hit- O’Toole and Stavisky– named starters for player of the year–is any- ting catcher who can get it done,” says the Cape Cod League All-Star Game. thing but a simple heavy Mainieri of O’Toole, whose all-star per- “It’s hard to think of what this team hitter, as he legged out formance in the summer Cape Cod would be like without Steve Stanley, five triples in 2000 while League helped elevate his status as a because his presence alters so many showing the ability of a pro prospect. things that both teams do,” explains potent all-around offen- Senior Ben Cooke (Bay Mainieri. sive force. Village, Ohio) likely will be Notre Dame’s “At the plate, he keeps teams off-bal- “We’re going to move top reserve at second base, shortstop and ance because of his ability to beat out a Stavisky into the cleanup third, while also being inserted as a late- or convert a traditional . And spot and it could be a lot Junior DH Ken Meyer again will look to spark the inning outfielder and . then, when he’s on the bases, it helps of fun watching him in Irish offense with his extra-base power from the Freshman Javier Sanchez (Miami, Fla.) the guys hitting behind him because he that position,” says leadoff spot. likewise should see some time at third becomes such a threat to pick up an Mainieri. base, particularly when Bushey slides extra base or two. He even affects things “Brian can use the entire field and Woodinville, Wash., natives’s hard-hit- behind the plate. in the way he tracks down balls in cen- can drive the ball with such authority. ting style and improving defense could A pair of hard-hitters–6-5, 230-pound ter field, because that allows our pitch- He will have to be an important RBI keep him in the lineup on a regular ba- junior Matt Strickroth (Mission Viejo, ers to be a little more aggressive and go producer for us this season and could sis, likely batting behind Stavisky and Calif.) and 6-7, 225-pound sophomore at the hitters.” end up having a huge year.” O’Toole in a key RBI position (sixth). Mike Holba (Lansing, Ill.)-likely will be Stavisky raised more than a few eye- Sophomore leftfielder Kris Billmaier Switch-hitting junior Matt Bok (Ak- among the top backups at first base brows in the Cape Cod League by finish- (.354, 4 HR, 19 RBI in 2000) is the other ron, Ohio) likewise should see some time while freshman walk-on Zach Sisko ing second (behind Stanley) on the likely outfield starter, after securing a in left field and joins classmate Ken (Belleville, Ill.) provides depth in the league’s batting charts, at .324 (with two place on the NCAA Starkille Regional all- Meyer (Fort Myers, Fla.) as the squad’s Irish infield, where he is reunited with home runs and 26 RBI). The 6-3, 230- tournament team (8-for-15, 4 RBI). The leading candidates. Meyer held down the DH spot for most of 2000 (.326, 3 HR, 20 RBI) while fill- ing Mainieri’s desire for a leadoff hitter with extra-base power (nearly half of his hits took him past first base, includ- ing 13 doubles and five triples). Bok, who transferred to Notre Dame from Georgetown prior to the fall of 1999 semester, batted .259 with 14 RBI in 2000–including RBI hits from both sides of the plate to spark the Irish past Tu- lane in an elimination game at the Starkville Regional. Junior walk-on John Heintz (Tucson, Ariz.) rounds out the Irish roster, as a reserve outfielder for 2001. “The bar is set very high for this team and I’m not afraid to say that,” con- cludes Mainieri, whose first six Irish squads have extended the program’s string of consecutive seasons with 40- plus wins to 12 (the nation’s fourth- longest active streak). “We have talent on this team but more importantly we have tremendous competitors with a lot of pride. When you have tough kids with pride like that, (from left) Sophomore leftfielder Kris Billmaier, junior centerfielder Steve Stanley and sophomore rightfielder Brian you don’t put limits on what they can Stavisky form a talented offensive trio–with Stavisky receiving presesason billing as the 2001 BIG EAST player of the accomplish.” year while Stanley was tabbed as the league’s fastest runner and best defensive outfielder. That’s when you just let the experi- ence take over. ◆ Notre Dame’s probable opening-day batting lineup would include junior DH Ken Meyer at leadoff, 2001 Notre Dame Baseball • 17 followed by CF Steve Stanley, SS Alec Porzel, RF Brian Stavisky, C Paul O’Toole and LF Kris Billmaier.