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#29 |
NOTRE DAME
fighting irish
(33-21-1, 16-10)
final 2008 ranking: NR |
When the Notre Dame baseball
team made it to Omaha in 2002, it had been nearly fifty
years since their last trip to the College World Series.
If the Irish play to their ability in 2009, fans of the
Golden Domers won’t have to wait another half century
for their team to make it once again. Five every day starters
return from last season – six if you count the team
leader in homeruns Evan Sharpley (.324, 13, 40) who started
just over half of the Irish’s contests. Unquestionably
the biggest bat returning is AJ Pollock (.352, 4, 42,
28 SBs) who dazzled over the summer, taking home the Cape
Cod League MVP award. The “Starsky” to compliment
Pollock’s “Hutch” is junior DH David
Mills (.349, 2, 26). Mills was an All BIG EAST selection
last season who can do the little things like steal a
base (9 for 9 in attempts) or move a runner (team leading
19 sacrifice hits) to help the team score runs. On the
mound, starters Eric Maust (6-3, 4.52) and Cape Cod All-Star
Brian Dupra (3-3, 5.44) head a deep starting staff which
should be solidified by new closer Steven Mazur who earned
the Jayhawk League’s Pitcher of the Year honor over
the summer. |
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2009 Preseason Rankings
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