Perseverance Pays For Fifth-Year Senior…

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Eleven games, no starts, 10 at-bats, three hits, and four runs scored. That stat line was the sum of Notre Dame’s Herman Petzold after four years as a reserve infielder under the Golden Dome.

Herman Petzold was 5-for-12 last week after going 3-for-10 in his first four years combined.

All that changed in one swing of the bat on the second day of the 2011 season. It was a moment that would knock a huge self-imposed chip off Petzold’s shoulder, but it was also a moment that almost never happened.

Petzold and his teammates were trailing Purdue 2-0 in the top of the third inning on day two of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge. He was in the starting line-up for the second straight day (and second time in his career) under new Irish head coach Mik Aoki.

The fifth-year senior stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, but quickly found himself down in the count 0-2. Petzold stroked the next pitch into the gap in left centerfield. Matt Scioscia scored, Alex Robinson crossed the plate and Mick Doyle scurried all the way around from first base to touch home as well. Petzold was thrown out at third base trying to stretch his double into a triple, but by then it didn’t matter. His 3-run double propelled his team to a record-setting 19-2 victory while unleashing four years of frustration at the same time.

At the end of his first three career starts, Petzold had batted .417 (5-for-12) with two doubles, three runs scored and a team-high five RBIs to help his team to a 2-1 record and land a spot on the Big East/Big Ten Challenge All-Tournament Team. A career in one weekend, but it’s only half the story. The real story was the fact that Petzold was even on the Irish roster, let alone in the starting line-up in 2011.

When Mik Aoki became the head coach at Notre Dame last July an email to announce his hire was sent to all the players on the team roster, but that roster didn’t include the name Herman Petzold. The infielder from St. Clair Shores, MI had used his four years of eligibility under former Irish head coach Dave Schrage, and there was little reason to believe a little used reserve would come back for a fifth year.

Mik Aoki took over at Notre Dame on July 13, 2010 after four years at Boston College.

Petzold had other plans. He sent Aoki an email urging him to let him return for one more season.

“I think two things (in the email) were clear,” Aoki said. “One was that he loved Notre Dame and that he cared for his teammates here. The other was that he had been less than thrilled with his personal experience with the baseball program.”

That’s where the chip came in. Fifth-year seniors in college baseball are rare, but most guys who do come back have been daily contributors, maybe had an injury along the way, but hadn’t quite done enough to get drafted. Petzhold was a walk-on who had played in 11 games from 2007-2010, but that never kept him from thinking he should have been on the field.

“I got the sense the first time I spoke with him that he absolutely thought that he should have been playing,” said Aoki. “He absolutely thought he hadn’t gotten a fair shake, and I’m not here to tell you whether he did or not.  He’s a polite kid, he’s a good kid, but there’s no question he had a chip on his shoulder.”

Petzold does not disagree about that boulder sized chip lodged on his 5’10 frame after watching from the bench as his team went 119-104-1 over his first four seasons in South Bend.

“I’d be lying to say that I didn’t (have one),” he said.  “Ideally you don’t want to have that, you know give off that aura of attitude. I guess it’s just in my nature. To sit through four years of up and down and inconsistent ball clubs and not have an opportunity to help out was very frustrating.”

To convince his new coach to allow him to come back, the double major in finance and mathematics gave Aoki some tangible evidence to go on. Petzold had been named an All-Star in the Coastal Plains Summer League after his junior year in 2009. He followed that with a solid 2010, batting .284 with a home run, 23 RBIs and 26 runs in 48 games and 176 at-bats for the Florence Redwolves.

Those numbers drew interest from Division II coaches who talked to Petzold about transferring to use his last year of eligibility. The numbers also piqued Aoki’s curiosity in the kid who wasn’t on his roster.

“One of the things that intrigued me is that Coastal Plains Leauge is a good league,” said Aoki.  “The fact that Herm for two years in a row produced at a pretty high level in the Coastal Plains League… I just felt like there must be something there.”

So Aoki made Petzold an offer. He could come back for fall workouts to give the new staff a chance to see him and evaluate his play.

“I told him I’ll be honest with you, and if that means it’s a truth you don’t want to hear and I don’t think you’re good enough for us I’ll tell you that,” said the former Boston College head coach.  “If I think you are good enough I’ll tell you that too, and if it’s someplace in the middle, then you have a decision to make. The way it worked out, it was somewhere in the middle.”

Petzhold's play with the Florence Redwolves in the Coastal Plains League helped convince Mik Aoki to give him a shot last fall.

Based on that evaluation, Petzold could either stay at Notre Dame for the 2011 season or move on for one season at a DII program. Petzold had those same kind of DII offers coming out of high school, but this was Notre Dame and this was his team. After four years as a reserve infielder, he spent the fall working in the outfield. There were still no guarantees, but by the time fall camp closed Aoki told Petzold he had a shot.

“Really what I told him at the end of the fall was, listen, I don’t know ultimately how it’s going to shake out, but if I had to project it at this point and time (in October) I can tell you that I think you’ll take on a more significant role than you have at any point prior to this year,” said Aoki.

Aoki couldn’t put a tangible number of at-bats or games on the table, but he felt like Petzold’s bat fit into what the new staff was looking for. He kept putting up quality at-bats when the team began practice in January and found himself in the starting line-up for the first time in his career when the Irish opened the season against Michigan State last week in Dunedin, FL.

“After the fall working with the new staff I felt a better bond. I’m happy with my decision,” Petzold said after his big opening weekend.

It’s still early and it’s only three games, but Petzold says his three starts and what came with them have been worth the four year wait. “Absolutely,” he said. “I’m looking forward to trying to turn the program around this year and being a big part of that.”

Petzold says he’s not the only one to benefit from the fresh slate provided by Aoki and his new staff.

“Watching the team and seeing the team interacting, there’s just more fun being had. The energy level’s higher and you can tell people are a lot more confident too. In the past there was just not that much confidence. People didn’t believe in one another. When you have that kind of chemistry and belief in one another it’s really something special.”

Aoki said Petzold’s bond with his team is something that has been obvious since that first email.

“I think he wanted to come back, because he has a real affinity for his teammates. He had been with them for four years and just wanted to stick it out to the end.”

Three starts, five hits in 12 at-bats, and five RBIs. Numbers from three games that eclipse the stats and frustrations of four years. That chip has the fifth-year senior off to a good start, but that’s just what it is- a start. Both player and coach agree there are many more games to be played this season.

“He’s earned the opportunity he has right now, and he certainly took advantage of it this past weekend,” said Aoki. “That’s going to extend him some more rope and hopefully he takes advantage of it the whole year. If that chip is the gasoline that’s gonna keep the thing burning and he’s gonna be a good player for us all year, then great I hope he has a chip on his shoulder the whole time.”

“Every blind squirrel finds a nut,” added Petzold. “It’s a long season.”

Maybe the squirrel just took a chunk out of that chip.

Press play below to listen to Petzold’s interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires.

A By The Numbers Rundown Of The Action…

College baseball’s opening weekend is in the books and now it’s on to the grind of the regular season. We got to see a ton of baseball and a lot of teams at the third annual Big East/Big Ten Challenge in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Dunedin over the weekend, so we thought we would share some observations, insights and numbers from a weekend that saw 24 games played in beautifully sunny weather.

Here’s the by the numbers look…

3-0…Records by Louisville and Michigan State at this year’s Challenge. It’s the third straight year two teams have finished unblemished, but it’s the first time each conference has had a 3-0 team. Louisville and St. John’s both did it last year, while Michigan and Ohio State accomplished the feat in 2009.

Brandon Eckerle (MSU photo)

19…Years since Michigan State last started a season with a 3-0 mark. Head coach Jake Boss, Jr.’s team sported a .343 batting average, 2.42 ERA and .981 fielding percentage (2 errors) to start the 2011 campaign.

.667…Batting average by MSU centerfielder Brandon Eckerle to tie the Challenge record. The senior earned MVP honors after going 8-for-12 in wins over Notre Dame, Seton Hall and Cincinnati.

6…Pitchers used by the Spartans in their three games. Starters Kurt Wunderlich, Tony Bucciferro and Andrew Waszak combined to allow seven runs in 17 1/3 IP.

0.67…ERA turned-in by the Louisville pitching staff-a new single Challenge record. The Cardinals allowed a total of three runs in their wins over Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota. The Cardinal staff pitched 23 straight innings without allowing a run. Understandably, Ian Dooley, who announced Louisville’s win over Ohio State here on Collegebaseball360.com, called the Louisville staff the best one he saw all weekend.

13…Strikeouts by the Louisville staff, including eight by starter Matt Koch, in the 6-3 win over Michigan. The 13 Ks are the third most in a Challenge game by a pitching staff. Louisville pitchers fanned 27 with eight BB in 27.0 innings over the weekend.

2…Errors committed by Louisville all weekend-both in the same game by shortstop Alex Crittendon, who was one of a handful of freshmen making their debut for the Cards.

Jeremy Baltz (SJU photo)

32…RBIs in three games by St. John’s en-route to scoring 34 runs. The 32 RBIs is one away from the Challenge record set by the Red Storm in 2010. The Johnnies batted .383 with 11 doubles, two triples and a home run over the weekend. They were paced by 2010 National Freshman of the Year Jeremy Baltz, who was 7-for-14 at the plate with five runs and seven RBIs.

7-2…Three year record posted by St. John’s in the three years of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, after going 2-1 in 2011.

2…Earned runs allowed by Red Storm starting pitchers Matt Carasiti, Sean Hagan and Brendan Lobban in 15 1/3 combined IP. The bullpen combined to allow 11 ER in 15 2/3 innings.

7-1…Lead the Red Storm blew in Sunday’s 8-7 loss in 11 innings to Ohio State. St. John’s was held scoreless over the last eight innings after jumping out to the early lead. It was the first win of the Greg Beals era at OSU.

Josh Dezse

2…Shutout innings pitched by Ohio State freshman Josh Dezse to earn earn his first collegiate win. It was his second relief appearance of the weekend for the Buckeyes.

.583…Team-high batting average by Dezse (7-for-12), who was also the Buckeye’s starting DH in all three games. His batting average is the third-highest in the Big Ten after opening weekend, while his .111 opponent batting average ranks third in the conference.

.545…Team-best batting average by Cincinnati freshman Justin Glass (6-for-11), who collected four of the hits and an RBI in his team’s season-opening win over Ohio State.

.156…Batting average by Minnesota en-route to a 1-2 weekend. The Golden Gophers managed just three doubles and a triple, while committing eight errors. Nick O’Shea, who hit .456 with 6 RBIs, was one of the few offensive bright spots.

12 1/3…Total innings pitched by Minnesota’s three starting pitchers. Phil Isaksson gave-up just a run in 5.0 IP in his no-decision in the head-to-head match-up against UConn All-American Matt Barnes in Minnesota’s only win.

11…Strikeouts by Barnes in 6.0 IP, while suffering the loss in that game. Barnes set the Challenge single-game strikeout record in the Saturday start, but Friday starter Elliot Glynn surrendered 3 ER in 4 2/3 IP in UConn’s season-opening 10-2 loss to Purdue, in what was the upset of the Challenge. Glynn’s stuff looked good, but he appeared to overthrow at times, with three walks and two hit batters in the loss.

Matt Morgan (Purdue photo)

5 2/3…Scoreless innings pitched by Purdue’s Matt Morgan in the upset of the Huskies. The senior struckout five and allowed just three hits to earn the win.

11…Pitchers used by Purdue in three games-the most of any team at the Challenge. The Boilermakers ended the weekend with a 6.00 ERA.

19…Runs scored by Notre Dame in its 19-2 Saturday win over the Boilermakers-a new single-game Challenge record. It was also Mik Aoki’s first win at Notre Dame.

3…RBIs on a double by Irish outfielder Herman Petzold to spark an 11-run fourth inning in that game. Petzold is a fifth-year senior who had three hits and no RBIs in his first four years at Notre Dame. He finished the weekend by going 5-for-12 with three runs, two doubles and five RBIs in the first three starts of his career.

0-3…Record by Michigan at the ’11 Challenge. The Wolverines had by far the toughest draw of any team at the event, with losses to Louisville, St. John’s and Connecticut.

.311…Team batting average for the Wolverines, but the pitching staff had a 9.00 ERA. Starters Brandon Sinnery, Bobby Brosnahan and Ben Ballantine combined to allow 12 ER in just 10.1 IP, while the Michigan defense committed six errors.

Will Walsh (Seton Hall photo)

4…Times hit by pitch by Seton Hall’s Will Walsh in Friday’s 8-6 loss to Penn State-one away from the single-game NCAA record held by former Stanford OF Carlos Quentin. Penn State starter Heath Johnson accounted for five of his team’s Challenge record seven hit batsmen in the contest. PSU pitchers hit nine batters in three games, while Seton Hall pitchers plunked one batter all weekend.

4…Wild pitches by Seton Hall pitchers in that game-also a Challenge record.

2.77…Team ERA for a Penn State team that hit just .240, while going 2-1. However, seven Nittany Lion errors allowed eight unearned runs to score. Starting pitchers Steven Hill and John Walter combined to allow just four earned runs in 15 1/3 IP.

2.42…Staff ERA for a West Virginia team that is traditionally strong on hitting and thin on pitching. Mountaineer starters Jonathon Jones and Harrison Musgrave combined to allow no runs with 13 Ks, five hits and no walks in 13.0 IP.

Josh Parr (Illinois photo)

4…Stolen bases in three games by Illinois shortstop Josh Parr-a new Challenge record. His biggest steal came in the top of the 9th inning of Sunday’s 5-4 loss to West Virginia. After stealing second base with two outs, his brother, Justin Parr, drove him in to tie the game, but WVU plated the winning run in the bottom of the inning.

40-38…Head-to-head record of the two conferences in the three years of the Big East/Big Ten Challenge, with the slight edge going to the Big East. The Big Ten took the first Challenge 15-9, but the Big East won 17-13 last year and 14-10 this year.

20,064…Total viewers who joined us to watch 13 2011 Big East/Big Ten Challenge games webcast here on Collegebaseball360.com. Thanks to everyone who watched and thanks as well to both conferences as well as Angel Natal from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission and Bo Carter from the NCBWA!