http://collegebaseball360.com/cb360-video-vault-pat-connaughton-notre-dame-two-sport-star/ http://collegebaseball360.com/cb360-video-vault-pat-connaughton-notre-dame-two-sport-star/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2015 22:48:34 +0000 http://collegebaseball360.com/?p=37272

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Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton is a rare breed of high-end collegiate two-sport athlete, with the unique combination of basketball and baseball excellence. Other two-sport greats of the past few decades have included football–baseball standouts such as Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders (more recently: the likes of former ND star Jeff Samardzija, plus current NFL quarterback Russell Winston and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston). Another former Florida State quarterback, Charlie Ward, also starred in basketball and went on to play in the NBA.

Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton blocks a shot by Butler late in the 2015 NCAA round-of-32 game. Photo by Geoff Burke (USA Today), courtesy Notre Dame.

– front-page photo (also at right) courtesy Notre Dame, taken by Geoff Burke of USA Today

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Connaughton – who interestingly played AAU basketball with Cooper Ainge and cites Cooper’s father, Danny Ainge, as a notable basketball–baseball two-sport star – has given NBA scouts plenty to think about in terms of his pro prospects. A 2014 Major League Baseball third-round selection of the Baltimore Orioles, Connaughton likely would have been drafted even higher, if not for the two-sport factor. The mid-90s fireballer spent the 2014 summer pitching in the Orioles organization.

Earlier in the current college basketball season, Connaughton sat down with CB360’s Pete LaFleur for a video interview focusing on his two-sport career. It’s interesting to note that Samardzija’s older brother Sam serves as Connaughton’s agent, lending plenty of keen perspective as to the challenges, options, etc., facing an elite two-sport athlete.

In this video interview, Connaughton shares some intriguing insights about his own career and reveals what he considers to be the most impressive combination for a two-sport athlete. He also notes that the mental challenges that come with life as a pitcher – “literally, being out there on an island” – have helped him immensely during similar tense moments on the basketball court.

Pat Connaughton in action with Notre Dame baseball during the 2014 season (photo courtesy of Matt Cashore/Notre Dame).

For those of you college baseball fans who rarely follow college hoops (even during “March Madness”), you might want to check out some of Connaughton’s recent basketball exploits: tremendous three-point sharpshooting, “sneaky” effectiveness as a rebounder, great court vision and movement without the ball, and even some clutch defensive plays … none bigger than his last-second block that possibly saved Notre Dame’s season in the NCAA round-of-32 vs. Butler (pictured above).

CB360’s one-on-one video visit with Connaughton is posted below:

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Fall Ball Stirs Interest & Aids Evaluation…

By College Baseball 360 Editor Sean Stires

The sun was shining, a light breeze was blowing and there were thousands of fans milling around taking-in a college baseball game. It wasn’t Baton Rouge on a Friday night in the spring. It was South Bend, Ind. this past Saturday.

For the second straight year the Notre Dame and Michigan State baseball teams got together for a fall exhibition game on the same day their schools went head to head on the football field. They played in East Lansing, Mich. last year and they hooked-up in South Bend this year.

The two schools are not alone in connecting during the fall. It’s a trend that has been growing in recent years since the NCAA mandated the late February uniform start date to the college regular season spring schedule.

Michigan St. pitchers in the bullpen at Saturday's fall exhibition game prior to the Notre Dame - Michigan State football game.

“(The game was) a good chance for especially our first year guys to get out and compete at this level and compete against somebody else other than interquad,” Spartan head coach Jake Boss, Jr. said Saturday. “We learned a lot of things about our ball club and we got a lot of things that we can address as we move forward in practice this fall.”

Texas, Rice, Vanderbilt, and Cal State Fullerton are among the higher profile programs that have scheduled fall games.

They do it in part to evaluate their players (especially the younger ones) in live competition, but some also do it because those fall games count against their 56-game limit in the spring- meaning the two or three games they play in the fall are two or three fewer games they have to schedule in the spring.

The time is right for the NCAA to take the fall games a step farther. It’s time to make three or four of these games “exempt” each year so that they do not count against the 56-game limit.

“I think certainly I’d like to see some exempt games,” Irish head coach Mik Aoki told me after the game. “Especially if you’re not spending a ton of dough, you know? It’s not like you’re going to try to fly to California and you’re not missing any classes. I really don’t see the harm in a couple of thousand dollars getting spent on a bus to go to Michigan State to play.”

It’s just good for college baseball.

The fall games are a good thing, and Notre Dame and Michigan State have it figured out. Play them the day of a big football game when a lot of people are around.The Eck Stadium grandstand and surrounding area of the stadium had around 1,000 fans at any given time watching the game, with fans moving in and out taking-in parts of the game throughout the 10-inning exhibition.

“I think what we’ve done here, us and Notre Dame, is tying the game into a football game, Boss said. “I think really it’s a neat atmosphere. It’s a good experience for our kids. Unfortunately it counts against one of our 56. It is what it is and we understand that. It can be tough sometimes to get all 56 in regardless of where you’re at in the spring. It’s a good opportunity to compete in a good environment. It would be outstanding if we could do more of it.”

The fact of the matter is, most southern and warm weather schools don’t have to worry about lopping-off three or four games from their regular season, because they know their RPI is typically going to be strong enough when it comes to at-large bids at NCAA selection time. That is not the case for northern schools, who need every game they can get for the chance to get as close to 40 wins as they can to merit NCAA selection.

Michigan State (36-21) found that out first hand in 2011 when they shared the Big Ten regular season championship, but missed an NCAA bid when Illinois won the conference tournament.

However, making a handful of fall games is not just about getting a few schools a few more games to try to pad or add to its NCAA resume. It’s also about fairness and allowing coaches from northern schools to better evaluate their players, especially incoming freshmen, in an outdoor setting.

“(Fall games are) a good chance for especially our first year guys to get out and compete at this level and compete against somebody else other than intersquad,” Boss said. ” We learned a lot of things about our ball club and we got a lot of things that we can address as we move forward in practice this fall.”

Those same things are much tougher for a Michigan State, St. John’s, Notre Dame, Illinois, Penn State, or any other northern school to evaluate in January and February when they are trying to do it indoors.

About half of the roughly 300 schools that play college baseball are located in northern climates, which means that those schools are preparing for a late February start to the regular season inside gyms, makeshift bubbles and indoor batting cages in January and early February. Meanwhile, their sun belt counterparts are out in the grass and the dirt every day in preparation for the start of a new season.

There’s a reason Major League Baseball teams go to Florida and Arizona at that same time of year for Spring Training and there’s no reason college baseball coaches shouldn’t be allowed to take advantage of better weather in the fall to better evaluate their teams without it counting against their spring schedules.

The NCAA lets college basketball play a pair of exhibition games every year, so what’s the harm in allowing college baseball teams to do the same thing?

The fall exhibition format also allows for a more flexible format that allows coaches to insert and remove players at will without worrying about strict substitution rules that come with regular season games. Notre Dame and Michigan State each sent 10 pitchers to the mound in Saturday’s 10-inning game (the agreed upon format was 14 innings or three hours, whichever came first). They also each used nearly every one of their position players.

The Irish have 13 freshmen on their 2011-2012 roster, while the Spartans have eight. The at-bats, innings pitched and time in the field were crucial to both coaches for outdoor evaluation that they won’t get in the middle of winter on the eve of the regular season.

Obviously, not every school has the advantage of scheduling a fall game around a big college football game, but there are other options. DI basketball schools play their games against lower division competition and DI baseball schools could do the same.

“If we had the opportunity to…I think it would be a big deal for the fledgling program at Holy Cross to come over here and play against us,” Aoki said of the new NAIA program right across the street from Notre Dame. “Or to play a Bethel or Goshen in our own area (both of those schools are located within 40 minutes of the ND campus). There’s almost no cost involved. You don’t miss any class time.”

There are plenty of similar smaller programs around the country- in Florida, Texas, California and other warm weather states-that could benefit from similar opportunities. They wouldn’t get that same experience in the spring, because there’s no benefit for Florida or Texas to play those schools when it counts.

Why not let Webber International or Trinity have a chance to mix it up with the big boys too. They typically only get the chance if they’re a late add to someone’s schedule due to a rain out.

“I don’t think you want to get carried away,” Aoki added. “But three exempt games would I think be pretty good.”

Good for college baseball and everyone who loves it and plays it.

Notre Dame head coach Mik Aoki discusses his team’s fall exhibition game vs. Michigan State. The game was played prior to the ND-MSU football game.

Schools To Play Second Exhibition On Eve Of Football Game…

ND's Mik Aoki

The Notre Dame football team hosts Michigan State Saturday afternoon at Notre Dame Stadium, but the baseball teams from the two schools will play an exhibition game that morning as well. The baseball exhibition is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. at Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium, which is located just a couple hundred yards from the football stadium.

“Our team is excited about this weekend’s exhibition game with Michigan State,” second-year Irish head coach Mik Aoki said. “It not only gives the coaching staff a tremendous opportunity to evaluate our players in a game setting as opposed to practice, but it also gives the players a chance to compete against someone other than themselves.”

This is the second straight year the two schools have met on the same day as the ND-MSU football game. They squared-off in East Lansing in 2010 as well.

MSU's Jake Boss, Jr.

Notre Dame and Michigan State have become regular competitors on the baseball diamond in recent years. They opened the season against each other at last year’s Big East/Big Ten Challenge in Dunedin, Fla. The eventual Big Ten champion Spartans won that game 2-1. Michigan State won a game at Notre Dame on May 17 as well. Jake Boss, Jr.’s Spartans also swept a three game series at Notre Dame in 2010.

The format of the game is expected to be 14 innings or around three hours. Both teams are expected to use use most of the players on their rosters.

Saturday’s game counts against the teams’ 2012 56-game regular season limit, but it will not count toward their 2012 won-loss records.

Other fall exhibition games around the country this weekend include:

Friday:  Ontario Blue Jays at Central Michigan

Saturday:  USA at UNC Wilmington

Sunday:  Ontario National at Eastern Michigan

Former ASU, ND Coach Looks Toward Return To College…

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In more than two decades as a college baseball coach Pat Murphy was never at a loss for words. On Saturday in South Bend, Ind. the former Arizona State and Notre Dame skipper was as close as he’s likely ever been.

Pat Murphy with current Irish head coach Mik Aoki. Murphy was 318-116-1 in seven seasons at Notre Dame.

Murphy was surprised at a ceremony at Frank Eck Stadium, where he was informed that the new baseball clubhouse had been named in his honor. The newly renovated home of the Fighting Irish baseball team, where Murphy coached from 1988-1994, is now known as the Coach Pat Murphy Locker Room. He was also presented an honorary monogram and jacket by the Notre Dame Monogram Club.

Murphy was unwittingly lured to Notre Dame by his brother, Dan, under the guise that he was throwing out the first pitch at Saturday’s Notre Dame-South Florida game.

“How stupid I was not to know there was something more than throwing out the first pitch,” he said. “I’m shocked by myself, thinking how could I have not known this? My brother pushed me to ask permission from the Padres to leave for three days (Murphy is the manager of the Padres’ minor league affiliate in Eugene, Ore). I’m like well, it might be nice to get out of the heat. I just had no idea. I’m stunned, stunned…blown away.”

While Murphy gained national prominence at Arizona State, he blazed a trail to the desert in his seven seasons under the Golden Dome. Murphy’s Irish, which included the likes of future Major Leaguers Craig Counsell and Dan Peltier, were 318-116-1 (.732) prior to his departure. Notre Dame made trips to the NCAA Regional finals in his last three seasons in South Bend from 1992-’94.

A look inside the new Coach Pat Murphy Locker Room (courtesy Notre Dame).

Collegebaseball360.com asked the self described lifelong Fighting Irish fan if he could have ever envisioned being commemorated in such a way when he was hired by former ND Athletic Director Gene Corrigan in 1987.

“No. I never even thought about it,” he said. “I’m not a guy with a small ego, so I guess a guy like myself you’d probably think I was thinking about it, but never in a million years did I dream like something like this. This is Notre Dame, this isn’t some other institution trying to make it. This is Notre Dame and to be a speck on their radar is a great honor.”

The recognition came inside the same locker room he helped originally build just before his departure to Arizona State. The Coach Pat Murphy Locker Room, located within Notre Dame’s Frank Eck Stadium, is the first major renovation endeavor since the stadium’s construction in 1994-Murphy’s last season in the Irish dugout.

The project includes a redesign of the team space to make it more efficient and improve circulation between the clubhouse, shower, rest room facilities and the dugout. A kitchenette and mudroom (which replaced the former coaches’ office) were added along with direct access to and from the dugout area.

The Coach Pat Murphy wall in the entryway to the Irish locker room.

The locker space was completely overhauled with the installation of 36 brand new, 30-inch wood lockers including four specially designed corner lockers for catchers. New flat screen, high definition televisions and state-of-the-art RightView Pro technology was installed as well.

“You know you don’t feel worthy, you just don’t,” said Murphy. “You know all the stupid mistakes you made, you know what a jerk you were sometimes and all the players you might not have treated exactly the way you would now today, but as a 27 year old I did it from my heart. I didn’t do it with any other intention other than trying to make Notre Dame the best place and not to embarrass my family.”

Notre Dame went from a 15-29 team the year before Murphy’s arrival in 1987 to 39-22 in 1988.

Murphy (left) and his brother Dan (right) inside the locker room at Saturday's ceremony.

Murphy left Notre Dame to become the head coach at Arizona State in 1995. He was 629-284-1 with four trips to the College World Series from 1995-2009.  However, despite his success, Murphy was forced to resign in Nov. 1999 while the program was under NCAA investigation (the program was placed on postseason probation, but is still eligible for the 2011 postseason as the appeals process is ongoing).

Murphy said his departure from ASU is a wound that has not yet healed.

“It’s been real tough. The tougher part is the perception people have without knowing the facts. That’s the part that kills you and that’s what I think is the exclamation point today is that a university like this would look into it and see what’s real and what’s not.”

“You just feel so much joy inside that someone recognizes that you’re not dishonest, you’re not a cheater. Just like the NCAA found, they found that there was no dishonesty, no cheating.  This was a matter of paperwork and this was a matter of a lot of other strategic things and it hurt me deeply.”

The new "mud room" is located in what used to be the coaches' offices. The new office is new separate from the locker room.

“The last game I coached was against Texas in the (2009) College World Series for the right to play for the national championship. It’s been hurtful for the last 18 months.”

Murphy’s Sun Devils dropped that game to the Longhorns, but had they won he would have gone head-to-head with his successor at Notre Dame, Paul Mainieri, who defeated Texas in the CWS Championship Series to claim the 2009 national title.

Mainieri coached at Notre Dame from 1995-2006, and even hosted Murphy and the Sun Devils at Eck Stadium on April 26, 2002. The Irish won that game 9-4 en-route to a trip to that year’s College World Series. ASU’s roster included current Major Leaguers like Dustin Pedroia and Andre Ethier.

Murphy is currently working with young professionals as the manager of the Eugene Emeralds, but he says he hopes for a return to the college game.

“I think so. I like the pro element, I’m learning a lot, but I think my calling is college baseball and I’m just getting started, so I look forward to it. I’ve already been contacted by a few clubs,  but I just gotta look for the right fit and be able to do the things I can do.”

In the meantime, Murphy is satisfied with his new found place at Notre Dame.

“Notre Dame has done for me far more than I could ever do for it,” he said. “I’ve been gone for 17 years and in 17 years  it’s come-up every day. It’s just special.”

Murphy did eventually throw out the first pitch prior to the Notre Dame-South Florida game at Eck Stadium. His son, Kai, also worked that day at the Irish bat boy.

In his first four years at Notre Dame, Herman Petzold totaled three hits in 10 at-bats and played in a total of 11 games with no starts. In his first three games of 2011, the fifth-year senior went 5-for-12 (.417) at the plate with two doubles, and a team-high five RBIs, while starting three games in the Irish outfield.

Petzold almost didn’t make it back to Notre Dame for his fifth and final year of college eligibility after Mik Aoki took over when Dave Schrage was fired, but his start to the new season helped his team to a 2-1 record at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge.

In this interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires, Petzold discusses his road back, his new coach, new position on the field, and new outlook.

Petzhold

5’10 – 175 – Sr. – Saint Claire Shore, MI

Head Coach: Mik Aoki

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.

Notre Dame is the latest Big East school to release its 2011 college baseball schedule. The Fighting Irish open their season February 18-20 with games against Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue at the 2011 Big East/Big Ten Challenge in the Clearwarter/St. Petersburg, FL area.

CLICK HERE to see the complete 2011 Notre Dame baseball schedule.

Notre Dame is in Rock Hill, SC March 4-6 for the Winthrop Invitational. ND plays two games each against Winthrop and Manhattan.

The spring break trip starts March 12 & 13 back in the Palmetto state with games at the Caravelle Resort Classic in Conway, SC. The Irish face Alabama-Birmingham, Kent State and host Coastal Carolina. The trip continues with a game at UT-San Antonio on March 15. The action then shifts to Wolff Stadium with four games at the annual Irish Classic when Notre Dame plays two games each against Iowa and Gonzaga.

The Fighting Irish open Big East Conference play when they host Georgetown March 25-27. Other Big East home series are against Connecticut, West Virginia, Seton Hall, and South Florida. Conference road series are at Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Rutgers, and Louisville.

A home and home series with Michigan highlights non-conference play. The Wolverines host the Irish on May 3, with a game at ND the next day. The Irish also host Michigan State in their May 17 home finale.

The Big East Tournament is May 25-29 in Clearwater, FL.

Give a unique gift this Christmas from Dugouthats.com.  The Dugout in Omaha has officially licensed 2010 College World Series memorabilia that would make the perfect gift this holiday season (click on the image to left to enlarge).

From t-shirts and caps to limited edition prints commemorating the last CWS ever played at historic Rosenblatt Stadium. Dugouthats.com also always  hats of your favorite college teams like LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UCLA, South Carolina, Miami and more.

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In college athletics few names, if any, are as recognizable as Notre Dame. In college baseball no name lives by itself such as Omaha. For Mik Aoki, his goal is to reunite one of the sporting world’s most prominent names with college baseball’s ultimate destination.

On July 13, Aoki became the 20th head coach in Notre Dame baseball history. In his first press conference as the Irish skipper, nearly right off the bat Aoki touched on the Notre Dame name, and the goal of getting to Omaha.

Mik Aoki

“I think that this is a place that arguably, Notre Dame is the biggest brand name in college athletics, and one of the best academic institutions in the country,” said Aoki. “I feel that that model is one that can help us get back to Omaha.”

Getting back to Omaha is not a simple task for the Irish. Since the NCAA went to the current 64-team tournament field, Notre Dame’s 2002 College World Series appearance is the only trip to Omaha a “Northern” program has made. While the Irish were able to overcome the odds nearly a decade ago, times are not what they once were in South Bend.

That College World Series appearance came in the middle of a grand era in Notre Dame baseball. With Paul Mainieri at the helm, the Irish appeared in NCAA Regional action every season from 1999-2006, hosting Regionals in ‘99, ‘01, ’02, and ‘04. The end of the eight-year tournament run, would coincide with Mainieri’s exit as the coach took over at LSU. In Mainieri’s 12 seasons from ’95-06 the Irish won 71 percent of their games, going 533-213-3.

With Mainieri leaving town, seemingly so to did Notre Dame’s existence in the national spotlight. As Dave Schrage followed as the next Irish coach, the college baseball community knew the mighty shoes Mainieri left would be hard to fill, however few saw the fortunes that would lie ahead for the Irish.

After a 28-28 record in Schrage‘s first season, Notre Dame would improve the next two, going 33-21-1, and 36-23. With the number of wins increasing over the previous two seasons, expectations were high for Notre Dame in 2010. In a season where the faithful expected the Regional drought to end, it would be another streak that ended, a more ominous one.

What unfolded was a 22-32 season as Notre Dame finished sub-.500 for the first time since 1987, so long ago that no current Notre Dame baseball player was yet to be born. After going 119-104-1 in four seasons Schrage was relinquished of his duties, opening the door for Aoki.

Aoki knows the task in front of him. He knows that at Notre Dame the expectations are high and his results will not fly under the radar as was the case during his previous stop. At Boston College, where Aoki spent six seasons, the college was in the heart of a heavy professional sports metropolitan.

At Notre Dame being affiliated with a major university and premiere athletic department comes raised expectations and a brighter magnification. The raised stakes did everything but shy Aoki away from taking the job.

“I think that was part of the attraction of this job,” said Aoki. “I think that in the way that it’s supported, the name brand of Notre Dame, the tradition, and the very recent tradition that this place has, I really truly believe that this program is capable of competing at a national level, at a very high level, a Omaha-type level… I think of this being an Omaha-type program.”

“It’s not a pressure, it’s something I embrace about the program,” Aoki added. Aoki points to the potential that the Notre Dame program has as one of, if not the most influential aspect of his decision to take the job.

“When you look across the Midwest and the Northeast, there are only a handful of programs that you can truly say are Omaha-type programs. I would not have left Boston College, which I think is a great place that I truly loved being at, I would not have left that situation to come to anything short of what I think Notre Dame represents and the potential Notre Dame has.”

Part of what Notre Dame represents is a strong, passionate, and loyal fan base. Discussing his short time at Notre Dame Aoki speaks highly of those around him. While Aoki knew of the expectations to win, the infinite potential the program has, and past success, the amount of support the program receives and realizing the attention paid to the program, exceeded any expectations he had of his new job.

“The one thing that did exceed my expectations was the level of interest in Notre Dame baseball and Notre Dame athletics in particular,” said Aoki.

“Obviously the interest the people have in the football program goes without saying, but I think it extends beyond football to all of the sports at Notre Dame, and certainly baseball is included. That part of it is something I really have not been at a place where the people are as locked in on things as they are here.”

What did happen in Boston was that Aoki was able to turnaround a dormant program in a very difficult ACC. For that to be the case in the Big East for Notre Dame, Aoki alludes to two tasks he and his staff are working to improve.

“There is talent on this team, however I think the talent level is thin. Number one obviously we have to do a good job recruiting players, then secondly, we have to do a really good job of developing player.”

Often when the development of a player is read about, asked of, or discussed, the mind thinks of bigger, stronger, and faster. For Notre Dame and Aoki the development goes beyond physical measurables and starts with the mind being right.

“The big thing from a mindset standpoint is for our players to feel like baseball is the best part of their day again. I think that has been lost for some of the guys in the program. That its fun and that its something that is definitely worth the time, the effort, the extra hours that they’re going to need to put in to be the type of program that gets back to Omaha.”

Mentioning that he feels that a little of the passion for the game of baseball has gone adrift among his players, Aoki and his staff are making it a concerted effort to make sure that America’s pastime is enjoyable.

“I think we need to do a good job as a coaching staff of coaching them and coaching them hard, but making sure that we’re sending a really positive message to them and that they have fun,” spoke Aoki.

“Because when you boil it all down it’s just a stinking game you know. It should be something that is fun, and in my opinion it should be something that is a hell of a lot better than figuring out calculus derivatives or something like that. I like to think they look forward to practice, the challenge, and the journey of making themselves better players.

So far Aoki feels his message is getting to his players.

“By and large I think our kids have done a really good job of trying to buy into what we’re selling of working and getting back to having some fun while we’re playing and practicing, and working at getting better.”

Making sure fun is evident in the game of his players is a staple Aoki hopes sticks with his program. But do not mistake installing joy and passion in the game as a substitute for working hard and competing relentlessly.

“We talk to our guys all the time that regardless of who you’re playing, whether it’s a big-name team like Florida or Texas, or a lesser known team in a non-conference game, that we’re going to play it the same way,” said the coach.

As Aoki digs in and is ready to turn the tide for the Blue and Gold, he expects that a program with his fingerprints is going to work hard, be mentally tough, and compete with pride day in and day out.

“Those are the three biggest things… compete like crazy, work like crazy, and have some fun while doing it.”

And if all of those things come together?

“I think the sky is the limit at this place.”

NOTRE DAME, IN – Chuck Ristano, who helped lead Monmouth to a pair of Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, has been hired as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame, first-year head baseball coach Mik Aoki announced Friday.

Chuck Ristano

“I am honored to join Coach Aoki’s inaugural staff here at Notre Dame,” said Ristano. “This program has always been one of tremendous character and class. Notre Dame has been successful on and off the field. I look forward to our continued work to reestablish a championship tradition.”

“We are quite lucky to add a person of Chuck’s knowledge, experience and leadership to our staff,” said Aoki. “He has a consistent record of locating and developing quality players and more importantly student-athletes. Chuck will play an instrumental role in the future success of this program.”

Ristano acted as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. for four years (2006-2009). He not only directed all phases of recruitment, but also was responsible for the development of off-season throwing and conditioning programs. Ristano coordinated study hall and all travel plans, and even assisted in numerous fundraising activities. He placed players in a number of top-level summer collegiate leagues.

Ristano helped guide the Hawks to the conference title and automatic NCAA bid in 2007 and 2009. Monmouth won 30 or more games in three of his four seasons on staff, including a school-record 37 victories in 2008. The Hawks appeared in the 2007 Tempe Regional and 2009 Oxford Regional.

Ristano also recruited and tutored three pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball draft, including Ryan Buch and Brett Brach, who were selected in the eighth and tenth round, respectively, in the 2009 MLB Draft. In total, seven of his recruits eventually signed professional baseball contracts.

Under Ristano’s guidance, seven pitchers earned all-conference honors, four earned all-region honors and four more were named TPX All-Americans, including Brach, who was the 2007 NEC Pitcher of the Year.

In his first season at Monmouth (2006), Ristano’s pitching staff ranked eighth nationally in earned-run average (3.34), setting a school record. In 2008, his staff posted a 3.99 ERA, as the Hawks joined 11 other teams to finish in the NCAA top 20 in ERA in two of the previous three seasons. In 2007, his staff set a school record with 374 strikeouts.

During his four seasons at the school, Monmouth posted a 132-89 record and compiled a team ERA of 4.35. The Hawks led the NEC in ERA in 2006, finished second each of the other three years and led the conference in strikeouts twice.

In 2005, Ristano served as pitching coach at his alma mater Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. He tutored both first team all-conference pitchers, including the league’s pitcher of the year, and helped the Pioneers to their first ever NEC Tournament appearance.

Ristano, who spent the 2010 season as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Temple University, was a four-year letterwinner at Sacred Heart (2001-04). He was a two-time captain and four-time NEC All-Academic Team honoree. Ristano graduated with a B.S. degree in sports management in 2004.

(Notre Dame release)