The Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team is the intercollegiate baseball team representing the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

Notre Dame, Indiana Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's Coll ...

. Notre Dame competes as a member of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

in the

NCAA Division 1 NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

college baseball league. The team is currently coached by

Shawn Stiffler Shawn Stiffler (born April 2, 1979) is an American baseball coach and former pitcher, now serving as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball, Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He played college baseball for the George Mason Patriots baseball ...

and plays its home games at Frank Eck Baseball Stadium, which has a capacity of 1,825. The school has appeared in three

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

, in 1957, 2002, and 2022 and has won 6 conference titles.

History

Notre Dame baseball began in 1892. The Fighting Irish's first game was against Michigan on April 21, in which they won 6 – 4. They did not have a season in 1893. In 1897, Frank E. Hering became their first coach. Frank Hering arrived at Notre Dame to play quarterback for the Fighting Irish football team in 1896. By 1898, he had taken on the responsibility of directing the entire athletic department, including coaching the football and baseball teams and introducing basketball to the university. At Notre Dame, he served as athletic director from 1898 to 1900 and coached football from 1896 to 1898, basketball from 1897, and baseball from 1897 to 1899. He has earned the title of “Father of Notre Dame Football” for his success in expanding the program from an intramural activity to a full-fledged intercollegiate sport.

Tommy Mills Thomas Emmet Mills (April 5, 1883 – February 25, 1944) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Creighton University (1915–1919), ...

helmed the team to a 57–20–1 record from 1927 to 1929, good for a .737 winning percentage. In 1934, Clarence Jack Kline became the school's 15th coach for 42 seasons. He retired in 1975 at the age of 81, coaching more than 1,000 games and winning 558. He led the team to the College World Series in 1957. He was voted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968. The former Cartier Field was renamed Jack Kline FIeld in 1975. In 1980, Tom Kelly set the University of Notre Dame's record for wins (29–8). He remained an athletic administrator at Notre Dame until 2003. In 1994, the Fighting Irish moved into its state of the art, 2,500 seat Frank Eck Stadium. Moving to Notre Dame in 1995,

Paul Mainieri Paul Mainieri (born August 29, 1957) is a former baseball coach and second baseman. He played college baseball at LSU, Miami-Dade CC and New Orleans before pursuing a professional baseball career. He then served as the head coach of the St. Th ...

turned the Fighting Irish into a perennial postseason contender winning the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

tournament a record 5 straight seasons, making the NCAA Tournament 9 out of 12 seasons, and leading the Irish to one

appearance in 2002. He won the 2001 and 2002 Big East Coach of the Year award. In total, Mainieri posted a .714 winning percentage going 533–213–3 in 12 seasons. Evansville's

Dave Schrage Dave Schrage is an American baseball coach and former outfielder. He played college baseball at Creighton University for head coach Dave Underwood from 1980 to 1983. He then served as the head coach of the Waldorf Warriors (1988–1990), Northern ...

then earned what he called his dream job, succeeding Mainieri as head coach at Notre Dame. Mik Aoki was named the team's 23rd head coach in team history in the summer of 2010. On June 8, 2019, Notre Dame announced that they would not renew Aoki's contract for the 2020 season. Biggio again (26448258672) (cropped)

On July 12, 2019,

Link Jarrett Lincoln "Link" Jarrett (born January 26, 1972) is an American college baseball coach and former shortstop, who is the current head baseball coach of the Florida State Seminoles. Jarrett played college baseball at Florida State University from 199 ...

was named the 24th coach in team history. He went 11 – 2 in his first thirteen games with the Fighting Irish, but the 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19. During the 2021 season, Notre Dame finished with a record of 33-11 (25-10) (.755) and won the

ACC Atlantic Division The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National C ...

. Notre Dame was selected to host regionals for the first time since 2004.

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

, and

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

were all placed in the South Bend regional with Notre Dame. The Irish won the regional with a final record of 3–0. On June 5, 2021; the Irish beat UCONN in their 2nd round regional game by a score of 26–3. It was the record for the most runs scored during a playoff game in program history. The Irish advanced to the Starkville Super Regional, where they lost to eventual national champion

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...

Conference affiliations

Coaches

Former head coaches

Former assistant coaches

Facilities

Frank Eck Baseball Stadium

''Also see:

Frank Eck Stadium Frank Eck Stadium is a baseball stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. It hosts the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish college baseball team. The stadium holds 2,500 people and was built in 1994. The stadium was named after Frank Eck, an alumnus, ...

'' Frank Eck Baseball Stadium, known by fans as “The Eck”, is the home baseball stadium for the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team. Eck Stadium is located on the southeast corner of Notre Dame's campus in Notre Dame, Indiana. Opened in 1994, Eck Stadium is 14,211-square feet, has a capacity of 2,500, and cost $5.7 million to build. The stadium has become a favorite among the Irish baseball team, and a sampling of teams from the May 7, 2006, edition of Baseball America's top-25 poll showed that Notre Dame record-setting home attendance averaged ranked 11th-highest among those elite top-25 teams. Since its construction, the stadium has hosted two NCAA Regionals, 1999 and 2001. NDU-frank-eck-stadium

Plans to build the stadium were announced on June 7, 1991, stemming from a private donation gift to the university by alumnus Frank Eck, and his company, Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc., of Columbus, Ohio. His contribution to Notre Dame have totaled more than $35 million, including a $21 million gift in 2005 for the Eck Hall of Law, which is the fifth-largest gift in Notre Dame's history. Construction on the stadium finished in Spring 1994, and the first game was played on March 17, 1994, with a 5–8 loss against the University of Tennessee. Eck Stadium includes spacious home and visitor locker-rooms, meeting rooms, and coaching facilities. Additionally, the stadium includes a spacious press box, located directly above home plate, which seats 25 staff and media members and has a panoramic view of Eck Stadium and other Notre Dame athletic facilities. At the 1995 Notre Dame alumni game, the university named Eck Stadium's playing surface Jake Kline Field to honor the program's winningest coach. The Eck Stadium has undergone several renovations and additions, with plans to expand in the future. In January 2000, a 9,000-square foot indoor hitting and pitching facility, located adjacent to the left-field line, was added to enable year-round practice. In 2012, this facility got a major facelift, including a wall-to-wall synthetic turf floor, four full- and two half-batting cages, permanent pitching mounds within the tunnels, and an “Iron Mike” pitching machine with an automatic ball feeder. This space is primarily used for pitching, hitting, and catching, while the team uses the Loftus Center for defensive fundamentals and base running. Additionally, the playing surface of the Jake Kline field received an upgrade before the 2014 season. The surface transitioned from natural grass to the artificial surface FieldTurf, which covers the entire field.

The Coach Pat Murphy Locker Room

The Coach Pat Murphy Locker Room was added after the 2010 season. The locker room is located within Notre Dame's Frank Eck Baseball Stadium and was included in the first major renovation endeavor since the stadium's construction in 1994. It was made possible through private donations from Daniel Murphy, David Murphy, Bert Bondi (‘67), Craig Counsell (‘92), and John Counsell (‘64), as well as the support of Notre Dame baseball. The Coach Pat Murphy Rocker Room was designed to make the team space more efficient and improve circulation between the clubhouse, shower, restroom facilities, and the dugout. A kitchenette and mudroom were added along with direct access to and from the dugout area. The space includes 36, 30-inch wood lockers, including four specifically designed corner lockers for the catchers. New flatscreen, high definition televisions and state of the art RightView Pro technology were installed as well.

Cartier Athletic Field

''Also see:

Cartier Field Cartier Field was a stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, first dedicated on May 11, 1900 as an arena for football, baseball, track and field, and bicycling. It hosted the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 1900 to 1928, and held ...

'' The Cartier Field was a stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana which existed from 1900 to 1962. The field is named after

Warren Antoine Cartier Warren Antoine Cartier (January 12, 1866 – November 7, 1934) was a 19th-century businessman. He was twice elected mayor of the Ludington, Michigan and was a banker, and a lumber tycoon. In civic life, he was involved with many societies and o ...

, who purchase 10 acres and donated it to the university for athletic purposes and paid for the lumber required to enclose the field. Notre Dame decided the field should serve the needs of a variety of athletic endeavors such as bicycling, track, baseball, and football. The finished grounds contained a baseball diamond, two football fields, a quarter-mile banked track, a 220-yard straightway and grandstand setting for 500. On May 12, 1900, the formal opening of Cartier Athletic Field featured a track and field championship tournament followed by a baseball game. The field hosted the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 1900 to 1928. For more than 20 years after the football team moved out, Cartier Field remained the home of Notre Dame's baseball and track and field teams. The field was re-established in 1962, and the baseball team began to practice nearby in the Jack Kline Field.

Notre Dame baseball during World War II

Despite dropping attendance at Notre Dame during the Second World War, baseball still thrived under coach Jake Kline. Over 200 men regularly showed up for tryouts during the years 1943–1945. The Fighting Irish baseball program benefitted from the presence of the Naval cadet program which contributed valuable team members. Because many schools were not able to field teams during the war years, the 1943 schedule only included eight games against universities located near Notre Dame. In 1944 and 1945, Coach Kline scheduled games against both universities and collegiate aged military teams such as the Iowa Pre-Flight School team and the

Great Lakes Naval Training Center Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center ...

team coached by

Mickey Cochrane Gordon Stanley "Mickey" Cochrane (April 6, 1903 – June 28, 1962), nicknamed "Black Mike", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and Detro ...

. Major leaguers that played for Notre Dame during the Second World War included John McHale and

Jackie Mayo John Lewis Mayo (July 26, 1925 – August 19, 2014) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 139 Major League games for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1948 and 1953. Biography Mayo was born in Litchfield, Illinois, and h ...

. Notre Dame football players and

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

winners

Angelo Bertelli Angelo Bortolo Bertelli (June 18, 1921 – June 26, 1999) was an American football player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1943 playing as a quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Early life Bertelli was born in West Springfield, Massach ...

and

Johnny Lujack John Christopher Lujack (pronounced Lu' jack; born January 4, 1925) is a former American football quarterback and defensive back who won the 1947 Heisman Trophy; he is currently the oldest living recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Lujack played c ...

suited up for the Irish during 1943 and 1944, respectively. Notre Dame's strongest team from the three years of America's involvement in the war was the 1945 squad that went 10–8–1. The 1946 squad benefitted from the return of many veterans, many of whom, such as 1944 team captain Tom Sheehan, had played for Notre Dame previously before joining the military. The 1946 team posted a record of 13–6 followed by a 16–5 record in 1947. Notre Dame Baseball Records During WW2

Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament

Current major league players

Former major league players

Cap Anson Adrian Constantine Anson (April 17, 1852 – April 14, 1922), nicknamed "Cap" (for "Captain") and "Pop", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman. Including his time in the National Association (NA), he played a record 27 c ...

John Axford John Berton Axford (born April 1, 1983), nicknamed "Ax Man", is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Pitts ...

* Alfred Bergman * Jim Brady * Billy Burke *

Frank Carpin Frank Dominic Carpin (born September 14, 1938) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Before the 1959 season, Carpin was signed by the New Yor ...

* Tom Carroll *

Paul Castner Paul Henry Castner (February 16, 1897 – March 3, 1986) was a professional baseball pitcher. He appeared in six games in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox in 1923, all in relief. In 10 innings pitched, Castner gave up 14 hits and 5 ...

Clem Clemens Clement Lambert "Count" Clemens (born Clement Lambert Ulatowski; November 21, 1886 – November 2, 1967) was a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1914 through 1916, playing for two Chicago-based teams. Listed at and , he both batted and threw ...

* Harry Curtis *

George Cutshaw George William Cutshaw (July 29, 1886 – August 22, 1973), nicknamed "Clancy", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1923 for the Brooklyn Dodgers/Robins, Pit ...

* Bert Daniels *

Jean Dubuc Jean Joseph Octave Dubuc (September 15, 1888 – August 28, 1958), sometimes known by the nickname "Chauncey", was a right-handed American baseball pitcher, manager, and scout, and a coach of both baseball and ice hockey. A native of Vermont, Du ...

Shaun Fitzmaurice Shaun Earle Fitzmaurice (born August 25, 1942) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets in 1966. Biography Fitzmaurice played college baseball for the Notre Dame Fighti ...

* Bill Froats * Norwood Gibson *

Jim Hannan James John Hannan (January 7, 1940 in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American retired professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1971 for the Washington Senators, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers. Th ...

Ed Hanyzewski Edward Michael Hanyzewski (September 18, 1920 – October 8, 1991) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who worked in 58 games (25 as a starting pitcher) in the Major Leagues between 1942 and 1946 for the Chica ...

Aaron Heilman Aaron Michael Heilman (born November 12, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Heilman was drafted by the New York Mets out of Notre Dame in 2001. He came up through the Mets system as a starting pitcher, but was converted to ...

* Joe Hudson * Burt Keeley * Herb Kelly *

Red Kelly Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly (July 9, 1927 – May 2, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto-area riding of York West from 1962 to 1965, during which time he also ...

Ed Lagger Edwin Joseph Lagger (June 14, 1912 – November 10, 1981) was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played in with the Philadelphia Athletics. He batted and threw right-handed. External links

1912 births 1981 deaths Notre Dame Fighting Iris ...

* Bill Lathrop *

Brad Lidge Bradley Thomas Lidge (born December 23, 1976) nicknamed "Lights Out" is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lidge played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 2002–2012. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phi ...

Matt Macri Matthew Michael Macri (born May 29, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the Minnesota Twins in 2008. Amateur career A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Macri graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 2001 ...

Jeff Manship Jeffrey Michael Manship (born January 16, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians. Manship ha ...

Ed McDonough Edward Sebastian McDonough (September 11, 1886 – September 2, 1926) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He attended Notre Dame, and played his first major league game on August 3, 1909 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Biography McDonough ...

Willie McGill William Vaness McGill (November 10, 1873 – August 29, 1944) was an American major league baseball pitcher. He played professionally for the Cleveland Infants, Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, St. Louis Browns, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Colts, St. ...

Dan McGinn Daniel Michael McGinn (born November 29, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Early life and football Born in Omaha, Nebraska, McGinn was a multi-sport athlete at Omaha Cathed ...

* John McHale *

Chris Michalak Christian Matthew Michalak (born January 4, 1971) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) left-handed pitcher who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Cincinnati Reds between 1998 and 2006, and a c ...

* Rupert Mills * John Mohardt * Red Morgan * Pat Murray * Red Murray *

Peaches O'Neill Philip Bernard "Peaches" O'Neill (August 30, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was a catcher for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1904 season. He later managed the Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county ...

Christian Parker Christian Michael Parker (born July 3, 1975) is an American former baseball player. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 4th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft. Parker has played in one Major League Baseball (MLB) game during h ...

* Dan Peltier *

Andy Pilney Antone James "Andy" Pilney (January 19, 1913 – September 15, 1996) was an American football coach and player of football and baseball. He played football and baseball at the University of Notre Dame in the mid-1930s and then professional baseba ...

Doc Powers Michael Riley "Doc" Powers (September 22, 1870 – April 26, 1909) was an American Major League Baseball player who caught for four teams from to . He played for the Louisville Colonels and Washington Senators of the National League, and ...

Ron Reed Ronald Lee Reed (born November 2, 1942) is a former two-sport star who spent two seasons as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before spending nearly two decades as a Major League Baseball pitcher. Early life and educa ...

Ed Reulbach Edward Marvin "Big Ed" Reulbach (December 1, 1882 – July 17, 1961) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs during their glory years of the early 1900s. Career Reulbach played college baseball at the University of Notre Dame ...

* Dick Rusteck *

Jeff Samardzija Jeffrey Alan Samardzija (; born January 23, 1985), nicknamed "Shark", is an American professional former baseball pitcher. He played college baseball and football for the University of Notre Dame, and was recognized as a two-time All-American w ...

* Frank Scanlan *

Frank Shaughnessy Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy (April 8, 1883 – May 15, 1969) was an American athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball and football and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey. He was born in the United S ...

* Tommy Shields * Dan Slania * Red Smith *

Billy Sullivan Jr. William Joseph Sullivan Jr. (October 23, 1910 – January 4, 1994) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and third baseman with the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Clevela ...

* Dick Thoenen * Ed Walsh Jr. * John Walsh *

Kyle Weiland Kyle Edward Weiland (born September 12, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. Career Weiland attended the University of Notre Dame, where he ...

Cy Williams Frederick "Cy" Williams (December 21, 1887 – April 23, 1974) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs (1912–17) and Philadelphia Phillies (1918–30). As Major L ...

Carl Yastrzemski Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( ; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year Major League career with the Bost ...

Baseball Hall of Famers

References

External links

*
Notre Dame Baseball 2021 Record Book
{{Atlantic Coast Conference baseball navbox