Tag: Fighting Irish Baseball

Newest Irish Baseball Commit Bonaparte wants to impress pro scouts

Notre Dame Baseball’s newest commit Karson Bonaparte has his eyes set on a big league future.

Link Jarrett saw his first season as the Irish baseball head coach end prematurely, but the seeds for an improvement over the Mik Aoki era were sown. The year ended with Notre Dame’s record a sparkling 11-2 and plenty of what if’s after the fantastic start.

It was enough to impress Illinois INF/P Karson Bonaparte to commit to Jarrett and the Irish. Bonaparte has a solid head on his shoulders, knowing that with a truncated 2020 MLB Draft he most likely was not going to be selected, so a decision had to be made and the Irish fit in his plans.

Bonaparte will work hard to show scouts that he can advance to the next level and contribute to a big league team. Fortunately for Jarrett and Notre Dame, Bonaparte won’t be heading off to the professional ranks any time soon.

Boyle only Notre Dame Baseball player Drafted

In a short draft, Notre Dame baseball had one player, pitcher Joe Boyle selected in the 2020 MLB Draft.

At the beginning of the second day of the MLB Draft, MLBNetwork showed a graphic of which pitchers had the best traits in the draft. Notre Dame pitcher Joe Boyle was given the designation of having the best fastball in the draft, but that doesn’t always equate to being drafted highly.

Boyle had to wait until the final round, the fifth, to hear his name called by the Cincinnati Reds, the 143rd overall pick. His pick value was estimated by MLB.com at $382,700 and the fourth-year junior has the option of returning to school.

It remains to be seen if Boyle will sign or stay in South Bend as the 6’7” and 240-pound pitcher has a life-changing decision to make. Although the draft was truncated this season, normally the draft consists of 40 rounds, getting drafted in the first 5 rounds is still an impressive feat. At his point in time, if I had to guess, Boyle will sign with the Reds and start his professional career when the minor leagues resume play.

Irish Baseball Star Myers Runs Up Top OF List

Notre Dame outfielder Spencer Myers recognized as one of the best in the country at his position.

Early this baseball season, Notre Dame centerfielder Spences Myers was running all over the basepaths against the Irish opponents. Myers was leading the NCAA in total steals with 15, had an NCAA high of 6 in a game, and led the nation in hits per game as well. Pretty impressive performance for the junior even in a shortened “season.”

Myers accomplishments did not go unnoticed as he was recognized as one of the best collegiate outfielders in the country by D1 Baseball. Ranked as the 27th best outfielder in the nation, is some high praise for the Florida native.

It was unfortunate that the season came to an abrupt end, Myers was well on his way to topping last years steals total of 28, but more importantly the Irish under first year coach Link Jarrett were making waves in the ACC. The 11-2 early season record indicated the coaching change was working well for the Irish, but who knows how the season would have turned out.

Myers was set to play in the Cape Cod League with the Wareham Gatemen, if you follow college baseball you know this is the most prestigious summer wood bat league a collegian can play in, but now that clearly won’t happen. Who knows how the MLB will handle their draft process this year, Myers very well could have been drafted if his early season progression continued, as we all sit and wait for answers. The answer we do know is that Myers was a demon on the basepaths and impressed people across the nation.

Seven-Eleven, Notre Dame Baseball Wins 7th in a Row, 11th Overall

Notre Dame Baseball goes on the road and defeats Radford 9-8 to keep win streak alive.

It didn’t come easy, but the Notre Dame Baseball team showed plenty of resilience on Wednesday night, battling back to get a 9-8 win over Radford in Virginia. The Highlanders jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, something the Irish aren’t accustomed to, making Link Jarrett’s team fight back from multiple deficits.

Starter Dominic Cancellieri gave up those three runs in two innings and the Irish got on the board in the 3rd when Catcher David LaManna drove in DH Carter Putz on a fielder’s choice. The offense got the game back to even at 3 in the top of the 4th after leftfielder Eric Gilgenbach tripled home SS Zach Prajzner and then LaManna singled home Gilgenbach.

Radford took back the lead in the bottom of the 4th off reliever Tommy Vail, but the Irish bat’s woke up and took the lead right back in the top of the 5th. First baseman Niko Kavadas blasted a 2-Run Homer to get the lead back, infielder Jared Miller stole 3rd and scored on an errand throw, 3B Jack Brannigan tripled home Gilgenbach, then CF Spencer Myers finished the scoring with a single bringing home Gilgenbach.

Although the Irish would give up three runs in the bottom of the 9th, they would escape Radford with a 9-8 win, Joe Boyle getting the save, their 7th in a row. The Irish win total now sits at 11, which took them until the end of March to attain last year, a stark contrast with Jarrett now at the helm.

The Irish have one more road series before their home opener, they travel to #2 Louisville this weekend for a 3-game set. It still remains to be seen what the NCAA will rule in regards to athletics with the COVID-19 epidemic.

Kavadas Homers Again, Notre Dame Baseball Defeats UNC 8-5 in ACC Opener

Notre Dame Baseball improved to 8-2 after beating North Carolina 8-5 in Chapel Hill.

Once again, the Irish offense got on the board early to stake ace Tommy Sheehan a lead to work with. Another long ball from 1B Niko Kavadas, his 6th of the year, in the second and three more runs in the third gave Sheehan a nice 4-0 early cushion in Chapel Hill.

The big blow in the second came off shortstop Zach Prajzner’s bat, as the other two runs weren’t as exciting with a 2B Jared Miller walk with the bases loaded and a Kavadas Sac-Fly.

Sheehan then gave up two in the bottom of the 4th to the Tar Heels, which ended his night and gave way to Tommy Vail. Vail was extremely effective giving up just three more runs in his five innings to close the game out.

The Irish got one back on CF Spencer Myers RBI single in the top of the 6th but Carolina made it a game in the bottom of the seventh, with Notre Dame keeping a 5-4 lead at the stretch.

Miller’s second RBI of the game in the top of the 8th gave the Irish a two-run lead once again and they never looked back.

Two more runs in the 9th off 3B Jack Brannigan’s double and DH Carter Putz scoring on a wild pitch. Although Vail gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, he still earned the win. First year manager Link Jarrett has to be ecstatic about this start, Notre Dame improving to 8-2 so far this year after the 8-5 win. The Irish look to win their 4th straight series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled at 2pm EST.