New Notre Dame baseball coach Link Jarrett will have no shortage of quality players on his roster during his first season with the Irish. The 21st coach in program history will begin their season on February 14th with two preseason All-American’s on his roster. Joe Boyle, reliever, and 3B Niko Kavadas were both named 3rd team All-American by Baseball American team prior to the start of the season.
Kavadas led the Irish last year in multiple categories, home runs, RBI, OBP and slugging while scoring the second most runs with the second-best batting average on the team. The junior coming off an impressive summer season in the well-respected Cape Cod League where he led the circuit in homers and was an All-Star.
Boyle brings the heat when he’s on the bump, registering 39 strikes out last year in only 25.2 innings. That comes out to a very impressive 13.87 K/9 which plays at all levels. Boyle joined Kavadas as a Cape Cod All-Star this summer, showing that he can improve from an average 5.96 ERA. Boyle was a bit wild last year with 6 errand pitches but held opponents to an impressive .157 batting average.
Last year the Irish finished a disappointing season with a 24-30 record, which led to former head coach Mik Aoki not getting his contract renewed. During his tenure with the Irish, he led them to one NCAA tournament appearance and an overall record of 248-253-1. Jarrett comes with high expectations, known for working well with his hitters, compiled a 215-166 record while the head man at UNC Greensboro. This upcoming baseball season should be an exciting one for the Irish.