great athleticism and defensive instincts, but will need to work on his hitting to play on a consistent basis (although he did go 2-for-7 with a pair of walks and two runs scored in the BlueGold World Series).
Season Preview our best throwing arm in the outfield and has deceptive power at the plate. I’m looking for a big year out of him.” Mills (Battle Creek, Mich.) has been a model of consistency in the two-hole of the Notre Dame lineup over his career, as he has compiled a .335 average to go along with 54 RBI, 57 runs, and 16 stolen bases (20 attempts). A 2008 first-team all-BIG EAST selection, Mills has struck out just 35 times in 319 career at bats and posted a 1.41 walk-to-strikeout ratio last season (24 walks, 17 strikeouts), good for third in the BIG EAST. He also has 27 career sacrifice bunts to his name (including a school-record 19 in 2008) and will be called on often to bunt this season, as the Irish will need to move runners after losing the top two base stealing threats in Pollock and Tate (who swiped a combined 34 bases in 39 tries last season). “He’s a guy that’s just been really steady all through his career here. Two years ago he did a really good job as far as bunting and moving runners over, and that’s something that he needs to get back to doing a little bit more. He’s gotten bigger and a little bit stronger, and I think he’s going to be able to drive the ball more than he has in the past as well.” Grosso (Marlborough, Conn.) collected seven hits in 44 at bats for the Irish last season, but after two multi-hit games in his first three starts, he suffered through an 0-for-17 slump and had just three plate appearances after April 1. However, Grosso improved significantly this fall and will benefit from regular playing time in 2010, likely at designated hitter. “He played a little bit last year, but because of the way he got an at bat here and an at bat there, he was too aggressive at the plate and was trying too hard. He’s definitely a guy who is a really pure hitter and has probably the best hitting mechanics on our team. He just has to relax a little bit and take every at bat and have some fun with it. With that approach, he really had a nice fall.” Grosso and Robinson (Dallas, Texas) open the season as the primary outfield backups, with Robinson also giving the Irish an option as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. The switch-hitter went 1-for-9 with a sacrifice bunt in 12 games of action last season. Seniors Billy Boockford (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Bill Warrender (Collegeville, Pa.) round out the contingent of six Irish senior outfielders (seven if you throw Intlekofer into the mix). Boockford brings a wealth of experience, having appeared in 79 games (59 starts) in his three-year career; he batted .275 with 10 doubles, 26 RBI, and 10 sacrifice bunts in 2008. His 14 total sacrifices (also four sacrifice flies) that season rank as the ninth-most in ND single-season history. Warrender started all three games for the Blue squad in the 2009 Blue-Gold World Series, nothing a hit, a stolen base, and an RBI in eight at bats; he has three career regular-season at bats for the Irish. The Irish add freshman outfielder Charlie Markson (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) as well, while his high school teammate David Casey could also see time in the corner outfield spots this year. Markson possesses OUTFIELDERS (9) No. Name 2 Alex Robinson 5 David Mills 8 Matt Grosso 10 Ryan Connolly 12 Brayden Ashdown 17 Billy Boockford 20 Charlie Markson 33 Ty Adams 41 Bill Warrender
40
Yr. SO SR SR SR SR SR FR JR SR
B-T B/R L/L L/L R/R R/R R/R L/R R/R R/R
Ht. 6-0 5-9 5-10 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-2 6-6 6-1
Wt. 170 165 175 190 180 195 180 235 190
The Pitchers
Arguably the biggest strength of the Irish team this spring is the pitching staff, which returns the entire weekend rotation and 57 of 59 starts from a year ago. 2009 second-team allBIG EAST selection and junior Cole Johnson returns to head up the weekend rotation once again, while junior Brian Dupra and 2008 allBIG EAST pick Eric Maust are also back. With the emergence of sophomore lefty Steve Sabatino, Notre Dame has four viable weekend starters. “The thing is, when you get to the conference tournament at the end of the year, you need four starters. If you can have four solid guys, you have a chance to go deep in the tournament. And we’ve talked a lot as a staff about the possibility of going right-left-right. We had some pretty good success with that a couple years ago, when we were able to go with (David) Phelps and follow him up with lefty (Wade) Korpi, two different types of guys. That’s definitely a consideration.” Johnson went 7-3 with a 4.47 ERA a year ago, allowing just 87 hits in 94.2 innings while holding the opposition to a .249 clip. Beginning at the end of March, the Hudson, Ohio product completed an amazing run in which he tossed at least 9.0 innings in three consecutive starts, Junior RHP Brian Dupra will serve as Notre Dame’s No. 2 or even working into the tenth inning (9.2 IP) on No. 3 starter in 2010. The right-handed hurler went 6-5 with a April 9 at Cincinnati. (No Notre Dame pitcher 7.13 ERA in 82.0 innings of work in 2009. Dupra led the Irish had pitched more than 9.0 innings in a game staff with three complete games last year. since Aaron Heilman worked 10.0 innings on April 15, 2000 against West Virginia.) He worked at least 6.0 innings in all but three of his 14 starts and his .700 winning percentage was the best of any rotation. Psychologically, it makes a big difference, because pitcher in the Schrage era (minimum eight deci- you know what you’re getting and the team knows what they’re getting.” sions). Sabatino (Lockport, Ill.) will look to build on a “I think when you have a guy like Cole, who is an all-conference guy coming back, the question is, solid freshman season in which he went undefeated ‘Now how does he get better?’ How he gets better is (3-0) in five starts (seven appearances), allowing 29 to make three pitches really good instead of two. And hits in 32.2 innings with a 3.86 ERA. He showed that’s what Cole has done. He’s added a few things to flashes of brilliance (nine strikeouts in his debut his pitches as far as with his fastball, and he’s against Grambling) but was hampered by control improved his breaking ball and improved his chan- problems, as he walked at least three batters in five of his appearances. Sabatino made great strides in the geup, which he needed to do.” Despite allowing 176 hits in 128.1 career innings, fall, however, benefiting from the tutelage of Dupra (Rochester, N.Y.) has still posted a winning Dangler. “Steve Sabatino was our most improved pitcher in record (9-8) and an impressive 3.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio (78 strikeouts, 26 walks) in two seasons. His the fall. Through Coach Dangler, he worked on his career average of 1.82 walks per nine innings ranks slider a bunch, and that’s a nice little other pitch for fourth in ND history. In addition, Dupra has led the him that he didn’t have last year.” The quartet of sophomore Ryan Richter, junior Irish in complete games each of the past two seasons. The last Notre Dame pitcher to lead the team in Ryan Sharpley, freshman Patrick Veerkamp, and complete games three consecutive seasons was (you senior Billy Boockford figures to share the long relief and midweek starting duties. Richter comes off a sucguessed it) Aaron Heilman from 1999-2001. “Dupra has improved his slider a lot, and that to cessful season in which he was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American, while Sharpley me will be a big plus for him,” noted Schrage. Maust (Alpharetta, Ga.) notched one of two com- returns from a shoulder injury that caused him to plete-game shutouts for the Irish last season, blanking miss the 2009 campaign. Richter notched a 5-2 record his rookie season to West Virginia 3-0 on five hits on April 19, a day after the Mountaineers scored 19 runs and 706 days after go along with a 3.86 ERA. The southpaw out of West Virginia’s last South Bend St. Joseph’s High School excelled both shutout loss. The out of the bullpen and in BIG EAST play; in relief, senior boasts an he went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in 21.1 innings (oppoHometown (Previous School) impressive 14-6 nents batted just .178), while in conference action, Dallas, TX (First Baptist Academy) career record with 58 Richter picked up a victory and allowed just one hit Battle Creek, MI (Lakeview) walks and 104 strike- to the 23 batters he faced (1.42 ERA, .059 oppoMarlborough, CT (RHAM/Maine/UConn) outs in 199.2 career nents’ average). Binghamton, NY (Binghamton) The Irish missed the right arm of Ryan Sharpley frames. Tucson, AZ (Catalina Foothills) “If we’re going to (Marshall, Mich.) last season after he showed the abilGlen Ellyn, IL (Glenbard West) get to the tournament, ity to dominate in 2008, allowing just 20 hits in 32.2 Whitefish Bay, WI (Whitefish Bay) it will be great to have innings (5.51 per nine innings, ninth in ND history) Indianapolis, IN (Brebeuf Jesuit) a veteran guy like while going 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA. The junior will Collegeville, PA (LaSalle Collegiate) Maust to pitch in our likely be a bit limited at the beginning of the year,
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