RAWHIDE AND PIGSKIN

South Bend Cubs Righty Connor Noland Has Lived His Dream Both On The Mound And Gridiron

By: Brendan King

On October 20, 2018 as a truefreshman at the University of Arkansas, South Bend Cubs right-handed pitcher Connor Noland prepared for his first career start on a Saturday afternoon. Getting set to face the University of Tulsa, Noland had prepared all week for the game action, especially getting his arm strength ready to go. The only thing was, this start was not on a baseball diamond, not even anything baseball related. He was hitting the gridiron, as the starting quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Noland, who of course has now pursued a career of professional baseball, committed to the Razorbacks as a dual-sport athlete to play both baseball and football. Just like around here at Notre Dame when Jeff Samardzija or Golden Tate played both sports. The only thing with Noland that was different from those guys, is he was the QB, not wide receivers.

The sacrifice to take on a commitment like that isn’t very easy to comprehend. All the hours not only on the practice field for both sports, but also watching tape, working out, preparing for opponents, and not to mention your school work. But that’s who Connor Noland is. A workhorse. And he was ready for the opportunity to lead the Razorbacks both on the mound and in the pocket.

“I was pretty much only doing football in the fall and then going to baseball in January,” Noland said. “That first year was all football from the summer until January 1, but then I walked right over to baseball after that. The challenge was doing spring football and baseball at the same time. It was a struggle to start.”

On any given day in the Spring, Noland would attend any and all classes, go to football meetings and practice, followed by going to the baseball building and focusing on who the Razorbacks were playing next on the diamond. What he came to find is that he possessed the mental fortitude to do something like that. But eventually, a decision of Noland’s future would have to be made.

“Both the baseball and football coaches communicated but I would still have to pop back-and-forth to practices and do those at the same time,” Noland said. “The school did a great job with a flexible schedule.”

This game of hot potato between sports lasted for Noland’s freshman year. His first and only start against Tulsa on that sunny October day in Fayetteville created a lasting memory that he still reminisces on to this day. The Arkansas starter was injured, and Noland’s number was called.

Noland, from the nearby Arkansas town of Greenwood, was an All-State high school also was noteworthy. As a true freshman, Noland posted a very respectable 4.02 ERA in 20 games with 55 strikeouts. The strikeout numbers ultimately helped him sway to baseball.

... continued from previous page. quarterback and pitcher. On the gridiron though, he lead Greenwood High School to a 13-0 record and a 6A state title his senior year. That kind of experience allowed him to go against Tulsa with no issue. In his first and only college start, Noland delivered a shutout performance for the Hogs as Arkansas crushed them 23-0 for their first shutout in over four years. Noland threw for 124 yards with a touchdown and forever has that on his permanent record.

“After my sophomore year of high school my velocity picked up and I started getting some more attention on the baseball side,” Noland said. “So that’s when I had the idea of doing both and maybe I’m not just a football guy. It was mainly football over baseball in high school. Our school was known for football and that’s actually the sport I got my first offer in.”

The decision was eventually made, and Noland would go to baseball full time. As he was ready to lead the Arkansas pitching staff following his good freshman year appetizer, Noland’s usage with the Hogs dropped for the next two years. The main reason? The pandemic.

The hometown Hog appeared in three other games in a back-up role for Arkansas that year, with two of the games coming on the road in the SEC versus Mississippi State and Missouri.

At some point through all of this though, baseball clicked. As he tried to balance spring football and baseball, Noland’s freshman year on the mound with the Razorbacks

COVID-19 hit at the wrong time for Noland coming off that freshman campaign. Due to the pandemic, Noland only threw in three total starts his sophomore year, and be it, all outings were terrific. He had a 2.00 ERA in those three games. But with the pandemic, came things changing. Noland’s junior year, he was only used out of the bullpen, and his ERA went up to over 6.00.

Something had to change. And the rise back into the Hogs rotation starting with his off-season work, ironically, with a familiar face now into his pro career. During Noland’s time in Fayetteville, the Arkansas baseball strength and conditioning coach was Blaine

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Kinsley. Since September of 2022, Kinsley has been the Director of Strength & Conditioning and Performance Nutrition with the Chicago Cubs.

Kinsley isn’t the only familiar face that Noland is working with in pro ball either. But more on that later. Together, Kinsley and Noland developed a plan that worked for the off-season, and away they went.

Eventually the time came to embark on his senior season. And Noland was ready. He delivered, and then some. In the same amount of games he pitched as a freshman, Noland posted a 3.65 ERA in 20 games as a senior and won eight ballgames for the Hogs. He struck out 113 batters in 116 innings. He was the only SEC pitcher to throw 100 or more innings, and the only Razorback to have 100-plus strikeouts.

On an unusually warm evening in early April, Noland sets to deliver the first pitch of the home opener at Four Winds Field.

Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly.

Lights’ story. All those miles covered had him keep the exact same end goal, one that he knew he could attain when he became a teenager.

“My last year when I played summer ball in Reno I played with the local varsity team out there when I was 14,” Noland said. “I traveled around with them and got my first taste of higher level baseball. That helped me figure out if I keep at it I could have a chance at making it.”

As a 14-year-old playing with varsity players, that means Noland was pitching to hitters often times four years older than him. He began his career as a youngster as a catcher behind the plate, which Noland says can help give a pitcher an appreciation for what they do on the mound when they know what it takes to be behind the plate.

From that point, enter the Chicago Cubs. Jed Hoyer and his team decided to take Noland with their 9th-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft.

The selection by the Cubs helped Noland realize a dream that covered many different stops as a kid. His family moved around quite a bit, starting in Greenwood, Arkansas, then Tampa, Florida, followed by a short stay in Reno, Nevada, and then back to Greenwood where he lived out his own ‘Friday Night

Eventually at Arkansas, Noland would meet someone that has had a large effect on him through his pro career. His South Bend Cubs teammate Casey Opitz. As Opitz has been a Chicago Cubs prospect for a similar amount of time, Noland and Opitz have had a similar trajectory together. Up until the last week of May, Opitz caught ever single one of Noland’s pro starts, much like college.

You don’t often see a Minor League pitcher have a personal catcher, but it’s