NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame baseball team welcomed 13 new faces in its signing class. The Irish also announced the addition of two transfers in middle infielders Ethan Copeland and Michael Feliz.
“Overall a very talented group of young men,” said head coach Mik Aoki. “We are very much looking forward to the contributions that they will make to our team this season and in future seasons. The class fills needs in every position group (C, P, INF, & OF) and they come from every region of the country (west to east and north to south).”
The signing class includes six pitchers, three outfielders and four infielders and features student-athletes from seven different states.
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Class of 2020
Ethan Copeland, Middle Infielder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
- Transferred from Heartland Community College (HCC). Intends to major in sociology and is expected to graduate in 2020.
- Was named First Team All-Conference and All-Region Gold Glove after recording a .984 fielding percentage and batting .323 as a sophomore in 2018.
- Led his club teams (Diamond Dreams and Perfect Game) to five state championships.
- Was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, made the Dean’s List and was a two-time Academic All-American at HCC.
- Father Parrish played football at Penn.
- Ethan Carl Copeland is the son of Parrish and Julie Copeland. Has a brother, Eli, and a sister, Emma.
Michael Feliz, Middle Infielder (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey)
- Transferred from Chattahoochee Valley Community College. Majoring in marketing at the Mendoza College of Business and is expected to graduate in 2020.
- Appeared in 13 games last season at Chattahoochee Valley Community College.
- Played four games for the Irish during his freshman year in 2017.
- Named Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American and First Team All-Northeast Region in 2016.
- Brother Eric is a senior outfielder for the Irish.
- Michael Feliz is the son of Keila Ravelo.
Class of 2022
Jack Alexander, Catcher (Loch Lloyd, Missouri)
- Graduated from Mount Paran Christian School in May of 2018 and intends to major in business.
- Was named to the academic honor roll at Mount Paran Christian School.
- Played club baseball with East Cobb Baseball.
- Jack Nelson Alexander is the son of Joe and Michelle Alexander.
Ryan Carr, Outfielder (Saddle River, New Jersey)
- Graduated from Don Bosco Prep in June of 2018.
- Played club baseball with Time to Sign Sports and Wladyka Baseball, batting .459 before his senior year.
- As a senior, hit .395 with a .500 on-base percentage, nine stolen bases and 14 RBI.
- Was a member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, English Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
- Father James (’87) also attended Notre Dame.
- Ryan Patrick Carr is the son of James and Danielle. He has one brother, Nicholas.
Michiel Coetzee, Outfielder (Mahomet, Illinois)
- Graduated from Mahomet-Seymour High School in May of 2018.
- Earned four varsity letters in baseball, two in basketball and two in football.
- Was a member of National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society and was a four-time academic letter winner.
- Was named four-time all-conference, four-time all-area and two-time all-state.
- Hit .475 as a senior, en route to being named unanimous first team all-conference.
- Grew up in South Africa and his first language is Afrikaans.
- Michiel Christiaan Brooks Coetzee III is the son of Brooks and Hannelie Coetzee.
Henry Gladson, Pitcher (Chesterfield, Missouri)
- Graduated from Chaminade College Preparatory in May of 2018.
- As a senior, he threw a no-hitter and was second team All-Conference.
- Also played basketball for three years and was state champion in 2016.
- Played club baseball with the Missouri Warriors.
- Brother, Will, plays basketball at Princeton.
- Henry Gladson is the son of Bill and Gigi Gladson. Has an older brother, Will.
Zach Mazur, Catcher (West Palm Beach, Florida)
- Graduated from Oxbridge Academy in May of 2018 and intends to major in business.
- As a senior, batted .390 (23-59) with six extra-base hits and 17 RBI.
- Played club baseball with the FTB Rockets.
- Father, Scott, played baseball at Northwood University.
- Attended the same high school as fellow teammate Alex Rao.
- Zachary Alan Mazur is the son of Scott and Dawn Mazur. Has one brother, Dan.
Mitch Megias, Right-Handed Pitcher (Derry, New Hampshire)
- Graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School in May of 2018 and intends to major in finance.
- Went 4-3 with a 2.20 ERA over 41.1 innings as a senior.
- Led his team to back-to-back district titles and two regional runner-ups as a sophomore and junior. Was named First Team OCC-Ohio, First Team All-District, Mizuno All-Ohio and OCC Scholar Athlete.
- Placed first in the Business Services Operations Research event at the 2018 DECA International Career Development Conference and was a four-time honor roll member.
- Played club baseball with Bo Jackson Elite, the 81st ranked travel team in the country by Perfect Game.
- Mitchel Edward Megias is the son of Michael and Melanie Megias.
Will Mercer, Left-Handed Pitcher (Houston, Texas)
- Graduated from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in May of 2018 and intends to major in finance.
- As a senior, owned a 2.12 ERA with 1.3 strikeouts per inning. Batted .309 with a .442 on-base percentage. Was named to the 2018 All-District Team and the 2018 Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Academic All-State Team.
- Graduated magna cum laude and made the honor roll three times. Was the president of Athletes Taking Action and was a member of the Strake Jesuit Business Club.
- Attended the same high school as former Irish basketball player Joey Brooks.
- William Byers Mercer is the son of Mike and Betsy Mercer. Has one brother, Jack.
Zack Prajzner, Infielder (Carlsbad, California)
- Graduated from San Marcos High School in June of 2018 and intends to major in business.
- Was named two-time team captain and four-time All-Avocado East League in high school. Led his team to two CIF San Diego Section titles and two Avocado East League championships. Was named Avocado East League MVP as a junior and San Marcos High School Male Scholar Athlete of the Year as a senior.
- As a senior, hit .379 with a .984 fielding percentage, going 2-0 on the mound with a 2.27 ERA and 21 strikeouts.
- Played club baseball for San Diego Show and was named team captain and two-time Perfect Game MLK West Champions.
- Was a member of National Honor Society and volunteered with Roses for Our Senior Friends and the ChildFund.
- Zachary Christopher Prajzner is the son of Christopher and Beth Prajzner. Has one sister, Chloe.
Carter Putz, Infielder (Belton, Missouri)
- Graduated from Bishop Miege High School in May of 2018 and intends to major in business.
- Earned four varsity letters in baseball and three in football.
- Guided his team to a state runner-up finish in baseball, batting .460 (40-87) with 13 extra-base hits and 23 RBI.
- Led his football team to three state titles. Collected 2,844 passing yards and 38 touchdowns while rushing for 596 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior.
- Was a member of National Honor Society, received the Academic Achievement Award (4.2 GPA or better) and landed on the Academic Honor Roll.
- Grandfather Gary Gibboney played baseball and swam at Ball State.
- Carter David Putz is the son of David and Jennifer Putz. Has two brothers, Jude and Rohan.
Alex Rao, Right-Handed Pitcher (Hobe Sound, Florida)
- Graduated from Oxbridge Academy in May 2018 and intends to major in business.
- Earned four varsity letters in baseball and one in football.
- Finished his four-year career with a 10-10 record, a 2.92 ERA (50 ER/119.2 IP) and 167 strikeouts, including going 3-3 with a 2.08 ERA (10 ER/33.2 IP) as a senior.
- Attended the same high school as fellow teammate Zach Mazur.
- Alexander Francis Rao is the son of Edward and Susan Rao. Has an older brother, Edward.
Evan Tenuta, Right-Handed Pitcher (Orland Park, Illinois)
- Graduated from Carl Sandburg High School in May of 2018 and plans on majoring in accounting.
- Won Perfect Game WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship and 2017 Perfect Game Underclass High Honorable Mention and 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American.
- Helped his team to four conference titles. Led the team to the Super-Sectional game of the 2017 state playoffs, starting on the mound and snapping the opponent’s 23-game postseason win streak.
- Was a member of the Debate Team, Student Council, National Honor Society, National Spanish Honors Society, Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Tutoring Group and was a Senior Physical Education Leader.
- Received the Athletic Booster Foundation scholarship, recorded 107.5 community service hours in high school and finished in the top 10-percent of the graduating class.
- Evan Paul Tenuta is the son of Paul and Kelly Tenuta. Has two brothers, William and Grant.
Aidan Tyrell, Left-Handed Pitcher (Joliet, Illinois)
- Graduated from Joliet Catholic Academy in the spring of 2018. Intends to major in business.
- Led Joliet Catholic to four conference baseball championships. Was named East Suburban Catholic Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year as a junior and East Suburban Catholic Conference Player of the Year as a senior.
- Was a volunteer for Remembering “G” Foundation and a member of NHS.
- Grandfather Bernard Donald Tyrell (’51) attended Notre Dame.
- Attended the same high school as Rudy Ruettiger.
- Aidan Michael Tyrell is the son of Thomas and Karen Tyrell. Has brothers, Ian and Keegan, and a sister, Spencer.
Jack Zyska, Outfielder (Berkeley Heights, New Jersey)
- Graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in June of 2018.
- Competed with the New Jersey 9ers in high school and received 2018 Perfect Game All-American Honorable Mention and 2018 Perfect Game First Team All-Region (Northeast).
- As a senior, helped his team win the regular season SEC title and finish with a 24-5 record. Batted .364 on the year. Won the Coaches Award for representation of the team by word and example.
- Attended the same high school as Irish basketball player TJ Gibbs.
- Was awarded the Monsignor Thomas J Tuohy Medallion for graduating Magna Cum Laude (cumulative GPA of 4.25-4.5 in all four years).
- Was involved in Knights of Setonia and the Wounded Warrior project at Seton Hall Prep. Also was elected as a peer leader at Seton Hall Prep, where he mentored 19 freshmen each day.
- Jack Elias Zyska is the son of Pablo and Michele Zyska. Has one brother, Lucas, and one sister, Lauren.
–ND–