NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame baseball head coach Mik Aoki has announced Cameron Brown and Eric Gilgenbach will serve as captains for the upcoming 2019 campaign.
Brown (Lakewood, Colo./D’Evelyn) heads into his third season as one of most experienced arms returning for the Irish. Brown appeared in 18 games last season, made six starts and totaled 58.0 innings pitched. Brown only trails Tommy Sheehan (62.2 IP) for most innings returning on the staff. His best start last season came in a 2-1 midweek win over Kent State on March 28. Brown set a career high with 8.0 innings of three-hit baseball and struck out a career-high seven in the win.
“I couldn’t be more honored to be named captain because I take great pride in the influence I have on others. It is truly a humbling feeling to be attributed this honor by my teammates,” said Brown.
“Notre Dame is so much more than just a place to play baseball and get a good education. It is about tradition, excellence and being the best that you can be. Most of all, I see Notre Dame as a big family. I met numerous people here that I couldn’t imagine meeting anywhere else and for that I am super thankful.”
Gilgenbach (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek) had a breakout season during his junior campaign for the Irish. He led the team with a career-best 10 home runs, a team-high 45 RBI while slugging .506, which was second on the team. In ACC play, Gilgenbach hit at a .281 clip with five homers and 20 RBI. Following the season, Gilgenbach was named to the third team All-ACC, the first all-conference honor of his career.
“I am really humbled and honored to be named a captain for this season,” said Gilgenbach. “I feel that I have built some great relationships with these guys and I am really excited that they look at me as one of the leaders of this team.”
“What Notre Dame means to me has definitely changed over the past four years. When I first came here, I thought of it as a great place to come and play baseball with good academics. Now I see it as a place where I have developed as a baseball player, as a student, as a friend, in the community and most importantly as a person.”
Tune in this evening for a live press conference of the announcement from the baseball team room. It will be streamed live on Twitter at @NDBaseball and Facebook at Notre Dame Baseball.
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