Jan. 13, 2016

Feature On Youngdahl From 2015

By Russell Dorn

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Former University of Notre Dame baseball standout Robert Youngdahl has joined the Irish program as its volunteer assistant coach, sixth-year head coach Mik Aoki announced recently.

Youngdahl takes over for former volunteer assistant coach Adam Pavkovich, who joined the Georgia State baseball program in August as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

With the Irish Youngdahl will oversee camps, coach the outfielders, assist with hitting and coach first base during games among other duties.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to be the volunteer assistant coach,” said Youngdahl. “I really enjoyed my time playing here and wasn’t ready to leave. I look forward to helping our players continue to develop and build off the success and culture we are starting to create here. This team is incredibly talented and I’m excited to see where all the hard work we put in as a team will lead us to.”

Youngdahl, who completed an economics degree from the College of Arts & Letters in December, finished up his two-year Irish career last May. After transferring from Iowa Western Junior College in the fall of 2013, the New Brighton, Minnesota native overcame an up-and-down 2014 campaign to produce a standout senior season.

He started 59 games and appeared in all 60 contests in 2015, hitting .290 with 20 doubles, seven homers, 46 RBI, 18 walks, seven stolen bases and 35 runs to earn third team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors. The right fielder led his team in doubles and RBI and finished second in homers and hits.

For his career Youngdahl earned two monograms and had a slash line of .263/.430/.322 with 109 hits, 27 doubles, six triples, 10 homers, 63 RBI, 32 walks, 10 stolen bases and 54 runs scored. Youngdahl also doubled as a LHP and tallied a 1-1 mark and a 1.80 ERA in eight appearances over 20.0 innings on the mound.

“Rob is obviously really familiar with Notre Dame and our program and his maturity and temperament make him a great fit for our team,” said Aoki.

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Under the direction of Aoki, a veteran coaching staff and co-captains Lane Richards & James Nevant, the Irish return 20 monogram winners, the entire infield including Rawlings Gold Glove winner Cavan Biggio (2B) and third team all-Atlantic Coast Conference performer Kyle Fiala (3B), their starting catcher in Johnny Bench Award candidate Ryan Lidge and 472.2 of 554.2 innings on the mound in 2016 from a team that went 37-23 overall and finished tied for third during the regular season in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference before advancing to their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2006.

The Irish kick off the 2016 season February 19-21 in Santa Clara, California for a three-game set with the Santa Clara Broncos.

For more information on the Notre Dame baseball, follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDBaseball), Twitter (@NDBaseball) and Instagram (notredamebaseball).

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Russell Dorn, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2011 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame volleyball, rowing and baseball programs. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Dorn graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history before earning his master’s degree in sports communications from Georgia State University in 2011.