Jan. 6, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame has been picked to finish seventh in the 2011 BIG EAST preseason baseball poll, as determined by a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches. The Irish received a total of 56 points.
Notre Dame returns 21 monogram winners, five position starters and two of its weekend starting pitchers. The Irish will also welcome 10 newcomers this spring, the largest recruiting class in recent memory.
Connecticut was selected as the favorite. The Huskies received nine first-place votes and a total of 117 points. St. John’s was picked to finish second in the conference, receiving two first-place votes and 107 total points. Louisville was the coaches’ pick to finish third, having received one first-place vote and 105 points.
Rounding out the preseason poll in predicted order of finish are USF (87 points), Pittsburgh (82), Rutgers (75), Cincinnati (56), Notre Dame, West Virginia (38), Villanova (31), Seton Hall (25) and Georgetown (13).
The Irish will open the 2011 season in the Dunedin/St. Petersburg area for the third annual BIG EAST-Big Ten Baseball Challenge on Feb. 18-20. Notre Dame plays at 4:00 p.m. on Friday against Michigan State at Dunedin Stadium, 4:00 p.m. on Saturday against Purdue at Al Lang/Progressive Energy Park and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday against Penn State at the Naimoli Complex.
Season tickets are available by contacting the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356; visiting the ticket windows at the Purcell Pavilion ticket office located between gates 8 and 10 of Purcell Pavilion or ordering on-line with a major credit card at www.UND.com/tickets. Full season packages are $50 per person for adults and $30 per person for youth/senior, while four-ticket “Fan Packs” are $120 for individuals. Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross students, faculty and staff are admitted free for all regular-season home games with valid ID at Eck Stadium.
2011 Preseason BIG EAST Baseball Coaches' Poll1. Connecticut (9) 1172. St. John's (2) 1073. Louisville (1) 1054. USF 875. Pittsburgh 826. Rutgers 757. Notre Dame 56 Cincinnati 569. West Virginia 3810. Villanova 3111. Seton Hall 2512. Georgetown 13
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year: George Springer, OF, ConnecticutPreseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Matt Barnes, RHP, Connecticut
Preseason All-BIG EAST TeamPos. Name, Class, School Key 2010 StatsP Matt Barnes, Sr., Connecticut * 8-3, 3.92 ERA, 82.2 IP, 75K, 25 BB, .257 OBAP Matt Iannazzo, Jr., Pittsburgh 11-2, 3.76 ERA, 93.1 IP, 58 K, 22 BB, .289 OBAP Kyle Hansen, So., St. John's 8-3, 3.71 ERA, 94.2 IP, 85 K, 38 BB, .227 OBAP Randy Fontanez, Sr., USF 5-7, 3.59 ERA, 110.1 IP, 105 K, 28 BB, .241 OBAP Andrew Barbosa, Sr., USF 8-2, 2.40 ERA, 86.1 IP, 95 K, 22 BB, .228 OBAC Erick Fernandez, Sr., Georgetown .315, 5 HR, 29 RBIC Kevan Smith, Sr., Pittsburgh .361, 5 HR, 46 RBI1B Mike Nemeth, Sr., Connecticut * .386, 15 HR, 84 RBI2B Ryan Wright, Jr., Louisville * .366, 16 HR, 80 RBI, 10 SBSS Steve Nyisztor, So., Rutgers .410, 4 HR, 51 RBI, 11 SB3B Grant Buckner, Sr., West Virginia .363, 8 HR, 50 RBIOF George Springer, Jr., Connecticut * .337, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 33 SBOF Stewart Ijames, Jr., Louisville .324, 14 HR, 63 RBIOF Jeremy Baltz, So., St. John's * .396, 24 HR, 85 RBIDH Kevin Vance, Jr., Connecticut .322, 7 HR, 36 RBIDH Ryan Kapp, Jr., Rutgers .318, 9 HR, 39 RBI* - unanimous selection
— ND —