Feb. 9, 2006
The Notre Dame baseball team’s first game of the 2006 season is just two weeks away and Irish pitching coach Terry Rooney has stopped by at und.com to file a practice report, detailing the preseason progress of the Notre Dame pitching staff. Coach Rooney also will check in once more prior to the season opener, providing a more-detailed analysis of the Irish staff as they head into the promising 2006 season.
With the highly-successful 2006 Opening Night Dinner in the books, look for more preseason info. on the Irish in the days heading up to the season opener, with upcoming offerings including: a practice report from head coach Paul Mainieri; a practice report and “getting-to-know” feature with new assistant coach Cliff Godwin; the official season preview; updated player and coach biographies; a tribute to the impressive academic performance by the Irish baseball team during the 2005 fall semester; a recap of the ceremony that presented baseball athletic trainer Mike Bean with an honorary Notre Dame monogram; an update on the World Baseball Classic, with the U.S. roster pool including former Notre Dame greats Craig Counsell and Brad Lidge (ND was one of a handful of college teams with multiple alums in the player pool); an overview of the various preseason polls, all-star lists and national previews; some updated info. (sites, times, tournament home teams, etc.) on the ND 2006 schedule; the formal announcement of the season player diary lineup for collegebaseballinsider.com, with ND senior shortstop Greg Lopez set to be among the select group of weekly contributors.
Baseball Practice Report – 2006 Preseason #1 (Terry Rooney; Feb. 9)
“Preseason Recap – during the preseason weeks, the focus of the pitching staff is to:
1. Increase arm strength and arm endurance
2. Identify roles among the staff
3. Implement the “offensive/mental” side of pitching
4. Identify the strengths of each individual, to put them into situations that will allow them have the greatest chance of success.
“The first few weeks of the 2006 preseason, we have been able to accomplish this goal. The pitching staff carries a great amount of responsibility over the winter break. They must adhere to a very regimented throwing/conditioning routine that determines their preseason throwing schedule. Our focus is to increase the stamina in their arms and get them into the best physical shape.
“We were able to accomplish this goal over the break and this is a testament to the incredible leadership we have amongst our staff this year. The returning pitchers have guided the younger players, by showing them what it takes to become one of the top staffs in the nation. Tom Thornton is our senior on the staff and the leader that many look to. He is somebody who is diligent in his approach and knows no short-cuts. That is the reason for his success. He has proven on the field that he is one of the top pitchers in the BIG EAST and he has achieved that status through his workmanlike approach.
“We are very fortunate this year that we have a veteran starting rotation to begin the year. Thornton and Jeff Samardzija are proven winners in college baseball. Where they are vastly different in their repertoire but they are both ‘gamers’ who pitch in the clutch and exude confidence on the mound.
“As we near closer to the start of the season, our projected starters are increasing their throwing volume and the relievers have now reached their respective pitch counts and are now increasing their appearances while shortening their amount of throws.
“These two starters,along with Jeff Manship, are on their way to being game-ready and hope to position us to having one of the best rotations in the BIG EAST. Jeff Manship has regained his form of the past and is now 100-percent and ready to emerge as one of the top pitchers on our staff.Jeff is to be commended for his hard work over the last year. His dedication has put him in positionto become a key component to our staff.
“I have been so pleased with the progress of our junior and sophomore classes. It is a big transition from high school to college and that group of pitchers has come long way in the last year. They all have tremendous work ethics and they are now ready to be key contributors.
“The freshmen are showing that they too have learned what it takes to be successful and are getting better every day. As with all young pitchers, it is a matter of consistency. You strive to be able to make pitch-to-pitch adjustments, this comes through gaining a feel of your delivery and confidence. These young arms are on their wayto having great careers at Notre Dame.
“In the final weeks prior to opening day, we will begin to establish roles and continue to implement our offensive approach. I want our staff to be an aggressive/offensive staff that loves ‘challenge time’ and attacks hitters by getting to advantage counts. As each week goes by, their work-load will increase – but the constant that never changes is the mental approach of pitching offensive.
“I’ll be checking back in with you Notre Dame baseball fans once again before the season starts down in Millington. Thanks for your support and Go Irish!”
Terry Rooney