Nov. 25, 2015

by Tony Jones

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Registration is now open for a pair of instructional opportunities presented by the University of Notre Dame softball team early in the 2016 calendar year. The Irish will host their first Elite Team Camp on Jan. 30 before offering the traditional Irish Softball Clinic on Jan. 31 on the Notre Dame campus.

Head coach Deanna Gumpf and the Notre Dame coaching staff will offer its open Irish Elite Team Camp to players in seventh through 12th grade, with the camp session limited to the first 56 players to register. Each camper will be placed on one of four teams and will engage in offensive, defensive, and a coaches chalk talk session before playing two one-hour games.

The Irish Softball Elite Team Camp is designed for higher level club or school level softball players, with team sizes limited to 14 players. The cost of the camp session is $200.00 per player, to be paid in full in cash at the door on camp day. Registration forms are available HERE . Interested participants are asked to follow the registration procedure located on page two.

Notre Dame’s annual winter clinic will commence the following day split between the Loftus Sports Center and the indoor batting cages at baseball’s Frank Eck Stadium. The five-session clinic, featuring instruction from the Notre Dame coaching staff and select players, is officially scheduled from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (ET) and is open to players ages 5-18.

The day’s first instructional period, “Pitching to Success: Power, Spin, Location,” is slated to run from 8-9:30 a.m. inside the Loftus Sports Center. The unique training session will take pitchers through 90 minutes of drills and instruction aimed at strengthening power, maximizing speed, and improving location. Each pitcher will need a parent to catch specific drills during the session, with the session limited to 25 pitchers.

Catchers will also take part in an 8-9:30 session, “Skills and Drills for Developing a Dominant Catcher,” inside the Loftus Sports Center. Catchers will attain helpful drills, game knowledge, and other key information necessary to catch at the Division I level. All catchers are required to bring their own gear, with the session limited to 20 catchers.

Rounding out the 8-9:30 window will be a combined offensive/defensive period entitled, “Five Minute Fundamentals that Lead to Greatness.” Players will rotate through five-minute fundamental drills that cover all aspects of the game of softball. Each offensive, defensive, and baserunning drill has been selected by the Irish softball team, and will build the foundation of becoming an elite level player. The session will take place in the Loftus Sports Center and is limited to 40 players.

A defensive-specific instructional session, “Irish Defensive Practice,” is set for 9:30-11 a.m. at the Loftus Sports Center. Players will engage in specific defensive drills by position that the Irish utilize in game preparation, as well as team related drills to enhance overall defensive skill development. All positions are welcome to register, with the session capped at 50 players.

After a one-hour break, “Hit, With the Irish” will take place from 12-1:30 p.m. inside the indoor batting cages at Eck Stadium. Each participant will be matched with a Notre Dame hitter and go through drills and swing analysis with their Irish mentor. The unique clinic opportunity will couple extensive drill work and mentorship along with instruction. The session will be limited to 40 hitters.

The final session of the clinic, “Competitive Irish Hitting,” caps the day of instruction from 1:30-3 p.m. inside the batting cages at Eck Stadium. Participants will learn how to effectively train like an elite Division I hitter, combining lecture, drills, and competitions. The session is limited to 40 hitters.

All sessions at the 2016 Irish Softball Clinic are $75 per player, with the clinic registration form available HERE . Interested participants are asked to follow the registration procedure located on page two.

For additional information on the 2016 Irish Softball Elite Team Camp and annual winter softball clinic, contact Notre Dame associate coach Kris Ganeff at Ganeff.2@nd.edu.

For the latest news and updates on all things Notre Dame softball, visit www.und.com/softball, follow the Irish @NDsoftball and @NDcoachGumpf on Twitter and at Instagram.com/notredamesoftball, and Like the team at Facebook.com/NDSoftball.

Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.