Feb. 20, 2001
Notre Dame sophomore rightfielder Brian Stavisky (Port Allegany, Pa.) lived up to his preseason billing as a first team All-American and BIG EAST player of the year, earning national player-of-the-week honors after batting .692 (9-for-13) and reaching base on 10 consecutive plate appearances at last week’s National Bank of Commerce Classic.
Stavisky was recognized by Collegiate Baseball magazine as the national player of the week while the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association tabbed Stavisky as its national “hitter of the week”. The 6-3, 220-pound lefthander also earned the first BIG EAST player-of-the-week award for the 2001 season.
Stavisky’s rare 10 consecutive times on base included hits in his final two at-bats versus New Orleans on Feb. 17 and a 3-for-3 effort (with two walks) later that day versus host Mississippi State. In the final game of the NBC Classic, he then collected hits in his first three ABs versus MSU-yielding 10 straight times on base.
A strikeout to open the eighth inning halted Stavisky’s streak (he had hits in eight of his first 10 ABs overall) and his final at-bat was a hard-hit lineout to center field in the 11th inning of that 4-2 win.
In addition to the nine hits, Stavisky’s weekend production from the cleanup spot included three walks, three RBI, three runs scored, two triples, two doubles, 15 total bases, a stolen base and two strikeouts.
His nine hits included a sixth-inning RBI triple in Sunday’s game, plating Alec Porzel with the day’s first run. In the first win over MSU, Stavisky doubled in the fifth inning and scored for a 6-5 lead (the Irish went on to win 7-5).
Current Irish senior righthanded pitcher Aaron Heilman (Logansport, Ind.) was named by CB as the national pitcher of the week twice during the 2000 season, following his 12-strikeout game in a 6-4 win over Georgia on March 5 and his 18-K game at West Virginia on April 15 (a 3-1, 10-inning win).
Stavisky’s 10 straight times on base included a wide variety of at-bats, with three first-pitch hits (one RBI double, one RBI triple), four hits with two strikes (one RBI triple), two leadoff hits and a two-out RBI double.
Here’s how his 10 straight times on base broke down:
(1) Single off the first baseman, one out, 2-2 count (7th inning ofUNO game)
(2) First-pitch RBI triple to right-center, no outs (9th inning)
(3) First-pitch RBI double, two outs (1st inning, Saturday vs. MSU)
(4) Walk on 3-1 pitch with one out (3rd)
(5) Doubled down the RF line, no outs, after fouling off 1-2 pitch
(5th)
(6) Walk on a 3-1 pitch with one out (7th)
(7) Single to right on a 2-1 count with one out (9th)
(8) First-pitch, leadoff single to gap in left-center (2nd inning,
Sunday vs. MSU)
(9) Leadoff single to left field, on 1-2 pitch (4th inning)
(10) RBI triple to right-center, on 2-2 pitch with no outs (6th
inning)