Chuck Ristano 2021-22 Baseball Staff

Through 12 seasons at the University of Notre Dame, Chuck Ristano has produced 17 Major League draft picks on the mound, a team ERA under 4.00 in eight seasons and 13 all-conference selections from the pitching staff. He led Irish hurlers to three consecutive seasons with a walks per nine innings rate lower than 3.00 for the first time in program history.

The 2022 season was Ristano’s 12th in South Bend and he guided the Irish back to Omaha for the third time in program history and the first time in 20 years. The Irish knocked off No. 1 overall seed Tennessee in the Super Regionals, the second time in program history they defeated the No. 1 overall seed in the Super Regional round. They became the first program in NCAA history to have four wins all-time over the No. 1 overall seed in the Super Regional round. The Irish eclipsed the 40-win plateau for the first time since the 2006 season.

The pitching staff was one of the best in the ACC and the entire country during the season as they led the conference in team ERA (3.91) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.77). The Irish ranked eighth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (10.7) as they set a program record with 615 strikeouts as a staff in 2021. The Irish also ranked in the top-20 nationally in ERA (10th), hits allowed per nine innings (10th) and WHIP (14th).

Ristano oversaw another career season for left-hander John Michael Bertrand as he was a unanimous All-American in 2022. He earned All-American honors from all five publications and was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-American after earning his second master’s degree from Notre Dame. He was the first Irish starting pitcher to be named an All-American since Jeff Manship in 2009. Bertrand led the ACC in ERA (2.81) and innings pitched (109.0) and was named first team All-ACC for the second-straight season. He is the first Irish pitcher to earn back-to-back first team all-conference honors since Aaron Heilman did it for three-straight seasons from 1999-01.

Ristano also worked with freshman Jack Findlay as he earned Freshman All-American honors in his first season in South Bend. Findlay closed out three-straight games in the postseason and earned the win in the Super Regional clinching game against No. 1 Tennessee. Austin Temple also burst onto the scene as a graduate transfer as he led the ACC in opponent batting average (.200) and was ninth in the league in ERA (3.50).

In the 2021 season, the Irish pitching staff was amongst the ACC best and Ristano did a masterful job managing around keys injuries early in the season. The Irish finished the season ranked third in the ACC in ERA (3.95) and were the only school to have three pitchers ranked in the Top-10 in the ACC in ERA among qualified pitchers. The Irish ranked first in the conference in runs (205) and hits allowed (383) while also only allowing 17 stolen bases against, the fewest amongst ACC teams.

Ristano oversaw the career season by graduate transfer John Michael Bertrand. He led the Irish in a number of categories including wins (8), innings pitched (92.0), complete games (3), strikeouts (68) and starts (14). Bertrand earned First Team All-ACC honors and was the first Irish pitcher to garner first team conference honors since Adam Norton in 2013. In the South Bend Regional, Bertrand tossed a complete game shutout and was the first Irish pitcher to do so in the postseason since Danny Tamayo in the Starkville Regional in 2000.

A number of other Irish hurlers had career best seasons under Ristano’s watch in 2021. Transfer Tanner Kohlhepp was the top reliever out of the bullpen for the Irish and was used in a number of high leverage situations during the year. He led the team in appearances (23) while finishing second in wins (7), innings pitched (61.1), strikeouts (65) and ERA (3.08). Kohlhepp earned second team All-ACC honors following the regular season.

Aidan Tyrell had the best season of his career in 2021 and was the best pitcher in the postseason for the Irish. On the year, Tyrell set career best marks across the board and had two of his best starts in the postseason. He set a career high with 8.0 innings pitched in the win over Central Michigan to clinch the South Bend Regional. With the season on the line in the Starkville Super Regional, Tyrell held the Bulldogs to just one run over 7.1 innings pitched to force a game three. Tyrell finished the season with the best ERA (2.70) in the ACC among qualified pitchers.

During the 2020 season, Ristano’s staff was one of the toughest to get hits against in the country during the shortened season. The team finished the year with a .158 opponent batting average and led the ACC in hits allowed with 77, which was 25 less than the second place team in the league (GT – 102). The Irish pitchers led the ACC and ranked seventh nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.85).

Ristano guided junior Tommy Vail to his best season as an Irish after being named to the preseason NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. Vail had the lowest ERA (2.08) among Irish hurlers that threw at least eight innings during the year and finished second on the staff with 17.1 innings pitched. Vail tied Tommy Sheehan with the team lead in wins (3) while leading the team with 24 strikeouts.

Vail finished second in the NCAA in WHIP with a 0.46 mark after allowing just five hits and three walks on the season. Vail led the ACC in hits allowed with five and finished second in walks allowed (2) and opponent batting average (.086).

In the 2019 season, Ristano guided Cameron Junker and Shane Combs to career seasons and both got selected in the MLB Draft. Junker was drafted in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Combs was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 31st round. During the summer, Ristano was an assistant coach with the USA Baseball U17 Developmental Team which played games at Notre Dame, Wrigley Field and Miller Park.

Ristano’s arms helped Notre Dame set a new standard in the 2017 MLB Draft. Five of his pitchers were selected in the draft, with three of them (Peter Solomon, Sean Guenther and Brad Bass) going in the first seven rounds. It marked the most selections over the first seven rounds in school history and the third time Notre Dame has produced three picks in the opening 10 rounds of a single draft. All five of the Irish pitchers selected were juniors, who improved upon their selections out of high school.

The 2016 campaign saw a pair of Irish pitchers finish among the top six in the ACC and top 30 nationally in ERA, with Michael Hearne’s 1.77 ERA ranking third and Brandon Bielak sixth at 2.10. Additionally, Hearne ranked fourth in the league in WHIP at 0.97 and Peter Solomon posted a strikeouts per nine innings mark of 11.08 to rank third in the league.

As the Irish returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, Ristano’s pitching staff played a major role led by ace Ryan Smoyer who posted a 9-1 mark and 2.27 ERA to earn third team All-ACC honors. The young staff also saw Brad Bass (1.91 ERA) and Sean Guenther (2.72 ERA) collect Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America accolades.

Ristano’s staff helped the Irish navigate their first season in the ACC, posting a team ERA of 3.05 during the 2014 campaign. That mark ranked third in the conference as Notre Dame debuted in the ACC while playing just six games at Frank Eck Stadium due to construction delays during installation of a new playing field.

A pair of Irish pitchers earned All-BIG EAST honors in 2013. Dan Slania led the league in ERA (1.21) and saves (13), while Adam Norton was third nationally with three shutouts. The previous year, Will Hudgins led the BIG EAST with a 2.06 ERA.

Ristano’s impact was immediate in his first season (2011), which saw improvements from the year before in ERA (down to 3.42 from 5.95), quality starts (up to 33 from 11) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (up to 2.57 from 1.73).

Before joining the staff at Notre Dame, Ristano spent four seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Monmouth University in New Jersey. There he helped the Hawks to Northeast Conference titles and NCAA regional bids in 2007 and 2009. Three of his Monmouth pitchers were drafted, while a total of eight signed professional contracts, including 2007 NEC Pitcher of the Year Brad Brach. His 2006 staff set a Monmouth record with a 3.34 ERA which ranked eighth nationally, while his 2007 staff set the school benchmark for strikeouts at 374.

Ristano has also spent time as pitching coach at Sacred Heart and Temple. He was a two-time captain and four-year letterwinner at Sacred Heart (2001-04), where he also was a four-time NEC All-Academic honoree. He graduated from SHU with a degree in sports management in 2004.

Ristano and his wife, Notre Dame softball associate coach Lizzie (Lemire) Ristano, reside in Granger with their daughter, Jane and son, CJ.

Irish Pitchers In The Draft

• Brian Dupra
• Cole Johnson
• Will Hudgins
• Steve Sabatino
• Joe Spano
• Dan Slania
• Donnie Hissa
• Pat Connaughton
• Peter Solomon
• Sean Guenther
• Brad Bass
• Brandon Bielak
• Evy Ruibal
• Matt Vierling
• Cameron Junker
• Shane Combs
• Joe Boyle

Irish All-Conference Pitchers

• 2011: Brian Dupra (3rd, BE)
• 2012: Dan Slania (2nd, BE), Will Hudgins (2nd, BE)
• 2013: Adam Norton (1st, BE), Dan Slania (2nd, BE)
• 2015: Ryan Smoyer (3rd, ACC), Brandon Bielak (Freshman, ACC), Sean Guenther (Freshman, ACC)
• 2016: Matt Vierling (Freshman, ACC)
• 2017: Matt Vierling (3rd, ACC)
• 2021: John Michael Bertrand (1st, ACC), Tanner Kohlhepp (2nd, ACC)
• 2022: John Michael Bertrand (1st, ACC)