The University of Notre Dame currently has five players in Major League Baseball: Craig Counsell (1989-92), Milwaukee Brewers; John Axford (2002-03), Milwaukee Brewers; Aaron Heilman (1998-01), Arizona Diamondbacks; Brad Lidge (1997-98), Philadelphia Phillies; and Jeff Samardzija (2004-06), Chicago Cubs. (note: years denote their time in South Bend, not service with the stated MLB teams.)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have another four at the AAA level: Matt Macri (2002-04), Colorado Springs Sky Sox; Jeff Manship (2005-06), Rochester Red Wings; David Phelps (2006-08), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees; and Kyle Weiland (2006-08), Pawtucket Red Sox.
Including Manship, six former Irish players have seen action in an MLB game in 2011. The other 11 members of the BIG EAST Conference combined can only claim a total of seven such players. The most recent crop of Irish players to join the professional ranks in this month’s MLB Draft includes: Brian Dupra (2008-11, 7th round pick of Washington Nationals), Cole Johnson (2008-11, 44th round pick of Minnesota Twins) and Matt Scioscia (2008-11, 45th round pick of Los Angeles Angels).
MLB
John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers
Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers
Aaron Heilman, Arizona Diamondbacks
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
Jeff Samardzija, Chicago Cubs
AAA
Matt Macri, Colorado Springs Sky Sox
Jeff Manship, Rochester Red Wings
David Phelps, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
Kyle Weiland, Pawtucket Red Sox
AA
A.J. Pollock, Mobile BayBears
A
Jeremy Barnes, Clearwater Threshers
Wade Korpi, Jupiter Hammerheads
Steven Mazur, Aberdeen IronBirds
Rookie
Evan Danieli, Danville Braves
Additionally 18 Notre Dame baseball players have already opened their summer baseball leagues (think: leagues like the one featured in that awful Freddie Prinze Jr. Jessica Biel movie “Summer Catch”) all across the country. They are:
New England Collegiate Baseball League
Sean Fitzgerald – New Bedford Bay Sox
Charlie Markson – New Bedford Bay Sox
Frank DeSico – Holyoke Blue Sox
Trey Mancini – Holyoke Blue Sox
Eric Jagielo – North Shore Navigators (isn’t that the first web browser? Invented at the University of Illinois by Marc Andressen? Oh wait, that’s Netscape Navigator)
Dan Slania – North Shore Navigators
Joe Hudson – Mystic Schooners
Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League
Patrick Veerkamp – Grand Lake Mariners
Breck Ashdown – Lake Erie Monarchs
Ricky Palmer – Lake Erie Monarchs
Chris Reinhart – Lake Erie Monarchs
Forrest Johnson – Stark County Terriers
Futures Collegiate Baseball League
Tommy Chase – Seacoast Mavericks
Donnie Hissa – Seacoast Mavericks
Bret Basilone – Butler BlueSox
Coastal Plain League
Adam Norton – Morehead City Marlins
Alex Robinson – Battle Creek Bombers
New York Collegiate Baseball League
John Rodgers – Geneva Red Wings
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