Irish benefit from new indoor facilities
By BILL HART
Associate Sports Editor
With snow covering most of Eck Field, one would hardly think that the Notre Dame baseball season is less than two weeks away.
Some teams, including top-ranked Stanford and Florida State, began their seasons last weekend. The inclement weather of northern Indiana, however, prevents the 20th-ranked Irish from getting an early start.
"It's a long winter being cooped up inside," junior pitcher and co-captain Aaron Heilman said. "I think hopefully we can use that to our advantage. I think when two weeks roll around, we'll be ready to go."
In an attempt to prepare the Irish for the season more quickly, a new permanent indoor practice facility was built. The facility allows the Irish to practice even in inclement weather, which, as any Irish player will say, is more the norm than the exception.
"This time of year is always the worst time for the Notre Dame baseball program," senior co-captain Matt Nussbaum said. "Because we're so ready to get out there and play. With this beautiful new facility, we've got a chance to get some good practice in indoors. But even with a facility like this, after a while you really get itching to get out there."
In addition to multiple batting cages, the facility also features regulation clay pitchers mounds. By using clay instead of molded plastic, the pitching staff should be able to adjust more quickly to playing outside.
"It's been a dream of mine since I walked onto campus five-and-a-half years ago," head coach Paul Mainieri said. "Obviously, we feel tremendously blessed to have our current baseball field. Now, to have an indoor facility like this just really completes this."
Under the leadership co-captains Nussbaum, Heilman and second baseman Jeff Perconte, the Irish will attempt to build on their success from last year's 43-18 season. The Irish also set a Big East record with 20 conference victories in 1999.
While the Irish lost All-American shortstop Brant Ust to the Detroit Tigers in the '99 draft and senior designated hitter Jeff Wagner, they return starters at every other position. This year Mainieri also can rely on the experience of six seniors.
"Last year, we really bit the bullet and had five freshmen in our starting lineup," Mainieri said. "By the regional championship, we had freshmen making up most of our everyday lineup. Now ... there's another year of experience."
Despite the wealth of experience, at least one freshman will be in the starting lineup when the Irish take the field in the Service Academies Classic on Feb. 24.
Freshman outfielder Brian Stavisky, a high school All-American selected in the 12th round of the '99 draft by the Montreal Expos, looks to set an early impression on opponents from the start of his career.
"Brian is, quite simply, one of those guys that come to college," Mainieri said, "and we're just very fortunate he came to college. I think if he had made it more clear that he would have gone into pro baseball, I think he would have been drafted in the second, third or fourth round."
Stavisky has already raised eyebrows in the Big East. Baseball America's college previews named him conference freshman of the year and the overall conference player with best raw.
The preseason awards were given with good reason. Over his four-year high school career at Port Allegany, he set school records in batting average, home runs, hits, RBIs, runs and walks.
"He's a very powerful guy," Mainieri said. "But not like a lot of power hitters where it's a home run or nothing. He's a very good hitter who can reach the opposite field very well. He's going to be a real force for our team."
Another force for the Irish will be Nuss-baum, a local product who worked his way up from walk-on status with a remarkable junior season. After appearing only 11 games over his freshman and sophomore years, he burst onto the scene with a .314 average in 204 at bats, playing in 59 of 61 games.
"During the course of last year, Matt was right in the middle of every rally we had," Mainieri said about Nussbaum. "He was always doing something. Those are the kind of players that endear themselves to a coach, and I just kept putting him there, and he kept doing well. And now, he's captain of the team."
Despite the new responsibility, Nussbaum doesn't feel the burden of additional pressure.
"We've got such a great balanced lineup among the position players that it's hard to feel pressure," he said. "The other guys probably feel the same way. And [at a] time somebody's down, there'll be eight other guys in the lineup and a bunch on the bench ready to pick up the slack for us."
Heilman will lead the Irish on the mound. The junior was named a preseason first-team All-American and listed as one of the top three pro pitching prospects in the nation by Baseball America. Last season, he compiled an 11-2 record with a 3.14 ERA, with three saves and 118 strikeouts over 109 innings.
"Aaron is one of those guys that clearly will be able to handle the expectations," Mainieri said. "He's a level headed young man that doesn't really get carried away from himself at all. He's a real competitor when he gets on the mound, and that's where his focus is."
Slightly overshadowed by Heilman is senior right-hander Scott Cavey, who pitched to a 6-1 record in 11 starts despite an injury-shortened season.
"He's a guy we're really counting on to pitch well," Mainieri said about Cavey. "If he can give us that, I think Heilman and Cavey give us an outstanding 1-2 combination. The key for us is going to be the 3-4-5 pitchers and middle relief. I think we've got a lot of guys who are capable of doing well out there, it's a matter of going out there and doing it."
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, February 16, 2000
