Four years after starting out his Notre Dame baseball career 0-17, co-captain and centerfielder Steve Stanley finds himself approaching two Irish baseball records with possibly more to come as this season continues.

Not bad for a guy that just wanted to make the travel team as a freshman.

But Stanley has always been able to overcome odds, especially baseball. Standing only 5-foot-8 and weighing 155 lbs, Stanley has been overlooked and written off more than a few times in his career. Yet he has always found a way to prove his critics wrong. Just ask the people around him.

"Stanley is a tremendous player," said Notre Dame head baseball coach Paul Mainieri. "To be honest with you, I think he's the best player in college baseball. What he does for our team offensively and defensively, I can't think of a player I've coached that's meant more to our team than Steve Stanley. If he's not a first team All-American, I've never seen one."

Part of the reason behind Stanley's success is his motivation. Instead of viewing his size as a handicap, he's made it an advantage by using it as a motivational tool throughout his career.

"From day one, I was always a small kid," said Stanley. "So I've gotten used to playing that role, but also I've used that as a motivation to let people know that, definitely in baseball, you can play no matter what size you are as long as you can bring things to the team to help the team win."

Stanley, who was the co-Big East Player of the Year last season, has been helping his team in more ways than one during his tenure with the Irish.

All his hard work has helped put him in position to break several Notre Dame baseball records, including two this weekend at Connecticut. Stanley has played in 203 consecutive games, one short of the Irish record set by Pat Pesavento. Amazingly, in his first three years at Notre Dame, Stanley played in 1,593 out a possible 1,607 innings. He is also within two hits of tying Pesavento's career hits record of 296.

"When you're smaller people automatically give you a knock," said Stanley. "They say, `He's too small to play' and `Over the long term he's not going to be a factor.' I hope to dispel a lot of those rumors. I think it's taken me three years of college baseball to get people to believe that I can play this game regardless of what size I am. If you can play, you can play."

Stanley's teammates know he can play. He's been one of their leaders ever since his freshman year.

"Steve Stanley is definitely the heart and soul of Notre Dame baseball, "said teammate Brian Stavisky "His work ethic is unmatched and his desire and competitiveness are also."

Despite his success and the praise from coaches and teammates, Stanley stays humble and down-to-earth. He believes he owes his successes to God, his wife, his coaches and his teammates Without these people, Stanley said he would have never accomplished all he has in life.

"I really feel [God] has put me at Notre Dame for a reason and one of those reasons is to play baseball and be with these guys and to be on this team," Stanley said. "Everything has been through Him so that really keeps me humble that in my faith, nothing in my life I've done on my own. I also have so many great teammates around me and great coaches. It's easy to play for a team that wins and it's easy to play with guys that are fun to be with."

According to his wife Brooke, it's this kind of attitude that makes Stanley stand out.

"I respect Steve more than anyone in the whole world," she said. "He makes me a better person because he's really got his priorities straight. He's a loyal friend to me and to everyone that he meets. He puts others before himself and he's got a great sense of humor and I think the guys on the team love that about him."

When the Irish open up Big East play against Connecticut this week, Stanley will quietly go about his business as usual. He'll start his 204th straight game and tie a record. He'll roam centerfield. He'll bat leadoff. And after he collects three more hits, he'll quietly put his name on top of the record books again, this time for the most hits in a career by a Notre Dame player.

Stanley will graduate as one of the best players to ever put on an Irish uniform. Yet no one should be surprised by all of Stanley's success.

He's been overcoming odds his whole life.

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