Baseball: Pitch to the top
By JEFF BALTRUZAK
Assistant Sports Editor
To be 31-5-1 and ranked second in the country, quality pitching isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. Under assistant coach Brian O'Connor, the Irish pitching staff has been simply dominant this season, sporting a 2.61 staff ERA — the best in the country.
O'Connor, now in his seventh season with the Irish baseball program, has also been charged with seeking out the future Aaron Heilmans and Brian Staviskys of the world as recruiting coordinator for the Irish.
Head coach Paul Mainieri will readily attest to the value of having O'Connor on his staff. "He's as responsible for our success as any factor," Mainieri said. "His ability to recruit and work with pitchers is unmatched in college baseball."
The Science of Pitching
It is O'Connor's responsibility to work with and instruct Notre Dame's 15 pitchers, and he has molded them into one of the country's top staffs. In the period spanning 1997 through 1999, each year's staff eclipsed the previous Notre Dame team record for strikeouts.
But O'Connor is quick to credit his players for their outstanding performances on the field.
"I think the No.1 thing to credit to that is that we have a lot of ability," O'Connor said. "My job's pretty easy, my job is to just point them in the right direction. I don't need to tell these veteran players, `You need to get your lifting in or your running in.' They know what it takes to win at this level."
When working with his staff, O'Connor concentrates on the mechanics of that specific pitcher. During games, O'Connor offers general instruction to his pitchers, as well as advice on how to get an individual hitter out. But he says the competitiveness of his pitchers is self-instilled.
"On our pitching staff we guys that go out there and really compete and really have a strong will to win in every game," O'Connor said.
Mainieri believes O'Connor's past experience as a college pitcher plays a considerable role in his effectiveness as a coach.
"Pitchers understand that he's been there and knows what he's talking about," said Mainieri. "He has a great ability to know what works for a specific pitcher."
Finding the best of the best
Bringing the next generation of hard-hitting and hard-throwing Domers to South Bend consumes much of O'Connor's summer. He, along with Mainieri and fellow assistant coach Dusty Lepper, crisscross the country seeking out talent and convincing them that Notre Dame is the place to continue their careers while securing a quality education.
"Notre Dame sells itself academically," O'Connor said. "As far as recruiting a baseball player, we need to show him that he can get better in our program because every kid we recruit has aspirations of playing in the big leagues, and tell them they can win championships here and have a chance at the College World Series."
With the success of the Irish baseball program in sending players to the professional ranks, O'Connor has a powerful recruiting tool. Twenty-four Irish players have been drafted or signed to professional contracts under Mainieri and O'Connor.
"We feel very comfortable telling kids that they can get better here and win a lot of games here," said O'Connor.
Recruiting offers O'Connor special personal rewards as well.
"You see how hard our coaching staff worked to go out and recruit, and going out and watching them play and working with them, and its great to see . . . that all the hard work you've put into it pays off," O'Connor said.
O'Connor's accomplishments as a recruiter can be traced to several sources. He has a personality that represents Notre Dame well, and is very effective in relating to parents the opportunities for their sons with the Irish, said Mainieri.
"He places a high premium on competitiveness and hustle, and kids with a love of the game," said Mainieri. "He's a great evaluator of talent. He knows what it takes [for a player] to be success in college baseball."
Knowing the road
In the early 90s, O'Connor was a college baseball success himself at Creighton University in Omaha. As a freshman in 1990, he posted a 1.91 ERA, still the team record. The next year, Creighton reached the College World Series in its hometown of Omaha, making him the only member of the Irish baseball team with College World Series experience.
Although he enjoyed his College World Series experience greatly, O'Connor won't talk to his players about what Omaha is like mid-June.
"I won't talk to our guys about what the [College World Series] is like, I think that every kid should have that experience on their own," he said.
Not going anywhere
In their seven years of working together, Mainieri and O'Connor have forged a close relationship that rests firmly on common ground concerning how the game should be played and how the program should be run.
"We're on the same page the way we look at things," said Mainieri. "He's not a yes man, he gives his opinions, and usually his opinions are the same as mine."
With the success of Irish baseball and with Baseball America ranking O'Connor in its top 10 college assistants, inevitably the issue of leaving Notre Dame for a head coaching job somewhere else comes up. But at Notre Dame O'Connor has found a situation where he has a larger role than most college assistants, and also to work with Mainieri and some of the top talent in the country.
"I've always felt a great honor to not only work for Notre Dame but also for Coach Mainieri," O'Connor said. "Ever since I have been here I have been given a tremendous amount of responsibility. I do a lot of stuff that most head coaches at other programs might not want to let an assistant coach do. That's why I've always felt 100 percent comfortable and happy I'm at Notre Dame."
All Sports Stories for Friday, April 20, 2001
