Last season was a tale of two halves for Notre Dame baseball in Shawn Stiffler’s third year at the helm. The Irish opened the campaign 16-17 before ending the season on a 16-4 run that came to an end in the first round of the ACC tournament with a 10-inning loss to Boston College. That finish has Stiffler and the rest of the team looking to capitalize at the beginning of the season this time around.
“You’re trying to build up that momentum, and it’s months apart. I understand that, but you know how to win,” Stiffler explained. “I think that’s the first thing and that’s one of the things we did over those four weeks.”
Nevertheless, Notre Dame’s 11th-place finish in conference play was a step up from 15th in 2024, as was their 14-16 conference record, a step up from the previous 9-21. 2025 was the best season that Notre Dame has had thus far under Stiffler, a mark that he and the rest of the team will look to improve upon in 2026.
To build on the momentum of last season’s end and improve this year, Stiffler plans to rely on both the returning players and the new additions alike.
“I’m anticipating the start of this season as much as I have in a long time for a lot of reasons,” Stiffler detailed. “That returning core and we hit home runs in the portal … We hit home runs, really mature guys who came in, showed leadership and found a bunch of roles, both on the mound and the positional side … I’m as excited as I’ve been in a long time to get this started.”
Pitching
Despite Coach Stiffler’s insistence that, on the mound, “you’re never deep enough,” pitching depth appears to be one of Notre Dame’s greatest strengths heading into this season.
For the Irish, the stable starts with junior right hander Jack Radel. Following the departure of Rory Fox to the draft, Radel tracks to be the Irish’s ace this season. While Notre Dame as a collective boasted a 5.11 ERA last season, Radel held just a 3.58 ERA with a record of 7-4. He particularly caught fire over the latter half of the season and Coach Stiffler feels that he has only improved since then.
“...the biggest thing I’ve seen from [Radel] over the last couple months is just the refinement of his stuff,” Stiffler described. “Now you’re seeing him much more polished, and I think you’re going to see a much more polished piece of him … when Jack takes the mound on Friday nights. We’re going to be as good as anybody in the country.”
Besides Radel, Notre Dame also added significant pitching talent in the transfer portal, all of whom Stiffler expect to get starting reps. Graduate transfer Ty Uber is a right-hander from Stanford that Stiffler highlighted as already having experience in the loaded ACC, tossing 104.2 career innings with a 6.02 ERA. Left-handed senior Noah Rooney transferred from Minnesota, also having experience on the mound in high major competition. Stiffler also mentioned the winning experience of right-hander Eli Thurmond, a fellow graduate transfer that won two NCAA Division II titles with the University of Tampa.
Stiffler discussed the possibility of two left-handed freshmen getting into the starting rotation. From just down the road in Valparaiso, Caden Crowell joins the Irish as a top-100 recruit that Stiffler compared directly to a young Jack Radel. His other pick is Florida native Dylan Singleton, who Stiffler explained has done very well throwing strikes thus far.
Beyond the possible starting rotation, Stiffler also discussed where he feels the team’s greatest pitching strength lies: the relief.
“I think our middle relief is really, really strong. We have guys that I think go out and get six outs,” Stiffler explained. “We’ve had different match-ups because we’ve added left-handed depth. We have different looks.”
He started off by describing the side-arm talent of right-handed sophomore Chase Van Ameyde, who Stiffler described as throwing in the low-90s in relief. He also highlighted the talent of sophomore righty Oisin Lee. The 6-foot-6 closer was named to the National College Baseball Writers Association’s Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List this week.
Notre Dame will also feature the talents of graduate right-hander Radek Birkholz, one of the final stalwarts of the 2022 College World Series team, along with junior righty DJ Helwig and lefty Evan Clark, a graduate transfer from Illinois.
Infield
The infield will feature a mix of both new and old talent that can get it done on the field and at the plate. By far the most experienced position for the Irish will be catcher, despite the loss of standout Carson Tinney to Texas. Catching duties will be split between two juniors: Mark Quatrani, a Cornell transfer, and Davis Johnson, who enters his third season with the Irish. At Cornell, Quatrani was a two-time First Team All-Ivy League selection at catcher while belting an impressive line of .338/.461/612 at the plate during his time there. Over his two seasons, he would also hit 17 home runs and 67 RBIs to go along with them. Johnson, who will see time both at catcher and designated hitter, started 36 games for the Irish last season while batting .281/.492/.429 to go along with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs.
At third base, sophomore Parker Brzustewicz will be the Irish’s only other returning regular starter in the infield, but will make the move from the first base corner to third. 47 of his 50 starts last season came at first, as he led Notre Dame with 56 hits while hitting .301/.415/.371. However, Stiffler explained that Brzustewicz’s time at first base isn’t completely done.
“It doesn’t mean he won’t go back to first base at times, depending on match-ups, but he’ll have the opportunity to play some third base for us this year.”
Another sophomore, Noah Coy, will get the nod at shortstop. Stiffler has previously highlighted Coy’s athleticism, although he struggled at times last season at the plate. Despite last season’s slash line of .145/.275/.211, Stiffler retains much optimism going into this season regarding Coy’s ability to lock down his spot in the middle infield.
Opposite Coy will be one of the two true freshmen New Jersey natives in the infield, being second baseman Jamie Zee. Though nothing is set in stone for the entire season, Zee will start the season off holding down the fort at second. Stiffler also discussed his versatility to move over to third base when necessary if Brzustewicz moves to first base or designated hitter at times.
First base will feature more of a committee approach, but the main starter could wind up being the other true freshman of the infield, left-hander Dylan Passo. Last season, Passo was ranked as the top first baseman in New Jersey and was named a three-time All-Divison selection. Stiffler explained that situational matchups could warrant the return of Brzustewicz to the position or star sophomore outfielder Bino Watters, who was one of the Irish’s best hitters last year. He also mentioned the possibility of Van Ameyde seeing time at first as well.
“That position will rotate a little bit based on match-ups and where our health is and who needs a day,” Stiffler explained.
Outfield
In the outfield, Notre Dame returns heaps of experienced talent. That talent starts with Bino Watters, who broke out as a star last season as a freshman. In his first season of college baseball, Watters held a .317/.436/.549 batting line, all good for top three on the team. His breakout season would earn him a spot on the 2025 ACC All-Freshman Team and the D1 Baseball Freshman All-America Second Team. The achievements of last season earned Watters Preseason Second Team All-American recognition by D1 Baseball. Stiffler mentioned that the outfield won’t be his only home, though; he will see time in left field, at first base, and at DH.
Watters will rotate in left field with Davis Johnson, who will also see time at catcher and DH. As a junior, Johnson brings a certain veteran presence due to his entire college career being spent with the Irish. He started just one game in left field last season, but expect that number to shoot up this year as the Irish have depth at every position Johnson plays. Regardless of who anchors left field, though, Stiffler is confident the Irish will be strong there.
Center field will be anchored by Drew Berkland, a standout graduate transfer from Minnesota. Last season with the Golden Gophers, Berkland played in all 52 games as he batted .289/.400/.481. Alongside that line, he nailed 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBIs to take home Dave Winfield Team MVP honors. In his limited time with the Irish, Berkland feels that he’s been able to find his position amongst the team and really find his role, especially as a leader to the underclassmen.
“I think throughout the fall and winter I’ve developed a certain level of respect to most of the guys where they know what they’re getting out of me,” Berkland explained. “They know I’ve been kind of through the circuit of college baseball. So, I’m trying to take them under my wing a little bit.”
Finally, sophomore Jayce Lee will handle right field. The South Bend native and graduate of St. Joseph High School started 30 games for Notre Dame last season, all of them being in the corners of the outfield. He finished the season with a 1.000 fielding percentage to go along with a line of .208/.257/.368 at the plate. Stiffler also mentioned that freshman Brandon Logan could see time in the position over the course of the season as he adjusts to the speed of college baseball.
The expectations for the Irish are as high as they’ve been over the course of Stiffler’s tenure as the head man. This season, they’re projected to finish 12th in the ACC’s preseason coaches poll, but the team has other plans. Stiffler knows that this team has the makings of one that could make a run in the spring. They have experience from top to bottom while also bringing in a crop of difference making freshmen that could make noise throughout the season.
“This is certainly on paper, we’re looking at the most established team I think we've had since I've been here, for sure,” Stiffler said.
The Irish open their season this weekend with a tough series at Florida Atlantic, squaring off Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at noon. The following weekend, the gauntlet begins as they travel to Jacksonville to compete in the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic alongside Indiana, UCF, and the defending national champion No. 2 LSU Tigers. The home opener is slated for March 3 against Eastern Michigan before the Irish begin ACC play by traveling to Durham to take on Duke. The schedule features a plethora of ranked opponents: they’ll take on No. 8 Louisville (March 13-15 road series), No. 19 Clemson (March 20-22 home series), No. 11 North Carolina (March 27-29 home series), No. 17 NC State (April 2-4 road series) and No. 16 Florida State (April 17-19 road series).
