‘Top Gun,’ a snub and a heater: The story behind the Notre Dame baseball postseason mustache movement

Look at any Notre Dame baseball celebration photo from the Fighting Irish’s victory in the Knoxville Super Regional. You’ll see two things.

Exhilarated faces. And, in most cases, mustaches.

Notre Dame is headed back to the College World Series for the first time since 2002 and for the third time ever. The Irish are bringing quite a bit of facial hair with them.

The players will have you believe their wormy, upper-lip bristles have propelled them to one of the greatest postseasons in program history. If it worked for Goose and Rooster in the first and second “Top Gun” movies, respectively, then why wouldn’t it work for the Notre Dame baseball team?

And yes, that was actually the genesis of the mustache movement.

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To get their minds off not being selected as one of 16 Regional hosts for the NCAA Tournament, Irish players watched the famous naval aviation movie while the tournament selection show aired on ESPN Monday, May 30. They learned the news of not earning a host site bid Sunday night. Only a classic like “Top Gun” could cure those blues.

Outfielder Nick Juaire and reliever Liam Simon lectured their teammates on the differences between the original (1986) and the sequel, which debuted in theaters in May. The conversation naturally delved into mustaches, as it does when dozens of dudes in their mid-20s get to talking about action-packed aerial combat movies.

It was decided then, that Monday, that the guys had five days to let genetics work their course.

“We get to practice (at the Statesboro Regional), and I see somebody coming up not wanting to be like, ‘Hey coach, how are you doing?” Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett said.

The player didn’t want his mustache to be so obvious. Jarrett wasn’t fully aware of what was going on yet. Nobody wanted to be the one to break it to the boss.

Then Jarrett saw another mustache. And another. Tons of them. Finally, he approached graduate senior catcher David LaManna. Of course he had one. He hasn’t been at Notre Dame since 2018 to not lean fully into a postseason trend.

Jarrett asked LaManna what the deal was.

“Top Gun stuff,” LaManna said. “Top Gun.”

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— Notre Dame Baseball (@NDBaseball) June 12, 2022

Jarrett isn’t big on facial hair. You’ll see the 50-year-old rock a five-o’clock shadow most of the time, but never anything more. He particularly isn’t fond of beards. He has a facial hair policy that prohibits any gnarly ones. But harmless, if not a little spotty in some places, mustaches? Those pass the test.

Especially in June, when coaches and players alike will do anything to prolong their season.

“You know what? Let’s go,” Jarrett said. “I probably wouldn’t look very good with one, but at this point I’m not messing with that. Let them go do their thing. They’ve kept them in check. It’s not a mess.”

LaManna rated his mustache a 6.5 on a scale to 10. There’s a bit of a divide in the middle, but it’s pretty thick and full on the edges. Jet black, too. He said graduate senior outfielder Ryan Cole is struggling to grow one at all. So is freshman pitcher Jack Findlay, who has appeared to be clean-shaven for the entirety of the run to the CWS.

Findlay has given up just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings during the NCAA Tournament. Not everyone needs the power of a postseason ‘stache. Look at Jarrett, the architect of it all. Whatever works.

LaManna worried the mustaches would be a “no-go” with Jarrett. He was pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the case.

“He liked them, so here we are still riding with them,” LaManna said.

If Notre Dame keeps winning in Omaha, Notre Dame might keep riding with them — forever. The Irish are 5-1 since they discussed “Top Gun” and the mustaches of the characters in the movie. Two of those wins include triumphs over the top team in the country in Tennessee’s own ballpark.

“This mustache might stick with me for a really long time if we win this thing,” graduate senior second baseman Jared Miller said.