BREAKING: Star freshman pitcher Jack Findlay to stay at Notre Dame
Just a few days into his tenure as the new Notre Dame head baseball coach, Shawn Stiffler has secured his first major win for the blue and gold.
Freshman All-American and star pitcher Jack Findlay will remain at Notre Dame, a source told BlueandGold.com on Saturday. Findlay had previously entered the transfer portal on July 6.
“I really liked what Coach Stiffler’s message was, and I liked what he is all about,” Findlay said. “I could definitely see myself playing for him, which is what I’ll be doing.”
The rising sophomore recorded four saves over the course of the NCAA Tournament, and he came up big in mid- and late-innings when Notre Dame needed to close the door on powerful opponents. His five scoreless innings against No. 1 Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional was one of the best pitching performances of the entire college baseball season. It sent Notre Dame to the College World Series for just the third time ever and the first time since 2002.
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In total, Findlay went 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA in 20 appearances in 2022. The first-year lefty from Ledgewood, N.J., started eight games and struck out 54 batters in 49.2 innings. He walked just 16 batters all year, and opposing hitters were batting a mere .194 against him.
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Collegiate Baseball Newspaper named the rookie a Freshman All-American on June 8.
“Findlay has been so unselfish, as he performed in virtually every role possible as a pitcher,” former Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett said during the postseason run. “To handle that as a freshman is really exceptional.”
Findlay is the third Irish pitcher who entered the transfer portal this offseason to come to a decision about next steps. Roman Kimball will continue his career at South Carolina, he announced on July 12. Rising sophomore and Huntington Beach, Calif. native Caden Aoki will play at USC. Rising fifth-year senior Alex Rao and rising sixth-year senior Austin Temple remain in the transfer portal ahead of the MLB Draft, which begins on Sunday.
Stiffler has yet to fill out his staff, and he will need both a new pitching coach and a new hitting coach. Former Irish pitching coach Chuck Ristano and hitting coach Rich Wallace both followed Jarrett to Florida State.
The new 43-year-old head coach’s top assistant at VCU, Rich Witten, was hired as the FIU head coach on June 23, 2022. He served as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator from 2018-22. VCU pitching coach Seth Cutler-Voltz remains on the Rams’ staff at this time. He is a former VCU baseball player.
