Why 2023 baseball commit Troy Reader loves the Notre Dame culture: ‘Your roommate could be the next Bill Gates’
Troy Reader, a 2023 Notre Dame baseball commit out of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep, has a promising athletic career in front of him.
In addition to being a catcher pledged to a top-25 program, the 6-1, 190-pound junior is also his high school’s starting quarterback. He led Berkeley Prep to a state title appearance in December, throwing for 799 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions on the year per MaxPreps.
Athletics have been an integral part of Reader’s life, along with other members of his family. His older brother, Tre, will enroll at Notre Dame in just over a month as a preferred walk-on linebacker. One of his best friends is five-star 2023 Irish football commit Keon Keeley.
Sports have clearly gotten Reader far and don’t appear to be going away any time soon, but he knows it may not always be that way. That’s why he chose Notre Dame.
“For all you know, your roommate could be the next Bill Gates,” the junior added. “Let’s say, sports don’t work out, you have that friend and a relationship. That’s the thing about Notre Dame. The networking, alumni and connections that you make are better than any other school in the country.”
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The traditional aspects Notre Dame trumpets, such as random roommate pairings for one’s freshman year, sometimes drive prospects away. With Reader, it’s the opposite.
“I love that the athletes don’t feel like they’re above regular students,” Reader said. “At Notre Dame, they’ve created a culture where everyone — including football, baseball, basketball, all of the athletes — in the community is part of a family. I think that’s really cool.”
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Of course, baseball will continue to be a huge part of Reader’s life at Notre Dame. The Irish have the third-best winning percentage in the nation since the start of 2020 (.745), and the junior hopes to help propel the team down that track upon arrival.
“I would say that I’m kind of a grinder,” Reader answered when asked how he would describe himself as a baseball player. “I’m gritty. I’ll do anything at any position to get the job done. I love to work. I’m a hard worker. I’ve always worked hard my whole life, and I would just say I’m willing to do anything to help the team win.”
Reader is primarily a catcher, but he plays right field every other high school game as well. He alternates catching duties with Gunnett Carlson, a senior catcher on the team at Berkeley committed to Florida State.
Despite dealing with an elbow issue in recent weeks, Reader continues to thrive for the Pirates on the diamond this season. His batting average is hovering around .324 and the team is 24-3 on the year.
Berkeley Prep is currently in the middle of postseason play, and once their season ends Reader will turn his attention toward Top Tier, his club baseball program. They will be active this summer, traveling across the country to Arizona, North Carolina and Alabama, among other places.
The Pirates’ next game is a 4 p.m. ET May 10 contest against 12-9 Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney.
