Signing class arrives on campus in fall of 2010."
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Notre Dame head baseball coach Dave Schrage announced Tuesday the signing of 10 student-athletes to national letters of intent. The class will be eligible beginning in the fall of 2010. The Irish signed RHP Donnie Hissa, INF Chris Reinhart, 1B Trey Mancini, INF/OF John Rodgers, RHP Sean Fitzgerald, RHP Dan Slania, LHP Anthony McGiver, C Forrest Johnson, INF/OF Bret Basilone and INF Eric Jagielo.
"This is one of our best recruiting classes, if not the best," said fourth-year head coach Dave Schrage. "We've added speed, we've added power, we've added right-handed pitching, we've added left-handed pitching and we've added tremendous defense. I know that our class from a couple of years ago ranked among the top five in the country and this class is definitely right up there.
"This class was an especially important one with the number of seniors and potential draft-eligible players leaving the program. It is our goal every year to reload, not rebuild, and it is vital to bring in kids that can step in and contribute immediately as freshmen. This group can most definitely do that."
"When you consider this group's talent, makeup and academic success, they will represent Notre Dame extremely well," said fourth-year associate head coach Scott Lawler. "We did a great job of landing players that can help us playing a number of different positions. With the NCAA rule limiting rosters to 35 players, it has become vital to a program's success to add players with a versatile skill set."
The 2010 recruiting class includes players from Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia and Illinois. No class in Irish history has come from such a widespread area. Notre Dame has 12 seniors on the 2010 roster. The Irish finished the 2009 season at 36-23 overall and 15-12 in the BIG EAST.
Eric Jagielo
INF
L/R
6-1
190
Downers Grove, Illinois (Downers Grove North HS)
•2009: ranked No. 314 overall and No. 8 in the state of Illinois by PGCrossChecker.com, member of the National Honor Society, all-conference, all-area, batted .417 with 37 runs scored, 16 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 30 RBI and an on-base percentage of .557.
•Parents: Stephen & Cindy Jagielo
•Siblings: Daniel, Anneliese & Claire Jagielo
•High School Coach: Chad Isaacson
•Schrage on Jagielo: "Eric emerged from our camp as one of the top left-handed power hitters in the country. He is without question a middle of the order type hitter. He not only possesses tremendous power, but he can run and is a quality contact hitter that can swing from corner to corner of the outfield."
•Jagielo on Notre Dame: "I have always been aware of all that Notre Dame has to offer; a great education and a nationally recognized baseball program which develops players for the next level. For me, my time on campus and getting to know the coaches had the most influence on my decision. I picked Notre Dame because it felt right to me."
