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Reason For Optimism? Two Irish Baseball Players Named All-Americans

The Notre Dame baseball team went through a significant change this offseason when head coach Mik Aoki was let go after nine seasons.

His replacement is Link Jarrett, formerly the head coach of UNC Greensboro, a two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year and a 2010 winner of the SEC assistant coach of the year award from his time with Auburn. This change in leadership brings optimism on its own merit, but so should the fact that Fighting Irish return an experienced roster.

The team returns a ton of starting experience both in the field and on the mound, but the stars of the team are expected to be two juniors: third baseman Niko Kovadas and relief pitcher Joe Boyle.

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Both were recently named Third Team Preseason All-Americans by Baseball America, with Notre Dame being one of just two schools in the ACC to have multiple players make a team.

While this may seem as if it's an unlikely honor for a team that in 2019 finished 13-17 in the ACC and 24-30 overall, Kovadas and Boyle are more than deserving.

Niko Kovadas

Kovadas, from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., is a two-year contributor for the Fighting Irish. A left-handed bat in the lineup, he has already started 92 games in his Notre Dame career, including all 54 as a sophomore.

He's built differently than the typical collegiate baseball player, standing at 6-0 and weighing 240 pounds.

Niko Kovadas (@NDBaseball)
Niko Kovadas (@NDBaseball)

As a freshman, Kovadas hit .299, which was the third-best on a team behind Matt Vierling and Nick Podkul, two players taken in the top seven rounds of the 2018 MLB Draft.

The following season, he had the second-best average on the team, albeit by hitting .274. Where his numbers really took off was in terms of home runs, with Kovadas going from five as a freshman to a team-leading 12 as a sophomore. He also led the team in doubles with 13.

While playing with the Harwich Mariners in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League over the summer, Kovadas continued to show off his power, hitting nine home runs in 40 games against even better competition.

“A violent aggressive stroke, leveraged to the gills. Kavadas specializes in hard-hit fly balls," wrote a talent evaluator for Prospects Live. "It’s leverage and strength raw power over bat speed. Finished the season tied for the CCBL home run lead with T.J. Collett of Kentucky.”

His average did dip once again, hitting .252 in the regular season.

He was named to the Cape Cod All-Star game, participated in the home run derby and earned a spot on the all-league team at the end of the season as a designated hitter.

Joe Boyle

Boyle was a highly recruited player coming out of high school, rated as the No. 54 overall player in the class of 2017 according to Perfect Game. Topping out at 96 mph as a senior in high school, he's now throwing straight gas, occasionally hitting 100 mph.

Similar to Kovadas, at 6-7 and 240 pounds, Boyle stands out. But unlike Kovadas, Boyle barely played as a freshman, pitching two innings all season with a 18.00 ERA.

As a sophomore, Boyle improved dramatically, throwing 25.2 innings with a 5.96 ERA and an impressive 39 strikeouts. He did struggle with his command, walking more than one batter per inning.

But where Boyle really made a name for himself is in Cape Cod over the summer, also playing with the Harwich Mariners. Against the best college baseball players in the country, he had a 1.92 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched.

"Straight cheese is the best way to describe a Joe Boyle appearance," wrote a talent evaluator with Prospect Live. "Sitting 97+, hitting 100 with 2400+ spin rates on multiple occasions Boyle’s fastball is double plus. He pairs it with a slider that’s average at best, playing off his fastball."

Boyle did still struggle with his command in Cape Cod, walking 12 batters. His performance over the summer earned him a chance to pitch in the all-star, and he's now considered one of the top prospects heading into the 2020 MLB Draft.

D1 Baseball has him as the No. 52 overall prospect for the upcoming draft class.

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