Newsstand: Notre Dame pitcher John Michael Bertrand wins two O.S.C.A.R.S. awards
Notre Dame hosted its annual O.S.C.A.R.S. awards ceremony, the marquee social-celebratory event for Irish athletics, Tuesday night at Purcell Pavilion. Fighting Irish ace pitcher John Michael Bertrand took home two honors.
Bertrand won the Byron V. Kanaley Award and the Community Champion Award. The Kanaley Award recognizes senior monogram winners who are “the most exemplary as student-athletes and leaders.” The Community Champion award goes to student-athletes who “made significant contributions to the university community and the community at large.”
Tom Thornton (2006) was the last baseball player to win both awards in the same year. Thornton and Bertrand are the only two baseball players to win both in the same year.
“Receiving these awards is an incredible honor,” Bertrand said in a statement. “I couldn’t have done it without God helping me realize baseball is what I do and not who I am. Baseball has given me a wonderful platform to glorify Him. I want to thank my family for supporting me always and my teammates and friends for inspiring me to constantly improve on and off the field.”
Bertrand is 6-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 10 starts this season. He has struck out 67 batters and only walked 17. Opposing hitters have a .213 batting average against him. He’ll get the ball when the Irish welcome Boston College to Eck Stadium for a three-game series starting Friday at 5 p.m. ET.
“JM represents all that makes Notre Dame special,” head coach Link Jarrett said in a statement. “His work ethic and dedication to his craft also is extremely special. He has been an impactful member of our team and the entire Notre Dame community since day one. His prestigious awards are well deserved and we are so proud of all he does.”
Notre Dame tweets of the day
Some NIL deals only yield individual gains. Some are meant to be bigger than that.
When you secure a commitment from one of the best defensive lineman recruits in the country, you better believe your defensive line coach has earned his keep.
It’s NFL Draft day. Just a friendly reminder of this statistic.
Notre Dame quote of the day
“I feel like I can be a cornerstone of an organization for however long they’ll have me. I’m just excited to prove all of that. I feel like the sky is the limit.”
— Former Irish safety Kyle Hamilton on what he’ll provide to whatever team picks him. Read more from a pre-draft interview with Hamilton and Fox Sports radio host Colin Cowherd here.
Headlines of the day
• What to make of Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton’s NFL Draft outlook as first round nears (Patrick Engel, Blue & Gold)
– Three Irish football players who broke out on offense in spring practices (Tyler Horka, Blue & Gold)
• Cover 3: What is the biggest surprise from Notre Dame spring football? (Ashton Pollard, Blue & Gold)
• Quick-hitters: Top nuggets from Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game sideline interviews (Pollard)
– Three Irish defensive players who broke out during spring practice (Engel)
• New ESPN full mock draft includes five Notre Dame players. What’s the fit for each one? (Pollard)
– Lucky Charms: Nuggets on major Notre Dame 2023 targets (Mike Singer, Blue & Gold)
• New prediction logged for Notre Dame in the 2024 class (Singer)
– Four-star DL Boubacar Traore commits to Notre Dame football (Singer)
• What the experts are saying about new Notre Dame commit Boubacar Traore (Singer)
