Former Butler pitcher Derek Drees to transfer to Arizona, not Notre Dame
A month ago, former Butler pitcher Derek Drees announced on Twitter he’d transfer to Notre Dame. The tweet has been deleted. There’s been a change of plans.
Drees told BlueandGold.com Saturday he’ll transfer to Arizona instead.
The right-handed hurler went 4-3 with a 1.27 ERA in 35 1/3 innings for the Bulldogs this past season. He’s 6-6, 235 pounds. He struck out 46 batters and walked 21. He was set to be a nice addition for a Notre Dame pitching staff that could use some help in 2023.
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Drees’ decision to head out west instead of going up to South Bend continues a long line of unsettling news for Notre Dame on the pitching front. Five Irish pitchers — rising sophomores Caden Aoki, Roman Kimball and Jack Findlay, rising fifth-year senior Alex Rao and rising sixth-year senior Austin Temple — have entered the NCAA transfer portal since former Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett left for Florida State, his alma mater.
The future of Notre Dame baseball is in the hands of athletics director Jack Swarbrick and the Irish administration. Whoever is hired to succeed Jarrett will be tasked with trying to retain at least a couple of the pitchers who entered the portal along with trying to keep the program headed in the right direction.
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Per a BlueandGold.com source, the coaching search is down to three candidates; Notre Dame pitching coach Chuck Ristano, Wofford head coach Todd Interdonato and VCU head coach Shawn Stiffler.
The successor will inherit a roster that looks different than that of the one that just went to the 2022 College World Series. Notre Dame had over half a dozen graduate seniors who played key roles in guiding the Irish to Omaha, ace pitcher John Michael Bertrand, catcher David LaManna, left fielder Ryan Cole, center fielder Spencer Myers and second baseman Jared Miller among them. Third baseman Jack Brannigan, a rising true senior, will likely be off to the next level after next week’s MLB Draft.
Some important pieces are expected to return for graduate senior seasons, including shortstop Zack Prajzner, outfielder/designated hitter Jack Zyska, right fielder Brooks Coetzee and first baseman Carter Putz. The next head coach still has his work cut out for him in trying to replicate what Jarrett did in three seasons in South Bend, though. Notre Dame had the second-best winning percentage (.729) in all of college baseball during that span.
