New 2024 Notre Dame Baseball Commit Eli Lovich Wants to Win Titles

Notre Dame had made 2024 Blue Valley West HS (Kans.) outfielder Eli Lovich a priority over the last few months and it paid off as the 6-foot-4, 175-pounder committed to the Irish last week. 

The Kansas native took an official visit to Notre Dame the weekend of the UNLV football game and Lovich was impressed from the moment he stepped on campus. 

“They just set everything up super well,” Lovich told ISD. “When my family and I got there, they greeted us at the door and welcomed us into their home. The first day was awesome because we had dinner with them and saw the campus before the actual tour, so we got to go see the baseball field and the locker room. The first day was really what sold me.” 

Irish assistant and recruiting coordinator Logan Robbins had built a relationship with Lovich prior to the visit and the two quickly built on their relationship during the visit. 

“Coach Robbins is just a great guy,” stated Lovich. “To be honest, most of our talks were baseball-related, but we also got into hunting and more personal stuff. It was nice to be able to connect with him on more than baseball.” 

First-year Notre Dame head coach Shawn Stiffler also made quite the impression on Lovich as he not only related to the Blue Valley West star, but he made it personal to show what he’s building in South Bend. 

“Coach Stiffler is super easy to talk to,” Lovich explained. “He laid out how they run things at Notre Dame. He’s very straightforward and it was cool to be able to see the personal side of him, but also the coaching aspect. 

“It was cool because his family was there, so I met his wife and kids. They just made me feel at home. He shared his family with me, so I thought that was pretty special.” 

The Notre Dame staff didn’t hide their expectations and vision for Lovich in the present, but also when he arrives on campus for good. 

“Once I get to campus, the plan is for me to play centerfield and bat in that No. 2 spot,” Lovich said. “That’s going to be super fun to see how that goes. As far as getting in the weight room, next offseason will be big for me to put on weight and to get bigger and stronger. It’s just a matter of what I look like when I show up.” 

In addition to the family feel,  Lovich was impressed with how Robbins develops his hitters and how he makes sure each player is developing based on their strengths or weaknesses. 

“We went into the hitting facilities and he walked me through what it looks like when you have guys working in and out of season,” Lovich explained. “He makes a plan based on you and it’s not a team plan. One guy might be doing a band drill and you have another guy doing a different exercise getting ready to hit or working on using your body the way you should. 

“Right as I told him I was going to Notre Dame, he sent me nine videos of exercises for me to be doing while I’m not there. He sent me a nutrition plan, so it was him wanting me to be great before I even get there. That really stood out to me.” 

Notre Dame’s 2024 recruiting is primed to set school history as the highest-ranked class as the Irish sit at No. 22 in the country per Perfect Game, which would pass Link Jarrett’s 2021 class that finished No. 24.

And while Lovich has been committed for just over a week, he’s already started to build bonds with his future teammates. 

“I’ve gotten to talk to some of them, so we’re already getting to the stage where we know each other,” said Lovich. “I think we’re going to go in there and continue the legacy of what (Carter) Putz and the other guys have been doing there. Ultimately, we’re going to kick some ass and win some titles.” 

2024 Notre Dame Baseball Recruiting Class 

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