Top 2023 OF Ryan Mooney Fired Up for Notre Dame Commitment
Notre Dame's got its latest 2023 baseball commit on Wednesday as Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep (Mich.) outfielder Ryan Mooney committed to the Irish.
The 6-foot-3, 150-pounder has become one of the top prospects in the Midwest and Notre Dame was an easy decision for Mooney as he developed strong relationships with head coach Link Jarrett and assistant Rich Wallace.
"I've been talking to the coaches for about three months," Mooney told Irish Sports Daily. "The overall relationships I had with Coach Wallace and the whole coaching staff made it really easy to go to Notre Dame."
The pull to Notre Dame was strong as academics served as a major tipping point, but Mooney's relationship with Wallace was second to none.
"Coach Wallace is a really good guy," stated Mooney. "He's always relaxed on the phone and if I played pickup basketball, he's always asking how I did. He'll ask how my day is going and he doesn't get too intense. He just makes you feel comfortable and it's a normal conversation."
Mooney also did his research on Wallace as he got in touch with a current player to see how he coached and developed his players.
"I know one of the players at Notre Dame, Eric Gilgenbach," explained Mooney. "He went to a high school that's really close to me, so I gave him a call and we talked about his overall experience.
"He really liked the coaching staff and really liked Coach Wallace and Coach Jarrett. Knowing he enjoyed his whole experience kind of helped me make my decision and know that's where I wanted to be."
Jarrett also made a significant impact on Mooney's recruitment.
"He made it feel like home," Mooney said. "Coach Jarrett feels like he would take you in and treat you like family. He makes you want to go to Notre Dame because he's going to be a good baseball coach on the field and a good mentor off the field."
Notre Dame started off the 2020 season 11-2 before COVID canceled the season. The Irish were ranked as a Top 25 program by some services and the hot start definitely served as a positive for Mooney.
"Coach Jarrett has a really good background with the hitting aspect of baseball," Mooney stated. "Seeing him turn around the program and having his background, it really intrigued me as an outfielder and as someone who loves hitting.
"Being able to turn around a program that quickly really intrigued me and I really liked what I saw."
As a player, Mooney is known for his bat, but he takes a lot of pride in another aspect of the game.
"I'd say one of my strengths that's not really looked at is my base running," said Mooney. "I really enjoy and emphasize base running. It's important that when I get on base, I can turn a single into a triple by stealing two bases on back-to-back pitches.
"My overall speed helps my base running. I think I see the game well on the basepaths as well."
While he has plenty of time to fill out his frame, Mooney knows where he can improve his game before he arrives in South Bend.
"I want to improve my power," explained Mooney. "I want to put more power in and put those line drives into the gap over the fence. If I can add more power, it would definitely be helpful."
Mooney won't get to Notre Dame for a few more years, but he's more than satisfied with his decision and to have it behind him.
"Notre Dame is a four-hour car drive from my house, so my parents can come watch whenever," said Mooney. "It's really easy to get there. The campus is the best in the country. You can't much better than that.
"The academics are unbelievable. I want to study Business in college. The academics and athletics, you just can't get that anywhere else."