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Notre Dame Baseball

Notre Dame Lands Commitment From 2023 RHP Hagan Ward

September 13, 2021
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Notre Dame baseball picked up its 11th commitment in the 2023 recruiting class on Monday as St. Sebastian’s (Mass.) RHP Hagan Ward gave a verbal pledge to the Fighting Irish following a visit over the weekend. 

"It started earlier this summer in June or July," Ward told ISD. "I think my coach reached out to Coach (Chuck) Ristano or one of the assistant coaches. I went to a tournament in late July in Cincinnati and Coach (Rich) Wallace was able to come see me pitch. I pitched well that day and that definitely helped. I kept in contact with them for a few more weeks and then I went to the Area Code games in California and pitched well there. I think that really helped me. 

"From there I scheduled a visit this past weekend and got to meet Coach Ristano in person and some of the players. We went on a tour around campus and went to the football game. I decided Saturday night that it was the place for me." 

Notre Dame's coaching staff made a big impression as the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder felt right at home in South Bend during his visit. 

"There are all amazing people and great people,” explained Ward. “It's always a little intimidating to meet coaches for the first time, but they were all great and really welcoming. 

"I did the full admissions tour around campus and it's obviously a beautiful place and an awesome atmosphere with a great culture. It was kind of out of this world." 

Ward also was able to spend time around the current members of the Irish baseball program. In fact, the players made sure to go out of their way to make Ward feel welcome during a practice. 

"They're all great,” said Ward. “I got to watch a practice and a bunch of them came up and introduced themselves while I watching. They all talked to me and they're all super friendly guys. It's just a great atmosphere." 

The Massachusetts native isn’t a stranger to Notre Dame as his father, Daniel, pitched for the Irish, but Ward wasn’t always a lock to end up in South Bend. 

"The last time I had been was exactly 10 years ago when I was seven,” Ward explained. “A lot has changed since then and I didn't remember too much.

"I've always been kind of a Notre Dame fan growing up, but I wasn't dead set on Notre Dame. As the opportunity started to fall into place and once I did get the scholarship offer, I just kind of felt it was the place for me." 

Notre Dame’s Super Regional run in the spring also caught the eye of Ward. The quick success of Jarrett has been a significant piece to Notre Dame’s uptick in recruiting and Ward couldn’t be more excited to join one of the hottest teams in college baseball. 

"Coach Jarrett won a bunch of coaching awards last year, so that's definitely a big plus for the program,” stated Ward. “They're only going up from here. It's definitely a big reason why I chose Notre Dame and he's also a great guy as well as being a great coach." 

Notre Dame had some stiff competition for Ward’s 92 mph fastball and deadly changeup as the Irish beat out one of the top programs in the country. 

"Northeastern had been recruiting me the longest because they were able to see me the most. I had visited Northwestern because it was right around South Bend. I was supposed to visit Vanderbilt in a few weeks.

“I was definitely interested with Vanderbilt being one of the best programs in the country with some great coaches. I loved the coaches there, but I just felt something at Notre Dame and I had to go with it.” 

 
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