Top 2022 Notre Dame Commit Owen Murphy Loves Visit to South Bend

Owen Murphy committed to Notre Dame baseball over two years ago and returned to campus for the UNC game in October. 

The Riverside-Brookfield (Ill.) star was blown away by what he saw from the baseball program and then the football game was the icing on the cake. 

"It was an amazing experience, especially the one Notre Dame baseball provided," Murphy told ISD. "We got to see our jerseys for the coming years and to see the way the students are at Notre Dame and to meet some of the guys on the team was so cool. 

"I had never seen anything like the atmosphere at the football game before." 

Murphy, who will pitch and play infield at Notre Dame, was able to catch up with several of his future teammates and meet those he hadn't met yet.

"We were all great with each other," Murphy said. "I knew a couple of guys from summer ball and I played with a couple. I know Estevan Moreno really well. We played on the same team this summer and for a couple years now.

"The rest of them are great guys. You can tell why they were chosen to be Notre Dame baseball players. They wear it all on their shoulders and they're the greatest dudes I could ask for as teammates. I'm glad I got the opportunity to chop it up with them and I can't wait to see what's in store for us." 

Despite his early pledge, the Notre Dame staff has stayed on Murphy as he's one of the top-ranked players in Illinois. Murphy not only reconnected with the staff in person, but it made him fall more in love with the Irish program.  

"Talking to Coach (Link) Jarrett, Coach (Rich) Wallace and Coach (Chuck) Ristano about their plan with me and the other guys, it kind of instilled my love for this program again," explained Murphy. "When I committed the fall of my sophomore year, I committed because of the coaching staff. 

"They've upheld what they were going to do and they're amazing guys. I can't wait to play under them." 

The Notre Dame staff and many around the country were impressed with what Murphy did over the summer as he represented Team USA on the 18U squad.

"They said I did a great job and opened some eyes," stated Murphy. "They were proud of me, but it was strictly business this summer, so I was happy about that." 

In July, Murphy was named the Illinois Player of the Year as he finished his junior year batting .453, nine home runs, 34 hits, and nine stolen bases while going 6-1 on the mound with 97 strikeouts in just 42.1 innings. Oh, and for good measure, his ERA was 0.331. 

Murphy's big season will likely put him in a position where he'll need to decide on his future as the MLB Draft will come calling. 

"I have given some thought to it, but we've got a long time to go," Murphy stated. "We still have the spring to figure this thing out. 

"You never know, but I love Notre Dame and it's an amazing opportunity, so it's going to be really hard to make a decision." 

Murphy isn't worried about the draft this offseason as he's dialed in on training as he wants to finish his high school career strong. 

"I'm going to continue to work on my craft and go back to the basics," said Murphy. "I'm going to go back to some guys that have helped me throughout my career to help me make a push to have the best season of my career."