2024 IN IF RJ Cromartie Commits to Notre Dame
Notre Dame head coach Shawn Stiffler has officially put his stamp down in the South Bend area as 2024 Penn (High School) infielder RJ Cromartie has given his commitment to the Fighting Irish.
The commitment is the second in as many days for local kids as Cromartie follows his good friend and Indiana Bulls teammate Jayce Lee, who is also from South Bend. (Why Notre Dame Was the Perfect Fit for 2024 OF Jayce Lee)
“This has been a childhood dream of mine. I’ve wanted to go to Notre Dame from a young age. I was pretty close with the previous coaching staff, but when they left, it kind of brought me down a little bit and I was upset about it because I loved the coaching staff. I’m happy for them.
“The new staff gave me an opportunity and I knew I wanted to be there. I’ve known I wanted to be there and it’s awesome making it all come true.”
The 2022 Perfect Game Preseason All-American is also looking forward to meeting his future coach as Stiffler and his staff have been on the recruiting trail over the last few weeks.
“I haven’t officially met Coach Stiffler yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about him,” said Cromartie. “I’m excited to get to meet him soon. They are definitely people I want to be around.”
The 6-foot, 175-pounder admitted he originally thought he would leave South Bend for college, but as his recruitment went deeper, Cromartie knew he had everything he wanted 10 minutes from home.
“I’ve lived in South Bend my whole life,” explained Cromartie. “Growing up as a kid, I thought I wanted to go away for college, but as I grew older, I realized how special Notre Dame is and it’s in my backyard. Why wouldn’t I want to be there? I wanted to stay close to home to play in front of my family and my city.”
The No. 9 ranked player in the state of Indiana (according to PBR) can play a number of spots in the infield, but Cromartie also has a live bat as he recorded an exit velo of 94.5 earlier this spring.
“We haven’t got into that too much,” Cromartie said of a future position. “I’m sure we will soon. I honestly don't have a preference where I play as long as I’m out there playing.”
The South Bend duo of Cromartie and Lee always had the dream of playing at Notre Dame together and the last 48 hours has been a special time for both players.
“We’ve been playing together since we were like seven,” laughed Cromartie. “We’ve been together forever and it’s been our thing to do together. Our dreams are coming true, so it’s exciting and I’m happy to get it done.”
“It means a lot. Our families have been really close and our older siblings grew up and played football together. Carrying that on from our older brothers means a lot to both of our families.”
Both players are also aware of Blake Wesley, JR Konieczny and Markus Burton staying home and they hope to make more lasting memories over the next few years.
"We both started playing for the Michiana Reps,” said Lee. “We played there when we were six and seven years old. He actually made the Indiana Bulls first in the fall when we were nine. I came later that summer because I had a late tryout.
"From there, we have been playing together our whole life. It's honestly a dream. We've talked about playing with each other our whole life at Notre Dame. It's becoming a reality now."
Notre Dame now has five commitments in the 2024 class as Cromartie joins Lee, RHP Calder Glassman, IF Jonathan Holt and IF Charlie Vercruysse.
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