It was only a matter of time before Estevan Moreno was named a captain when he first stepped foot on campus 2.5 years ago.
That time has come as Moreno joins RHP Radek Birkholz, RHP Jackson Dennies and OF Brady Gumpf in a captain role this spring and all four will have a big role.
Notre Dame will enter the year as one of the youngest teams in college baseball and Shawn Stiffler said he could start up to four true freshmen in the lineup at any given time.
Moreno has been in those shoes. As a freshman, Moreno started 51 of 52 games, in which he experienced the highs and lows of college baseball.
“There’s going to be ups and downs,” Moreno explained. “Honestly, I hope that every freshman does very well, but there are going to be slumps, and it’s going to feel like nothing is going your way. What I learned was you have to show up and be ready to go every single day.
“At the end of the day, you never really know when this game will get taken from you. Knowing that and just being able to show up and work on something the next day or even learn something. You can’t take the game for granted.”
When it comes to his leadership style, one might not hear Moreno much. The junior shortstop picks and chooses when to get vocal, which has the attention of his teammates.
“I’m a lead-by-example guy,” Moreno said. “I’m not a big vocal guy. I’ll get on teammates if needed. I won’t let things go by. I don’t think that role has changed, but there’s just a name to it. Even if I didn’t have the name, I would be the same way.”
Notre Dame means a great deal to Moreno. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder could have easily left for a big NIL payday and greener pastures in the offseason, but Moreno wanted to see it through.
Moreno has embraced all that Notre Dame provides him, and it has motivated him to give everything he has to the university.
“Being close to home was a reason,” said Moreno when asked why he didn’t transfer. “At the end of the day, it’s hard to leave Notre Dame not only for sports but also academics. It’s very hard to think about people leaving this great place. I know the weather isn’t the best or ideal for most, but you have to take pride in it. Some people can’t do what we do. Just being able to play here and have the academics on the other side is plus-plus no matter what.”
The new look Irish have a different vibe entering the 2025 campaign. Is it because of the youth movement? Or is it due to not having several grad transfers invade the roster?
Probably a combination of both, but Moreno has seen the culture thrive over the last eight months and is excited to get the season started on Friday evening at North Florida.
“The chemistry is a little bit different,” stated Moreno. “As soon as the young guys and newcomers got in, it was an easy adjustment to get comfortable with each other. I think that's going to be a big difference from last year. With that, I think we’re a defensive team. Maybe not as many home runs on the offensive side, but we’re going to get it done. We’re a little more gritty. We’re going to steal bases and just play gritty.”
Notre Dame will have a new voice when the Irish enter the batter's box. Logan Robbins left the program for Pepperdine and Ryan Munger was promoted to hitting coach.
Moreno and Munger developed a close relationship over the last two seasons, so the learning curve isn’t a big one, but it’s also new territory for both.
“We’re going to keep our two-strike approach pretty much the same,” explained Moreno. “With that, Munger has been very helpful throughout my two years here. Seeing him in a different role this year is weird, but it’s also better for the freshmen where we’re all kind of learning new things from Munger. He’s letting us take our path, and he’s always there for questions or anything we need help with, even if we need to hit. He’s always there for us.”
If there wasn’t enough change for Moreno, he’ll also be playing a new position. Moreno has manned second base for much of the last two seasons and now he’ll slide over to shortstop. It’s the position Moreno has coveted and will allow him to run the show.
“I’m comfortable,” Moreno said. “I need to be athletic and mobile at short. I think I did that at second. Just being able to put my body on the line for the team, whether it’s a ball in the hole or something like that. I have to get that play down and not be worried about self-success.”
Moreno will be counted on to run the Irish defense, but also bring along freshman second baseman Noah Coy.
The in-state product drew rave reviews during the summer and fall ball, which allowed Moreno to move to short and Stiffler might have a dynamic player at the top of the lineup.
“Noah’s impressed me a lot,” said Moreno. “He’s got really good hands. He swings the bat very well. He has a good approach at the plate. He hits the ball all over the place. He’s able to pull it over the fence to right field and go oppo. I know he has a bright future ahead of him.”
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