Notre Dame baseball entered the 2025 MLB Draft weekend with some anxiety, as several current players and top incoming prospects were draft-eligible.
The Irish lost RHP Rory Fox, SS Estevan Moreno, and incoming grad transfer RHP Garrett Stratton, who all chose to begin their professional careers. But the weekend delivered a major win for head coach Shawn Stiffler and his staff as Notre Dame held on to the crown jewel of its recruiting class in LHP Caden Crowell.
Crowell, who led Valparaiso (Ind.) to a state championship in June, could have gone pro but chose instead to follow through on his commitment to the Irish.
“Before the draft, we set a number out there pretty high because we understood the value of going to Notre Dame, getting to work with Coach (Seth) Voltz) and the coaching staff at Notre Dame,” Crowell told ISD. “I know I’m only going to get better and they’re going to make me into the pitcher I know I can be. I’ll have the opportunity again in a few years and I’m looking forward to working with those guys.”
At 6-foot-4 and 199 pounds, Crowell is considered one of the top high school left-handers in the country. By holding firm to his signing number, Crowell made it difficult for teams to pry him away from college ball and ultimately, he got exactly what he wanted.
“Not really,” Crowell said when asked if it was tough for him to hold firm on his number. “Going to play professional baseball has been a dream of mine, but knowing I’m going to be able to develop and get better at Notre Dame and I’ll have the opportunity again in two years since I’m a draft-eligible sophomore. It was a win-win either way because I would be in a great situation either way.”
Perhaps the happiest person in all of this is Voltz. The Notre Dame pitching coach will have the opportunity to develop one of the premier left-handed pitchers in the country, which is something the program desperately needs.
“I actually just called him yesterday,” Crowell stated. “We were just talking about my pitching development and how I'm going to get a throwing program to get ready for the fall to get ready to throw. I'm excited to get to work with him because he's one of the best, if not the best, pitching coaches I've worked with for a long time.”
And yes, Crowell believes his pitching coach likely slept a little better this week.
“I think he was definitely excited,” said Crowell. “I'm excited to work with him, too. I think the possibilities are unlimited for how good we can be. I'm just excited to go there, win and get to Omaha.”
Crowell is fresh off a monster senior season that saw him put up huge numbers. The former Valpo star went 6-0 while recording an impressive 0.25 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, 97 strikeouts and held opponents to a batting average of .098 in 55 innings. He also didn't allow an extra base hit or a stolen base all season.
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Crowell, but he wouldn’t have changed anything, and now he’s excited for his future.
“It was definitely kind of crazy how fast everything was happening,” explained Crowell. “You go from winning the state tournament to now and the draft is here already. All those things kind of happened in a row and it was a cool experience.”
Crowell isn’t the only in-state prospect headed to South Bend. Brandon Logan, a two-sport athlete already training with the Notre Dame football program, joins fellow Hoosiers Mason Barth and Jaisle. Crowell is proud to represent The Region (Northwest Indiana), which is an underrated hotbed for talent.
“If you look at the state tournament, our area had us, Boone Grove, Kouts and Andrean all down there. Northwest Indiana baseball is pretty legit. I think people are finally starting to realize how good we actually are. It doesn't matter if we're from Indiana, we can compete with any state, no matter where we are.”
Crowell also noticed Notre Dame’s strong finish to last season. The Irish narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament, but return a young and talented core and one that Crowell is eager to join.
“They had a really good year last year and they just missed out on making the tournament,” Crowell explained. “They had Fox and (Jack) Radel last year, and hopefully I can step in and take up some big innings and help push a little more toward Omaha and get us to the tourney.
“They were really young last year. They had a bunch of young players that were playing and they're all staying. We have a good core group of freshmen that are coming in as well and I think we can definitely make a run.”
Crowell also believes he can quickly find a role and wants to earn a significant one, but he also knows it starts by earning it in the fall.
“I definitely think I could be a weekend starter for them as a freshman,” stated Crowell. “I just have to go out in the fall and just earn my stripes. I have to go out there and just be the pitcher that I know I am and just go throw.”
The lack of left-handed pitching will allow Crowell to have a role in some capacity by default. The hole in the roster is something Crowell is excited to fill.
“I was looking at it the other day,” Crowell said. “There is definitely a big role that they need someone to fill and take up some innings. I think I have the stuff to be able to do that and working with Coach Voltz, it's only going to make me better.
“With the strength and conditioning coaches at Notre Dame, I'm going to put on probably 10 or 15 pounds my freshman year and then hopefully gain some velocity. I'm just excited to get to work with all those guys. It's going to be awesome.”
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