How Transfer Drew Berkland Could Be a Catalyst for Notre Dame Baseball in 2026
Notre Dame needed to improve its depth through the Transfer Portal, but the Irish also needed to get older.
Enter center fielder Drew Berkland.
The Minnesota graduate transfer checks both boxes for Notre Dame. As a senior, Berkland batted .293 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, a team-high 53 RBI and a slg% of .546 in 52 games with 51 starts.
Perhaps the most significant piece of the puzzle is that Berkland believed in what Notre Dame could accomplish before he even met his new teammates.
“Going through the recruiting process, I really liked what this team was bringing back,” Berkland told ISD. “That core group that were freshmen last year showed a lot of growth. That was seen through how they played in the back half of the year.
“I want to just be the catalyst of making our team better this year and being able to advance and take a big step from 2025 to 2026 and then make a splash in the postseason. That's what I'm here to do.”
Starting over is never easy, but the transition to Notre Dame was helped by fellow Minnesota transfer Noah Rooney making the same move.
“Noah's a great dude,” explained Berkland. “He's a good pitcher, but a better human. He's my roommate. That process was definitely easy. He's a good shoulder to lean on. It was good having a familiar face as we kind of got acclimated to a new team and built friendships outside of each other and on the team.”
Berkland does have some bragging rights, as he committed before Rooney pledged to the Fighting Irish.
“I committed a week before he did,” laughed Berkland. “I think he knew this is the place where he wanted to be by the time I committed, maybe even a little bit before I did. I definitely pulled his arm a little bit to get out to South Bend.”
The Minnesota native has played in 110 collegiate games with 82 starts, and that experience could prove critical for a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores.
Berkland understands he doesn’t need to change the culture. Instead, he hopes to enhance it while embracing the high expectations that drew him to Notre Dame.
“I think it's a place of excellence, whether that's in the classroom or on the field, and that's something I really wanted to be a part of,” explained Berkland. “The way these guys handle their business in the field and in school was definitely something that I wanted to do in my life and my last year of college baseball. It's been a holistic experience from academics to athletics, which has been really great.”
On the field, Berkland quickly noticed the talent in South Bend during fall workouts and winter practices. One of Notre Dame’s recruiting selling points was the opportunity to face RHP Jack Radel, who is expected to be one of college baseball’s top arms.
“Coach Siffler and Coach (Ryan) Munger said, ‘Hey, if you want to come here, we'll see how good a hitter you are by facing one of the best pitchers in the country in Jack Radel, who's going to throw on Friday nights for us,’” Berkland said.
“It's definitely been good to face him. He was shelved a little for the fall, just to make sure his workload was down. But he got me a couple of times in the fall, and we've been battling it back in the indoor. They've definitely been some competitive at-bats.”
According to a source, Berkland’s winter at-bats have been impressive. At one point, he launched two home runs in 10 at-bats, leaving Notre Dame’s projected center fielder feeling confident heading into opening weekend on February 13.
“I think the work's put in,” Berkland stated. “We've got two more weeks to feel good and start the season off in FAU. I'm really happy with the body of work that I've done personally to get myself ready for this season.
“It's my last year of college baseball. My goal is to win. I want to do my part to help the team. I've been feeling really good at the plate. The body feels good in the outfield. I'm ready to go.”
The 5-foot-11, 208-pounder also credits hitting coach Ryan Munger for helping refine his approach at the plate.
“Coach Munger's helped a lot with approach and as well as some swing decisions,” said Berkland. “He's helped me simplify a lot of things. He's just said, ‘Hey, at this point in your career, you kind of developed what kind of hitter you are, but let's simplify some things, and we'll look at some objective feedback of whiff rate, chase percentage. We'll help you with those metrics.’ At the end of the day, he wanted me to be me, which is hitting the ball to the big part of the field.
“He constantly checks up on me, seeing how I'm feeling with some mechanical things. If he has any feedback for me, he's done a great job of helping me and steering me in the right direction if I have a couple of poor at-bats or I'm not feeling like myself.”
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