Baseball in Fort Wayne

Notre Dame head baseball coach Dave Schrage announced the signing of five student-athletes to national letters of intent today. The class will be eligible beginning in the fall of 2009 and includes Homestead’s Patrick Veerkamp.

“I’ve been a Notre Dame fan for my entire life and when offered the opportunity to play baseball there, it was a dream come true,” said Veerkamp. “After visiting the campus and meeting with the coaches, I felt at home and that it was the right place for me. The academic excellence and the success of the athletic programs at Notre Dame can’t be beat.”

Schrage on Veerkamp: “Patrick is a power arm right-hander that throws three pitches for strikes. He has a power breaking ball and fastball that will touch 90 miles per hour. Patrick will be ready to pitch right away as a freshman. His fastball will also continue to develop as he gets stronger.”

Three-year starter and letterwinner at Homestead High School … went 6-1 with a 3.46 earned run average with 33 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work last spring … led Homestead to a runner-up finish in the 4A state tournament … two-way player also batted .347 with a .613 slugging percentage for the 26-6 Spartans … ranked as the sixth-best player from the state of Indiana by the Prep Baseball Report … been named to the honor roll every semester of high school … member of the National Honor Society and also a AP Scholar of Distinction

[source: The College Baseball Blog].