Who Said ND Wouldn't Get a First Rounder?
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
June 5, 2000

Notre Dame, Ind - Ok, so the first rounder won't come infootball which is the usual sport that receives first round draft picks, but Aaron Heilmanis pretty much assured a first round selection tomorrow when the annual Major LeagueBaseball Draft kicks off at 1 PM EST.

In his career, he boasts a 28-7 career mark in threeyears at Notre Dame and a 21-4 record as a starter the past two seasons for the Irish.  He holds three Notre Dame records - career strikeouts per 9 innings (10.13),strikeouts in a season (118 twice), and consecutive wins (10).  He was also the lonejunior captain in 2000 for the Irish.

On top of all his awards which include a first team AllAmerican selection this season by Collegiate Baseball, 3rd Team Honors as a freshman andsophomore, and being on the USA team this past summer, he is said to have the best fastball in the Big East according to Baseball America.

Some of his other accomplishments include pitching 10innings in one game, striking out 18 batters in one game, having two one hitters, walkingno batters three times, pitching 33.1 consecutive scoreless innings, and winning 10straight decisions.  With all these accomplishments and awards a first roundselection seems obvious.

If you read the draftpreview on from the Official Site, you know that this years draft is going to be veryunpredictable.  In that article it just says that Heilman will be a first rounder.  Yahoo however has Heilman in the top 6 picks and one of the top three collegiatepicks.  Baseball America however has him as the #11 overall prospect and #5collegiate prospect.

No matter where he gets picked, he will be longremembered as one of the most dominating pitchers from Notre Dame in a while.  He madBig East hitters simply look silly the past two seasons en route to his First Team AllAmerican honors and two First Team All Big East selections.

While the Irish failed to produce a football firstrounder, or second, third, fourth, fifth, or even sixth rounder for that matter, NotreDame will get a first round selection in baseball and could have easily had one inbasketball has Troy Murphy declared himself eligible for the draft.  Is there achanging of the guard at Notre Dame where football used to reign supreme?  I like tothink not, and that the football program will be resurrected soon, but for now its verynice to see other Irish sports excelling - it speaks volumes for the university.

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