It's Official: Notre Dame Hires Shawn Stiffler As Its New Baseball Coach

Notre Dame has officially hired former VCU head coach Shawn Stiffler as the new man in charge of the Irish program

It's official, Shawn Stiffler is Notre Dame’s new head baseball coach. The university made the announcement Tuesday morning.

Stiffler was the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University for the past 11 seasons. He led the Rams to a 352-206 overall record, including a 144-71 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

The announcement of Stiffler’s hiring comes a little more than two weeks after Link Jarrett was named head coach at his alma mater, Florida State. Jarrett spent three seasons with the Irish, leading the program to its second NCAA Super Regional in 2021 and its first College World Series appearance in 20 years this past season.

Interestingly, the announcement of Stiffler’s hire comes exactly three years to the day after Jarrett was named Notre Dame baseball coach on July 12, 2019.

Stiffler was named the A-10 Coach of the Year in 2019. He took over the program on an interim basis in 2012 when Paul Keyes stepped down due to health reasons. Stiffler finished that season with a 12-9 overall mark, including an 8-9 record in Colonial Athletic Conference play.

The Rams were 60-36 overall the past two seasons, including a 32-8 Atlantic 10 record in that span. VCU won the A-10's South Division title last year and finished second this season. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons, the second and third NCAA appearances by the Rams in Stiffler’s tenure.

The Rams were 2-2 at the Chapel Hill Regional this season. They went 1-2 in the Starkville, Miss Regional last year. That Regional was won by eventual national champion Mississippi State.

Stiffler also led the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, when they won the Dallas, TX Regional to advance to the first Super Regional in program history before falling to Miami (FL).

Stiffler’s background is pitching. He was the VCU pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007-2012. VCU’s 2022 pitching staff posted a 3.91 team ERA, which tied Notre Dame’s staff for eighth in the nation.

Unlike Jarrett, Stiffler is not likely to inherit a full-time member of his Irish staff. Chuck Ristano stayed on as pitching coach with Jarrett after working in that position for nine seasons under Mik Aoki. According to a report out of Tallahassee, both Ristano and hitting coach Rich Wallace will follow Jarrett to FSU.

Stiffler will be formally introduced at a press conference Thursday afternoon. 

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