Notre Dame College Men's Baseball

Len Barker joined the Notre Dame coaching staff prior to the 2010 season.  He was named interim head coach in February 2012, and had the interim tag removed at the end of the 2012 season. He will be entering his 13th season at the helm of the NDC baseball program in the 2024 season. In 10 years of Mountain East Conference competition, Barker holds an impressive record of 160-137. Barker managed the team to a conference tournament appearance in six of those seasons. In 2014 and 2019, the Falcons played their way to the Championship game in the tournament, but came up just short of the title. Since Barker took over the program, the Falcons have had 34 All-MEC selectees, three All-Region players, one All-American and one MEC Player of the Year. Two pitchers have thrown a no-hitter (Matt Kastelic and Cam Fuller) under Barker's guidance. In 2021, Ben Ross became the first player in program history to be named All-American after a great season in the field as the shortstop and at the plate. He would follow that by grabbing a First Team All-America award in 2022 from the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings. He became the program's first MEC Player of the Year and Academic All-Region honoree. He was also the first player to be named All-Region by three different outlets. Barker is a former Major League pitcher, who played with four teams -- including the Cleveland Indians -- in an 11-year career (1976-85, 1987).  On May 15, 1981, Barker tossed the 10th perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. The Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 3-0, that night and no other Indian pitcher has accomplished the feat since.  The powerful right-hander was named an American League All-Star in 1981, and he led the AL in strikeouts in both 1980 and 1981. A native of Fort Knox, Ky., Barker moved back to the Cleveland area after his playing career ended.  He now resides in Chardon, Ohio, with his wife Eva. He is the proud father of six: Jared, Blake, Jacob, Carly, Troy and Lyle. Overall MEC Season W L T % W L % 2012 ' 17 31 1 .357 0 0 .000 2013 16 24 0 .400 0 0 .000 2014 * 27 22 0 .551 22 17 .564 2015 * 25 19 0 .568 24 12 .667 2016 * 28 25 0 .528 20 12 .625 2017 18 32 0 .360 13 19 .406 2018 * 21 32 0 .396 16 16 .500 2019 * 28 27 0 .509 19 13 .594 2020 3 8 0 .273 0 0 .000 2021 17 23 0 .425 14 18 .438 2022 * 26 26 0 .500 20 12 .625 2023 12 32 0 .273 12 18 .400 Totals 238 301 1 .442 160 137 .539 ' Interim head coach * MEC Tournament Berth

Bud Burkle came to Notre Dame as an assistant coach in 2009. The move back to the dugout came after a long career in the Federal Reserve System -- Burkle worked for the Federal Reserve Bank for 38 years and retired as the senior vice president of the Bank’s Supervision & Regulation Division. The Cleveland native was a fine amateur pitcher prior to his career at the Fed. Burkle pitched collegiately at Bowling Green State University from 1964-66. He compiled a 1.89 ERA while striking out 108 batters in 114 career innings. In 1965, Burkle registered a 1.40 ERA, which still stands as the second-lowest single-season ERA in BGSU history. He tossed six complete games in his career, including a shutout win over eventual NCAA national champion Ohio State in 1966. In his senior year with the Falcon program, Burkle served as player/pitching coach for the team. Burkle was a four-time all-star in the Ohio Class-A League in the mid-60s and, while in the U.S. Army, pitched two seasons for Fort Sill (Okla.), a team mostly comprised of professional players including several Major Leaguers. In 1966, Burkle served as a batting practice pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Since NDC joined the Mountain East Conference in 2014, 15 All-MEC honors have gone to NDC pitchers. Todd Marshall was awarded First Team All-Atlantic Region honors in 2019 and Matt Kastelic earned Second Team All-Atlantic Region in 2014. In 2014, his pitching staff produced an incredible, 3.62 team ERA, the best in the history of the program, and produced two First Team All-MEC pitchers in Jake Welch and Matt Kastelic.  In 2015, Coach Burkle's pitching staff posted a 3.72 ERA, which ranked 34th in the country, and produced a Second Team All MEC performer in Zach Gresch, and a pair of All MEC Honorable Mention honorees, in Phil Ramos and Josh Armbruster.  Burkle and his wife Edna reside in Russell Township, Ohio.  They have three sons and two grandchildren.