Matt Katich Class: Freshman Hometown: New Castle, PA High School: Mohawk Height / Weight: 6-2 / 210 Position: Catcher Birthdate: 03/17/1989 Bats/Throws: R/R

Newcomer behind the plate who is wellrounded talent ... combines a strong arm and excellent defensive skills with good offensive ability ... was invited to tryouts with several MLB scouring bureaus but ultimately went undrafted due to strong commitment to Notre Dame ... went 1-for-1 with a walk in Blue-Gold intrasquad series (fall '07; with Gold) ... joins sophomore outfielder Bill Warrender (Collegeville/LaSalle Collegiate HS) as pair of Pennsylvania natives on '08 team ... the ND baseball program has featured 38 previous monogram winners from Pennsylvania, including Academic All-America OF Brian Stavisky (Port Allegany) ... former Irish players who have worn #25 include All- America 2B Dick Selcer ... his former Mohawk High School teammate Matt Wies plays at nearby Western Michigan (an annual ND opponent).

PREP & PERSONAL: Fouryear baseball letterwinner at Mohawk HS, where he also lettered in football and basketball ... a .400 career hitter (76 RBI, 9 HR; also 10-3 on mound with 2.1 career ERA) ... earned all-section honors as senior catcher, captaining '07 team to second round of regionals (he hit .310 with 18 RBI, 4 HR) ... played '07 summer ball with Rondinelli team that advanced to NABF World Series (Jackson, Miss.) ... named all-tournament at '07 NABF Regional in Youngstown, Ohio ... helped Rondinelli place second at '07 Connie Mack Tournament ... invited to '06 Puma National Team tryouts ... played '06/'07 fall ball with Allegheny Pirates ... named all-conference and all-city his final three seasons ... repeated as all-section performer as a junior (.445, county-best/school-record 30 RBI, 2 HR, 20 GP) ... named to '06 NABF Regional All- Tournament Team ... threw out league-high 18 attempted basestealers for Youngstown Class-B team (summer '06) ... hit .352 as a sophomore (17 RBI, 3 HR) before ranking fourth in '05 summer league with .438 batting ... played as 16-year-old on 17/18-year-old team that placed second at '05 Connie Mack Tournament (advanced to regionals) ... MVP of '05 Blue Chip Baseball Showcase ... member of MHS varsity as a freshman (hit .500 in 14 GP, 11 RBI, HR) ... helped MHS '04 team win program's first conference title in 26 years ... went 4- for-4 (2 2B) in '04 playoff opener ... helped his Babe Ruth League teams (13-15 years old) win three state and regional titles, plus one world championship ('03, in Boston; 14-year-old team) ... lettered as junior defensive end on '05 football team (conference champs) ... also earned letter as sophomore forward on basketball team ... three-year high school scholar-athlete and high school honorroll student ... member of student government and Mohawk Mentors ... nominated for People to People Student Ambassador program and National Honor Roll ... invited to represent Pennsylvania at National Student Leadership Conference ('06) ... three-time qualifier for national academic game competition ... carried 4.1 cumulative GPA ... hails from same hometown area as current ND football offensive line coach John Latina and current Irish track-andfield team member Jake Walker ... born March 17, 1989, in New Castle, Pa. ... son of Ron and Kathleen Katich ... Matthew James Katich ... enrolled in First Year of Studies ... intends to major in engineering.