Notre Dame has its next two-sport athlete. Sophomore wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. has joined the baseball team, UND.com announced.
After making seven catches and scoring a touchdown in his first season on the gridiron, Hunter will participate with both teams this spring. The son of MLB All-Star Torii Hunter, the younger Hunter is fully healthy after a serious leg injury kept him off both fields as a freshman.
“Torii wanted to play baseball again, and we had some roster space, so we wanted to see where this could go,” Notre Dame baseball coach Mik Aoki said in a statement. “People will need to have a little bit of patience. This is a kid that, between his focus on football and a catastrophic injury as a senior in high school, hadn’t touched a bat in three years prior to the last few weeks. He needs a little bit of time to see where this might be able to lead him.”
The baseball team could use the help. After finishing 22-31 last year, including 9-21 in the ACC, Hunter will get a shot to help out in the outfield. And while still fighting to be a part of a talented wide receiving rotation, Brian Kelly is open to Hunter working with both teams this semester.
“This is something we wouldn’t have considered if not for the fact that Torii is an outstanding student,” Kelly said in the same statement. “Coach Aoki and I have the utmost confidence in Torii to be able to handle his duties in the classroom in addition to his responsibilities to both teams.”
***