Former Standout Ristano to Pitch in the MLB Home Run Derby
7/12/2021 1:09:00 PM | Baseball
DENVER, CO. — Former Sacred Heart University baseball pitcher and current University of Notre Dame assistant coach Chuck Ristano '04 was invited by former Fighting Irish star and Baltimore Orioles slugger, Trey Mancini, to pitch for him in the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby on July 12.
According to WNDU 16 News Now, Mancini promised when he won the 2013 Big East Home Run Derby, with Ristano pitching, that he would give his former coach a call if he ever got to the big league. Ristano was flattered by the offer and admitted that he is "very nervous."
"It's something I never really confronted - trying to give up home runs in front of that many people," Ristano told WNDU. "I want to make sure I reward Trey's faith in me and hopefully we can do something really special. But the fact Trey is actually doing it, says so much about him, so I just want to make sure I am not in the way."
Ristano lines the record book as he ranks sixth in program history with both 262.0 innings pitched (2001-04) and 200 career strikeouts.
As a freshman, he crafted a 5-3 record with one save and 56 strikeouts. During his sophomore campaign, he logged a 3-2 record with two saves and 52 strikeouts. His best season for earned-run average and opponents' batting average came as a junior in 2003 when he posted a 3.38 ERA, allowing just a .261 from the opposition.
The former Pioneer was also a two-time captain and a four-year letter winner, where he garnered 15 career victories and was a four-time NEC All-Academic honoree while studying for a degree in sports management.
Ristano stuck around Sacred Heart for the 2005 season as the assistant coach and led The Red and White to its first-ever NEC Tournament appearance with a 16-8 league mark and a second-place finish in the regular season. He primarily worked with the Pioneers' pitchers and contributed to recruiting and academic advisement.
