Sherard Clinkscales - a standout pitcher at Purdue and a former Kansas City Royals top prospect who later spent 10 years in Major League scouting - is embarking on his third season as a Notre Dame assistant coach. Clinkscales serves as the Irish pitching coach while also assisting with recruiting and overseeing the program's student welfare operation.

During his first full year at Notre Dame, Clinkscales helped the Irish attract the nation's fourth-ranked recruiting class while also making a positive impact on several of the Notre Dame pitchers. Most notably, David Phelps rebounded from a rocky freshman season to become a first team all-BIG EAST performer in 2007 - when he won eight games and compiled a 1.88 ERA, with 102 strikeouts, only 30 walks and 96 hits allowed in 110.1 innings.

Clinkscales also had a profound impact on another righthander, Joey Williamson, whose strong junior season in 2007 (2.81, 53 Ks, 16 BB, 51.1 IP) led to him being drafted and signed by the Colorado Rockies. Current junior Eric Maust (3.65, 32 Ks, 7 BB, 44.1 IP) also quickly excelled under the watchful eye of Clinkscales while compiling a 4.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a lowly rate of 1.4 walks per 9.0 innings (both marks rank among the best in Irish baseball history).

Clinkscales' efforts with the pitching staff were even more evident in 2008. Notre Dame was the only team in the BIG EAST Conference to place its entire weekend rotation on the all-league ballot.Wade Korpi (6-3, 3.59) and Maust (6-3, 4.52) were each second-team selections, while Phelps (5-5, 4.65) was an honorable-mention choice. Clinkscales' also was instrumental in the development of freshmen hurlers' Ryan Sharpley, Brian Dupra, Evan Danieli,Todd Miller and Cole Johnson. The quintet combined to make 16 starts for the Irish and posted a 9-8 record with a 4.50 ERA in 160.0 innings of work. They fanned 122 and walked 56.

Major League baseball also noticed Clinkscales' work as the Irish had five members of their pitching staff drafted in the top 24 rounds of the 2008 MLB draft. The previous record for Notre Dame pitchers drafted was three (2006; Jeff Samardzija, Jeff Manship,Tom Thorton). After Kyle Weiland was selected on the first day (third round, Boston Red Sox), Phelps, Korpi, Brett Graffy and Sam Elam were all taken between the 14th and 24th rounds.

A record-setting strikeout ace at Purdue, Clinkscales was the 31st pick in the 1992 Major League draft, going to the Royals as a compensatory pick after the first round. The Royals also selected future big leaguers Michael Tucker, Jim Pittsley, Johnny Damon and Jon Lieber within the first 44 picks of the '92 draft. After injuries cut short his playing career, Clinkscales parlayed his connections into a position with the Atlanta Braves as an area-scouting supervisor (1997-99).The Indianapolis native later was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays assistant director of scouting (1999-2001) and returned to the Braves as an area scouting supervisor (2001-05) before being promoted to the position of professional scout in 2005-06.

The son of former minor-league baseball player Lester Clinkscales - a left-handed pitcher who reached triple-A Indianapolis during an 11-year career in the White Sox organization - the younger Clinkscales was an all-county pitcher at Brebeuf Jesuit High School. He also was an all-county point guard for the BJHS basketball team that beat powerhouse Pike in the 1989 sectionals before losing on a last-second shot to a Lawrence North squad led by future North Carolina standout Eric Montross. His teammates at Brebeuf Jesuit included future NBA player Alan Henderson.

Clinkscales was a scholarship baseball player at Purdue while also playing for Gene Keady's 1989-90 basketball team, as an invited walk-on (he turned down full scholarship offers from D-I basketball schools). His breakout baseball season came as a junior, earning ABCA all-region and first team all-Big Ten Conference honors while leading longtime coach Dave Alexander's 1992 squad in ERA (2.34), strikeouts (87), wins (7), complete games (9) and innings (80.2). He earlier was invited to attend tryouts for the 1991 United States Olympic team.

His pro career included playing with the single- A Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds and Rockford (Ill.) Royals, before being released in 1995. He earlier returned to Purdue to complete his requirements before graduating in 1994 with a degree in history.

Clinkscales was contacted in 1996 by then Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Dean Taylor (now Vice President- Baseball Operations/Assistant General Manager of the Kansas City Royals) and made a strong impression in his interview with GM John Schuerholz and director of scouting Paul Snyder, a legend in the scouting community. Clinkscales went on to serve in 1997 as the Braves' area scouting supervisor for the mid- Atlantic region and held the same title in 1998-99 for the Midwest region. In his mid-Atlantic position, Clinkscales replaced Dayton Moore - who has gone on to become assistant GM for the Braves and general manager of the Royals.

The role of area scouting supervisor involved overseeing evaluations of high school and college players, with associate scouts reporting directly to Clinkscales. He also handled scouting big-league clubs during those years.

Clinkscales first crossed paths with the current Notre Dame head coach in 1998, when Dave Schrage was at Northern Iowa. The Braves later used their seventh-round pick in 1998 to select UNI's Scott Sobkowiack, who pitched with the big-league club before career-ending elbow surgery.

The fall of 1999 saw Clinkscales become assistant director of scouting with a Devil Rays franchise owned by Notre Dame graduate Vince Naimoli. He evaluated elite players nationwide while coordinating draft operations and handling all budgeting for domestic and international scouting. While in Tampa, he completed a 2001 executive training program and worked alongside respected talent evaluator Dan Jennings (now the Florida Marlins Vice President, Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager).

Clinkscales returned to the Braves in the fall of 2001 and served four years as an area-scouting supervisor in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Clinkscales' most recent position of professional scout included evaluating minor-leaguers in the Carolina and Midwest leagues. He also served as an advance scout in the 2004-05 playoffs, providing a complete scouting report of the Boston Red Sox.

In the role of professional scout, Clinkscales - who was instrumental in signing Australian National Team standout and eventual Major League pitcher Peter Moylan - reported directly to Schuerholz and Moore, who accepted his new post with the Royals in 2006.

During recent off-seasons, Clinkscales worked alongside cofounder Scott McGowan with After Sport Group, an organization that conducts on-campus career workshops for student-athletes.

Clinkscales emerged as one of the nation's top prospects as a junior at Purdue. The three-year starter compiled a 5.01 career ERA and 14-14 record in 41 appearances (36 starts), with 190 strikeouts, 173 walks and 38 more innings pitched (196) than hits allowed (158). His 14 complete games included three solo shutouts and a no-hitter. He still owns Purdue's top career strikeout average (8.72 Ks/9 IP), ranks fourth in fewest hits allowed per 9.0 innings (7.26, best since '71) and eighth in strikeouts (190, most among three-year players).

His 1992 season ranks among the best ever at Purdue, as he tied team records for strikeouts (87) and complete games (9) while posting a 2.34 ERA that is second-best in the record book and tops in the past 40 years. His 1992 strikeout average (9.71/9 IP) was best in Purdue history and now ranks second, while his 6.0 hits allowed per 9.0 IP is best by a Purdue pitcher since the late 1960s (sixth overall).

After compiling similar seasons in 1990 (6.13, 4-6, 55 Ks, 57 BB, 48 H in 61.2 IP), and 1991 (7.71, 3-4, 48 Ks, 58 BB, 56 H, 53.2 IP), Clinkscales had the breakout that earned him the second- most votes for 1992 Big Ten pitcher of the year. During his junior season, Purdue split a pair of games versus a 1992 Notre Dame squad that featured future big leaguers Craig Counsell and Chris Michalak.

Clinkscales was a member of the 1989-90 Purdue basketball team that finished as Big Ten runner-up and lost to Texas in the NCAAs. His teammate and roommate on the road was Matt Painter, now head coach of the Boilermakers.

He and his wife, the former Trisha Lashan Smith (a graduate of Ball State), were married in 1995 and are the parents of a son, Alex (10), and a daughter, Tara (9).