Derik Olvey Class: Junior Hometown: Pelham, AL High School: Pelham Height / Weight: 6-2 / 205 Position: Righthanded Pitcher Birthdate: 10/27/1984 Experience: 1 MW Bats/Throws: R/R

Promising prospect on the mound who will be looking to make big contributions on 2005 staff after missing most of his freshman season due to sore forearm ... has made a full recovery and is expected to be leading member of the '05 staff ... worked diligently on his mechanics, notably in his legs, during '04 fall and winter workouts ... also has improved on the repetition of his deliver ... tremendous competitor who earned high school All-America honors ... a polished pitcher known for his mound presence and a fastball that has touched low-90s ... opted to join the Irish program, despite being a 13th-round draft selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2003 ... prototypical power pitcher, with husky 6-2, 205-pound frame and a hard, heavy fastball that bores into righthanded hitters ... also throws a good curveball and changeup, with excellent all-around location ... was rated by Baseball America as nation's No. 22 prospect among 2004 college freshmen (9th RHP on that list) ... brings a bulldog mentality to the mound ... had a strong 2003 fall and winter season, making adjustments to maximize his frame and getting more depth on his breaking ball ... looking to finetune his pitching tactics to produce more groundballs ... suffered loss in second game of Blue-Gold fall intrasquad series during fall of '03 (4 IP, 9 H, 7 R/6 ER, 2 BB), with the Blue winning 13-10 ... second letterwinner from Alabama in Notre Dame baseball history - and first since lefthanded pitching ace Herb Kelly of Mobile ('12-'14) ... inherited No. 20 jersey worn previous three seasons by righthander Peter Ogilvie ... others who have worn 20 include current Houston Astros righthanded reliever Brad Lidge ('96-'98).

AS A FRESHMAN: Entered season as candidate for top starting role but limited to just two starts and a pair of relief appearances before missing final 47 games due to sore elbow ... posted 3.52 ERA while winning his only decision, with 7 strikeouts, 3 walks and 14 hits allowed in 15.1 innings (.241 opponent batting average, 2 hit batters, wild pitch) ... was listed as the nation's No. 22 freshman prospect in the 2004 Baseball America college preview ... was slated to start team's third game at season-opening USC Classic (that game, vs. Louisville, was rained out) ... made debut the next week vs. Minnesota at Florida Atlantic Classic ... had no-decision after leaving that 19-7 win with 4-3 deficit (4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, K, HB), with the Gophers benefiting from several early bad-hop singles ... scratched from start vs. Penn State in San Antonio but picked up 4-2 win three days later vs. PSU, in Round Rock (5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R/1 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, WP) ... combined with classmate Jeff Samardzija in limiting Nittany Lions to a pair of hits and seven baserunners ... faced four batters while tossing shutout frame in relief of Chris Niesel at Southern Illinois (HB; 4-8) ... made final appearance in home opener on Sept. 23, holding the fort with 5.0 strong innings (5 H, 2 Ks) as Irish failed to rally from early 4-1 deficit vs. Central Michigan.

PREP & PERSONAL: Earned All-America honors after dominating 2003 senior season at Pelham High School that included 1.49 ERA, 9-1 record, 93 Ks, 11 walks and 36 hits allowed in 70.2 innings (8.5 K-to-walk ratio, with 9-inning averages of 11.9 Ks, 1.4 BB, 4.6 H) ... Perfect Game/Baseball America (Oct. '03) ranked him as the nation's No. 58 prep prospect in 2003 (32nd pitcher; No. 1 overall in Alabama) while Team One Baseball rated him 86th overall ... led '03 squad to No. 3 national ranking ... combined stats in final two prep seasons: 1.16 seven-inning ERA (1.49 for 9 inn.) and 18-3 record, plus eye-popping 11.6 K-to-walk ratio (9-inn. avg. 13.5 Ks, 1.2 BB, 5.1 H) ... named all-city, all-state and academic all-state as junior in '02 (0.82, 9-2, 116 Ks, 68.1 IP, 15.3 Ks per 9 IP) ... went 8-3 with a 0.68 ERA as a sophomore in '01, earning honorable mention all-state and first of three all-metro honors ... rated 18th-best pro prospect at East Coast Showcase (Wilmington, N.C.) ... pitched with Bama Bombers in summer of '02, logging impressive stint vs. team from Ontario at tournament in Jupiter, Fla. (7 IP, 15 Ks, 1 BB, 3 H) ... member of National Honor Society ... ranked third in his high school class with 4.2 GPA ... made official visit to Notre Dame during 2002 ND-Stanford football weekend (hosted by player Javi Sanchez) ... born Oct. 27, 1984, in Birmingham, Ala. ... son of David and Karen Olvey ... full name is Derik Layne Olvey ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business.