Elliot Pope Class: Sophomore Hometown: Memphis, Tennessee High School: Memphis University Height / Weight: 5-10 / 175 Position: IF Birthdate: 11/11/1980 Bats: Right

Played his way onto the Irish team after catching the eye of the coaches in fall workouts, due to his hard-nosed play ... a utility player who can be used at all infield positions ... a good contact hitter ... could become sixth Tennessee native (fourth from Memphis) to letter with Notre Dame baseball, joining current sophomore righthander Drew Duff (Sevierville) ... Duff became the first Tennessee native to letter with Irish baseball since second baseman John Moran (Memphis, ?82-?85) ... others include catcher Michael Campbell (Tillahoma, 1895-96) and two noteworthy pitchers from Memphis: Hugh Mageveney ('22-'24; 20-5 career record) and Walter Mahannah ('46-'49, 18-8) ... other previous Irish players to wear No. 11 include righthandes pitcher Anthony Bujnowski (1952, '56-'57)?whose 206 career strikeouts rank sixth all-time at Notre Dame?and lefty Phil Donnelly (?61-?62), who ranks fourth in Irish history with a 2.65 career ERA ... posted a Dean?s List semester in the fall of ?99 (3.67).

PREP & PERSONAL: Four-year member of the varsity baseball team at Memphis University High School ... played third base and shortstop, earning team MVP, all-conference and all-city honors as a junior and senior ... captained team as a senior while picking up all-state and USA Today honorable mention All-America honors ... ranked third in the city of Memphis while setting school record with 48 RBI in 1999 ... batted .400 as a senior ... played key role in 1999 regional tournament win over Harding (7-3), batting 2-for-3 with a home run, triple, walk and five RBI ... his three-run double pushed team into lead and eventual 9-8 win over Chatanooga McCallie, propelling team to first state tournament appearance in school history ... played in Tim Dulin's city all-star game ... lettered five years, including his eighth-grade season ... played summer ball with Memphis Tigers ... graduated ninth in his class and cum laude ... member of Mu Alpha Theta honor society and civic service executive committee ... grandfather Jim Lee was a starting fullback on the Tulane football teams that played versus Notre Dame in the mid-1940s ... born Nov. 11, 1980, in Memphis, Tenn. ... full name is Elliot Lee Pope ... son of Jim and Linda Pope ... enrolled in First Year of Studies ... intends to major in finance.