SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College Director of Athletics John Galovic announced today that Len Barker has been named the College's head baseball coach.

Barker has been a member of the Falcon Baseball staff since 2010 and was named interim head coach in February when former head coach Nick Weisheipl left the College to become the pitching coach for Villanova University (Pa.).

"Len has done a great job during the transition period and has proven once again that he is a quality person and a quality coach,” said Galovic. “His vast knowledge of the game, along with the experiences he gained as a standout Major League player, make him the top choice to lead our program, offering our student-athletes a rare opportunity to learn from truly one of the best, both on and off the field."

As a former Major League pitcher, Barker played with four teams -- including the Cleveland Indians -- in an 11-year career (1976-85, 1987).  The author of MLB's 10th perfect game -- on May 15, 1981 -- he was an assistant on NDC's baseball staff in 2010-11, over which time the Falcons went 52-40 (.565).  In 2012, Notre Dame went 17-31-1 (.357). Barker's season as Interim Head Coach was highlighted by the team playing well in a number of games against ranked opponents and by the program's first victory over an NCAA Division I foe (a 12-3 win at Youngstown State on March 20).

“That professional experience comes into play when I'm stressing to the guys not to let one bad inning or one bad at-bat affect the rest of their game,” said Barker.  “Learning to leave that at-bat behind when you go out for defense is ingrained in ballplayers that play 162 games.  But it's needed at all levels.“

On moving forward at NDC, Barker indicated that he's “tremendously excited about the core players we'll have coming back and mixing them with some great recruits.  The 2013 season is going to be a lot of fun for this program.”