By TOM NOIE South Bend Tribune Staff Writer WSBT-TV

9:56 p.m. EDT, March 20, 2012
SOUTH BEND -- On an ideal day to decompress somewhere outside with
shorts, sunglasses and no cares or clouds anywhere after a six-month
college basketball season, Notre Dame freshman Pat Connaughton instead
went to work.

Serious work.

Barely three days removed from the close of his first season with the
Irish men's basketball team, Connaughton made his baseball debut
Tuesday as the starting pitcher in Notre Dame's home opener at Eck
Stadium, a 12-4 victory over Eastern Michigan.

Limited to about 30 pitches, the right-hander threw 31 in 1ð innings.
His fastest registered 94 mph in the first inning. He also walked one
and had a wild pitch. He struck out five of the seven batters he
faced.

"I was just excited to get out here to start the season after trying
not to think about the (NCAA tournament) loss we had for basketball,"
Connaughton said. "It was a good way to keep my mind occupied."

Irish power forward Jack Cooley said during the game on Twitter that
his hoops teammate "threw hot fire."

Connaughton delivered his first pitch at 5:32 p.m., and his last at