The Notre Dame baseball team’s offense has never been the thing standing in the way of the Irish making a return to the postseason. This weekend, head coach Shawn Stiffler went out and got himself a big piece of help in trying to shore up the Golden Domers’ biggest weakness. Cooper Katskee, most recently of the Nebraska Cornhuskers regional hosting squad’s rotation, is coming to South Bend. The hope is that Katskee can help the Fighting Irish rotation get strong enough to hold its own and finally get the team back to the NCAA Tournament in 2027.
The ex-Husker is the latest addition as Shawn Stiffler’s squad keeps beefing up a pitching staff that needs great improvement. Earlier this spring, ND added right-handers David Finch and Caden Capomaccio to strengthen the bullpen. Now, pitching coach Seth Voltz has himself a weekend starter in the graduate transfer.
Cooper Katskee gives Notre Dame baseball a proven transfer rotation option
The veteran right-hander began his collegiate career at Indiana before transferring to Miami (Ohio) and eventually Nebraska. Now he’s at his fourth and final school with Notre Dame. Both he and the program are hoping his last year will be his best.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder put together a solid campaign for the Cornhuskers in 2026. He finished 6-2 with a 5.71 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 63 innings across 18 appearances (10 starts). He also recorded two saves. Clearly, Katskee can hold down a rotation and is far from unaccustomed to working out of the bullpen as well. However, depending on how things shake out next spring, it’s entirely possible he’ll be the Irish’s Friday night starter.
Before his one season in Nebraska, Katskee posted a breakout season at Miami (Ohio) in 2025. The newest addition to the Notre Dame baseball team earned Third-Team All-American honors and MAC Pitcher of the Year recognition. He posted an 11-2 record with a 3.08 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 16 appearances (10 starts), while limiting opponents to a .196 batting average. In his collegiate career, Katskee has an 18-6 record, a 4.58 ERA, and 153 strikeouts over 163 innings.
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