Notre Dame High School will have a new coach to go with its new baseball field in 2010. Former Bryan College standout Drew Friedrich has been named to succeed Tommy Fox.

"We're excited to have him," Notre Dame athletic director Howie Sompayrac said. "He worked as our associate head coach this past year, so it will make for an easy transition since the kids already know and like him."

Friedrich worked with Fox, who took the program this past season on an interim basis after Brian Hitchcox left following the 2008 season to take the job at Ooltewah.

"One thing about Drew, he is coming from a great baseball area in Virginia and he has a great baseball IQ. Not only is he a great baseball guy, but he is also a tremendous person," Sompayrac said.

Friedrich was a high school teammate of current Tampa Rays outfielder B.J. Upton in Virginia Beach, Va.

"He was unbelievable," Friedrich said. "We talk every now and then, and if we're home at the same time we'll catch up."

While he didn't make it to the pros, Friedrich was born into baseball. His father, a former Marquette basketball player, worked for the Milwaukee Brewers in marketing, and Drew's birth was announced via the message board to thousands of Milwaukee Brewers fans attending the game that day.

He left Bryan with several records including single-season and career home runs, single-season doubles, single-season and career RBIs and career slugging percentage.

The Irish, who played just one game on their new field this year, will have a solid one-two coaching punch because former Irish coach George Oleksik is coming back to serve as Friedrich's assistant. Oleksik, who played collegiately at Middle Tennessee State, took Notre Dame to the Class AA state semifinals in 2006.

"It is huge for us. A lot of our older kids still know him," Sompayrac said. "Besides being, one, a tremendous all-round baseball coach, I truly believe George is one of the best pitching coaches in the Southeast."

"We have had lunch a couple of times and talked baseball. I'm sure we'll make a good team," Friedrich said.

Both coaches are looking forward to using the new baseball facility.

"It's invaluable. You get out of class at 3:30 and you can be on the field at 4. No more renting a facility from someone else," Friedrich said. "It has created some excitement, and we already have a couple of kids planning to come out who didn't play last year. Having that field is a huge asset."