Worley Finds Notre Dame Has Everything He Desires

Chris Worley RHP / 3B / Grand Blanc, MI / 2025

GRAND BLANC - His college allegiance has changed. Chris Worley would not want it any other way.

“I’ve always been a big Michigan fan but now I’m a Notre Dame fan,” the Grand Blanc sophomore said in reference to his recent commitment to the Atlantic Coast Conference university in South Bend, Ind. “I had an opportunity with Notre Dame and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.”

How Notre Dame became interested in the 19th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in Michigan is uncertain to Worley, but a connection started five months ago.

“On halloween I got a text from my high school coach saying to call this number,” Worley reflected. “I called coach (Seth) Voltz, the pitching coach, and we introduced ourselves. We talked once a week after that about recruiting stuff. Then I got invited to a camp in early December. I did well there, I toured the campus, saw the facilities and met a bunch of players and coaches. After that it became more serious with zoom calls.”

Ironically, the 15-year-old had been to the baseball stadium at Notre Dame a couple of years prior.

“I went there two years ago with travel baseball and played on their field,” Worley noted. “David Lally from my high school plays there and he’s like a big brother to me. He was pumped when he knew I was talking to Notre Dame.”

The same can be said of Worley, who became enamored with the school after the camp.

“It was great meeting the coaches, seeing the campus and learning about the history there,” Worley explained. “It had a great atmosphere and a really great environment.”

There was no consideration of any other university after that for Worley.

“Notre Dame jumped on me early,” the 46th-ranked sophomore in the state said. “I don’t know how they heard of me, but they were the first to talk to me. I didn’t want to go too far from home and it’s only three hours away.”

There was a lot about the 6-0 185-pounder that stood out to Notre Dame.

“On the zoom call with (head) coach (Shawn) Stiffler he talked about how I was built and the makeup they wanted,” Worley explained. “With the new staff coming in, he said they wanted to focus on hard-working kids with a blue-collar mentality and work ethic. That’s what they saw in me. I train six days a week, so they like that I’m a blue-collar kid.”

Being Catholic also helped the cause according to Worley, whose recent improvement played a role in the recruiting process.

“I had a big jump the last year-and-a-half,” Worley pointed out. “At the end of my eighth-grade summer I wasn’t serious about baseball, but then I made a decision and I started doing a lifting program and throwing program. I improved, but I wanted to improve more.

“After that I worked on improving my mental aspect. Now my offspeed is better and I’m throwing harder. I feel a lot more prepared to go to Notre Dame.”

Worley gave credit to high school coach Kevin Hobbs, pitching coach Adam Bodary and strength coach Chris Roy with benefitting his game.

“Coach Hobbs was a big help in the recruiting process and definitely in my development,” Worley said. “My pitching and strength coaches have helped get me as good as I can be and are great to be around.”

Worley is confident he can make a major impact as part of the program at Notre Dame.

“They’re going to get a guy who will give his best on every pitch, a guy who is supportive, a guy who picks up teammates,” Worley explained. “If I’m not on the mound I’ll do what I can to help the team win.”

Becoming the fifth-highest rated college commit in Michigan’s 2025 class, admittedly, brings a sense of relief.

“Right out of the gate I felt that nothing changed, nothing really hit me,” Worley said. “But now that I think about it, a monkey is off my back. To know where I’m going to college at this young age, I’m really happy about it and my family is happy. I had a lot of people reaching out to me and I feel proud.”

A 3.99 GPA (an A- in Spanish prevented a 4.0) student at Grand Blanc, Worley is still unsure about a college major, but not about what lies ahead once becoming a student-athlete at Notre Dame.

“I’m looking forward to the camaraderie there,” Worley concluded. “From what I’ve heard, playing college baseball is as fun as it gets. They went to Omaha last year and they had a blast. They had a great team that worked together and I’m excited to be part of that.”