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Notre Dame Prep pitcher CJ Bott had a 3.88 earned run average in the 2023 season, which included a no-hitter against Canyon Del Oro High School on March 13. His efforts earned him a place on the First Team All-Conference as a junior.
Notre Dame Prep volleyball hitter Evan Hendrix leaps to make a kill against the Horizon High School team. She finished her season with 557 kills that included a 40-kill game against Verrado on Sept. 7, 2022.
Submitted photo
Evan Hendrix is all smiles as she meets her future coaches at a meet-and-greet at Texas Christian University.
Two Notre Dame Preparatory High School athletes formally committed to play sports at the colleges of their choice.
NDP volleyball player Evan Hendrix has committed to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, and baseball player CJ Bott is heading to University of California, Los Angeles, according to a press release.
“UCLA is my dream school,” Bott said in the release. “I always wanted to be a Bruin, and baseball made this a reality for me. I couldn’t be more excited and grateful for this opportunity.”
Hendrix, a First Team All-Region outside hitter, just returned from a trip to Fort Worth for a meet-and-greet with her future teammates and coaches.
“I’m looking forward to the academics, team and the culture of TCU,” Hendrix said in the release. “The team and coaching staff have been so welcoming and really great to me. I’m excited to work with them.”
Voted the No. 1 high school volleyball player in the state of Arizona by Stadium Talk, Hendrix said she has dreamed of playing division one college volleyball since she started playing the sport in middle school.
“I was looking for a school where I knew I would be happy. I never thought I would end up in Texas, but the minute I stepped foot on the TCU campus, I knew it was the place for me,” she said.
Playing for UCLA was always Bott’s dream. His uncle attended school at UCLA, and he grew up watching the Bruins.
Bott is a First Team All-Conference right-handed pitcher.
“I have dedicated a lot of time to practices, games and workouts to achieve this goal, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Bott stated in the release. “I love being on the field and I can’t wait to be a Bruin.”
Both athletes said they feel ready for college academically and athletically, and they credit their Notre Dame Prep teachers and coaches for challenging them and guiding them through their high school careers, the release stated.
“Coach Fischer (NDP’s head baseball coach) really cares about seeing his players succeed not only in the game of baseball, but in the game of life too,” Bott said.
Hendrix credits NDP head volleyball coach Holly McLean for building an inclusive yet highly competitive program at the Catholic high school.
Despite the time commitment Bott and Hendrix give to their sports, they have also given their time to volunteer at the school, at Food Banks and on service trips.
“It is our goal to strengthen our students’ mind, body and soul,” NDP Principal Brie Dragonetti said in the release. “We are so proud of CJ and Evan because they are the epitome of what we expect a Notre Dame Prep graduate to be. They are true servant leaders who excel in the classroom and in athletics.”
Notre Dame Prep is a Catholic diocesan college preparatory high school with a co-ed enrollment of 978 students. In 2022, it was recognized by the United States Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School. The school is located at 9701 E. Bell Road in Scottsdale.
