Former Irish receiver Torii Hunter, Jr. returns to South Bend against the Cubs

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Torii Hunter, Jr. is no stranger to South Bend, but local sports fans saw him in an unfamiliar setting on Monday.

The former Notre Dame wide receiver made his return to Michiana on the baseball diamond.

Hunter visited Four Winds Field as a member of the Burlington Bees, the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, who met the South Bend Cubs for the first slate of a mid-week series.

He started in right field, and went 1-4 with a single and a run scored.

However, the Cubs took the series opener, 5-3.

The son of MLB a star, Hunter shined on the gridiron. He played in 26 games across three seasons with Notre Dame football, tallying 73 catches for 949 yards and 6 touchdowns. His college baseball production was minimal in South Bend, though, as he only appeared in 23 games with one start in two seasons.

Hunter was drafted in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft by the Angels, and signed with the team in June 2016. He thrived in rookie ball last summer, hitting for a .352 average and stealing 13 bases for the Orem Owlz . In his first full season at Single-A Burlington, Hunter is hitting .281 with nine stolen bases through the first 25 games.