The winningest coach in Pitt baseball history is sticking around for another three years.
Panthers head coach Joe Jordano signed a three-year contract extension Monday to stay on as skipper of the team he has managed for the past 19 years. His 819 career wins rank inside the top 30 among all active head coaches in college baseball.
“I am excited to continue our plan to position Pitt baseball among the best,” Jordano said in a press release Monday. “I have a great staff, a great group of dedicated players and an administration, led by Scott Barnes, that are committed to our program.”
A two-time Big East Coach of the Year, Jordano has averaged nearly 30 wins per season over his 29 years as a head coach. He spent 10 years as head coach at Mercyhurst College before taking over at Pitt in November 1997.
The Panthers have yet to qualify for the ACC tournament in three years since joining the conference prior to the 2014 season. But they have steadily improved every year, inching closer to the goal of making a run at a championship in the NCAA’s toughest conference.
This past season, Pitt finished 25-26 overall (10-18 ACC), but had four players receive All-Conference recognition and had five players taken in the 2016 MLB Draft –– including the program’s highest draft pick ever, first-round selection T.J. Zeuch.
Now, with Coach Jordano secured at the helm for three more years, the Panthers’ focus turns to replacing their missing pieces and shooting for a berth in the ACC and NCAA tournaments.