Baseball: Record-breaking seniors leave mark on program

Four years ago, Pitt baseball head coach Joe Jordano brought in a recruiting class that suffered… Four years ago, Pitt baseball head coach Joe Jordano brought in a recruiting class that suffered through a difficult first season, finishing the year with a 19-34 overall record.

After that season, the 2011 class wouldn’t experience another losing year. The group accumulated 118 career victories — including three 30-plus win seasons — and three Big East tournament berths.

While the seniors played an integral part in propelling the Panthers near the top of the Big East Conference, there will still be plenty of talent and experience in the mix next season.

Pitt returns upcoming sophomore Casey Roche, who was third on the team with a .345 batting average this season. Anthony DeFabio and Rick Devereaux, who batted .337 and .290 respectively, will also return.

Pitcher Matt Iannazzo, who led Pitt and was seventh in the Big East with a 2.73 ERA this season, will come back to the mound next year along with Alex Caravella, who had an ERA of 2.81.

Redshirt sophomore Ray Black, a right-handed pitcher, could potentially return for the Panthers next season after setting the school record for strikeouts per nine innings in 2011 with 14.85. But the San Francisco Giants selected Black 237th overall in the seventh round, creating the possibility that Black could turn professional next year.

As the young stars begin the preparation for next season, many of them will be hoping to sit where Black and

2011 graduate Kevan Smith are at this time next year.The Chicago White Sox selected Smith, a catcher, in the seventh round of the MLB draft on Tuesday. He was the 231st overall pick.Smith joined the baseball team for his sophomore season. He spent his first year at Pitt competing for the position of starting quarterback on the football team.

With the addition of Smith, the Panther baseball team posted a 28-21 mark in 2009 and qualified for the Big East tournament.

The success continued into the following season. David Chester transferred from a community college in Oklahoma for his junior year to join Smith as one of the team’s top offensive threats.

“Coming to Pitt was definitely the right decision for me,” Chester said. “This is such a great group of guys and I love it here.”

In 2010, the Panthers finished an impressive 38-18 and earned a No. 3 seed in the Big East tournament.

This season resulted in 33 more wins and another No.-3 seed as Pitt’s baseball team confirmed itself as one of the best in the Big East Conference.

“We had some really talented guys this year,” senior outfielder Zach Duggan said. “This program is definitely going in the right direction.”

Smith, a staple at catcher in his three years, hit about .300 each season. This year, he led the team with a .397 average that ranked 22nd in the nation.

When Smith reached base, which happened about 47 percent of the time, Chester would try to bring him home.

Batting cleanup, the towering 6-foot-5 first baseman hit an impressive 31 home runs in his two seasons. That record included 16 this season, the 11th-most in all of college baseball this year.

According to baseball scouting websites, these two might take their hitting talents to the next level.

The Baseball Draft Report lists Smith as the 18th-best catcher in the draft and the eighth-best college catcher.

“Smith has been awesome at the plate and on the base paths,” the Baseball Draft Report said. “It is great to see a player with such special physical gifts who is able to translate raw upside into big-time college production.”

While Smith and Chester have caught the eyes of professional scouts, senior pitcher Corey Baker and senior outfielder John Schultz etched their names into school history by breaking records.

Both Baker and Schultz set school records when the Panthers swept a doubleheader against Georgetown in May.

In game one, Schultz scored four times to become the all-time runs leader in Panthers history. Schultz broke the previous record of 165 runs with a home run in the game’s fifth inning. Schultz finished his career with 184 runs.

Schultz also ended his career holding the Pitt record for runs scored in a season with 76 and walks in a season with 56.

Baker pitched six innings in the second game to pick up his 22nd career win and break Pitt’s pitching wins record. He would turn that career total into 24 wins before the season was over.

“Pitt’s been great to me, and obviously breaking that record really meant a lot to me,” Baker said. “I’m just so happy I had such great teammates over the past four years.”

Outfielder Sean Toole, infielders Philip Konieczny and Travis Whitmore, and pitchers Kevin Dooley, Lucas Ellex and Cole Taylor all played significant time this season as seniors and provided crucial depth to the team.

“It’ll be hard to say goodbye to these guys,” Baker said. “From where we were our first year to where we are now, it’s really cool to think that maybe we were among the people that helped turn Pitt baseball around.”