Junior-college recruits thriving for Pitt

Though recruiting high school players is the norm in college baseball, many programs look to… Though recruiting high school players is the norm in college baseball, many programs look to junior colleges, two-year post-secondary schools, to find baseball talent.

‘If you look at any successful baseball program, you will see two to four junior-college players on their roster each year,’ said Pitt baseball coach Joe Jordano.

And Jordano’s Panthers know all about junior colleges. Seven members of Pitt baseball hail from them ‘- including five transfers this year.

‘Junior-college recruiting in baseball is very common,’ said Jordano. ‘If a program can find the right type of player that fits academically and athletically, it can be a big boost for the program.’

One such player for Pitt is second baseman Chris Sedon, who leads the team in nearly early offensive category. Sedon is one of two Panthers to start every game this season.

‘Chris is doing a great job for us,’ said Jordano.

In addition to Sedon, infielder Frank Mercurio, catcher Cory Brownsten and infielder/pitcher Nathan Hood have all performed admirably in their first seasons out of junior college, said Jordano.

Mercurio and Brownsten both have four home runs this season, tied for second on the team. Hood, meanwhile, has supplied 16 RBIs and has also chipped in six innings pitched.

Likewise, pitcher Ricky Breymier has held batters to a .197 batting average with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings. Breymier transferred to Pitt last season.

‘If you look at the complexion of our team, all of our junior college players are doing well,’ said Jordano.

Breymier, Sedon and senior infielder Chris Tonte all began their collegiate careers at Lackawanna Community College. Jordano noted the school’s ability to produce quality student-athletes.

‘Coach [Chris Pensak of Lackawanna Community College] does a great job,’ said Jordano.’ ‘He prepares his players well for competing at the next level. For the most part, his kids do well in the classroom, as well. He has a solid reputation for producing quality guys.’

According to Jordano, the experience possessed by these players is an advantage of adding them over players fresh out of high school.

‘If a junior-college player is competing in a quality program, he is getting [at-bats] and game experience that is very valuable,’ said Jordano.

Still, his program does not necessarily differentiate between junior-college recruits and high school recruits.

‘When a player arrives on campus, whether he is a junior-college player or high school player, he is evaluated as a baseball player,’ said Jordano. ‘We have never hesitated to play freshmen early in their careers.’

High school players still head the recruiting season, though, with top performers Danny Lopez, Joe Leonard and Nate Reed serving as prime examples.

‘The majority of the players we recruit during a common year will be high school players,’ said Jordano. ‘But if we have a specific need, we will go and will continue to go to the junior-college player.’

Junior-college transfers aid in reaching one of Jordano’s off-field goals for the program: a high graduation rate. He stated that Pitt baseball brings in players that can both impact the program on the field and obtain degrees from the school.

‘It is important to be certain during the recruiting process that we identify players that will fit a specific need and will also be capable of achieving in the classroom,’ said Jordano. ‘We have a very high rate of graduation for our junior-college players.’

Pitt baseball does not receive a full allotment of scholarships, said Jordano, so continuing to grab transfers is vital.

‘We will need to continue recruiting quality junior-college players,’ said Jordano. ‘We do not have the luxury of depth and time. We cannot afford to take two or three years developing a player. If we can get a player that can come in and help us right away, we need to do that.’

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