Four Pitt baseball players garner Big East accolades

Most figured the Pitt baseball team was primed for a rebuilding season in 2005, having lost… Most figured the Pitt baseball team was primed for a rebuilding season in 2005, having lost key components from their 38-win team the year before — including P.J. Hiser, Nick Evangelista and Tom Gornati — to the Major League Draft.

The losses didn’t affect head coach Joe Jordano’s young team one bit, though, as the Panthers not only advanced further than last year’s team, but also placed four players on the Big East conference’s first and second teams.

Ben Copeland and Jim Negrych received first-team All-Big East selections, while pitchers Robert Brant and Billy Muldowney each earned second-team accolades. Copeland’s exceptional season will not be repeated in a Panther uniform next year, however, as San Francisco drafted the junior in the fourth round of yesterday’s MLB draft.

Copeland emerged this season as one of the Big East’s premier players in record-setting fashion. His 23 doubles and nine triples broke Pitt’s single-season record, while his 63 runs scored tied the school mark. He also broke Pitt’s career record for doubles and triples with 51 and 17, respectively.

In addition to leading the Panthers, Copeland led the Big East in runs (63), doubles, triples, slugging percentage (.720), stolen bases (tied, 27) and total bases (144). Also, he was named to second-team All-Big East last season.

“Ben was tremendous,” Jordano said. “He was the catalyst for the offense and set the table for the guys behind him. I’m really proud of what he’s done and what he’s going to do in his baseball career.”

Negrych, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year, earned his second All-Big East selection after his second-team honor in 2004. He finished the regular season leading the Big East with 14 home runs and Pitt with 55 RBIs. The sophomore joined Copeland by setting a record of his own. His 45 walks broke the single-season Pitt record.

“Teams were much more careful this season to pitch around Jim than what we expected and I think that hurt him a little bit,” Jordano said, “but he still had a great season. Every time he swings the bat he expects to hit that two-run homer and he’s just a great ballplayer.”

Muldowney, a sophomore transfer from Duke University, finished the season 7-3 with a 2.47 ERA. He made 12 starts for the Panthers, becoming their top starter in the rotation.

All seven of Muldowney’s wins came during Big East matchups, setting a new Pitt record for league wins. He also ranked among the top pitchers in the Big East in wins, strikeouts and complete games.

“Billy came in and we expected him to be a top pitcher for us, and he ended up throwing in a lot of big games,” Jordano said. “He went up against every team’s No. 1 starter as well, but I think that caught up with him emotionally towards the end of the season.”

Brant garnered Big East honors in his first season as a Panther. He led all Big East freshmen in wins, strikeouts and ERA and was named conference Player of the Week upon tossing his first shutout over West Virginia earlier in the season. He finished with a 7-2 record and 2.07 ERA while striking out 68 batters in 61 innings pitched.

“Rob was a surprise. We knew he was going to be good, but not how good,” Jordano said of his freshman. “Obviously we’re very pleased of how he developed. Each outing he got better and better.”

After beginning the Big East portion of the schedule 1-6, the Panthers won 14 of their final 18 games to reach the Big East tournament for the second consecutive season. Pitt wasn’t done there, however. The young squad upset St. John’s and Boston College to reach the Big East championship, an 11-4 loss to Notre Dame.