Panthers look to quell the Red Storm

Few figured the Pitt baseball team to be in this weekend’s Big East Tournament, held in… Few figured the Pitt baseball team to be in this weekend’s Big East Tournament, held in Somerset, N.J., when conference play began two months ago.

A 1-6 start in conference play saw the Panthers on the verge of a disappointing season after being picked to finish third in the conference before the year began. Winning 14-of-18 conference games, however, breathed second life back into the Panthers and qualified them for their second-straight double-elimination conference tournament.

Of the four teams, Pitt comes in with possibly the greatest momentum. The Panthers have found a way to put together an improved pitching staff with its already potent offense to win six straight series over Big East opponents, three coming as three-game sweeps.

If the Panthers are to win their first Big East tournament since 1995, however, they will have to sift through a very talented field, beginning with their first opponent Thursday afternoon.

Behind the strength of its pitching, St. John’s (39-14, 19-4) also closed out its regular season on a hot streak, winning 30 of the last 35 contests. The Red Storm coasted to its first conference title since 1992 with stellar play on the mound and strong support from its offense.

Junior Anthony Varvaro leads the team with a 9-3 record and has notched two complete games and one shutout along the way. What’s more, his 115 strikeouts and 85.1 innings pitched both top this talented pitching staff, His ERA hovers just above 2.3 and is only the fourth-best on the team.

Behind Varvaro sit a pair of seven-win pitchers, Anthony Sullivan (7-2) and Jim Wladyka (7-1) who are equally dangerous on the mound. Perhaps the Red Storm’s most dangerous hurler, however, isn’t even a starter, but a closer.

Craig Hansen has proven to be one of the more reliable closers in his three years in the Big East. In 53.2 innings worked, the junior has struck out 72 batters and recorded 14 saves. His 1.01 ERA leads the team and he has made 29 appearances out of the bullpen, usually with enough offensive support in front of him to close out a game.

Offensively, Greg Thomson and his .395 batting average lead the Red Storm. Thomson’s extra-base hits also pace the St. John’s offense, as he leads the team with 20 doubles and three triples to go with his seven home runs and team-leading 41 RBIs. Like the Panthers, the Red Storm boasts four players with batting averages above .300, meaning the Panthers will have their hands full all around.

Should the Panthers get by the Red Storm, the two remaining teams present a somewhat less daunting task to the Panthers. Notre Dame (33-22-1, 14-9-1) and Boston College (36-18, 17-8) square off in the other contest, but while both teams are seeded higher than the Panthers, Pitt has enjoyed success against both this year.

During Pitt’s late-season run, the Panthers won both series with the Irish and the Eagles, each within the season’s final weeks. In Chestnut Hill, Mass., the Panthers split a doubleheader on the first day before claiming the rubber match a day later to win the series.

The series win over the high-powered Eagles was no easy task. This BC team has won more games than any other Eagle team and has surprised many along the way. Pitt, St. John’s and Notre Dame were all pre-season ranked inside the top three, but the Eagles were not. Jared McGuire has been a big reason the Eagles are where they are, hitting a team-best .397 to go along with his nine doubles and six home runs.

On the mound, Joe Martinez, whose 8-3 record is highlighted by two shutouts, one coming against the Panthers, leads the Eagles with six complete games. Not to be overshadowed is Mike Wlodarczyk, who owns a 10-3 record fueled by a recent nine-game winning streak that was, coincidentally, snapped by the Panthers on May 8.

While the Eagles surprised many by making the tournament, Notre Dame almost did the same by not making it in. Dropping two of three to the Panthers earlier this month put the Irish in a must-win situation last weekend against West Virginia. With its back against the wall, Notre Dame delivered, taking all three games from the Mountaineers to sneak in as the third seed.

The Panthers swept that opening-day doubleheader from the Irish behind the bat of second baseman Jim Negrych, whose two home runs gave Pitt the edge in the series. Although Notre Dame rebounded to pummel the Panthers, 21-1, in the series finale, Pitt did enough to put itself in position to get into the tournament.

Notre Dame is making its 10th straight tournament appearance and boasts a pair of skilled hitters that can give opposing pitchers headaches. Matt Edwards, a power threat, leads the team in double (18) home runs (13), RBIs (62), batting average (.366) and slugging percentage (.654). Conversely, contact-hitter Brett Lilley chimes in with a .354 average and .506 on-base percentage to lead the Irish attack.

Pitt’s contest with St. John’s is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, with the other game to begin at 7 p.m. The losing teams square off the next day with the winners doing the same thing afterward.