Relaxed Baker strikes out six in shutout win

Minutes before yesterday afternoon’s game between Pitt and Niagara, Panthers head coach Joe… Minutes before yesterday afternoon’s game between Pitt and Niagara, Panthers head coach Joe Jordano was watching his starting pitcher, Chad Baker, warm up. Jordano thought Baker looked a little tight and not as relaxed as usual, so he told the freshman to just have fun and go out and “play catch” with catcher Jeff Stevens.

Apparently, it worked.

Making his first collegiate start, the 19-year-old Canfield, Ohio native pitched six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk and striking out six in the Panthers’ 12-0 rout of Niagara at Trees Field.

Baker set the Eagles down in order in the first, second and fourth innings. He had four strikeouts through the first two innings and never allowed a batter to reach third base.

“Being a freshman, my first start and everything, he just told me to go out there and have some fun,” Baker said of Jordano’s pregame pep talk.

The right-hander mixed a solid curveball and change-up with a very effective fastball to keep the Purple Eagles off the scoreboard. He didn’t give up a hit until the third, a bunt single by Jeff Vincent, and the only other hit he allowed was a single in the fifth by Paul Solini. Baker was scheduled to start his first career game last week against Cleveland State, but the game was rained out, pushing his starting debut back to Tuesday. Despite the delay, Jordano believed the wait was worth it.

“I was very pleased with his performance,” Jordano said. “He is a guy that is part of the future of this program. He executed the game plan very well. His velocity was good. Everything was pretty good.”

After giving up the lead-off bunt to start the third, Baker struck out James Nikolaides for the first out, then grabbed a shot back to the mound off the bat of Andrew MacDonald and threw a strike to second base to start the inning-ending double play.

In the sixth, Baker walked MacDonald with one out and only a two-run lead, but he got the next two batters to ground out and end the inning. Of the 20 batters he faced, Baker got seven to ground out, leaving him satisfied and with his first career victory.

“I thought it went well,” Baker said. “It was the first nice day we had in a while, so I was pretty happy with that. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. They made some great plays in the field.”

Baker, who set the single-season record at Canfield High School for lowest ERA with a 0.65 as a senior, was clocked on the radar gun between 86 and 88 mph with his fastball and was pulled from the game by Jordano after hitting a predetermined pitch count of 80 pitches. Despite his individual success, Baker was even happier with the play of his teammates.

“We came out. We did what we needed to do,” Baker said of the Panthers. “Pitching, hitting and fielding, it was all there today.”

Baker, who stands 6 feet 3 inches tall, insisted on working the corners with his fastball throughout Tuesday’s game, getting ahead of a lot of Purple Eagle hitters. Although he didn’t throw it Tuesday, Baker’s pitch repertoire does include a forkball, but Jordano didn’t believe Baker was ready to throw it.

“He didn’t really need to. He was effective with the curveball and the change-up. He did a good job,” Jordano said, but not without some constructive criticism. “He has to get a little better depth to his breaking pitch. It’s a little flat right now, but he is still feeling things out right now.”