Winners of four games in a row, the Pitt baseball team opens its Big East schedule today with… Winners of four games in a row, the Pitt baseball team opens its Big East schedule today with a doubleheader against Seton Hall (4-10) at Trees Field. After winning their final game of the spring break trip against Lafayette, the Panthers swept Canisius over the weekend, outscoring the Griffins 33-6. The Panthers (10-5), who swept the Pirates in three games in 2004, are attempting to return to the Big East tournament and are projected to finish third in the conference by the league’s coaches.

The Panthers have been paced by four players in particular: this week’s Big East Player of the Week, outfielder Ben Copeland; Pre-Season Big East Player of the Year, second baseman Jim Negrych; shortstop Jimmy Mayer and outfielder Sean Conley.

For the weekend, Copeland hit .636 (7-for-11) with five RBIs, seven runs and four stolen bases. Copeland, a pre-season All-Big East selection, currently leads the Big East conference in steals and runs scored, with 16 and 21, respectively.

Combining for a potent middle-of-the-infield attack, Mayer and Negrych are among the top 15 hitters in the Big East. Mayer, who is hitting .400, is among the team leaders in runs and hits, while Negrych is tied for the lead in RBIs.

“We’re in a situation where they have to put us in a spot with runners on base and then drive the runs in,” head coach Joe Jordano said of Copeland, Negrych and Mayer. “They have to do the bulk of the offense. They are our veterans.”

Conley, a freshman from Chippewa, Pa., may be the team’s biggest surprise, continuing his red-hot hitting that began on the spring break trip. Conley is third on the team with a batting average of .387 and has provided the Panthers with excellent depth.

One position that Jordano has continually praised for its consistency so far this season is on the pitching mound, and the Panthers performances against Canisius did nothing to change his mind. Paul Nardozzi (3-1), Don Rhoten (3-0) and Andrew Kuss (2-1) all picked up wins for the Panthers, joining ace Billy Muldowney, whose 1.42 ERA is third in the conference, to give the Panthers a very dangerous staff heading into the conference slate.

“The pitchers are executing our philosophy, and that is very encouraging,” Jordano said.

Muldowney is scheduled to start on the mound for the Panthers in today’s first game against the Pirates. Nardozzi is slated to start the second game.

The Pirates come into Pitt in an opposite direction of the Panthers, losing four of their last five. The Pirates are coming off a 17-33 season and are picked to finish near the bottom of the conference. Hitting has been the problem for the Pirates so far in 2005, as they are hitting a Big East-low .186 and only have one player hitting above .300.

Sophomore outfielder Anthony Perrone has come off the bench to lead the team in hitting while senior infielder Anthony Seratelli has been the most consistent player for the Pirates. Perrone is hitting .381, and has only managed 21 at bats, while Seratelli leads the team in hits with 13 and is hitting .283.

The brightest spot coming from the Pirates is starting pitcher Jake Haggerty, who is among the league leaders in ERA. Haggerty, a senior right-hander, won two games for the Pirates over spring break and has an ERA of 2.57 after four starts this year.

Despite their poor start, the Pirates are still a dangerous opponent in Jordano’s eyes.

“All bets are off in the Big East,” he said. “I don’t look at the stats, because they mean nothing when it comes to the Big East. It’s a dogfight each week. We have a game plan for Seton Hall that we are going to try to execute.”

The two teams will begin the doubleheader at noon.