Panther grads finish first pro baseball season

The end of this year’s baseball season also marked the end of the first year on the job for… The end of this year’s baseball season also marked the end of the first year on the job for three former Pitt baseball players drafted in this past season’s Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

Nick Evangelista, P.J. Hiser and T.J. Gornati were all selected in the draft to further their careers at the professional level and continue their dream of playing in the major leagues.

“I knew they all had great potential when they were here,” head coach Joe Jordano said. “Their presence on the field alone attracted a lot of scouts from the pro level to each of our games.”

Evangelista became the first to be drafted among the three when the Philadelphia Phillies — Evangelista’s favorite team when growing up — selected the right-handed pitcher in the 26th round.

“I grew up watching the Phillies, and it would be something to play with them,” Evangelista said in an interview earlier this year.

His first assignment was with the Phillies’ Gulf Coast League affiliate in Florida at the rookie level, where he pitched most of the season before a late promotion to Low-A for a couple of games with the Lakewood BlueClaws.

In 32 innings pitched this season, Evangelista posted an unblemished 2-0 record with a 2.53 earned run average, while striking out 24 and walking just seven.

The next player off the draft board from Pitt was Hiser when the Cleveland Indians used their pick in the 29th round to select the 2004 Big East Player of the Year.

Hiser was also sent to the rookie league after the draft where he became the statistical leader on the Burlington Indians of the Appalachian League, with a .322 batting average, 10 home runs and 35 runs batted in.

Gornati, who was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 42nd round, played with the Giant’s affiliate in the Arizona League of the rookie level.

He showed power on the mound all season long by striking out more than a batter per inning with 46 strikeouts in 42 and two-thirds innings pitched.

Gornati finished with a 4-2 record on the mound for the Giants, with a 4.01 earned run average while only walking 10 batters.

The absence of the three from Pitt’s team next season will be noticeable, but Jordano is very pleased with their progress and feels the rest of the team learned a lot from them while they were here.

“Not only were we as coaches extremely pleased with their accomplishments, but their peers couldn’t have been anymore proud of them,” Jordano said. “They will be very tough to replace next year from an on- and off-the-field standpoint.”

When reflecting on his years with the three here at Pitt, Jordano expressed that his best memory was coaching them in the Big East Tournament this past season as well as sitting at the Big East banquet with Evangelista and Hiser when they were presented with their Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year awards from the Big East.

“There’s no better feeling for a coach than seeing your players end their careers with you on such a good note like that,” Jordano said.

Over the next few years, Jordano will watch all three progress through the minor leagues, and when the time comes for a major league debut from each, you can bet there will be at least one person in the stands.

“Absolutely, I will be there,” Jordano said. “I’d be honored.”