Joe Jordano resigns as baseball coach
By Hannah Schneider and Joanna Li
June 21, 2018
Joe Jordano resigned as head coach of Pitt’s baseball team Thursday night, according to a report from the Post-Gazette. An official announcement released by the University Friday afternoon confirmed his resignation. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead this program with integrity, pas...
5 Panthers drafted to MLB
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
June 20, 2018
After finishing the regular season as the 12th seed in the ACC Tournament, the Pitt men’s baseball team pulled off two incredible upsets against eighth-seeded Georgia Tech and top overall seed North Carolina. Although the Panthers would go on to lose in the semifinal to Louisville, it was a strong ...
2 Panthers drafted into MLB
By Joanna Li | Senior Staff Writer
June 7, 2018
Two Panthers were selected into the MLB on the second day of the 2018 draft, marking the sixth year in a row that Pitt has had at least one player picked to join the league. RJ Freure The Houston Astros drafted Pitt rising junior relief pitcher RJ Freure in the sixth round with the 192nd pick of the...
Kent State clobbers Pitt, 4-1
By Michael Nitti | Staff Writer
April 10, 2018
After falling behind early in the game, the Pitt baseball team was unable to catch up to Kent State, ultimately falling 4-1 to the Golden Flashes Tuesday. The Panthers (17-12 overall, 6-9 ACC) lost to the Golden Flashes (18-10, MAC) in an out-of-conference matchup at the Charles L. Cost Field. ...
Football, baseball land New Jersey product Matt Alaimo
By Ryan Zimba | Sports Editor
June 25, 2017
The Pitt football and baseball programs each landed a recruit Saturday as two-sport athlete Matt Alaimo announced he will come to the university this fall. Alaimo announced his commitment on Twitter, saying, “I am proud and excited to announce that I will be furthering my academic, football an...
Pitt baseball drops series against Wake Forest
By Kevin Bertha | Staff Writer
May 21, 2017
Heading into its weekend series against the No. 20 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the Pitt baseball team was right on the bubble of the ACC Tournament. But the Panthers were only able to come away with one win, failing to make the cut for the fourth consecutive year. Pitt (23-30, 9-21 ACC) got off to a strong s...
Mountaineers outlast Panthers, earn season sweep
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
May 17, 2017
The last time Pitt and West Virginia met on the diamond, it was an offensive battle as the Mountaineers got an 8-4 win on the road in March. West Virginia took the season sweep Tuesday in a much more defensive night, but the result was the same with a 2-0 Mountaineer victory in Morgantown. Both pitching...
Pitt baseball suffers sweep against North Carolina State
By Kevin Bertha | Staff Writer
May 15, 2017
The Pitt baseball team had a chance to move off the bubble of making the ACC Tournament at home this weekend series against North Carolina State but were convincingly swept due to the high-powered Wolfpack offense. Starting pitching woes led to Pitt (22-27, 8-19 ACC) having early deficits in each game,...
Pitt baseball triumphs over Penguins, 3-2
By Ryan Zimba | Sports Editor
May 11, 2017
After dropping all three games in a road series against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets last weekend, Pitt baseball returned home Wednesday to play Youngstown State, winning 3-2 on a walk-off wild pitch in the 10th inning. Pitt head coach Joe Jordano used six pitchers in the game and the strategy ...
Recapping an exciting two weeks in Pitt sports
By Ryan Zimba | Sports Editor
May 9, 2017
It was a busy couple of weeks for Pitt athletics, as the spring teams’ seasons come to a close and the football team had players up for the NFL draft. Here’s a rundown of everything that you might have missed since the spring semester ended. Football The Pitt football program had five players selected...
Pitt baseball gets to .500 with sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore
By Dominic Campbell | Staff Writer
May 4, 2017
Coming off a series win against SIU Edwardsville, the Pitt baseball team climbed back to .500 this week, taking both games against Maryland Eastern Shore at Charles L. Cost Field. Pitt (21-21, 8-13 ACC) pounded the Hawks (10-35, 6-13 MEAC) in both games, sweeping the series by a combined score of 2...
Pitt baseball secures series win over Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 2-1
By Ted Zhang | Staff Writer
April 30, 2017
The Pitt baseball team started the weekend’s home series with a loss and a narrow win. But in the series finale, the Panthers trounced the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Cougars. Rain delayed the original Saturday 1 p.m. start time of the series-opening games between SIUE (18-24, 6-15...
Pitt pulls upset, topples No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels
By Kait French | Staff Writer
April 24, 2017
The Pitt baseball team came into this weekend with low expectations for its series with the highly-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. But in the series finale, the Panthers rode an offensive explosion to knock off the No. 3 team in the country. After dropping the first two contests with just three combined...
From the diamond to the dugout: Pazos keeps command
By Stephen Caruso | Contributing Editor
April 20, 2017
The Pitt baseball team seemed primed for a rare sweep on a summery Saturday in late March against Virginia Tech. The Panthers were up 4-0 in the top of the fifth in the second game of the series. Redshirt junior pitcher Matt Pidich was on the mound and had yet to allow a baserunner. The third and fi...
Pitt baseball falls to Golden Flashes, 12-8
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
April 20, 2017
In the second game of back-to-back mid-week contests, the Pitt baseball team couldn’t keep up with the Kent State Golden Flashes Wednesday night. The Golden Flashes (21-12) knocked the Panthers’ pitchers around from the start, amassing 15 hits in a 12-8 victory. Kent State also took a 7-6 win aga...
Panthers maul Nittany Lions in State College, 9-1
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
April 19, 2017
From the football field to the baseball and softball diamonds, Penn State just can’t find a way to beat Pitt. The Pitt baseball team (16-17, 7-11 ACC) annihilated the Nittany Lions (12-24, 1-8 Big Ten) Tuesday night in State College, Pennsylvania, rolling to a 9-1 win to sweep the season series...
Hurricanes blow by Panthers, win weekend series, 2-1
By Kait French | Staff Writer
April 17, 2017
The Pitt baseball team started the weekend with a convincing win over a historic national powerhouse. But the Panthers’ bats scored just three runs in the next two games to drop their weekend series against the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes (17-19, 9-9 ACC) usually dominate the Panthers (15-17, 7-11...
Panthers baseball swept by Virginia Cavaliers
By Kevin Bertha | Staff Writer
April 10, 2017
After coming back to win its series against the Duke Blue Devils last weekend and defeating in-state rival Penn State 3-2 Tuesday, the Pitt baseball team sought to continue its winning form against the Virginia Cavaliers this weekend. But the Pitt baseball team (14-15, 6-9 ACC) instead struggled in...
Pitt baseball prevails over Penn State, 3-2
By Ryan Zimba | Staff Writer
April 5, 2017
In front of a crowd nearly double the usual turnout, the Pitt Panthers struck out 13 Nittany Lion batters over nine innings to beat its in-state rival. The Panthers (14-12 overall, 6-6 ACC) came from behind to secure their win over Pennsylvania State University (10-17 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) in fro...
Pitt baseball battles back against Blue Devils
By Kait French | Staff Writer
April 3, 2017
The Pitt baseball team seemed in for a long weekend after suffering a 14-0 blowout in the series opener against Duke Friday. But thanks to an extra inning comeback and an excellent performance from senior pitcher Josh Falk, the Panthers took two of three from the Blue Devils. “I was very please...
Mountain too high to climb against WVU, Pitt falls 8-4
By Ryan Zimba | Staff Writer
March 29, 2017
In the first of two Backyard Brawl games this season, the Pitt baseball team fell to the West Virginia Mountaineers, 8-4, due to a horrendous fifth inning in which the Panthers gave up five runs and committed three errors. The Panthers (11-11 overall, 4-5 ACC) were unable to surmount a seven-run ...
TPN Panthers of the Month: Andin Fosam and Josh Falk
By Bayard Miller | Assistant Sports Editor
March 29, 2017
Andin Fosam Andin Fosam, a junior thrower from Robbinsville, New Jersey, had already proved before March that she was one of the best throwers in the ACC. After this month, though, Fosam now is considered one of the best in the country. At last month’s ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships, Fosam finis...
Pitt baseball sweeps Virginia Tech behind stellar starting pitching
By Kait French | Staff Writer
March 27, 2017
The Pitt baseball team is back above .500 after picking up a crucial three-game sweep against a conference rival. Pitt (11-10 overall, 4-5 ACC) hosted the Virginia Tech Hokies (14-12 overall, 3-6 ACC) at Charles L. Cost Field for a three-game showdown over the weekend, and the Panthers won all three....
Panthers can’t complete comeback at Kent State, fall 7-6
By Bayard Miller | Assistant Sports Editor
March 22, 2017
Despite beginning the game with an early lead and a late offensive surge, the Pitt baseball team couldn’t come back against the hosting Kent State Golden Flashes Tuesday afternoon. Facing a three-run deficit in the ninth inning, the Panthers (8-10, 1-5 ACC) were able to plate two to make the score ...
Pitt baseball avoids sweep with 2-1 win in extras
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
March 20, 2017
After two games, 23 innings and nearly eight hours of baseball on a frigid Sunday at Charles L. Cost Field, the Pitt baseball team snapped a seven-game skid and earned its first ACC win of 2017. The Panthers (8-9 overall, 1-5 ACC) avoided a sweep against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-12 overall, 2...
Pitt baseball swept by No. 4 Louisville to open up ACC play
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
March 12, 2017
The Pitt baseball team had its first run-in of 2017 with a ranked opponent last weekend. The Panthers pitched well, but appeared completely overmatched at the plate and failed to pick up a win against the No. 4 Louisville Cardinals. Pitt (7-7 overall, 0-3 ACC) opened up ACC play by suffering a th...
ICYMI: Spring Break
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
March 12, 2017
March 3 Wise earns second straight All-ACC Academic selection - Pitt sophomore forward Brenna Wise received her second straight selection to the All-ACC Academic Team after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall 2016 semester. Wise also led the Panthers in scoring and rebounding for the second year in a ...
Pitt baseball drops three out of four in South Carolina
By Steve Rotstein | Sports Editor
March 7, 2017
After a strong start to nonconference play, the Pitt baseball team started to show signs of its inexperience last weekend. The Panthers (7-4) dropped three out of four games against mid-major opponents, scoring a total of only 10 runs over the weekend in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Pitt fell to the Wo...
Pitt baseball sweeps three-game series vs. Siena
By David Leftwich | Staff Writer
February 27, 2017
After a 3-1 showing in the season-opening Sunshine State Classic, the Pitt baseball team continued nonconference play in Florida by sweeping a three-game series against the Siena Saints. Pitt (6-1) took some time to get its offense going in the series opener Friday, but the team’s bats came alive la...
Pitt baseball swings into season, wins three over weekend
By David Leftwich | Staff Writer
February 20, 2017
The Pitt baseball team lost five players to the MLB Draft and three pitchers to elbow surgery over the offseason, leading analysts to question the Panthers’ depth and predict a last-place finish in the ACC Coastal Division this year. But the Panthers defied negative predictions over the weekend with a strong sta...
Pitt baseball head coach Joe Jordano signs 3-year extension
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
August 2, 2016
The winningest coach in Pitt baseball history is sticking around for another three years. Panthers head coach Joe Jordano signed a three-year contract extension Monday to stay on as skipper of the team he has managed for the past 19 years. His 819 career wins rank inside the top 30 among all active ...
Zeuch headlines five Panthers selected in 2016 MLB Draft
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 14, 2016
Junior pitcher T.J. Zeuch became Pitt’s first player taken in the first round of the MLB Draft in 35 years Thursday night. By the end of the 2016 MLB Draft, five Panthers heard their names called. Zeuch became Pitt’s highest draft pick of all time and only the second Panther ever selected in the fi...
Los Angeles Dodgers draft Pitt’s Nick Yarnall in 35th round
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 11, 2016
Junior utility man Nick Yarnall is Pitt’s fifth player selected in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The Los Angeles Dodgers took Yarnall in the 35th round of the draft (No. 1061 overall) on Saturday night. He joins pitcher T.J. Zeuch, shortstop Charles LeBlanc, catcher Alex Kowalczyk and outf...
Chicago White Sox draft Pitt’s Aaron Schnurbusch in 28th round
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 11, 2016
Pitt senior outfielder Aaron Schnurbusch became Pitt’s fourth player taken in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Saturday afternoon. Schnurbusch was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 28th round (No. 836 overall) on Day 3 of the draft. Earlier in the day, senior catcher Alex Kowalcz...
Pitt’s Alex Kowalczyk drafted in 12th round by Texas Rangers
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 11, 2016
Pitt catcher Alex Kowalczyk joined pitcher T.J. Zeuch and shortstop Charles LeBlanc as the third Panther selected in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Saturday afternoon. The Texas Rangers selected Kowalczyk in the 12th round (No. 369 overall) on Day 3 of the draft, Pitt’s second player drafte...
Texas Rangers draft Pitt shortstop Charles LeBlanc in 4th round
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 10, 2016
Shortstop Charles LeBlanc is now the second Pitt Panther selected in the 2016 MLB Draft. The Texas Rangers drafted the Quebec native in the fourth round with the No. 129 overall pick in the draft on Friday afternoon. LeBlanc joins former pitcher T.J. Zeuch, selected in the first round by the Toronto ...
Blue Jays select Pitt’s T.J. Zeuch No. 21 overall
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
June 9, 2016
Former pitcher T.J. Zeuch became only the second Pitt Panther ever selected in the first round of the MLB Draft Thursday night. Zeuch is Pitt’s first top pick since the Texas Rangers drafted Al Lachowicz No. 24 overall in 1981. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Zeuch No. 21 overall in the 2016 MLB Fi...
LeBlanc, Zeuch, Yarnall and Chentouf earn All-ACC honors
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 23, 2016
With their season coming to a close this past weekend, four Pitt Panthers earned All-ACC baseball honors on Monday afternoon. Sophomore shortstop Charles LeBlanc — who hails from Quebec — highlighted the selections, becoming the first Pitt player to make the All-ACC first team since the Panther...
Pitt baseball finishes season with two losses vs. Duke
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 21, 2016
Although the Pitt baseball team didn’t achieve the goal it set at the beginning of the year, the 2016 season as a whole can be viewed as a successful one. The Panthers (25-26 overall, 10-18 ACC) remained in ACC Tournament contention until the final weekend after being picked to finish dead last before ...
WVU beats Pitt, 10-4, splits season series
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 18, 2016
Pitt and West Virginia University’s football teams haven’t faced each other in the Backyard Brawl since 2011, but the baseball rivals met on the diamond at Charles L. Cost Field Tuesday night. The Pitt baseball team ran into the red-hot WVU Mountaineers (32-19 overall), who pulled away from the P...
Pitt baseball swept in Miami
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 15, 2016
The Pitt baseball team had three chances to shock the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes at Alex Rodriguez Park over the weekend, but came away empty-handed. Although the Panthers (25-23 overall, 10-16 ACC) put up a fight on the road against the ACC Coastal Division-leading Hurricanes (40-9 overall, 19-6 ACC), ...
Penn State defeats Pitt, 11-6, sweeps season series
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 12, 2016
The Pitt baseball team drew 12 walks and knocked 12 base hits Wednesday night, but the number players and coaches will likely remember is 18. As in, 18 men left on base. Pitt (25-20 overall, 10-13 ACC) dropped the second game of its home-and-home season series against Penn State (26-23 overall) at C...
Pitt baseball defeats Youngstown State in rain-shortened game, 5-3
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 10, 2016
Mother nature may have erased five runs off the Pitt baseball team’s stat sheet, but she arrived too late to wipe out the Panthers’ win. Pitt (25-19 overall, 10-13 ACC) returned home after a successful weekend at Notre Dame with a rain-shortened 5-3 victory over the Youngstown State Penguins (...
Pitt baseball splits series with Maryland Eastern Shore
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 4, 2016
The Pitt baseball team let what should have been an easy home sweep slip away on Wednesday afternoon and had to settle for a series split against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Panthers (22-18 overall, 8-12 ACC) took game one of the series, 9-1, on Tuesday night, but the Hawks (15-30 overall) came back...
Pitt baseball swept by defending champion Virginia
By Steve Rotstein / Sports Editor
May 1, 2016
The Pitt baseball team had its six-game winning streak snapped against the reigning College World Series champion Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon. The home series began with a doubleheader on Saturday. No. 20 Virginia (30-17 overall, 14-10 ACC) took game one of the series by a 5-1 score,...
Zeuch carries on family tradition
By Steve Rotstein / Staff Writer
April 22, 2016
It was the bottom of the eighth inning March 7, 2015, in Cary, North Carolina, and an upset was in the making. The Pitt Panthers were facing the No. 1 team in the country — the eventual College World Series champion Virginia Cavaliers. The stands were packed with MLB scouts hoping to catch a glim...
Pitt thwarts Youngstown State in mid-week showdown
By Ashwini Sivaganesh / Staff Writer
April 20, 2016
In enemy territory, the Pitt baseball team had no problem icing the Youngstown State University Penguins. Thanks to a quick 6-0 lead against YSU, the Panthers defeated their Ohio rivals by a score of 17-5 on Wednesday night at Eastwood Field. The Panthers threatened early, loading the bases with two outs...
Pitt baseball brings down Virginia Tech on the road
By Steve Rotstein / Staff Writer
April 17, 2016
Although the Pitt baseball team maintained its reputation for dropping the series opener, it still picked up a road ACC series win in Blacksburg, Virginia, last weekend. Virginia Tech (12-25, 3-15 ACC) took game one Friday, 5-4, the seventh consecutive time Pitt has lost a series opener. The Panthers (...
Summer Surveys: Ron Sherman
By Jessica Boddy / Staff Writer
June 2, 2015
With Summer Surveys, The Pitt News hopes to better familiarize the Pitt community with some top Panther athletes. In this installment, we got to know Pitt baseball senior infielder Ron Sherman. What’s a goal you have for the summer?To learn how to play the piano. I’ve always loved instruments, so it’s t...
Welcome Back: Former teammates enter minor league baseball together
By Sean Corrado / Staff Writer
August 19, 2014
Staten Island, N.Y. – After an hour of heavy rain at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, storm clouds blackened the sky, obscuring the bright lights of Manhattan’s skyline. Matt Wotherspoon ended his chat with teammate Joe Harvey in the left field bullpen and jogged his way to the pitcher’s mound.With ...
Summer Guide: Soto, Mildren adjust to life in the minor leagues
By Jasper Wilson / Sports Editor
July 15, 2014
Minor league baseball players can begin their careers in a number of places across the country — just ask Elvin Soto or Ethan Mildren. Soto’s’s destination, after getting drafted last June, was Hillsboro, Ore., home of the Hillsboro Hops, the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Arizona Diamo...
Baseball: Trio of Pitt pitchers taken in MLB Draft over weekend
By Dan Sostek / Staff Writer
June 10, 2014
For the second year in a row, the University of Pittsburgh baseball team saw three of its players selected in the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft.In 2013, pitcher Ethan Mildren (12th round by the Twins), catcher Elvin Soto (16th round by the Diamondbacks) and Matt Wotherspoon (20th round by the Ti...
Redshirt senior submarine pitcher finishes notable career
By Dan Sostek / Staff Writer
May 28, 2014
Jon Danielczyk, the redshirt senior relief pitcher for Pitt’s baseball team, described his career arc as a Panther as a “journey.” Danielczyk did have a storybook career for a towering submarine-style pitcher who wasn’t brought onto the team to pitch. Instead, Danielczyk, at 6-foot-4, was original...
Baseball: Pitt makes mark in first ACC season
By Dan Sostek / Staff Writer
May 20, 2014
Last season, the Pitt baseball team set a program record for wins, so it was only natural that the Panthers would face some regression this year. Between losing two of the team’s best players — catcher Elvin Soto and pitcher Ethan Mildren — to professional baseball and transitioning to the ultr...
Baseball: Pitt maintains momentum, defeats Ohio University in road game
By Jasper Wilson / Sports Editor
May 8, 2014
Midweek games in college baseball serve a particular purpose for those who play them. Traditionally featuring schools within driving distance that aren’t in the same conference, these one or two-game arrangements spread throughout the calendar allow players to stay sharp and work on different aspects...
Baseball: Panthers win series, remain in postseason contention
By Jasper Wilson / Sports Editor
May 7, 2014
Coming into last weekend, Pitt baseball sat in second-to-last place in the Coastal Division of the ACC.But despite the team’s precarious position, with a record below .500 (19-23, 9-12 ACC), extending its season was still a possibility. The format of the league’s postseason tournament, which inclu...
Baseball: No. 20 Clemson to visit struggling Panthers
By Mark Powell / Staff Writer
April 17, 2014
Pitt baseball can’t seem to stop losing.The team has dropped nine of its last 10 games since sweeping Georgia Tech on the last weekend in March.But April isn’t over yet, and breaking the streak won’t get any easier this weekend with a three-game home series against No. 20 Clemson that begins Frida...
Baseball: Pitt drops three games to No. 20 Miami
By Jeremy Tepper/ Staff Writer
April 13, 2014
Up-and-down play has become the theme of this year’s Pitt baseball team. During the weekend, it only experienced the latter, continuing to struggle away from home.Coach Joe Jordano’s team faltered in a road series against the 20th-ranked Miami Hurricanes, losing all three games — 12-2, 1-0 and 7-2, ...
Baseball: Panthers drop second game in two days
By Jasper Wilson / Senior Staff Writer
April 2, 2014
While facing an opponent it beat by double digits the first time they met, the Pitt baseball team experienced a starkly different result in the rematch.The Panthers traveled to Ohio for a nonconference matchup against the Youngstown State Penguins, a team they defeated 12-1 their last time facing eachothe...