University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Skip Talk: 2018 Up Next
12/28/2017 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
As the Panthers prepare to get the 2018 season underway, head coach Joe Jordano will begin his 21st season at the helm of the University of Pittsburgh baseball program. Here the skipper discusses the upcoming season.
How did the fall segment go for the team?
"I was very pleased with the fall. Although we shut down several pitchers until recently, we made significant strides in all phases of the program. We have so many new faces so there was a significant amount of coaching and teaching happening. Since I like to keep things as simple as possible, we did a very solid job of understanding how we need to play the game. The new players transitioned very well and in our two scrimmages, I thought we played very solid baseball. That was very encouraging. Overall, we accomplished what we wanted to over the first semester."
The weather this fall was excellent; did that help during the fall slate?
"The weather in Pittsburgh is not typically that harsh but in particular, this fall was fantastic. We were able to start our fall team practice much later this year – which was a first for us – and we did not miss a beat. That trend continued into our individual phase. We got a ton of work done outside and that is a big advantage especially with getting reps on the field."
What are the points of emphasis moving forward?
"Since I arrived at Pitt, my priorities were very simple. Number one – win at everything we do – on the field and in the classroom. Number two – be outstanding representatives of the University of Pittsburgh. Number three – position the baseball program to maintain consistent success. Lastly, all focus will be on things we can control – focus on OUR process.
"Those things have never wavered and have not changed. I believe we are as competitive now as we ever have been. As I have mentioned before, we have 19 one-run losses in conference of the past four years. We have to win those games. We have also had 15-16 wins over top 25 teams including back-to-back wins over the number one team in the country two consecutive years. I have been told that has never been done in any sport at Pitt. We have had a high number of players drafted, as well and have hovered at the 3.0 mark in the classroom for the past four years. We are right there, but we must make a jump this season and I feel confident we are well-positioned. We have to stay healthy and play our game, but on paper this is a very good baseball team and they showed it on the field this fall. We have a lot of work to do, but we have made significant strides."
Last year you took some serious hits to the roster, how do we look this season?
"Losing Charles Leblanc and Nick Yarnall to the draft – which we did not expect – and then losing David Yanni after the sixth game of the year, in addition to Blair Calvo and Derek West being out for the year, I'm not sure any team could survive that. But, I am a huge advocate of being where your feet are. It is the NOW that is important. As a team, we never wavered from our process and we went into the final series against Wake Forest with a chance to make the tournament and had leads in all three games, but we did not finish. I take full responsibility for everything that happens and quite frankly, I could not have been more proud of how this team handled adversity and played hard to the last out.
"With that said, we don't talk about yesterday or the past it is about now and moving forward. Our lineup and pitching staff will be completely different from last year. I am anxious to lead this team."
What is the plan after the first of the year?
"We will report back on January 6th and begin our eight-hour week routines on January 8th, and all of our efforts will be highly focused on preparing for the season. We have about five weeks to be ready for the first pitch. Each of our players have an individualized plan for the break so there will be no issues in being ready upon return to campus after the first of the year. We have to make certain we stay healthy and are mentally and physically prepared to go. We are all anxious to get going."
Any last thoughts?
"Simply wishing all of my staff, support staff, players, recruits, alumni and their families a very safe and peaceful holiday and a very successful 2018!"
How did the fall segment go for the team?
"I was very pleased with the fall. Although we shut down several pitchers until recently, we made significant strides in all phases of the program. We have so many new faces so there was a significant amount of coaching and teaching happening. Since I like to keep things as simple as possible, we did a very solid job of understanding how we need to play the game. The new players transitioned very well and in our two scrimmages, I thought we played very solid baseball. That was very encouraging. Overall, we accomplished what we wanted to over the first semester."
The weather this fall was excellent; did that help during the fall slate?
"The weather in Pittsburgh is not typically that harsh but in particular, this fall was fantastic. We were able to start our fall team practice much later this year – which was a first for us – and we did not miss a beat. That trend continued into our individual phase. We got a ton of work done outside and that is a big advantage especially with getting reps on the field."
What are the points of emphasis moving forward?
"Since I arrived at Pitt, my priorities were very simple. Number one – win at everything we do – on the field and in the classroom. Number two – be outstanding representatives of the University of Pittsburgh. Number three – position the baseball program to maintain consistent success. Lastly, all focus will be on things we can control – focus on OUR process.
"Those things have never wavered and have not changed. I believe we are as competitive now as we ever have been. As I have mentioned before, we have 19 one-run losses in conference of the past four years. We have to win those games. We have also had 15-16 wins over top 25 teams including back-to-back wins over the number one team in the country two consecutive years. I have been told that has never been done in any sport at Pitt. We have had a high number of players drafted, as well and have hovered at the 3.0 mark in the classroom for the past four years. We are right there, but we must make a jump this season and I feel confident we are well-positioned. We have to stay healthy and play our game, but on paper this is a very good baseball team and they showed it on the field this fall. We have a lot of work to do, but we have made significant strides."
Last year you took some serious hits to the roster, how do we look this season?
"Losing Charles Leblanc and Nick Yarnall to the draft – which we did not expect – and then losing David Yanni after the sixth game of the year, in addition to Blair Calvo and Derek West being out for the year, I'm not sure any team could survive that. But, I am a huge advocate of being where your feet are. It is the NOW that is important. As a team, we never wavered from our process and we went into the final series against Wake Forest with a chance to make the tournament and had leads in all three games, but we did not finish. I take full responsibility for everything that happens and quite frankly, I could not have been more proud of how this team handled adversity and played hard to the last out.
"With that said, we don't talk about yesterday or the past it is about now and moving forward. Our lineup and pitching staff will be completely different from last year. I am anxious to lead this team."
What is the plan after the first of the year?
"We will report back on January 6th and begin our eight-hour week routines on January 8th, and all of our efforts will be highly focused on preparing for the season. We have about five weeks to be ready for the first pitch. Each of our players have an individualized plan for the break so there will be no issues in being ready upon return to campus after the first of the year. We have to make certain we stay healthy and are mentally and physically prepared to go. We are all anxious to get going."
Any last thoughts?
"Simply wishing all of my staff, support staff, players, recruits, alumni and their families a very safe and peaceful holiday and a very successful 2018!"
Players Mentioned
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OF
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