University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Baseball Looks Ahead to 1999 Season
2/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball Looks Ahead to 1999 Season
2/9/1999
PITTSBURGH - Under the direction of Joe Jordano, one of college baseball's most successful coaches over the past decade, the Pittsburgh Panthers enter 1999 looking to bounce back from last year's transition season and make a dent on the Big East Conference race.
The 1998 season was not what Jordano hoped it would be. Pittsburgh recorded a 12-27-1 overall record and finished ninth in the Big East. Joining the Panthers in December 1997, Jordano and his new staff were unable to take advantage of a full preseason to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
"One of the difficulties of taking over the program in December was missing out on the critical fall program where we are able to evaluate and implement many different aspects of the game that we feel are important," said Jordano. "Rather than trying to implement a full program, we were restricted to doing simple things.
"But we remained positive. We stuck to our message, we worked very hard at it, and I think it laid the groundwork for the future of the program."
The positive attitude that Jordano instilled in his team became evident when, near the end of the season, the Panthers won four out of six contests, proving that Jordano's coaching philosophy was beginning to take root. According to Jordano, winning ball games is based on good pitching and solid defense, something that was of primary focus during the offseason.
"After last season, we evaluated every aspect of the program and identified where our strengths and weaknesses were," said Jordano. "We evaluated every player and made some personnel moves. We then went out and recruited specific to a position or specific to a need."
And recruit they did, bringing in 17 new players to add to this year's 32-man roster. The incoming class is comprised of true freshmen, junior college and four-year college transfers, giving Pittsburgh a nice blend of new talent. Jordano believes the newcomers are able to execute the types of things that he feels are important to a winning program.
"Our new players are young and they are going to make a few mistakes," said Jordano. "But combined with our veterans, it could make for a very solid baseball team."
Headlining the list of returning veterans is senior infielder and co-captain, Lou Melucci. Melucci started every game for Pittsburgh last year and led the team with a .316 batting average in 152 at bats. He recorded team highs of 31 runs, 48 hits and five home runs, and had nine doubles on the season. Melucci also had the second-most runs batted in on the team with 21. This year, Melucci will make the transition from shortstop to second base.
Helping out Melucci in the infield is sophomore Darrin Lenhart. Lenhart stepped into the starting position at third base at mid-season and made his mark in the lineup, starting the last 20 games of the year. He went on to hit a team best .308 against Big East opponents.
Leading the outfield contingent will be senior co-captain Chris Delsignore. Delsignore, a Johnstown, Pa. native, kept pace with Melucci, starting 38 contests and batting .282. He recorded 26 runs on 37 hits in 131 at bats and had 14 runs batted in. Delsignore will start at right field.
After struggling last year, senior co-captain Steve Dick-inson has bounced back with a strong offseason. According to Jordano, Dickinson has rededicated himself and has made dramatic improvements both offensively and defensively. Pittsburgh's single-season home run recordholder, Dickinson has assumed a strong leadership role and is expected to continue to produce offensively.
Senior right-hander John Schultz will head the pitching staff. Schultz, a co-captain, started 10 games and pitched 57 and two-thirds innings last season, the most by a Pittsburgh pitcher. He is currently tied for seventh on the school's all-time list of pitching appearances with 41.
Joining Schultz and the pitching staff will be junior-college transfer and right-hander, Matt Shoemaker. Shoemaker joins the Panthers from Potomac State where he held a 7-3 record in 10 starts and struck out 63 batters in 57 innings. He is a solid pitcher and should be a frontline player, according to Jordano.
Joe Lydic, a sophomore transfer from Miami (Ohio), will join the infield ranks, along with sophomore Mike Pokrzywinski and freshman Brad Rea.
Lydic batted .450 as a senior at Bethel Park High School and set the school record for the most homeruns in a season with eight. At Miami, he appeared in 29 games, starting 20, and hit .254 in 63 at bats. Jordano believes Lydic will be a significant factor in the lineup this year.
Pokrzywinski is projected as the starting shortstop this season after the transition of Melucci to second base. Pokrzywinski spent one season at Penn State-Altoona where he recorded 25 putouts and 68 assists in 20 games. He also held a .527 batting average in 74 at bats.
Rea joins Pittsburgh from nearby North Allegheny High School. There he set a new school single-season record with 29 runs batted in. He has tremendous power at the plate and should see significant playing time.
Aiding the corps of outfielders will be freshman transfer Mike Gonda, who joins the Panthers after spending last season as a redshirt at James Madison. While at Yough High School, Gonda recorded a .407 batting average over a two-year period in 113 at bats. He scored 37 runs and had 42 runs batted in. Gonda will add power to the offense and can run very well.
When you ask Jordano what his goal for the team is this year, his answer is simple: To advance to the Big East playoffs.
"The common goal for our team is to be in Trenton, N.J., the third week of May at Waterfront Park," said Jordano. "That is our driving force this season."
In order to reach their aspiration of a Big East playoff berth, the Panthers will have to overcome the hurdles of a competitive 57-game schedule, which includes traveling to three of the top six programs in the conference
Notre Dame, St. John's and Seton Hall. Pittsburgh will also host conference foes Georgetown, Villanova, Boston College and Rutgers, and meet rival West Virginia three times.
"When you look at the schedule, our whole focus is on our conference opponents," said Jordano. "Add to that a competitive spring trip schedule and two former winners of the Big Ten Conference in Indiana and Ohio State, and it's going to be a very interesting year for us."
