University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Q & A With Panther Baseball Coach Joe Jordano
11/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Q & A With Panther Baseball Coach Joe Jordano
11/20/2001
On rebuilding Pitt baseball:
"Well I am very excited about what we've done so far within the first four years. We have a long way to go and we will never rest on laurels or be satisfied with past accomplishments. But I do recognize the fact that we've come a long way and we've laid a very solid foundation. Now we need to build on that foundation for a program that will perpetuate success. We feel over the past year with the recruiting that we've done and some of the changes that we've made with the program, we feel that this could be a turning point for us in terms of taking the next step."
On continuing the legacy as all-time winningest coach:
"I'd like to. There were very similar situations. What I inherited at Mercyhurst (College) was very similar to what I inherited here at the University of Pittsburgh. It took us a good four to five years to get moving at Mercyhurst. I think we've actually accelerated that time line here. I'd like to think that we are on our way to doing the same types of things and having the same type of great success that we had at Mercyhurst here at Pittsburgh."
On pressure of succeeding this year:
"No, I don't feel pressure because I know my staff and I and my players work extremely hard everyday, and we give a maximum effort everyday. Last year we were obviously disappointed with the results of the season, but there were some very significant factors that contributed to that tough season. We had several key players out for the entire season last year. When you're in the position we are, when you do have some major impact players out of the line up, it affects us very adversely. However, the positives we took out of last year are that we had a lot of young players get some ample playing time, which helps them gain some valuable experience, which will prepare us and make us a better team this year. So no, we don't feel any pressure whatsoever in terms of how we are approaching our day to day operations. We look forward to getting back on track very quickly this year."
On concerns of a youthful team:
"It was younger last year and that was a concern. I think because of all the experience they gained going into this year, they aren't young anymore. It was kind of a baptism by fire. Even though we have a couple of sophomores that are going to be contributing on the mound and some younger players in the field, I still feel strongly that these are a group of individuals that gained valuable experience early in their careers and that is going to help them over the next couple of years with our program."
On prospective players:
"We have several prospects on our team. I think we are going to be in a position where we have some 'senior signs' as they call it in professional baseball, meaning a kid graduates or finishes his college eligibility and is signed to play professional baseball. We have several candidates on our team in that category. I also look at our younger players and think the future is very bright for them as well at the next level. So we're attracting a very top quality caliber player and that goes well not only for our future success, but also goes well for our immediate success."
"We can only lose them after their junior year or after their senior year. We have lost a couple that have signed national letters of intent with us, that signed professionally out of high school. Those are difficult scenarios to recover from, but once we have them in the program and they're able to contribute to our success and to build their own success, I think that is a very positive thing. It's a feather in our hat if we can continue to attract that type of player and send as many players as possible to the next level. However, that's not our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to win a Big East Championship, without question. All of our energy is focused on the Big East Championship. We want to win the Big East. As a part of that every kids dream is to play professional baseball. So if we can win the Big East Championship and send a whole bunch of players on to professional baseball that is the great ultimate scenario."
On 3 keys to get to the Big East Championships:
"Pitching, defense, and staying healthy. That's our major issue that we had last year. We were just way to banged up to remain competitive. We were very competitive, we lost twenty something ball games by three runs or less. Our worst loss was twice by six runs. So we were in every game. We were very competitive but we were a very young team and a very inexperienced team. In the Big East Conference, which is such a very strong conference in baseball, it's very difficult for us to have recovered for us. But we look at that as a positive now and we look forward to this season."
"We are completely committed to taking this program to the next level. We have a phenomenal staff, which I am grateful for. We have a fantastic group of young men that are very committed to winning a Big East Championship. One hundred percent of our efforts are going to be focused in that area and we are going to work as hard as we can to make that happen."
On key players:
"Scott Schultz is a very important one that is back. Stuart Rykaceski, all indications are that he'll be back. Those two individuals right there make up a significant portion. Stuart on offense and Scott on the mound, so those two areas we feel very good (about). And as we speak we are pretty healthy. We've done a lot as far as our fall program and our off-season conditioning and strength programs to insure that we are going to remain healthy."
