Fall Season Comes to a Close
10/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 23, 2007
PITTSBURGH -
It is an exciting time for Panther baseball, as the team closed another season of fall ball with a strong wave of momentum and prepares to begin the off-season phase of the program. Head coach Joe Jordano and his staff will finalize their recruiting class for next season on Nov. 14 and can now look forward to individual meetings and workouts with their current players. Pitt's skipper was very encouraged by the team's effort this fall and is ready to take the next step of the Panthers' off-season program.
"I felt that it was a very productive, solid fall for our baseball team," commented Jordano. "We accomplished our objective of implementing the way we want to play the game within the team concept."
The fall program facilitated the development of the Panthers' fresh faces and also gave the coaching staff a glimpse of what they can expect when February rolls around.
"We learned a lot of about our new guys and were given the chance to develop a productive preseason game plan for each player," said the Panthers' head coach.
Jordano mentioned that his pitchers showed some inconsistency with their command at about the program's three week mark, but he was encouraged by the fact that offensively his club was able to take advantage of those miscues. The progress of the offense is something that the coaching staff looks forward to seeing more of as the season draws nearer
"We will continue to develop in all phases of the game," revealed Jordano, who is entering his 11th season at the helm of the Panthers. "I am confident that our message and philosophy are clear and that our team understands completely what needs to be worked on and accomplished prior to the first pitch in February."
Some of the Panthers making considerable strides are part of an incoming group of players with a tremendous amount of potential. New additions that have made a strong impact on coach Jordano and his staff include Joe Leonard ( The returnees, along with the other ten newcomers, will look to mesh their talents under some very strong senior leadership. Taking the lead this fall for the Panthers were Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk)and Nick Mullins (Brick, N.J./Brookdale C.C.).
"Sean and Nick understand the message that this team controls it's own destiny," said Jordano, the 2004 Big East Coach of the Year. "They know that we need to work everyday, on and off the field, to accomplish our objectives. As coaches, we need that internal support to make certain work is getting accomplished."
The Panther baseball team has been receiving solid reviews from assistant strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports Tim Beltz throughout the fall and is making significant strides to enhance their physical development.
All players will now begin their individual meetings and workouts. The meetings are designed to clearly communicate to each player where they are in terms of their progression and what they need to do over the next three months to get ready for the season. The coaching staff will then take the time during the workouts to execute the plan identified in those meetings.
