Panthers Begin Fall Workouts

Sept. 19, 2007

PITTSBURGH -

The University of Pittsburgh baseball team will begin the 2007-08 campaign with its annual fall workouts. Head Coach Joe Jordano and his team are looking to build off a 2006-07 season in which they finished fourth in the Big East and earned a trip to the conference tournament in Queens, N.Y.

"Last year was a solid season for us, one that signaled a significant transition for Panther baseball. Many of our young players stepped up and made significant contributions," said Jordano. "We were a bit inconsistent at times, but being one of only four teams in the Big East conference with a winning record, I felt it was a good step forward for our program.

"I look for us to be more consistent this year," continued Pitt's head coach. "We've brought in 12 new players this year, so we'll continue to be a young team, but I believe we have more quality depth and experience than in previous years. We're all very anxious to take the field this fall."

The group of newcomers that Jordano referred to includes junior college transfers Rick Breymier and Chris Tonte. Both join the Panthers from Lackawanna Community College and are expected to make a significant impact come springtime.

"Ricky has the potential to be a quality, frontline player for us on the mound this season," commented Jordano, the 2000 Big East Coach of the Year. "We're also very anxious to get out there and work with Chris. He's got the tools and athleticism to step in and be a very solid infielder."

In addition to the two junior college transfers, the Panthers have also added a plethora of new arms to send to the mound this season. Freshman Josh Smith, a highly-touted football and baseball player from Wilson West Lawn High School, will bring his solid arm and quick feet to the Pitt lineup this season in an effort to bolster the team's bullpen. David Kaye, a big right hander who was selected as a 30^th round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in this year's Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, will also have his shot at getting into the starting rotation.

Mount Vernon, N.Y. native Hugh Henry has the potential to be an outstanding right-handed hurler for the Panthers due to his strong arm and exceptional breaking pitch. Another New Yorker, Corey Baker, will rely on his precision control in an effort to log some significant innings as a freshman this season.

"Corey reminds me of Greg Maddux with the way he controls his pitches," said Baker's new head coach. "He has tremendous command of three pitches and that should aide him as he battles for playing time this year."

Cole Taylor, a left-hander out of Burrell, Pa., boasts a stellar breaking ball and momentous movement on all of his pitches and Chris Warner will also be a viable option for coach Jordano when in need of a strong arm. The coaching staff is looking forward to tracking the progress of both hurlers throughout the fall schedule.

As is the case with the bullpen, the infield has added some quality depth this year with the arrival of Joe Leonard and Philip Konieczny.

"Joe has all of the tools to be a major impact guy right away and we expect him to be in the lineup from day one," revealed Jordano. "And Philip brings with him an impressive resume; he's a Chancellor's scholar and an exceptional ball player with a good amount of `pop' in his bat.

Two new Panthers who will be prowling the outfield this season are Kevin Dooley and John Schultz. Both men have drawn praise from the coaching staff for their ability and are eager to get their first taste of Division-I baseball.

Jordano had this to offer about the incoming outfielders, "Dooley's a two way guy. In addition to playing the outfield, he'll also pitch a little bit, but we like him in either position. He definitely has a future at one or the other, so we'll give him an opportunity at both and see where he excels," continued Pitt's head coach. "John is another solid performer who works hard and is just a great kid above everything else."

A few of the returning players from last year's squad include Jordan Herr, Gary Bucuren, Danny Lopez and Nate Reed, all of whom saw considerable playing time as freshmen and are poised to make bigger impacts as sophomores. They will rejoin Nick Mullins, Morgan Kielty, Sean Conley, Rob Brant and other veterans that are seeking opportunities to lead and contribute to another successful season. Coach Jordano feels confident in the corps of players that have come together this season and expects the team to enter the fall focused squarely on the season ahead.

"I am very encouraged by our depth from a coaching standpoint. As a coaching staff, we have a clear plan and our objective for this year is simply to execute that plan," said Jordano, who is entering his 11^th season at the helm of the Panthers. "We want to make it clear to our players exactly what we expect of them and allow them to carry out those items, which include strength and conditioning as well as on the field objectives, on a day-to-day basis."

The Panthers' weekly schedule will consist of three intersquad scrimmages in between two specific skill days. The team will practice a total of 45 days during the fall before beginning the second phase of their strength and conditioning regimen. During that time, they will continue their individual offseason workouts. Pitt's fall season will conclude with the Blue-Gold World Series, which will begin on Monday, Oct. 8^th.