University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Baseball Ready to Begin 2009 Campaign
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh baseball team kicks off the 2009 season Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. when they meet Bradley in the first game of the 2009 Service Academies Spring Classic.
SEASON OPENER
The Panthers open the season against Bradley on Friday, February 20th at the Armed Forces Tournament in Millington, Tenn. The Panthers lost the only previous meeting, 10-1, during the 1986 season. Against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, Pitt holds a 7-10 record.
STREAK BUSTERS
Pitt looks to pick up an opening day win for the first time since the 2005 season when they defeated Rider University 9-6, at the IMIChotels.com Inn-vitational Tournament held in Conway, S.C.
LOOKING TO GAIN GROUND
On Feb. 21, Pitt plays an opponent they have not seen in 45 years in Navy. The Midshipmen hold a 12-5 advantage in the series history which dates back as far as 1940. The Panthers' last win against Navy came during the 1963 season, 4-2. The Panthers look to have the same success as the Pitt football team did against the Midshipmen, defeating them 42-21 earlier this fall.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Pitt and Memphis will meet on the diamond for the first time ever. The Panthers hold a 2-2 record against Conference USA opponents, meeting Central Florida most recently during the 2008 season, resulting in an 8-2 loss.
ROWAN'S RETURN
Sunday's game against Memphis will be a homecoming of sort for first-year assistant coach Brandon Rowan, who played for Memphis from 2003-2005. He led the Tigers' pitching staff with a 3.63 ERA during the 2003 season and was selected team captain for the 2005 campaign. After graduating cum laude from Memphis in 2004, Rowan went on to become head coach at Crichton College in Memphis for two seasons, leading the Comets to their first-ever NAIA Regional berth in 2007.
TRIPLE J
Head Coach Joe Jordano enters his 12th season as Pitt's head coach where he is averaging just under 30 wins per season. In the 2008 season finale on May 14, Jordano collected his 300th win as a Panther, defeating Cleveland State 4-2. Jordano currently ranks second on Pitt's all time wins list bolstering a 300-271-2 record. In 2009, Jordano and the Panthers look to bounce back and make a return trip to not only the Big East Tournament, but championship game, where they last played in 2005.
OUT OF THE GATES
Since 1998, Head Coach Joe Jordano's first season, the Panthers have posted a 94-56-1 record heading into Big East play, an average of 9-5 per season. The most impressive stretch came between 2002-05 when the Panthers went 49-16-1. The 2009 team looks to bounce back from last season after recording their first losing record heading into Big East play in over seven years.
