University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Mercyhurst Hall of Fame Calls Jordano's Number
4/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 22, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
ERIE, Pa. -- University of Pittsburgh head baseball coach Joe Jordano will be honored as part of the Mercyhurst College Class of 2009 Hall of Fame the school announced on Tuesday, April 22. He will be inducted at the 13th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner on May 16 at the Sheraton Bayfront Hotel.
Jordano spent 10 memorable years at the helm of the Mercyhurst baseball program, guiding the team to 283 wins and a .706 winning percentage, both the highest in Lakers' history.
"I am flattered and humbled to receive this honor," said Jordano. "Mercyhurst is a special place, and everything that was accomplished in that time is a true testament to the student-athletes I had the pleasure of coaching."
After posting a 19-17 mark in 1988, his first season, Jordano went on to win 20 or more games in eight of the next nine seasons, leading the Lakers to five of their six NCAA Regional appearances, including four consecutive seasons to close out his career.
He garnered Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and 1997 and helped Mercyhurst transition from independent status to a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Jordano mentored Pat Cutshall, the 1997 GLIAC Player of the Year and will enter the hall alongside his former player.
Six of Jordano's teams rank among the school's top 10 in season victories, including his record-setting 1997 squad which tallied a 40-8 mark, the best single-season record in school history. Three of his former players still own 59 different single-season and career records in various offensive categories while 18 pitchers combine to account for 41 single-season and career marks.
Now in his 12th season at Pitt, the 2004 Big East Coach of the Year sits in second place on Pitt's all-time wins list, currently having won 320 games. Jordano recently reached his 600th career win, a 6-4 win over crosstown rival Duquesne on April 1.
Joining Jordano is legendary basketball coach and Mercyhurst's first athletic director Dick Fox (posthumously), Pat Cutshall (baseball, 1994-97), Glenn Francis (men's soccer, 1994-1997), C.J. Ireland (women's ice hockey, 1999-2003) and Amy Perry (women's lacrosse, 1998-2001).
