Pitt looks to keep things rolling at the plate
12/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
With 114 starts under his belt, senior Zach Duggan has seen plenty of time on the diamond for Pitt. So when the outfielder witnessed and contributed firsthand to the Panthers' .363 team batting average that ranked second in the nation last season, he knew it was something special.
"It's kind of hard to pitch around that," said Duggan, who also led the team with 25 stolen bases last season. "Even if someone wasn't having a great day, the rest of the offense was going to pick them up."
There weren't too many bad days for anyone in Pitt's lineup, as the Panthers' lowest batting average in the starting nine during the 2010 season was an impressive .322. The Panthers also had three players - Joe Leonard, John Schultz and Sean Toole - carry averages better than .400, which helped contribute to Pitt setting a school record with 38 wins.
But heading into this spring, Pitt isn't looking to match the numbers from a year ago. Instead, the aim is to reach higher.
"Our goal is to do better and improve every year," Duggan said. "We're always capable of more. And like the coaches always say, as great as last season was, it could have been even better. That's what we want this year."
Pitt hitting coach Danny Lopaze said he and the rest of the coaching staff spent time this fall watching the development of the returnees and the incoming class, as well.
"We had very productive individual workouts throughout the course of the fall," Lopaze said. "Our returning players are better than they were last year at this time and our new players have done a great job of buying into the offensive philosophies. We feel extremely confident with the veteran cast coming back from last season and some key additions that it has the makings of another special season at the plate."
Three everyday Pitt hitters are missing from last year's lineup, including catcher Cory Brownsten, shortstop Danny Lopez and Leonard, who played third base and was a third-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 2010 MLB Draft. The Braves also selected Brownsten in the draft, while the Seattle Mariners drafted Lopez.
Now, instead of thinking about those players, Pitt players are focused on those returning. The Panthers bring back six regulars from last year's lineup, including Travis Whitmore, Kevan Smith, David Chester, Phil Konieczny, Duggan and Schultz. That doesn't include Sean Toole, who started 23 games and batted a phenomenal .471 before an injury forced him out of the lineup.
"The guys that we lost were definitely a big deal for our team, and you can't say enough about what they did for our offense, but our confidence now is at an all-time high," Toole said. "We're really confident in ourselves as hitters, and the approach we have at Pitt is one we've had a lot of success with."
Whitmore, who started 50 games last season, agreed with Toole. He also talked about the success of the top of Pitt's lineup and how that allows the heart and back end of the lineup a chance to knock in runs and take advantage of each situation.
"That was a big thing for us last year and I think it will be a big part of this year too," he said. "Danny Lopez and John Schultz were getting on base constantly, and the rest of the lineup just always seems to come through. It's really unbelievable when everything clicks. It puts a lot more pressure on the defense, and hitting is definitely contagious."
Duggan, Toole and Whitmore each also credited the instruction of Lopaze, Pitt's hitting coach, who has made a practice of helping Pitt's batters focus on their mental approach at the plate in addition to breaking down each players' swing and working on the mechanics of each batter.
"As a team we go through our rounds, and I think that's really important," Toole said. "Each swing we take means something. Whether we're bunting a guy over or hitting in a situational approach, we're well prepared for whatever comes our way and that's going to come across in the game."
All of those things combine to give Pitt big hopes at the plate for 2011. And another key part of the lineup - team chemistry - is something that hasn't gone unnoticed by the team.
"Everybody has a role in our lineup and we fit together so well," Duggan said. "I feel like that separates our team from most teams. There might be 25 of 35 guys on another team who get along great. With our team, all 35 fit."