Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Baseball Opens 2019 Fall Season with Akron Friday
9/26/2019 10:26:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH –Pitt baseball opens its 2019 fall season at Charles L. Cost Field Friday against Akron. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. and admission is free.
The game is the first opportunity for fans to see of this year's Panthers squad, which features 16 returning players and 20 newcomers. Pitt opened fall practice on Monday, Sept. 9.
"Our fall games provide us with another opportunity to develop and evaluate our new student-athletes," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "Akron and their coaching staff will provide us a great test on Friday, as they are re-building their program. It marks the halfway point of our fall program, and we look forward to getting a lot of new guys much needed game experiences."
Returning Letterwinners
Nico Popa and Ron Washington, Jr., headline a group of key returning position players, while Chase Smith, Billy Corcoran, Chris Gomez and David Moore each return after making 20 or more appearances on the mound last season. Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors a year ago after batting a team-high .353 to go along with 15 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 39 RBI. Washington, Jr., posted a .306 batting average with a team-best 17 doubles in 39 games.
The Panthers also welcome back Christian Camacho and Chris Cappas, who both made nine starts in 2019, along with position players Sky Duff, Kyle Hess and David Yanni, who each appeared in 30 or more games a season ago. Complete stats from the 2019 season are available HERE.
Incoming Class
Bell and his staff worked tirelessly since arriving in Oakland to add depth and balance to the Pitt roster. Those efforts have paid off with the addition of 20 talented newcomers to the program.
"I was really proud of the effort and hours put into our recruiting class from our coaches and support staff," Bell said. "A great program effort to add depth and balance in all areas - pitching, defense and offense. The balance between high school players and transfers was by design and more importantly these student-athletes come from programs that have and know how to compete for championships."
The 20 newcomers feature a blend of young players to several with multiple years of collegiate baseball experience. Eight true freshmen are joined by two sophomores and eight juniors, with all but one playing at various junior colleges before arriving to Pitt. Three players have already seen time at the Division I level: Jordan Anderson (Mississippi State), Dylan Lester (Houston) and C.J. McKennitt (Holy Cross). The recruiting class and transfer additions provide depth all across the diamond with three outfielders, nine pitchers and eight infielders.
Bell with USA Baseball
Bell served as the pitching coordinator for USA Baseball 16U National Team Development Program, July 31 – Aug. 5 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
"What an amazing experience to work with some of the best young talent in this country and trade baseball knowledge with some of the brightest minds in the game today," commented Bell on his time with USA Baseball this summer. "You hear about what it means to put on those colors, but what a feeling to wear that uniform and understand what it represents. A one of a kind memory that I never will forget."
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters and 18U National Team staff and task force.
Since 2005, Bell has helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances – Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010) and Florida State (2012 & 2017). He has coached eight All-Americans, guided 12 Top 25 recruiting classes and coached 50 MLB Draft picks, including 25 at Florida State. In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com prior to the 2017 season.
Year 1
Pitt posted 21 wins, including marquee victories over No. 11 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgia Tech and national powerhouse Florida State, in the inaugural season with the Panthers for Bell. Connor Perry and Nico Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors, while Dan Hammer, Perry and Derek West were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Cole MacLaren also signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers following the season.
#ProPanthers in the MLB
Pitt has had five former player play in the major leagues this season following the recent call up and debut of 2016 MLB first round draft pick T.J. Zeuch. The Mason, Ohio, native threw four innings in his debut Sept. 3 allowing three hits and two earned runs, while striking out four for the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevan Smith currently has a .301 OBP for the Los Angeles Angels, while Ray Black has a 2.70 ERA in six appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers. Joe Harvey (Colorado Rockies) and Matt Wotherspoon (Detroit Tigers) have also made their major league baseball debuts this season.
Up Next
Pitt will host Youngstown State in its second home exhibition game next Saturday at 5 p.m. The Panthers wrap up the fall season with its annual Blue-Gold Series, a three-game intrasquad meetings on Oct. 9-11 with first pitch set for noon.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
The game is the first opportunity for fans to see of this year's Panthers squad, which features 16 returning players and 20 newcomers. Pitt opened fall practice on Monday, Sept. 9.
"Our fall games provide us with another opportunity to develop and evaluate our new student-athletes," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "Akron and their coaching staff will provide us a great test on Friday, as they are re-building their program. It marks the halfway point of our fall program, and we look forward to getting a lot of new guys much needed game experiences."
Returning Letterwinners
Nico Popa and Ron Washington, Jr., headline a group of key returning position players, while Chase Smith, Billy Corcoran, Chris Gomez and David Moore each return after making 20 or more appearances on the mound last season. Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors a year ago after batting a team-high .353 to go along with 15 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 39 RBI. Washington, Jr., posted a .306 batting average with a team-best 17 doubles in 39 games.
The Panthers also welcome back Christian Camacho and Chris Cappas, who both made nine starts in 2019, along with position players Sky Duff, Kyle Hess and David Yanni, who each appeared in 30 or more games a season ago. Complete stats from the 2019 season are available HERE.
Incoming Class
Bell and his staff worked tirelessly since arriving in Oakland to add depth and balance to the Pitt roster. Those efforts have paid off with the addition of 20 talented newcomers to the program.
"I was really proud of the effort and hours put into our recruiting class from our coaches and support staff," Bell said. "A great program effort to add depth and balance in all areas - pitching, defense and offense. The balance between high school players and transfers was by design and more importantly these student-athletes come from programs that have and know how to compete for championships."
The 20 newcomers feature a blend of young players to several with multiple years of collegiate baseball experience. Eight true freshmen are joined by two sophomores and eight juniors, with all but one playing at various junior colleges before arriving to Pitt. Three players have already seen time at the Division I level: Jordan Anderson (Mississippi State), Dylan Lester (Houston) and C.J. McKennitt (Holy Cross). The recruiting class and transfer additions provide depth all across the diamond with three outfielders, nine pitchers and eight infielders.
Bell with USA Baseball
Bell served as the pitching coordinator for USA Baseball 16U National Team Development Program, July 31 – Aug. 5 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
"What an amazing experience to work with some of the best young talent in this country and trade baseball knowledge with some of the brightest minds in the game today," commented Bell on his time with USA Baseball this summer. "You hear about what it means to put on those colors, but what a feeling to wear that uniform and understand what it represents. A one of a kind memory that I never will forget."
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters and 18U National Team staff and task force.
Since 2005, Bell has helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances – Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010) and Florida State (2012 & 2017). He has coached eight All-Americans, guided 12 Top 25 recruiting classes and coached 50 MLB Draft picks, including 25 at Florida State. In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com prior to the 2017 season.
Year 1
Pitt posted 21 wins, including marquee victories over No. 11 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgia Tech and national powerhouse Florida State, in the inaugural season with the Panthers for Bell. Connor Perry and Nico Popa earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honors, while Dan Hammer, Perry and Derek West were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Cole MacLaren also signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers following the season.
#ProPanthers in the MLB
Pitt has had five former player play in the major leagues this season following the recent call up and debut of 2016 MLB first round draft pick T.J. Zeuch. The Mason, Ohio, native threw four innings in his debut Sept. 3 allowing three hits and two earned runs, while striking out four for the Toronto Blue Jays. Kevan Smith currently has a .301 OBP for the Los Angeles Angels, while Ray Black has a 2.70 ERA in six appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers. Joe Harvey (Colorado Rockies) and Matt Wotherspoon (Detroit Tigers) have also made their major league baseball debuts this season.
Up Next
Pitt will host Youngstown State in its second home exhibition game next Saturday at 5 p.m. The Panthers wrap up the fall season with its annual Blue-Gold Series, a three-game intrasquad meetings on Oct. 9-11 with first pitch set for noon.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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