Zeuch Called Up by Toronto; To Make MLB Debut Tuesday
9/3/2019 11:56:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – Former Pitt standout and 2016 Major League Baseball first round draft pick T.J. Zeuch has been called up and is expected to make his MLB debut Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves. First pitch is slated for 7:07 p.m. at SunTrust Park in Atlanta with Zeuch scheduled to follow opener Wilmer Font as reported by multiple outlets.
"Congratulations to T.J. from the Panther Baseball family. It is always great to see someone's hard work and determination pay off," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "A regular around the Pitt Baseball facilities in the offseason, T.J. will have a lot of current and former Panthers pulling for him. Once a Panther, always a Panther."
Zeuch compiled a 3.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 39:32 K:BB across 78 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. He impressed across his past four starts for the Bisons, tossing a no-hitter and notching a 1.08 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB in 25 innings.
The 24-year-old followed up six scoreless frames Aug. 14 with the first Buffalo Bisons' no-hitter since 1997 (when Bartolo Colon accomplished the feat). The highest draft pick in Pitt history (No. 21), Zeuch threw a no-hitter for Buffalo on Monday, Aug. 19, allowing one walk while striking out three over nine scoreless innings against Rochester.
Zeuch has a 12.0 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A this season, but the 6-foot-7 right hander has a 57.5 percent groundball rate, and that has helped him navigate the enhanced offensive environment at that level (0.53 HR/9).
A second team All-ACC selection in 2016, Zeuch appeared in 39 games, 33 of which were starts in his three-year career at Pitt. He ranks seventh in program history with 205 career strikeouts, 12th with 213.2 career innings pitched and 20th with a 3.33 career ERA.
Toronto is currently 55-84 on the season and fourth in the American League East. The Blue Jays play a four-game series at Tampa Bay before opening a six-game homestand Tuesday, Sept. 10 against Boston. The Blue Jays will play 12 of their final 18 games in September at Rogers Centre.
Zeuch is the third former Panther, joining Joe Harvey and Matt Wotherspoon, to receive a call up to the big leagues for the first time in 2019 and will be the fifth former Pitt player (Ray Black, Harvey, Kevan Smith and Wotherspoon) to appear in a MLB game this season.
T.J Zeuch – Year-by-Year at Pitt
2016: Was named All-ACC second team as the junior ace of the Panther staff … led the staff with a 3.10 ERA, competing to a record of 6-1 in 10 starts after missing the first month of the season due to injury … tossed one complete game … went 69.2 innings on the year, allowing just 24 earned runs and 19 walks, while striking out 74 … held opponents to a .229 average … ranked fifth in the ACC with 9.56 strikeouts per game … was ninth-best in the ACC with just 19 walks on the year … was 10th best in the ACC with just three homers surrendered on the season … was tops in the ACC and the nation, as he did not allow a triple on the year … opened the year with five wins in six attempts … was stellar in his debut, going 6.0 innings against Florida State, allowing just one hit and no earned runs, striking out eight and walking just two … retired 11 via strikeout on March 26 against Boston College … went 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and one run without surrendering a walk … improved to 2-0 with a win over eventual ACC Champion Clemson on April 2 … allowed five runs off of six hits, giving up three walks but striking out six on the road … claimed a win in the series finale at Georgia Tech (April 10) … went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs off of seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts at a snowy Charles L. Cost Field … pitched a complete game at Virginia Tech on April 16 … allowed two runs off of 11 hits and a walk, striking out seven to improve to 4-0 … went 8.0 innings in game one of a doubleheader with Mi-ami (OH) on April 23 … held the Redhawks off the board, allowing just four hits and striking out nine to improve to 5-0 … suffered his first loss of the season on April 30 against reigning national champion Vir-ginia on May 7 … dueled Hoos' ace Connor Jones in a 7.0 inning outing … allowed two runs off of six hits and one walk, striking out eight … captured his sixth win of the year on May 7 at Notre Dame … went 7.0 innings, allowing five hits off of five hits and four walks, striking out five … earned a no decision af-ter 5.2 innings of work at Coastal Division Champion Miami (FL) on May 13 … allowed four runs off of seven hits and three walks, fanning six batters … ended his Pitt career with flair on May 19 against Duke … set a Charles L. Cost Field record for strikeouts thrown by a Pitt pitcher on the field, setting a career best, with 12 strikeouts … earned a no decision as he went 9.0 innings, allowing just one run off of eight hits and two walks as Pitt fell 2-1 in extra innings.
2015: Was named ACC Pitcher of the Week (3/9), ECAC South Division I Pitcher of the Week (3/10), Col-lege Sports Madness ACC Baseball Player of the Week (3/10) and CollegeBaseballInsider.com South-east Co-Pitcher of the Week (3/11) for his efforts in a win against No. 1 Virginia ... made the first open-ing day start of his career, pitching 6.0 innings against Saint Louis, striking out a career-high nine bat-ters, without a walk, and giving up just one run on six hits ... at Wofford, took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in a season-high 7.1 innings while striking out eight and walking none ... in the opener against VCU, scattered six hits for one earned run, striking out seven and walking one ... against No. 1 Virginia, outdueled All-American Nathan Kirby in a 1-0 win, throwing 8.0 innings, strik-ing out eight, allowing only four hits, no runs and no walks ... was limited to 4.0 innings against No. 11 North Carolina, but struck out seven and gave up three unearned runs on four hits in a no decision ... struck out eight batters in 6.0 innings in a loss in the first game at Duke ... pitched his second-career complete game and first of the season in the opener against Wake Forest, getting the win after throw-ing a career-long 9.0 innings, striking out seven, allowing three runs on nine hits ... recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings in the opener at No. 13 Florida State, becoming the first Pitt pitcher in nearly three years to have double-digit strikeouts ... in the finale with Fairfield, threw 8.0 innings and struck out seven, allowing just one run on four hits ... received a no decision in the opener with No. 16 Miami after throwing 7.0 innings, allowing just one earned run ... pitched 8.0 innings of scoreless ball, struck out seven and earned a win against Virginia Tech in game two of the series.
2014: Made 15 appearances and nine starts as a freshman ... pitched 55.2 innings … finished with a 2-6 record and 41 strikeouts ... led all starting pitchers with a 2.75 ERA ... allowed zero earned runs in first career start against Coastal Carolina ... went 7.0 strong innings allowing only one earned run against Akron ... threw 8.0 innings of three-hit ball against Clemson ... threw a complete game, allowing only one earned run against Notre Dame.
"Congratulations to T.J. from the Panther Baseball family. It is always great to see someone's hard work and determination pay off," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "A regular around the Pitt Baseball facilities in the offseason, T.J. will have a lot of current and former Panthers pulling for him. Once a Panther, always a Panther."
Zeuch compiled a 3.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 39:32 K:BB across 78 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. He impressed across his past four starts for the Bisons, tossing a no-hitter and notching a 1.08 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB in 25 innings.
The 24-year-old followed up six scoreless frames Aug. 14 with the first Buffalo Bisons' no-hitter since 1997 (when Bartolo Colon accomplished the feat). The highest draft pick in Pitt history (No. 21), Zeuch threw a no-hitter for Buffalo on Monday, Aug. 19, allowing one walk while striking out three over nine scoreless innings against Rochester.
Zeuch has a 12.0 percent strikeout rate at Triple-A this season, but the 6-foot-7 right hander has a 57.5 percent groundball rate, and that has helped him navigate the enhanced offensive environment at that level (0.53 HR/9).
A second team All-ACC selection in 2016, Zeuch appeared in 39 games, 33 of which were starts in his three-year career at Pitt. He ranks seventh in program history with 205 career strikeouts, 12th with 213.2 career innings pitched and 20th with a 3.33 career ERA.
Toronto is currently 55-84 on the season and fourth in the American League East. The Blue Jays play a four-game series at Tampa Bay before opening a six-game homestand Tuesday, Sept. 10 against Boston. The Blue Jays will play 12 of their final 18 games in September at Rogers Centre.
Zeuch is the third former Panther, joining Joe Harvey and Matt Wotherspoon, to receive a call up to the big leagues for the first time in 2019 and will be the fifth former Pitt player (Ray Black, Harvey, Kevan Smith and Wotherspoon) to appear in a MLB game this season.
T.J Zeuch – Year-by-Year at Pitt
2016: Was named All-ACC second team as the junior ace of the Panther staff … led the staff with a 3.10 ERA, competing to a record of 6-1 in 10 starts after missing the first month of the season due to injury … tossed one complete game … went 69.2 innings on the year, allowing just 24 earned runs and 19 walks, while striking out 74 … held opponents to a .229 average … ranked fifth in the ACC with 9.56 strikeouts per game … was ninth-best in the ACC with just 19 walks on the year … was 10th best in the ACC with just three homers surrendered on the season … was tops in the ACC and the nation, as he did not allow a triple on the year … opened the year with five wins in six attempts … was stellar in his debut, going 6.0 innings against Florida State, allowing just one hit and no earned runs, striking out eight and walking just two … retired 11 via strikeout on March 26 against Boston College … went 7.0 innings, allowing six hits and one run without surrendering a walk … improved to 2-0 with a win over eventual ACC Champion Clemson on April 2 … allowed five runs off of six hits, giving up three walks but striking out six on the road … claimed a win in the series finale at Georgia Tech (April 10) … went 5.0 innings, allowing four runs off of seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts at a snowy Charles L. Cost Field … pitched a complete game at Virginia Tech on April 16 … allowed two runs off of 11 hits and a walk, striking out seven to improve to 4-0 … went 8.0 innings in game one of a doubleheader with Mi-ami (OH) on April 23 … held the Redhawks off the board, allowing just four hits and striking out nine to improve to 5-0 … suffered his first loss of the season on April 30 against reigning national champion Vir-ginia on May 7 … dueled Hoos' ace Connor Jones in a 7.0 inning outing … allowed two runs off of six hits and one walk, striking out eight … captured his sixth win of the year on May 7 at Notre Dame … went 7.0 innings, allowing five hits off of five hits and four walks, striking out five … earned a no decision af-ter 5.2 innings of work at Coastal Division Champion Miami (FL) on May 13 … allowed four runs off of seven hits and three walks, fanning six batters … ended his Pitt career with flair on May 19 against Duke … set a Charles L. Cost Field record for strikeouts thrown by a Pitt pitcher on the field, setting a career best, with 12 strikeouts … earned a no decision as he went 9.0 innings, allowing just one run off of eight hits and two walks as Pitt fell 2-1 in extra innings.
2015: Was named ACC Pitcher of the Week (3/9), ECAC South Division I Pitcher of the Week (3/10), Col-lege Sports Madness ACC Baseball Player of the Week (3/10) and CollegeBaseballInsider.com South-east Co-Pitcher of the Week (3/11) for his efforts in a win against No. 1 Virginia ... made the first open-ing day start of his career, pitching 6.0 innings against Saint Louis, striking out a career-high nine bat-ters, without a walk, and giving up just one run on six hits ... at Wofford, took the loss despite allowing just two earned runs on five hits in a season-high 7.1 innings while striking out eight and walking none ... in the opener against VCU, scattered six hits for one earned run, striking out seven and walking one ... against No. 1 Virginia, outdueled All-American Nathan Kirby in a 1-0 win, throwing 8.0 innings, strik-ing out eight, allowing only four hits, no runs and no walks ... was limited to 4.0 innings against No. 11 North Carolina, but struck out seven and gave up three unearned runs on four hits in a no decision ... struck out eight batters in 6.0 innings in a loss in the first game at Duke ... pitched his second-career complete game and first of the season in the opener against Wake Forest, getting the win after throw-ing a career-long 9.0 innings, striking out seven, allowing three runs on nine hits ... recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in 5.2 innings in the opener at No. 13 Florida State, becoming the first Pitt pitcher in nearly three years to have double-digit strikeouts ... in the finale with Fairfield, threw 8.0 innings and struck out seven, allowing just one run on four hits ... received a no decision in the opener with No. 16 Miami after throwing 7.0 innings, allowing just one earned run ... pitched 8.0 innings of scoreless ball, struck out seven and earned a win against Virginia Tech in game two of the series.
2014: Made 15 appearances and nine starts as a freshman ... pitched 55.2 innings … finished with a 2-6 record and 41 strikeouts ... led all starting pitchers with a 2.75 ERA ... allowed zero earned runs in first career start against Coastal Carolina ... went 7.0 strong innings allowing only one earned run against Akron ... threw 8.0 innings of three-hit ball against Clemson ... threw a complete game, allowing only one earned run against Notre Dame.
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