Baseball Begins Fall Season of Intrasquad Scrimmages
10/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 3, 2005
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt baseball team has begun its preparation for the 2006 season with intrasquad scrimmages during 'Fall Ball.' The Panthers won 33 games a year ago and advanced to the championship game of the Big East Tournament.
So far in the fall, All-American Jim Negrych (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis) has continued where he left off in the spring, batting .615 with eight hits in 13 at-bats, including three doubles and two home runs. Freshman infielder Brian Muldowney (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) is second on the team in hitting this fall with a .556 average in nine at-bats.
Three other Panthers are hitting above .400, including sophomore outfielders Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) and Chris Warner (West Seneca, N.Y./South Carolina), and senior infielder Jimmy Mayer (Somerset, Pa./Somerset).
Conley is hitting .462 with six hits, including one triple thus far. Warner, entering his first season with the Panthers, is hitting .429 with two of his six hits going for extra bases. Mayer is second on the team in slugging percentage with a double and a home run among his five hits.
Brian's older brother Billy Muldowney (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East), a junior right-handed hurler, has struck out five batters in his two innings of scoreless work with just one base runner allowed. Junior right-hander Paul Nardozzi (Victor, N.Y./Victor) has thrown four shutout innings in the fall, allowing two hits and one walk with three strikeouts.
Converted infielder Justin Cicatello (Buffalo, N.Y./Florida Community College at Jacksonville) is also among the pitching leaders with three shutout innings, striking out five batters. Redshirt freshman Anthony Rossi (Peters Township, Pa./Peters Township) has also struck out five so far in 3.2 innings of work.
The Panthers begin the 2006 season at the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Conway, S.C., from February 17-19.