Baseball Adds Four For 2007 Season
12/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Dec. 7, 2005
PITTSBURGH - Pitt baseball head coach Joe Jordano has announced the signing of four student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent for the 2007 season. The Panthers have added two right-handed pitchers, a catcher and a middle infielder.
Joining the Panthers for 2007 will be freshman right-handed pitcher Michael Wood (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott), and juniors Ben Knuth (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids CC), a right-handed pitcher, Mike Lepor (Rochester, Mich./Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest/Grand Rapids CC), a middle infielder, and Nick Mullins (Brick, N.J./Brookdale CC), an athletic catcher.
"We're excited about the four student-athletes we've signed," Jordano said. "We anticipate the top-notch recruiting classes to continue in the April signing period and in the future. I feel good about this recruiting class. They are filling needs we'll have for the 2007 season."
Jordano on Mike Wood - "Mike is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher with a fastball in the upper 80s and a solid breaking pitch. He's going to make an immediate impact for us because he's strong, durable and a tough, blue-collar type of pitcher."
Jordano on Ben Knuth - "Ben was the NJCAA Division II Tournament MVP. He's a big guy with good command of both his fastball and breaking ball. Ben is a tremendous competitor and that's what really makes us think he'll help us right away."
Jordano on Mike Lepor - "Mike was also part of the Grand Rapids Community College team that won the NJCAA Division II title. He's a very quick middle infielder. That excellent speed makes him an ideal candidate for a leadoff hitter. He has that mentality and has good range and a solid arm."
Jordano on Nick Mullins - "Nick has above-average arm strength, which coaches look for in a catcher that's going to help you win. He's got a quick release and what really makes him a quality ballplayer is his speed. He's a very athletic catcher and someone who will also help us right away."
The Panthers expect to sign at least a couple student-athletes during the April period, but Jordano is already considering this a top-notch recruiting class.
"I would like to commend [assistant coaches] Joel [Dombkowski] and Sean [Moran] for identifying and recruiting these student-athletes. They feel as strongly as I do about this program and how appealing the University of Pittsburgh is to student-athletes that can excel in the classroom and on the field."