Panthers Shine in Summer League Play
8/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Summer League Stats
PITTSBURGH – With the 2015-16 academic year set to begin, let’s take a moment to highlight some top-notch play by Pitt baseball players as they participated in summer collegiate leagues across the country.
The most extraordinary performance of the summer came from junior T.J. Zeuch. Playing in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham Anglers, Zeuch went 2-0 in four starts for the A’s while striking out 17. His 1.31 ERA is even more remarkable considering the lineups he faced consisted of many of the nation’s top collegiate hitters.
Said Zeuch’s manager John Schiffner, “[Zeuch] is showing people all over the country that Pittsburgh has one heck of a pitching staff.”
Sophomore Isaac Mattson shut down the competition in the Cal Ripken League and helped the Baltimore Redbirds tie for the league’s best record at 29-11. Mattson did not allow a single earned run and struck out 35 batters in just 18.0 innings pitched for the Redbirds. His efforts this summer built on a strong freshman year in which he recorded 37 strikeouts in 30.2 innings.
The Coastal Plain League saw action from senior catcher Alex Kowalczyk and junior hurler Sam Mersing. Kowalczyk, a member of the Morehead City Marlins, batted an impressive .273 in 17 games. Mersing went 2-1 in four starts with the Holly Springs Salamanders while posting a 2.15 ERA, the third-lowest on the team among pitchers who logged double-digit innings.
Redshirt junior outfielder Jacob Wright batted .252 this summer with the Sanford River Rats of the Florida Collegiate League. Wright also managed to steal 16 bases, which checked in at third on the team. He was named Player of the Week on August 3 after going 7-for-15 (.467) with four runs scored.
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Frank Maldonado joined the Danbury Westerners in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), where he displayed a hot bat for most of the summer. Maldonado’s .289 batting average was good for fourth on the squad, but it was his energetic personality that made him a favorite around the organization.
Two Panthers spent their summers playing for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the Northwoods League. Freshman Charles LeBlanc rejoined junior Nick Yarnall, who finished the summer with 29 RBIs and a team-leading five home runs - one more than he had during the Panthers’ 2015 season.
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