The Pirates hold a professional sports record of consecutive losing seasons, 20, a record which began in 1992. But this year, the Pirates are well on their way to ending the streak. The team is on pace to get win number 82 sometime this week, giving the team its first winning record in two decades.With the Pirates winning for the first time in 20 years, many college students in their late-teens and early-20s are witnessing winning baseball in Pittsburgh for the first time in their lives: and they are taking notice.”Winning brings everyone together; it’s almost like a big family, this city,” said Joe Babincak, junior outfielder for Point Park in the Lawrence hall lobby on Thursday. “Everyone wants one team to win. There’s a better atmosphere.”For students coming to the University and staying in Pittsburgh for the first time, the Pirates success is providing a unique ambiance around the city.   “It’s been amazing,” said Dominick Sannelli, freshman musical theatre major and Pirates fan from Philadelphia, in the Lawrence Hall lobby on Sunday. “I’ve been [talking about the] Pirates and how crazy it is to come to this school when they could very well be in the playoffs and be in the running to go all the way.”The Pirates are battling against the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds to win the National League Central Division. Winning the division would give the Pirates a spot in the playoffs, but the team could also make the post-season by securing one of two wild card spots.While the Pirates grabbed the attention of University students, not everyone on campus is a Pirates fan.Ted Litzler, an infielder for the Point Park baseball team, is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a fan of the Reds, who are close behind the Pirates in the division standings.”We’re coming back, don’t you worry about that,” said Litzler in the Lawrence Hall lobby on Thursday. “We’re going to win the division.”Litzler said he doesn’t like the Pirates, but he is happy that the city has a winning team, and he is excited for postseason baseball in Pittsburgh.Pirates ownership and management have been under fan and media scrutiny for years. Many complaints stem from the long-term lack of a winning product on the field. In the 2011 and 2012 seasons, the Pirates looked like they had a shot at becoming a winning ballclub before collapsing late into each summer.Last week, the Pirates acquired outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher John Buck from the New York Mets and first baseman Justin Morneau from the Minnesota Twins, two moves that may have instilled more confidence in the franchise’s ability to continue winning and raised the excitement level for fans.”The city is going to get excited and the team’s going to get excited and the management is going to get excited,” said Sannelli. “They’re all fired up.”     But it is not just the recent moves that are putting the Pirates over the top this season; the way that they are handling themselves on the field that has been vital to their success all season.       “I definitely see communication,” said Kate Reese, a junior pitcher on the Point Park softball team in the Lawrence Hall lobby on Thursday. “I’m not on the field with them, but being a softball player, I know that your team communication is a top priority during the game and as I watch them play, it’s obvious that there’s more continuity and they’re comfortable with each other.”Reese said that she sees not only a difference in the Pirates on the field this season, but a difference in the atmosphere at Point Park this year compared to years past because the Pirates are winning.”From the time I was a freshman until now, I see more of our students at Pirates games or running around campus with Pirates apparel,” Reese said. “It’s interesting to see a big change in two years. Our school definitely has a lot more Pirates fans now than it did when I first came here.”