Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Baseball looks forward to 2011

With new coaching staff in place and a slew of new players, the Point Park University baseball team did not know what to expect as they took to the diamond for the long baseball season.
 Unfortunately, what transpired was a season where the men’s team could barely crack double-digit wins.
 The team ended the less-than-spectacular season at 6-18 in American Mideast Conference play and 13-26 overall.
 “I feel the season was a disappointment,” senior catcher Dan Campbell said. “I expected to end my career on a good note, and our team hasn’t been able to enjoy the level of success we all had hoped.”
 The season started out in Florida, coincidentally the same state that five players and the head coach hail from, at the Russ Matt Invitational.
 The Pioneers could only take four of the nine games while visiting the sunshine state; they defeated some good opponents and showed they could play as a complete team.
 “There were some big wins, we beat a good team in Florida in William Penn [University] and we took two from Clarion [University],” Campbell said.
 William Penn is the division leader in the Midwest Collegiate Conference and currently boasts an impressive 24-13 record.
 Brandon Haburjak, Point Park senior catcher and captain, recalled his two most memorable plays of the season from this tournament.
 “It was a very close game; junior shortstop Bryce Pfeuffer had a big three-run homerun to give us the lead,” Haburjak said of the 4-3 win in Florida against Clearwater Christian College. “Junior left-fielder Kyle Lucot threw out a runner at the plate to protect the lead. We had a lot of energy that game, and it was a lot of fun to be a part of.”
 Unfortunately, that same energy could not be sustained the whole season.
 “We had a lot of games that we made one or two mistakes and ended up losing by one or two runs – or on the last pitch of the game,” said senior pitcher Joe Cox. “There were some things that we could have done differently to prevent that and swing things into our favor.”
 The Pioneers lost 13 games by three runs or less and lost seven games by one run.
 “It came down to execution. We did not execute when we needed to. We couldn’t come up with the big hit, the big play or the big pitch when the game was on the line,” Haburjak said. “Our best is good enough to beat anybody. It just comes down to putting it all together for a complete game, and we couldn’t seem to do that.”
 And, after going 9-21 after their 4-5 start, it showed.
 Keeping in mind that nine new players were brought into the system and this was also Coach Torres’ first year at Point Park, it is not surprising that the games’ final scores were close and not every part of the Pioneers’ game “clicked” at once.
 “It’s always tough to come into a program and turn it around in the first year,” Cox said. “I don’t think anyone expected Coach Torres to do that, but I think he came in and did a great job of laying out a philosophy that, in the future, will undoubtedly bring success to the university.”
 A lot of players had to adjust to the new team, and Torres’ decision to swing for the fences instead of wait and rebuild was a choice his players were happy with regardless of their final record.
 “Coach Torres did well with what he had to work with. He came in with only players from the last coaching staff and decided to make a run at it this year without rebuilding,” Campbell said. “That’s all I could ask for as a senior. I had my chance to do my part to help the team and that’s all I hoped for going into the year.”
 The season did end with a bang as the Pioneers took five of their last six games and won the last four games in a row.
 With back-to-back double headers against Cedarville University, the Pioneers swept all four games, including a 10-0 win on senior day. Pfeuffer had three hits and scored two runs, and pitcher Seth Martin only gave up one hit, which was the only hit of the game for Cedarville.
 And while the Pioneers say goodbye to five seniors, they can look back and smile.
 “We had a lot of fun and look back with no regrets,” Campbell said.
 With a young roster and one year of Torres baseball under their belts, the Pioneers can only look forward to a tremendous season in 2011.        

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