Pitt baseball escapes shadow of covid-19 pause

Mike Bell knew it was coming. Football couldn’t escape it. Men’s basketball found its routine disrupted, too.

How could baseball, the most successful of those three Pitt sports this academic year, hide from the scourge of covid-19?

After winning eight of 11 games in April, No. 14 Pitt (20-12, 14-10 ACC) canceled seven games, including a series with No. 12 Louisville, over concerns about the presence and spread of coronavirus within the program.

Bad timing?

Not necessarily, Bell said.

“That’s probably to be determined,” Pitt’s third-year coach said.

Season-ending three-game series with ACC opponents Boston College (Friday through Sunday), N.C. State (May 14-16) and Wake Forest (May 20-22) and the upcoming conference tournament will determine if the pause robbed Pitt of its momentum. The season resumed Wednesday with a nonconference loss at West Virginia, 8-2. It was Pitt’s first game since April 18.

Enduring a pause doesn’t mean practice was canceled.

Adhering to protocols within the ACC Medical Advisory Group, Pitt held practice — “Old-school,” Bell said — with groups of four socially distanced players for 45 minutes each.

“Basically, core fundamentals, throwing, running, hitting,” he said.

Instead of lamenting their misfortune, Bell and his players are grateful for subsequent clean tests and the opportunity to do something Pitt has done only once (2018) since joining the ACC in 2014: participate in the conference tournament. One victory will do it for the current Coastal Division leaders.

“We knew, going into the season, just like anybody and everybody across the country, at some point in time, you’re going to have some hiccups,” Bell said. “And no different than a normal year when you have hiccups with injuries.

“Things are going to happen throughout the course of the season. To me, you just try to minimize the spread of it.

“At the end of the day, we get the opportunity to go play baseball, and that’s a neat thing.”

Despite the shadow of covid, Pitt appears on its way to one of the most successful seasons in school history.

When he was asked to detail the difference between his first team in 2019 (21-34, 8-22) and this one, he said through laughter, “Everything.”

The differences are obvious, starting with Pitt’s current No. 16 national ranking by Baseball America. It climbed to No. 14 — the highest ranking in school history — March 26 and during the pause before falling back two spots. Pitt is 4-2 against No. 14 Florida State (3-0) and No. 2 Notre Dame (1-2).

“There are a lot of things that these student-athletes have done well to put them in that situation,” Bell said. “They’ve picked each other up along the way. If we have a day where we’re not really swinging the bats, we’ve really pitched at a high level and played great defense.”

A close look at the roster shows most players have joined the team since Bell was hired three years ago.

Highly notable exceptions include right fielder Nico Popa (Seton LaSalle), a fifth-year senior whose batting average improved from .181 in 36 games in 2018 to .353 in 55 games in 2019. Currently, he’s hitting .351.

Meanwhile, the running joke around second baseman David Yanni is he’s the longest-tenured baseball player in the Pittsburgh area, including the Pirates.

“He’s provided a lot of leadership,” Bell said of the sixth-year senior, who leads the team with nine home runs.

Left fielder Ron Washington Jr. (.323), relief pitcher Chase Smith (2-1) and Chris Cappas also remain from former coach Joe Jordano’s team. Cappas was named to the All-ACC Tournament team in 2018 when Pitt reached the semifinals.

Bell has added the three starting pitchers scheduled to work against Boston College — Mitch Myers, Matt Gilbertston and Bill Corcoran — plus designated hitter Kyle Hess (.300), third baseman and leadoff hitter Sky Duff (.328), shortstop Brock Franks, first baseman Bryce Hulett (26 RBIs), catcher Riley Wash and third baseman Sam Frontino, among many others.

“Older guys, younger guys, transfers, a little bit of everything,” Bell said. “But, ultimately, I think it goes back to the expectations that were set three years ago when we took over the program on a daily basis.”

Approaching those expectations this season might help build a solid foundation for the future.

“When you’re preaching something and you’re trying to put a plan into place and you hear a lot of words, that’s one thing,” he said. “But when you see results backing up what you’re been preaching as a staff, there’s no doubt it helps. It helps you get in the door with a lot more individuals.”