Bradford, Pa. – A full year after seeing their season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pitt-Bradford Baseball team is poised to return to play.
In 2020, the Panthers were able to play 9 games before competition was brought to a halt by the pandemic. The team went 4-5 on the season, including a three game sweep of wells. They also took on 3 nationally ranked opponents.
Along with having their season end early, the Panthers were unable to hold a non-traditional season due to COVD-19 mitigation protocols. "It's been a long year. I commend my guys and Coach Clinger for grinding through it," said head coach Zach Foster. "They have managed this adversity very well and I believe they have come out stronger on this end."
A strong group of seniors led the Panthers both at the plate and on the mound in 2020. Joshua Zelinski led the Panthers with a .357 batting average. Kevin Rehak and Samuel Dreistadt each drove in 7 runs, while Jake McNabb and Tyler Aires each hit one home run. Tyler Hoops' 4 triples was good for 5th nationally.
On the mound, Ryan Boyer was 2-2 on the season, striking out 43 batters in 25.1 innings, which was the 6th best number in the country. In 3 appearances for the Panthers Alex Andrzejewski was 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA over 15.2 innings pitched.
"We lost some key guys from last year, but still have a solid base of returners, as well as some new guys we think will be able to step in right away and contribute," said Foster. "We will be looking to a couple of seniors, who chose to take advantage of the extra year, to help groom the young guys."
The seniors mentioned by Foster are infielders Samuel Dreistadt and Matt Hair. Hair was one of the top offensive threats for the Panthers two seasons ago, hitting .342 and leading the team with 21 RBIs. He also hit 3 home runs, while playing first base. Dreistadt was one of Pitt-Bradford's most clutch hitters in the 2020 season, hitting .333 and bringing in 7 runs in only 9 games. He also led the Panthers on the base paths with 4 steals.
After losing a large senior class, the Panthers will have a young staff on the mound. They will look to Reid Tarnowski, and Alex Miles to provide experience from the hill. As a freshman in 2019, Tarnowski went 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA over 32.2 innings pitched in 5 starts. He made one appearance in 2020, picking up a no decision after allowing 2 runs in 5 innings of work. Miles went 3-1 with a 4.41 era in 2020.
"We are really looking forward to playing some baseball this spring, but I first want to make sure I publicly thank everyone that worked so hard to get us back on the field this spring," Foster concluded.
Beginning March 22, the Panthers will play a 16 game AMCC schedule, with an additional 12 non-conference games against their conference opponents. They will travel to Penn State Altoona on Monday to start their season.
