Baseball at Pitt Greensburg

(Photo By: S. Katzman)

Season Review

Bobcats Wrap up 2006 Season

The 2006 Pitt-Greensburg Baseball Team knew it would need large contributions from a young core of players in order to be successful.  While many stepped up, a lack of experience could be seen throughout the year. The team’s youth was clearly evident early in the season as the Bobcats got off to a rocky 5-14 start to the year.  But, Coach Joe Hill rallied his team as they finished the year going 10-10 to end at 15-24 overall and 8-10 in the AMCC.  The 8-10 mark kept the Bobcats out of the playoffs by just one game, but the team’s growth was the bright spot for the season.

The offensive production was not a problem for UPG, as the team batted .298 for the season and featured a handful of players that had productive seasons.  Those players were led by juniors Todd Deloplaine (Pittsburgh, PA/North Catholic) and Derek Compo (Moon Township, PA/Moon).  Deloplaine was the team’s starting shortstop for the third straight year and put together his most consistent season yet. He led the team at the plate with an average of .413.  He pounded out 50 hits, including six doubles and one home run.  He was also a threat on the base paths as he set a new single-season record with 16 stolen bases. While Deloplaine was the team’s lighting on the field with contact and base-running, Compo was providing the thunder with his barrage of extra base hits. The junior designated hitter batted .389 on the year.  He led the team in every power category, collecting nine doubles, three triples, and five home runs. He also drove in a team-best 34 runs. For their efforts, both Deloplaine and Compo were recognized as All-Conference players by the AMCC.  Compo was selected to the first-team, while Deloplaine was selected to the honorable mention team.

Also supplying big offensive numbers were senior outfielder Craig Sebek (Greensburg, PA/Mount Pleasant) and sophomore infielder Rick Skolak (Claridge, PA/Penn-Trafford).  Sebek had a career year, batting .333 while scoring 19 runs and driving in 15.  He was the team’s left-fielder for most of the season and was a pleasant surprise at the plate. Skolak had a breakout year in his sophomore season.  The infielder batted .305, collecting 40 hits and scoring 26 runs, and his versatility on defense was a positive force all season.

One player who didn’t quite live up to expectations was junior outfielder Dustin Mills (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills).  A year after being named first-team all-conference, Mills got off to a rough start, batting just over .200 in his fist 15 games.  However, down the stretch, the junior turned it on and finished the year with good numbers. Mills batted .264, and led the team with 37 runs scored.  He also smashed three home runs stole 11 bases.

A few other players posted notable offensive numbers.  Junior Tommy Schnoor (Landisville, PA/Lancaster) batted .292 with 14 RBIs, while freshman Jim Little (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) batted .304.  Junior outfielder Bryan Denham (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills) smashed three home runs, and freshman catcher Mike Battocchi (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Central Catholic) batted .270. 

The pitching staff is where the inexperience really showed itself, as the team featured a starting rotation that included three freshmen.  The lone experience starter was junior Mark Swetz (Greensburg, PA/Bishop McCort) who posted strong numbers once again.  Despite a 3-6 record, Swetz posted an impressive ERA of 3.98 and led the team with 46 strikeouts.  He also led the team with two saves and 63 innings pitched.

The freshmen in the rotation included Ben Sorosky (Moon Township, PA/Moon), Paul Altmyer (Moon Township, PA/Moon), and John Skeels (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Central Catholic).  Of the three, Sorosky proved the most successful as the right-hander posted a 4-4 record and led the team with a 3.25 ERA. Altmyer also collected four wins, including a complete-game shutout of Lake Erie College. Altmyer posted an ERA of 6.10 and collected 34 strikeouts.  Skeels had the most problems of the three as he posted an ERA of 8.82 and finishing with a 1-3 record.

Coach Hill has to be impressed with how his young pitchers battled all season long, and the future of the pitching staff seems to be solid as all four starters will return next season.

Other members of the team included juniors John Rabile (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) and Ralph Festa (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills), sophomores Rob Galvanek (Pittsburgh, PA/Schenley) and Jody Wilkerson (New Eagle, PA/Ringgold), and freshmen Andrew Gess (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity), Aaron Weitzman (Rochester, NH/Oyster River), Andy Harris (Pittsburgh, PA/Plum), Preston Gray (Little Egg Harbor, NJ/Pinelands Regional), and Bryan Reft (Pittsburgh, PA/Brashear). 

With the loss of only one senior, the future looks bright for the Bobcats. Look for Coach Hill to have his team right in the thick of the playoff chase in the 2007 season.

HEAD COACH - JOE HILL

Coach Hill will begin his fifth season as the Head Coach of the Bobcats in 2006-2007. Last season, Coach Hill guided UPG to 15 wins, raising his career total to 62 victories, which ranks first all-time among Pitt-Greensburg baseball coaches. His 21 coaching victories during the 2005 season set a single-season record, and in the process earned him the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) 'Coach of the Year' award.  He has coached eleven AMCC All-Conference selections, including six First-Team All-Conference players. His efforts in recruiting and coaching have helped restore pride to the Bobcat baseball program.

Prior to leading the Bobcats, Hill spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level including stints at the United States Naval Academy (4 years), College of Charleston (SC) (4 years), University of Pittsburgh (2 years), and most recently Duquesne University (4 years).

Hill has specialized in coaching pitchers and has had 10 former pupils sign professional contracts.

Hill, a graduate of Penn Hills High School and the University of Notre Dame (IN), spent his 11th consecutive summer as an assistant coach for the Hays Larks (KS) in the prestigious Jayhawk Collegiate Summer League. Some of his former Larks players include Houston Astros outfielder Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, and current Pittsburgh Pirate shortstop Jack Wilson.

Hill is also currently a physical education and health instructor at St Cyril of Alexandria school in the Brighton Heights section of Pittsburgh, PA.

ASSISTANT COACH - MATT MCMUNN

In 2006-2007, Coach McMunn will begin his fourth year as an assistant for Pitt-Greensburg.

McMunn, a graduate of Woodland Hills High School, was a four-year letter winner as a pitcher from 1997-2001 and captain his senior year at Duquesne University. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Duquesne in 2001.

McMunn also pitched in the summer from 1999-2001 for the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk League. His pitching coach with the Larks was current Pitt-Greensburg Head Baseball Coach Joe Hill.

ASSISTANT COACH - MARK LYONS

Mark Lyons will begin his second year as an assistant coach for Pitt-Greensburg in 2006-2007.

Lyons, a 1999 graduate of Ambridge High School, has a wealth of baseball experience that should prove invaluable to the Pitt-Greensburg staff this season. Lyons is a former outfielder who played at Duquense University from 2000-2001 before finishing his career at the College of Charleston (SC), where he played in 2003 and 2004. Lyons was a member of the College of Charleston team that advanced to the NCAA Division I Regional in 2004.

Lyons also played for Coach Hill with the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk League during the 2000, 2001, and 2003 seasons, where he was a teammate of current Bobcat assistant coach Matt McMunn.

Roster (Spring 2006)

Head Coach: Joe Hill (#33)

Assistant Coaches: Matt McMunn (#14) and Mark Lyons (#17)

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