by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Pitt Athletics.
The Pitt Panthers baseball team lost 15 players to the transfer portal earlier in the summer, including 6 of the 11 freshmen, and 5 of the 8 sophomores. Of the 15 players transferring, only five appeared in at least 20 of the 55 games this past season. With the shortened MLB draft and the use of the transfer portal, this could be the norm each season in collegiate baseball.
Pitt was quick to replenish their baseball team with talent, including 14 transfers and 11 freshmen in their 2023 recruiting class.
“We are extremely excited about this year’s group of newcomers,” said Head Coach Mike Bell. “This group has a lot of depth & experience which are both needed in today’s ever-changing landscape of college athletics. These newcomers will have an immediate impact in our lineup and on the mound creating great competition within our program.”
Let’s take a look at the newcomers to the Panthers' program:
Ryan Andrade- RHP- Junior
Andrade spent his first two collegiate seasons as a relief pitcher for Rhode Island University. He was an All-Atlantic 10 performer as a sophomore.
Chris Baker- OF (L/R)- Graduate Student
Baker spent 4 seasons at Washington College before transferring to Virginia before the 2023 season. He played in 27 games as a graduate transfer for the Cavaliers, compiling 10 hits and 12 RBI.
Nate Beimel- LHP (L/L)- Senior
Beimel played his previous 3 seasons at Columbia University. As a junior in high school, he threw 3 consecutive no-hitters. He has mainly been a relief pitcher in college.
Tyler Bischke- INF (R/R)- Senior
Bischke played his high school baseball at Hampton High School in Pittsburgh. He's played collegiately for Kent State, Murray College State and the University of New Orleans. He hit .309 with 12 homers at New Orleans last year and was named 2023 First Team All-Conference.
Keeton Burroughs- INF (R/R)- Freshman
Burroughs hit .303 in 32 games in his senior year of high school. He was ranked as the 50th best shortstop in Florida.
Luke Cantwell- INF (L/R)- Junior
Cantwell spent his first two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson. He had a nice season last season hitting .331 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI and is on his way to being selected as a First Team All-NEC player.
Gavin Chillot- RHP (R/R)- Freshman
Chillot played at North Pocono High School in Covington Township, PA. He was 14-1 with an 0.81 ERA in his high school career.
Aiden Coleman- RHP (R/R)- Freshman
Coleman played at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, TX. He was named First Team All-State in both 2022 and 2023. He was named to the 2023 Elite Team and was a Texas 6A All-Star.
Richie Dell- RHP (R/R)- Graduate Student
Dell appeared in 45 games and earned 10 wins over his four-year career at Kent State. A Bridgeville, PA native, he went to South Fayette High School and helped them win the 2018 WPIAL Class 4A Championship.
Kayden Faulcon- RHP (R/R)- Freshman
He had a 13-2 record with a 1.56 ERA during his high school career at Pennsbury High School.
Justin Fogel- C (L/R)- Senior
Fogel was a career .470 hitter with 25 home runs, 30 doubles and 102 runs batted in at Division III Penn State Abington. He led the nation in batting average during his junior season, hitting .497 and earning All-America and all-region honors.
Phil Fox- RHP (R/R)- Redshirt Sophomore
Fox has spent the past two seasons at Gardner-Webb University. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and bounced back last season, appearing in 23 games and being named to the Big South All-Freshman team.
Turner Grau- OF (L/R)- Graduate Student
Grau played his four previous seasons at Youngstown State University. He had a career .265 hitting 12 home runs and 89 RBI. He holds the university record for triples with 15. He played for Avonworth High School in Pittsburgh and was listed as the 85th overall prospect in the state of Pennsylvania by Prep Baseball Report.
Cameron Grindle- RHP (R/R)- Freshman
Grindle played high school baseball in Massachusetts at Xaverian Brothers High School. He was a 2023 Catholic Conference All-Star and rated the #4 RHP in Massachusetts.
Will Hummel- RHP (R/R)- Freshman
Hummel played at Mechanicsburg Area High School where he was a second team All-Mid Penn Conference all-star.
Jake Kendro- INF (R/R)- Sophomore
Kendro graduated from Norwin High School in Pittsburgh where he was named a Perfect Game Preseason All-American honorable mention. He spent his freshman year of college playing at the University of Tennessee where he helped them reach the College World Series. He played in 24 games, making 7 starts at shortstop for the Volunteers.
Ben Kovel- RHP (R/R)- Graduate Student
Kovel spent the previous 4 seasons playing at Fordham University, making 65 appearances and totaling 108.2 innings. He spent the past two seasons as Fordham’s closer, totaling 12 saves.
Ryan Partridge- LHP (R/L)- Graduate Student
Partridge has played the last 4 seasons for Penn State University, where he has made 47 appearances and pitched 61 innings. He did not allow an earned run in 34 of his 47 games. He graduated from North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh in 2019, where he was named a first team all-section selection as a senior.
Sebastian Pisacreta- C- (R/R)- Freshman
He played high school baseball at the TNXL Academy in Central Florida, where he helped the team win back-to-back NAA Championships and was named an All-Star both years. He was ranked the No. 2 catcher and No. 9 overall player in New Jersey by Perfect Game.
Matt Porter- LHP (L/L)- Sophomore
Porter played his previous two seasons at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. He appeared in 26 games and made 19 starts going 7-4 with 123 strikeouts in 86 innings.
Bryce Rudisill- INF (L/R)- Freshman
Rudisill graduated from Gettysburg Area High School in Gettysburg, PA. He hit .333 in 60 career games and was ranked the No. 2 third baseman and No. 28 overall prospect in Pennsylvania.
Josh Spiegel- C/INF (R/R)- Graduate Student
Spiegel began his collegiate career at Oklahoma State and has spent the past 3 seasons at Penn State. In 2023, he hit .276 with 3 home runs and 25 RBI. He graduated from Penn Trafford High School in Jeanette, PA, where he was a 2018 All-Atlantic Region First Team selection.
Jonah St. Antoine- INF (L/R)- Freshman
He played at Forest Hills Northern High School in Grand Rapids, MI and hit .410 over his high school career. He was ranked as the No. 6 shortstop in Michigan.
Austyn Winkleblech- OF (R/R)- Freshman
He played high school baseball at Canon McMillan in Pittsburgh. He was First Team All-Conference as a starting pitcher. He hit .291 with 6 RBI and was 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA.
Ryan Zuckerman- INF (R/R)- Freshman
Zuckerman attended Pennsbury High School in Yardley, PA. He was an All-Area Team selection and a Carpenter Cup Selection. He was ranked the No. 1 shortstop in the state of Pennsylvania.