Jack Anderson

PITTSBURGH — When current University of Pittsburgh baseball coach Mike Bell and his staff took the reins of the Panthers in 2018, they would have loved to have a player like Jack Anderson on the roster.

“We knew he was a good player, but he was already committed to Northwestern,” said Pitt hitting coach Ty Megahee.

When Anderson became available last year, the Mars Area High School graduate saw transferring to Pitt as a way of coming home ... and the Panthers were eager to add a potent bat to their lineup.

Through 34 games this season, it’s worked out on both fronts.

A designated hitter, Anderson is batting .314 with five home runs for the Panthers entering Tuesday’s game against West Virginia.

“We got a lot of work in last fall and over the winter,” said Anderson, who originally transferred in 2020 from Northwestern to State College of Florida, a junior college, to avoid sitting out a year. He planned to return to Division I baseball and that desire landed him with the Panthers. “I knew I was ready entering this season, but at the same time, I didn’t know what to expect.”

After 13 games this season, Anderson was holding his own with a .259 batting average. But beginning with a 3-for-5 day against Bucknell March 15, he’s hitting at a .333 clip (25-for-75) and has hit four of his home runs in that span.

“I think it was just a question of getting more comfortable at the plate and getting my timing down,” Anderson said. “I’m seeing the ball better now and swinging at better pitches.

“I check the scouting report for the pitchers we’re facing and try to get to a good pitch, usually early in the count.”

Megahee said Anderson “drives the ball to the right-center field gap as well as any right-handed hitter I’ve seen in a long time.

“We had some connections at College of South Florida and learned about Jack through them, but because of COVID, there were a lot of restrictions with recruiting. We had some video on Jack, but that was it, didn’t get to see him in person. We really didn’t know what to expect, but he’s having a great year.”

Ironically, Anderson’s .314 average and five homers are identical to his stats from his one season in Florida, which included 52 games. Pitt (21-13, 9-8) still has 20 games on its schedule.

“He has a lot of strength in his swing and when he can pull the change-up, he’s as dangerous a hitter as there is out there,” Megahee said.

Anderson has hit as high as the fourth spot in Pitt’s batting order, but is usually sixth or seventh. He is one of five players hitting above .300 for the Panthers, who sport a team batting average of .284.

“We all feed off each other,” said Anderson. “It’s a lot easier to hit when the guys in front of you and behind you are putting the ball in play and getting on base.”

Anderson, a business major, was a catcher at Mars and sees a lot of time at first base in practice for the Panthers.

“I’d love to play the field, but just being in the lineup and contributing has been great,” he said.