Loren Torres was prepared for change this spring.
Still, the native of Patillas, Puerto Rico, said he knew some things would stay the same as his 16th season leading the Point Park baseball program also marked the Pioneers’ first competing at the NCAA Division II level.
Point Park’s athletic department ascended from its previous National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics designation at the beginning of this academic year.
“I said from the beginning that our tradition and our culture was coming with us,” Torres said. “Yes, our standards are high and our goals and our standards were the same.”
So, too, have been the results.
The Pioneers swept a doubleheader against Wheeling Monday at Point Park Field at Green Tree Park for the second time in as many days to earn their ninth straight victory and Mountain East Conference-best 33rd of the season. The Pioneers’ 4-0 win in the first game of the doubleheader Monday clinched the MEC North Division regular-season championship along with the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
“I’m happy about having an opportunity to make an immediate impact on the NCAA,” Torres said. “There were questions, a lot of questions, on how Point Park was going to go from the NAIA into the NCAA and the MEC and I think we’ve answered those questions.
“We are happy to be in the position that we’re in,” he added. “It has taken a lot of resiliency and a lot of hard work and sacrifice.”
Point Park (33-11, 21-6), which still has five nonconference regular-season games scheduled, is set to open postseason play when the MEC conference tournament kicks off May 7 at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston, W.Va.
It will be the Pioneers’ only shot at postseason competition. Point Park is excluded from the NCAA Division II tournament for three seasons because of a probationary period in accordance with its move up in class from NAIA competition.
Despite not being able to compete for a national title, the Pioneers are poised to complement their MEC regular-season title with a conference tournament crown.
“Not a doubt in my mind we can go all the way,” said senior catcher Joey Pilewski, a native of the Brookline neighborhood and a 2021 Central Catholic graduate. “I think that would be the perfect end to it. There’s no other result I’m looking for. I want that ring.”
Point Park was one of the most dominant NAIA programs under Torres, who led the Pioneers to the national tournament seven times.
Torres also claimed five regular-season conference championships at the NAIA level. He won conference tournament titles four times — the last coming with a River States Conference tournament crown in 2023.
“We can compete in the MEC conference tournament and we can win a conference championship,” Torres said. “That’s where it ends for a couple of years at least. It was a blessing that the MEC allowed us to compete in the postseason right away. That allowed us to retain our entire team and gave us something to play for as we transitioned.”
It’s hard to imagine that transition going much more smoothly.
Point Park leads the MEC with 53 home runs and a .509 slugging percentage, while currently sitting in second with a team batting average of .308. The Pioneers pitching staff has a conference-best six shutouts, while also leading the MEC with a league-low 339 hits allowed and just 99 walks.
“Going into the season, this whole team knew the statement we had to make being in our first year as an MEC contender,” senior outfielder Jared Campbell said. “Our message was, ‘Don’t change who we are.’ We knew who we were in NAIA and the only thing that changed was the first four letters in front of our name. We knew we could compete with anybody on the field and that’s what we wanted to do from the start of the season to the very last game.”
Few have done so as well as Campbell.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Sunrise, Fla., native leads the MEC in home runs with 14, runs scored with 51 and RBIs with 50. He also has a conference-best .778 slugging percentage and 1.284 OPS.
“It’s been special, really special,” Campbell said. “For me, I don’t really look at the accolades. I just want to be there and have fun with the guys. That’s what it really is. It’s just having fun really. It’s a kid’s game and I just try to have fun with it every day I can.”
Point Park has five everyday players hitting over .300 led by Campbell, who is hitting .381, while Crixtian Taveras is hitting .362, Omar Morillo is contributing a .351 batting average, Isaac Santana is at .322 and Trevor Jones is hitting .319.
“We are tough outs,” Campbell said. “Any opportunity we are up to bat, anytime we have the bat in our hand, we are very deadly.”
Point Park’s pitching staff has been tough as well.
Senior right-hander Javier Cardoso II is 7-3 with a 3.76 ERA, 41 strikeouts and just nine walks. Sophomore right-hander Harold Boyce has a 3.25 ERA with 1.01 WHIP, 42 strikeouts and nine walks.
“Shaggy, Harold Boyce, that’s probably the most dominant pitcher we have right now,” said Pilewski, who is hitting .291 with three home runs and 21 RBIs while getting most of the action behind the plate for the Pioneers. “He goes out there and gives his best every day. There’s no one in the conference that I think is better than him right now. Javi, Javier Cardoso, another really good pitcher. I think our starters carry us deep into games and our relievers get in there and get the job done.”
Sophomore right-hander Ethan Parker, a Keystone Oaks product, has done the bulk of the work out of the Point Park bullpen, appearing in 20 games with a 5.40 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Ramon Rodriguez has also pitched meaningful innings for the Pioneers with a 4.22 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings.
“I think this year is definitely the most well-rounded staff we’ve had,” Cardoso said. “We have a solid three to four starters in our staff, as well as we have two to three bullpen guys who can come in and shut a game down whenever we need them to.”
Cardoso set Point Park’s all-time wins record with an April 18 victory against Frostburg State. The Miami, Fla., native has 26 victories over two seasons with the Pioneers.
“We’re a gritty group,” Cardoso said. “We’re dogs. We’re here to fight and that’s what we do day in and day out. We show up, 100% effort. We don’t change who we are. We just show up, be the best version of ourselves every day.”
Cardoso said he and his teammates are looking to set an example for the future of Point Park’s program.
“Going into next year, it’s the culture, it’s the standard for the next team coming in,” Cardoso said. “I think we are going to set a good bar for them to hit. This program is just going to keep growing. It’s going to keep getting better. I’m sure within the next year or two we’re going to be in the regional moving all the way up to the (national) championship.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.