DiRocco's Outing Lands Him Weekly Honors
2/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Joe DiRocco's (East Hanover, N.J.) two-hits over eight shutout innings in Sunday afternoon's win against Big Ten opponent Iowa earned him this season's first BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week award, placed him on the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge All-Tournament Team (presented by CollegeBaseball360), and gave him the InsidePitching.com Northeast Regional Performance of the Week honor.
The senior right-hander got off to a rough start when he walked the Hawkeyes lead-off hitter Trevor Willis, and awarded him second base with an error on a failed pick-off attempt. However, with Willis leading off second, from the mound DiRocco turned to his left and fired a perfect throw to short-stop A.J. Rusbarsky (Freehold, N.J.) picking Willis off the base for the first out of the frame.
With one out and the Pirates clinging to a, 1-0, lead in the sixth inning, a single up the middle by Kasey Carling \ended DiRocco's no-hit bid, but Kyle Haen followed by grounding into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play to end any threat.
Carling was just the second baserunner DiRocco allowed through six innings, and would allow only one more when Kurt Lee hit a two-out single in the home half of the eighth inning. It would be the only frame DiRocco faced more than the minimum three batters in the afternoon.
DiRocco will look to anchor the pitching staff once again when he and the Pirates travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. next weekend for a three-game set against #24 North Carolina. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
