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Morrow enjoys success on the diamond for Pitt-Johnstown

JOHNSTOWN – When Mount Union’s Kyle Morrow looks back on his college baseball career, he will have fond memories and enough highlights to have his own show on ESPN.

Morrow has been a four-year starter for Pitt-Johnstown, an NCAA Division II school in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

The former Mount Union catcher has been outstanding in his four years behind the plate.

“This has been a great experience,” Morrow said after a doubleheader win over Indiana (Pa.) earlier this month.

“It’s not too far from home and my family can come see me play,” he said. “This year has been different as we joined the PSAC and it’s great baseball.”

For the first three years of Morrow’s career, Pitt-Johnstown was a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

At first it was an adjustment for Morrow being away from home, but once he got into the college routine, everything fell into place.

“When I first got here, I didn’t know anybody, but now that I’m a senior, it’s like family,” Morrow noted. “Some of the pitchers that I work with have been here since I was a freshman. Mount Union really prepared me for this. I have Mr. (Nick) Imperioli to thank (for my success).”

It hasn’t always been fun. Baseball is no different than anything else in life as it takes hard work to be successful.

“In the off season here we have to work in the weight room and we also do a lot of swimming,” Morrow said. “You really have to make an adjustment all year round with your school work. You have to juggle being a student and a student -athlete.”

The Pitt-Johnstown catcher has had many highlights, but one of the biggest came on April 27, 2013. Morrow hit a walk-off, three-run homer to win a game against Shepard University and give his manager his 400th career win.

“That was pretty sweet,” Morrow smiled, “I was 0-2 in the count and I got it back to 2-2 and then I hit (the homer). At that point in the season we needed the win to stay in contention for a playoff spot. I didn’t know it was the coach’s 400th win until after the game.”

Morrow’s manager is Todd Williams and as this season winds down, his coach is not looking forward to next year without his four-year starter.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Williams said. “He’s been a stud for four years, a four-year starter. He is going to be hard to replace. I’m going to have break in two freshman next year. He has worked his butt off. I’m going to miss him.”

In the WVIAC, Morrow was all conference three years in a row and as a sophomore he was a third team All-American in Division II.

For the past two summers, Morrow has worked in the Valley League in Virginia against Division I and II players.

The success at the college level followed a very successful high school career for the Mount Union product.

As a senior in 2010, he was a first-team Class AA all-state player and led the state in hits with 46. In his senior year he helped Mount Union to a District 6 Class AA title and in back-to-back years (as a junior and senior) Mount Union finished in the PIAA semifinals.

Once he reached the college level, his numbers kept on getting better.

In three years going into his senior year, he was hitting .340. He played in 129 games and came to bat 415 times. He had scored 93 runs and had 141 hits. Included in those hits were 28 doubles and 18 home runs. He had driven in 89 runs going into his senior year. As a freshman, he led Pitt-Johnstown in hitting with a .358 average.

So far this year, he hasn’t let-up. In 44 games he had 149 at bats, scored 21 runs and had 52 hits. He has smashed 15 doubles and has hit two home runs while driving in 20 runs. He is hitting .349, second on the team.

When Morrow finally does put down his bat and glove, he will have left a pretty big mark on the Pitt-Johnstown program.

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