CALIFORNIA (Oct. 13) – The California University of Pennsylvania baseball pitching staff and catchers recently participated in zoom meetings with MLB pitcher J.J. Hoover and 2020 first-round draft pick Tanner Burns.
The meetings were coordinated by assistant coach Joey Noro, who has connections to both pitchers from his time as a college player in Alabama. Noro and Hoover were teammates at Calhoun Community College, while Mike Burns, Tanner's father, was the head coach of the Warhawks when Noro was a player and later an assistant coach.
"As a freshman, I was able to see J.J. day in and day out. He was a big part in showing me what was needed to be done in college in order to be successful," said Noro. "J.J. was a great talent, but his work ethic is what propelled him into the draft through the minor leagues and eventually to pitching in the major leagues."
A native of Pittsburgh, Hoover holds a 19-21 record and a 4.17 ERA in nearly 300 career appearances as a reliever with the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers. He made his debut with the Reds in 2012 and earned eight wins in 67 appearances with the Reds in 2015. Hoover spent the 2019 season with the Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, before playing with the Canberra Cavalry of the Australian Baseball League last winter.
"J.J. gives us the motivation that any ballplayer from Western Pennsylvania can make it if you work hard enough towards to your dream. He comes from the same background as us and understands the challenges we may face living in the north as a ballplayer," said junior pitcher Richie Serignese, who leads the team with 45 career appearances. "J.J. proved to us that your goals can be accomplished no matter what obstacles are in place."
Noro played for Mike Burns at Calhoun Community College as a sophomore and later spent three years as an assistant coach with the Warhawks before joining Cal U in 2017.
"Mike brought a family atmosphere to the program so that meant both of his sons [Link and Tanner] were always around our team at practices and games," said Noro. "The Burns Family have become a second family to me and Link and Tanner became like little brothers. Tanner and I talk often and I would pick his brain about what they were doing at Auburn and I would try to implement them in my plans with our pitchers."
Burns was selected 36th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2020 MLB Draft following a standout pitching career at Auburn. As a sophomore in 2019, he recorded 100-plus strikeouts while helping the Tigers advance to the College World Series for the first time in over two decades. Burns, who was assigned to the Arizona Fall League, posted a 14-9 record and a 2.86 ERA with 210 strikeouts in just two-plus years at Auburn.
"Tanner having to experience what we all went through made it such a relatable conversation," said senior pitcher Nick Riggle, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. "He know that a lot of baseball players were affected and put into tough situations, but seeing what he has been able to do to stay at the level where is at is really inspiring."
"When Tanner spoke to our guys, he was just like the little kid I remember in the outfield talking to us when I was player. He is as down to earth as they come, even with all of his success," said Noro. "He was very relatable to our guys with his message being to trust your stuff, be yourself and always be ready to be at your best during the season."
The Cal U catchers were also able to participate in the zoom meetings with professional pitchers Hoover and Burns.
"The biggest and most important message that I took from each pitcher is that there are no shortcuts to getting better," said sophomore catcher Justin Stewart, who started 10 of 12 games this spring. "You need to put in the work and if you put in the work consistently and always push yourself then the results will start to show."
