HAMBURG - Joey Cominsky was in a bind.
The Hamburg senior had verbally committed to play baseball at NCAA Division I Binghamton University, but that offer was pulled from the table during football season.
Back at square one, the right-handed pitcher went to his head coach, Nick Evangelista, for help. It helps when your coach is a former Division I pitcher who spent five years in the minor leagues.
"When I lost everything from Binghamton, I had to start the process all over again," Cominsky said Wednesday as the Hawks prepared for today's season opener against Harrisburg. "Coach Nick went to Pitt, so it was a big help.
"I went out there and pitched, and they liked what they saw. Everything went from there."
Cominsky verbally committed to the University of Pittsburgh on Feb. 28, and will sign his national letter
of intent April 16. He's Hamburg's first Division I baseball recruit since Evangelista played at Pitt in 2003-04 and was the Big East Pitcher of the Year as a senior.
The 18-year-old Bernville resident chose the Panthers over Rider, East Stroudsburg and East Carolina. Earning a partial athletic scholarship, Cominsky hasn't decided on a major.
"All of my family is from that area," Cominsky said. "I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, a Pirates fan, a Penguins fan. That's a big reason, because it's more of like home in western Pennsylvania.
"The coaches came off really nice. They made you feel like a person rather than a number. They made you feel a part of the team already."
Cominsky has been a varsity contributor the past three seasons for the Hawks, going 7-4 with a 1.26 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 78 innings last season as Hamburg went 17-7 overall and 6-4 in Section II of the Berks League.
The hard-throwing righty, who has been clocked at 91 mph during Legion ball and at 89 mph during the high school season, pitched the Hawks past Conrad Weiser 4-3 in the Berks League playoffs, then pitched Hamburg to a 6-3 win over Manheim Central in the District 3 Class AAA playoffs.
At the plate, Cominsky hit .381 with five homers and 25 RBIs. On the hill, he mixes in a change-up and curve to go with his fastball.
Over the summer, Cominsky played for the Hamburg Legion team and the Grand Slam USA Blue Rocks 18-U travel team. He said his performance in travel tournaments in Georgia and New Jersey impressed the coaches at Pittsburgh.
"Joey is a competitor and a hard worker," said Evangelista, who is 58-31 in five seasons at Hamburg. "He's going to give us a shot to compete any time he takes the mound."
Evangelista's close ties with Pittsburgh head coach Joe Jordano, who's in his 17th season with the Panthers, helped Cominsky land with Pitt.
"(Jordano) is still there. ... I played for him. When they were interested in him, they contacted me about him," Evangelista said. "I just tried to help him with his decision the best that I could, give him all the facts and the ins and outs of everything that I knew to give him the most information that I could so that he could make the best decision for him."
The return of the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Cominsky makes Hamburg the favorite to win the Section II title and contend with Oley Valley and Governor Mifflin for overall Berks League honors this season.
Cominsky is just glad to get the college decision out of the way so he can focus on the season ahead.
"It's nice to be able to say I'm going to Pittsburgh. I don't have to stress over it, and don't have to stress over it when I pitch," Cominsky said. "We just want to get better day by day and game by game. Goal this year is to make it to states. That would be great."Cominsky file
Name: Joey Cominsky
Age: 18
Residence: Bernville
Parents: Joe and Claudia Cominsky
High school: Hamburg
College attending: University of Pittsburgh
Sport athlete will be playing in college: Baseball