Former Fox Chapel, Seton Hill pitcher Pat Monteverde transfers to Texas Tech

Former Fox Chapel pitcher Pat Monteverde is ready to see what he can do at the highest level of college baseball.

On Sunday, Monteverde announced his plans to transfer from Seton Hill to Big 12 powerhouse Texas Tech to finish his college career.

“Their track record speaks for itself, and I honestly have a lot of faith in my adviser, Ben Simon,” Monteverde said. “Just from the schools that I’ve talked to, their track record of winning and getting to the (College) World Series speaks for itself, and it’s something that I definitely want to be a part of. But I also want to be a key part of hopefully helping us win one this year.”

Beyond thankful and blessed to say that I will be attending Texas Tech University this upcoming year to continue my academic and baseball career. Can’t say thank you enough for all of those who have helped me get to this point. Glory to God. #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/x9MlN9OpoN

— Patrick Monteverde (@PatMonteverde23) August 19, 2020

Monteverde has had quite a college career thus far. After going 7-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 82 2/3 innings as a freshman at Division III Virginia Wesleyan, Monteverde transferred to D-II Seton Hill for his sophomore season. He went 4-3 with a 2.92 ERA in 71 innings at Seton Hill.

During his junior year, the 6-foot-2 left-hander suffered a UCL injury and was forced to get Tommy John surgery, ending his season.

Monteverde returned to the mound this past spring for Seton Hill, but the coronavirus pandemic stopped the season short. In his only appearance, he threw 2 2/3 innings and struck out two.

As his final college season inches closer, Monteverde is feeling strong.

“It feels really great, I’ve gained a couple of ticks on the gun,” Monteverde said. “I’m up to 94, and I’m hoping to run it up to 95 or 96 this coming Friday, but my arm is feeling great and my body is feeling good.”

With the coronavirus pandemic stopping this season short, Monteverde received an extra season of eligibility, and after testing the MLB Draft waters this past spring, he decided to enter the transfer portal.

Monteverde said more than 40 teams reached out, including Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Indiana and UCF.

“When I entered the portal, I was expecting maybe 15 offers, but I ended up getting 40, and 15 to 20 of them were from Power 5 schools, so it was pretty surreal,” Monteverde said. “But a lot of hard work was in the making, so if anyone wants to do it, you just have to put your head down and go do it.”

Monteverde said the number of teams that reached out made the decision difficult, and after coming off Tommy John, the Texas Tech coaches’ reputations played a big role.

“I knew Texas Tech and coach (Matt) Gardner had a really good routine of keeping arms healthy down there,” Monteverde said. “So I was all-in, and I have a buddy that goes there, too, and he speaks very highly of the program, all the guys that are there and just the school in general.”

After spending the past two years at Seton Hill, Monteverde said leaving wasn’t easy.

“My time there led me to where I am today, and the coaches and my teammates were supportive through all of it,” Monteverde said. “I’m thankful for everything they’ve done, and I really cherished my time there.”