Norwin alum Noah Czajkowski commits to Pitt baseball team

When he put his name into the national free-agent database known as the NCAA transfer portal, pitcher Noah Czajkowski hoped to garner interest from Division I baseball programs nearer to where he grew up.

That one such suitor was Pitt came as a pleasant surprise and a welcome bonus.

Czajkowski, a former Norwin standout who transferred out of St. Bonaventure after two years in the bullpen, announced Tuesday he has committed to play at Pitt.

“My goal in the portal was to come closer to home,” Czajkowski said. “Pitt was a dream of mine since I was young. The opportunity to play Power Four baseball and be that close to home is amazing.

“The coaching staff expressed great interest, talking to me on a daily or every-other-day basis. After talking with them on these reoccurring occasions, I felt that this would be where I could play my best baseball and have the support staff needed to succeed.”

Czajkowski made 12 starts and 27 appearances with the Bonnies.

He went 4-6 last season with a 7.26 ERA and had 48 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.

Another bonus that comes with the new digs: He will get to play with former high school teammate Jake Kendro.

Kendro is a junior shortstop for the Panthers. He hit seven home runs and drove in 27 last season.

“I’m excited to share the field with Jake again, and I’ve got some other friends on the team already,” Czajkowski said.

Numerous schools expressed interest in Czajkowski when his name went into the portal. He said he narrowed his decision to Pitt and Notre Dame.

“Pitt also has a very strong medical program,” he said. “My goal is to become a doctor someday, so that really helped in this decision. The athletic support staff was great and plans to help me to pursue medical school.”

Czajkowski could end up following the blueprint of another local player, Phil Fox, a Panthers closer who earlier this month was a seventh-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox.

“I don’t have an end goal, whether it is baseball or going to med school,” Czajkowski said. “I am very open to both options. I have been in close contact with Phil after hitting the transfer portal. I am super excited for him.”