By Nick Dudukovich • ndudukovich@communitypress.com

Former Princeton High School and University of Cincinnati standout Josh Harrison made his Major League Baseball debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates May 31.

Harrison, 23, had two hits in the game, including a clutch RBI single that helped lead the Pirates to a 5-1 win over the New York Mets.

Josh Harrison, pictured during his playinig days at UC, made an immediate impact for the Pittsburgh Pirates during his big-league debut, May 31. Terrence Huge/Contributor

He was promoted to the big leagues after positing the International League’s fifth highest batting average (.321) for Triple-A Indianapolis. He also eight doubles, two triples and 11 RBI in 27 games during the 2011 season.

Here the infielder chats about tough Greater Miami Conference competition, being called up to the Pirates and his mentality during his first big-league game.

Did you ever imagine playing Major League Baseball?

“It’s always been a goal of mine, ever since I was a young kid. Once I started playing ball, I wanted to play in the majors and that came true a few days ago.”

How did you get your start playing baseball?

“I was 3 years old, and I wanted to play. The only way I could play was if my mom could coach. So my mom was my first coach.”

Who was your inspiration growing up?

“Both of my parents (Vincent and Bonita Harrison), and my older brothers (Vince Harrison Jr. and Shaun Harrison), because I was always at their games. They were good and I learned a lot from watching them.”

What do you remember about playing baseball in the Greater Miami Conference?

“It’s a great conference. It was always a challenge in the GMC. We didn’t win it while I was there, but that’s because it’s always tough.”

Do you make it back to Cincinnati often?

“Yeah, definitely…In the offseason, I’m back there. Whenever I get home, I have a chance to meet up with the guys and catch up.”

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re home?

“I liked to relax and chill and hang with the family and friends.”

Were you a Reds fan growing up?

“No, I didn’t have a favorite team growing up. I was just rooting for the team my uncle, John Shelby, was coaching for… I think he was with the Dodgers the most.”

You also played at UC. Are you looking forward to playing in front of your hometown crowd at Great American Ballpark?

“It will be very exciting. I’ll be able to see a lot of my family that won’t be able to make it to Pittsburgh.”

How did you find out you were getting called to the show?

“Our trainer called me and sent me to the manager’s office. When I walked in, they normally play a joke. They had a big smile on their faces and told me congratulations, and I was going up.”

In your first big-league game, you had two hits. One of those was a clutch RBI single that helped lead the Pirates to victory. Were you nervous?

“I was very comfortable. Guys kept asking me if I was nervous, but I was comfortable from the first pitch. I was as confident as I’ve always been.”

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Tags: Bearcats, Big East, Cincinnati.com, Evendale, Glendale, GMC, Greater MIami Conference, Josh Harrison, Major League Baseball, New York Mets, Nick Dudukovich, Pittsburgh Pirates, Press Preps, Princeton High School, Sharonville, Springdale, University of Cincinnati

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Former Princeton High School and University of Cincinnati standout Josh Harrison was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis, May 30.

Josh Harrison during his playing days at the University of Cincinnati. Terrence Huge/Contributor

Harrison, 23, set the tone for what would become an illustrious college and minor-league career during his senior year at Princeton High School.

During the 2005 campaign, Harrison led the Vikings with a .448 average, to go along with 15 doubles and 23 RBIs.

He earned his ticket to the “The Show” after ranking fifth in the International League with a .321 average to go along with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBIs in 37 games this year.

Since his minor-league career began in 2008, the infielder has hit .307 to go along with 84 doubles, 14 home runs, 170 RBIs and 75 stolen bases.

The Chicago Cubs drafted Harrison in the sixth round with the 191st pick in 2008. He was traded to the Pirates, along with Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio in exchange for John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny on July 30, 2009.

While at UC (2006-2008), Harrison dominated Big East pitching.

He ended his collegiate career ranked among the top 10 in batting (4th, 358), runs (3rd, 192),  hits (4th, 246), RBIs (5, 153), total bases (5th, 366), and stolen bases (2nd, 63).

In his final season at UC, the 5-foot-8 righthander helped lead the Bearcats to a school-record 39 wins. He was named Big East co-Player of the Year after batting .378 with 90 hits and 22 doubles during the 2008 campaign.

Gannett News Service contributed to this report

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Tags: Cincinnati.com, Evendale, Glendale, Indianapolis Indians, Josh Harrison, Major League Baseball, NL Central, Pittsburgh Pirates, Press Preps, Princeton High School, Sharonville, Springdale

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Trust me, as an Orioles fan, I know exactly what you’re going through (to a little lesser extent, but it’s still similar).  The losing gets old, doesn’t it?  Makes you feel like you want to jump ship and go to a team that’s headed in the right direction?  Makes you want to throw something because of an incompetent front office?  Yeah, us O’s fans have that too, well until recently.  Your day will come, no matter what you think, and I know the team sending out guys like Matt Morris (until recently) doesn’t exactly give you that impression, but things will improve, especially considering the number of young guys you have either on the big league club or down on the farm.  Drafting Daniel Moskos has possibly set your franchise back a few years, as skipping over Matt Wieters seems to be a horrible mistake (thank you, by the way).  Other than that, everything’s looking solid.

You have a top 15 prospect in Andrew McCutchen, who’s 20 years old and performing very well at AAA.  He’s got all the tools, especially speed, he’s got some jets, which in turn makes him a better fielder with much more range.  His bat isn’t far behind, he’s currently hitting just under .300 for the year.  With the success of Nate McLouth, I doubt you’ll see him this year, but next year is a possibility.

You’ve got some other good prospects down on the farm also.  Guys like Neil Walker, Steven Pearce, and Brian Bixler (recently promoted to Pittsburgh) come to mind.  Walker’s a former catcher now at 3rd base who shows a lot of potential power, as does fellow corner infielder Pierce.  Bixler is more of an average hitter with good defense and speed, basically Jack Wilson part II.

Pitching wise, great core here, mostly in the majors.  Snell, Duke, Gorzelanny, Capps, and Maholm are all solid or have great potential.  Duke showed it a few years ago but hasn’t gotten it together since, but I still think he turns into a good ML pitcher,  Snell has shown flashes of an ace, as have Gorzelanny and Maholm.  Capps looks like he’s turning into one of the NL’s elite closers.  The plan for Daniel Moskos is to groom him for closer, but who knows how that turns out.  Either way, tons of talent here.

As long as they don’t make any idiotic trades, the Buccos should be decent sometime soon.  They have too much young talent to keep winning less than 75 games every year.

Good day to all,

 Given the recent release of Mr. Kim, I am willing to work for the Pirates for $300,000 for a year (or 5) in whatever capacity they see fit.  I have enclosed my resume for further consideration.  it follows.