Baseball Wraps Up Regular Season at USF
5/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 19, 2011
Game Notes
PITTSBURGH - Pitt baseball will conclude its regular season with a three-game series against BIG EAST rival USF, beginning Thursday May 19 in Tampa, Fla.
The Panthers (31-19, 15-9 BIG EAST) enter the series riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping rival West Virginia this past weekend at Charles L. Cost Field at the Petersen Sports Complex. The series sweep clinched the Panthers a conference tournament berth and moved them into third place in the standings.
Senior Kevan Smith continues his impressive season by leading all BIG EAST players in runs scored (44). His .397 batting average ranks second.
While Smith tops the leaderboard in hits, senior David Chester tops all conference hitters with 12 home runs. Chester's 53 RBI rank him third in the conference.
Senior John Schultz set the all-time career doubles mark on Sunday, notching his 52nd career double. Schultz already holds the Pitt record for career walks, career runs, walks in a season, runs in a season and at-bats in a season.
The opening two contests are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. while the series finale on Saturday is slated for 1 p.m.
Junior Matt Iannazzo is scheduled to start on Thursday. Senior Corey Baker will take the mound on Friday with freshman Matt Wotherspoon getting the call on Saturday.
USF (23-28, 11-13) is battling for a spot in the conference tournament after dropping all three games at Notre Dame last weekend. The Bulls are currently tied for the eighth and final spot to make the BIG EAST tournament. They recently snapped a seven game skid after defeating Northern Florida on Tuesday, 4-1.
While UCONN has clinched the regular season title and the number one seed at the tournament, Pitt can finish as high as second and cannot drop below seventh. The Panthers currently trail St. John's by one game for second place, with the Red Storm holding the tiebreaker advantage.
USF leads the all-time series, 9-2. Last season the Panthers won the opening game before dropping a doubleheader at Trees Field the following day.
Following the series, the Panthers will open up BIG EAST Tournament play on Wednesday, May 25. This year's tournament will be held at Brighthouse Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.
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