Pitt
West Virginia
Pitt Welcomes WVU for Backyard Brawl
3/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Pitt Game Notes
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh baseball team welcomes regional rival West Virginia to Charles L. Cost Field Tuesday evening, hosting the Mountaineers in a 6 p.m. tilt in the 154th edition of the Backyard Brawl.
The two teams will square off on the ACC Network Extra as Pitt looks to continue its four-game home win streak.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Stats: GameTracker
- TV: ACC Network Extra
LEADING OFF
Pitt (11-10, 4-5 ACC) closes out a four-game homestand, welcoming regional rival West Virginia to Charles L. Cost Field for a Tuesday night edition of the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers are fresh off an ACC sweep of Virginia Tech, their first since sweeping a nationally ranked Georgia Tech team in March of 2014 and just their third ACC sweep since joining the league in 2014. Pitt has won four straight at home, dating back to the series finale against Notre Dame, when Pitt captured a 12-inning 2-1 decision.
Freshman Dan Hammer is set to get the start on the bump for the Panthers as the Philadelphia native will make his fourth career start in his sixth appearance. The hard throwing righty brings a record of 0-1 and a 5.50 ERA into the mid-week tilt, having tossed 18.0 innings, allowing 11 earned runs off 20 hits and six walks, fanning 15.
Offensively, Pitt shined in the three games against Virginia Tech, hitting .290 as a team, outscoring the Hokies 20-9. Freshman Nico Popa hit a .571 clip, adding a .714 slugging percentage and .700 on base percentage. Nick Banman led the team with five RBIs, with a .400 average, .600 slugging percentage and two extra-base hits. Both P.J. DeMeo and Caleb Parry homered on the weekend, while all but one Panther who registered an at-bat recorded at least one hit.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia (12-9, 2-1 BIG 12) has had a tough schedule to start the season, ranking 14th in the latest RPI and receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll. The Mountaineers earned an impressive series victory over then 10th-ranked Baylor as well as a pair of wins over the defending national champion Coastal Carolina in February. West Virginia enters the week after a series win over Jacksonville, as the Mountaineers took two-of-three at home before falling in the series finale.
Isaiah Kearns is expected to get the start for the Mountaineers on the bump, bringing in a 2-0 record and 4.80 ERA. In his 15.0 innings, he's allowed eight earned runs off 15 hits and seven walks, striking out 13.
Offensively, five Mountaineers bring in batting averages above .300, led by Marques Inman's mark of .351. Jackson Cramer and Darius Hill lead West Virginia with 18 RBIs, while the team has smacked 58 extra-base hits.
SERIES WITH WEST VIRGINIA
This will be the 154th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series dating back to the 1939 season. The Mountaineers hold an 80-73-0 all-time advantage and are winners of four of the last six, dating back to the 2014 season.
Last year, the two teams split the series as Pitt captured a 4-1 decision on the road and the Mountaineers earned a 10-4 win at Charles L. Cost Field. Indicative of the series of late, the home team has not won a decision since West Virginia claimed a 6-3 victory over the Panthers on March 25, 2014 in West Virginia.
INJURY REPORT
The Panthers suffered a tough blow at Historic Dodgertown as an injury to David Yanni will mean the shortstop will be out indefinitely. In addition to commanding the infield, Yanni was one of the only returning position players with significant starting experience as the sophomore was a consistent part of the 2016 defense at second base.
In six starts this season, Yanni hit .273 with five RBIs, drawing four walks and smacking one double.
WHO'S STREAKING
Senior P.J. DeMeo leads the Panthers with a four-game hit-streak, while Nick Banman, Manny Pazos and Yaya Chentouf each boast three-game marks. Caleb Parry recorded the longest streak of the season, at seven, while Jacob Wright and Nico Popa each saw six-game streaks snapped earlier this year.
Wright's nine-game mark is the longest active reached base streak, while Banman follows with eight and Frank Maldonado, DeMeo and Chentouf each sit at seven. Parry boasted the longest streak of the season, at 14, while Maldonado saw an 11-game mark snapped.
UP NEXT
Pitt hits the road, traveling to Durham, N.C., for a three-game tilt with Coastal Division rival Duke, as the two teams are tied in the ACC standings at 4-5-0 in league play. The Panthers will return to Pittsburgh for a mid-week with Penn State on April 4 and head back on the road for three games at nationally-ranked Virginia the following weekend.
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