Friday, May 12
Pittsburgh, Pa.
6:00 PM
Pitt
vs
North Carolina State
Pitt Closes Out Home Schedule with NC State
5/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh baseball team closes out the home portion of the 2017 season this weekend, hosting North Carolina State in a three-game tilt at Charles L. Cost Field.
Action is set to get underway on Friday with a 6 p.m. meeting, as the two teams will done commemorative caps in honor of Pitt's Negro League celebration. Saturday will be Senior Day for seven members of the Panther squad, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The series will come to a conclusion on Sunday at 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Game One
Pitt (22-24, 8-16 ACC) closes out the 2017 home schedule, hosting NC State in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field. The Panthers enter the game after a 10-inning win over Youngstown State Wednesday evening, as a walk-off wild pitch was the deciding factor of the contest. The win over Youngstown State snapped a three-game skid for the Panthers, who were swept by Georgia Tech in Atlanta in their last ACC outing.
Pitt will send lefty Josh Mitchell to the hill for the first game, as the redshirt junior brings in a record of 1-4 with a 4.35 ERA. In his 60.0 innings pitched, Mitchell has allowed 29 earned runs of 74 hits and 20 walks, fanning 54 and allowing opponents a .307 average. Ace Josh Falk will take over on Saturday, bringing in a mark of 3-6 with a 3.04 ERA, which ranks 11th in the ACC. Falk has thrown an ACC-high 80.0 innings, allowing 27 earned runs off 58 hits and 27 walks, whiffing a team-high 71 batters and allowing just a .204 opponent average. Freshman Dan Hammer will close it out on Sunday, carrying a record of 3-4 with a 4.39 ERA. In his 53.1 innings, he's allowed 26 earned runs off 56 hits and 21 walks, fanning 46 and allowing a .277 opponent average.
Offensively, Alex Amos leads the team in average with a mark of .287, followed closely by first baseman Caleb Parry (.285) and outfielder Frank Maldonado (.280). Parry leads the team with 40 RBIs , while redshirt senior Jacob Wright brings in a team-leading .473 slugging percentage and six homers. Maldonado has been hot of late after an impressive series at Georgia Tech where he went 7-9 with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State (28-21, 11-13 ACC) enters the weekend winners of eight of the last nine. A loss on Sunday to Delaware in the finale of a three-game series snapped a seven-game win-streak, including a series sweep of Virginia Tech at home. The Wolfpack claimed a series win over then No. 22 Florida State, in addition to Miami and the sweep of Virginia Tech. NC State has been swept once this year, falling in three-games to Boston College, but has claimed individual wins over Wake Forest, No. 1 Louisville, Notre Dame and No. 4 North Carolina.
On the bump, Johnny Piedmonte will take the ball in the opener, as the ace of the NC State staff. The righty brings in an unblemished mark of 5-0 with a miniscule 1.98 ERA. Piedmonte has tossed 41.0 innings, allowing nine earned runs off 27 hits and 11 walks, fanning 29 and holding opponents to a .190 average. Michael Bienlien will take the hill in game two, carrying a record of 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA. He has thrown 51.1 innings, allowing 21 earned runs off 43 hits and 19 walks, striking out 35 and allowing a .235 opponent average. Lefty Brian Brown will close it out on Sunday, bringing in a 2-1 record and a 2.83 ERA. He has tossed 47.2 innings, allowing 15 earned runs off 35 hits and 27 balls, fanning 45 and boasting a .216 opponent average.
Offensively, NC State brings in a team average of .274, led by a pair of hitters sitting over the .325 mark. Brad Debo leads the squad with a mark of .333, ranking second on the team with 35 RBIs, while Josh McLain brings in an average of .482 to rank second. Joe Dunand has contributed the most offensive power for the Wolfpack, leading the way with 44 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .646.
SERIES WITH NC STATE
The games will be just the fifth, sixth and seventh meetings all-time between the two squads in a series dating back to the 1941 season. NC State holds a 3-1 series advantage, having won the last three meetings.
In that inaugural matchup, Pitt captured a 3-1 victory and the two teams did not meet again until 2015, when the Wolfpack earned a series sweep on their home field.
FRANK'S RED HOT
Redshirt junior Frank Maldonado put together an impressive offensive campaign against ACC rival Georgia Tech, going 7-9 in the three games, hitting at a .778 average. The outfielder did not register an out until his third plate appearance of the series finale as he recorded two RBIs, two doubles, two walks and two hit by pitches.
The performance continued to build on an offensive surge for Maldonado who is currently riding a team-high eight-game hit streak and a 14-game reached base streak. Over the last eight outings, he is hitting .552 (16-29) with eight RBIs, three doubles, one home run, three walks, two stolen bases and four hit by pitchers, in addition to a sacrifice fly and just one strikeout. He has an on-base percentage of .622 and a slugging percentage of .759 over the past eight games, both team bests.
Maldonado did not start against Youngstown State, but pinch ran in the 10th inning, scoring the winning run on a wild pitch as Pitt captured the 3-2 victory in extras.
FLYING 'EM HOME
In the opening game of Pitt's weekend series with Georgia Tech, senior shortstop P.J. DeMeo recorded three sacrifice flies, setting a new Pitt record for sacrifice flies by an individual in a single game.
WHO'S STREAKING
Frank Maldonado brings in the longest active hit streak, sitting at eight games. Redshirt senior Jacob Wright sits at five games, with Caleb Parry, Nick Banman and Yaya Chentouf at two. Maldonado's eight-game mark is the longest of the season as Parry saw a seven-game mark snapped earlier this year. Nico Popa, Wright and Manny Pazos each put together six-game marks as well.
Wright is currently riding a 17-game reached base streak, the longest active for any Panther. Parry sits at 15 games, followed by Maldonado (14) and Alex Amos (10) in double digits. Wright's 17 games builds the longest streak of the season so far, as Maldonado and Parry saw 15-game streaks snapped earlier this year.
NEGRO LEAGUE CELEBRATION DAY
Friday's game will be Negro League Celebration Day, as the Panthers welcome the Josh Gibson Foundation in honoring the history of the Negro Leagues in Western Pennsylvania. In addition, former Pittsburgh Steeler Charlie Batch will be on hand to receive the Community Champion Award and will throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Both the Panthers and Wolfpack will don commemorative hats, featuring the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
SENIOR DAY
Pitt will celebrate Senior Day Saturday evening, recognizing seven student-athletes and one manager. The Panthers will recognize Adam Cornwell, P.J. DeMeo, Josh Falk, Dan Furman, Sam Mersing, Manny Pazos and Jacob Wright, as well as student manager Jake May.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for the final four games of the regular season, traveling to West Virginia on May 16 for the second of a home-and-home with the Mountaineers, who rank in the top 20 in the nation in RPI. Pitt will close out the regular season Thursday-Saturday, traveling to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on No. 19 Wake Forest in the season finale.
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Action is set to get underway on Friday with a 6 p.m. meeting, as the two teams will done commemorative caps in honor of Pitt's Negro League celebration. Saturday will be Senior Day for seven members of the Panther squad, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. The series will come to a conclusion on Sunday at 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Game One
- Live Stats: GameTracker
- TV: ACC Network Extra
- Live Stats: GameTracker
- TV: ACC Network Extra
- Live Stats: GameTracker
- TV: ACC Network Extra
Pitt (22-24, 8-16 ACC) closes out the 2017 home schedule, hosting NC State in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field. The Panthers enter the game after a 10-inning win over Youngstown State Wednesday evening, as a walk-off wild pitch was the deciding factor of the contest. The win over Youngstown State snapped a three-game skid for the Panthers, who were swept by Georgia Tech in Atlanta in their last ACC outing.
Pitt will send lefty Josh Mitchell to the hill for the first game, as the redshirt junior brings in a record of 1-4 with a 4.35 ERA. In his 60.0 innings pitched, Mitchell has allowed 29 earned runs of 74 hits and 20 walks, fanning 54 and allowing opponents a .307 average. Ace Josh Falk will take over on Saturday, bringing in a mark of 3-6 with a 3.04 ERA, which ranks 11th in the ACC. Falk has thrown an ACC-high 80.0 innings, allowing 27 earned runs off 58 hits and 27 walks, whiffing a team-high 71 batters and allowing just a .204 opponent average. Freshman Dan Hammer will close it out on Sunday, carrying a record of 3-4 with a 4.39 ERA. In his 53.1 innings, he's allowed 26 earned runs off 56 hits and 21 walks, fanning 46 and allowing a .277 opponent average.
Offensively, Alex Amos leads the team in average with a mark of .287, followed closely by first baseman Caleb Parry (.285) and outfielder Frank Maldonado (.280). Parry leads the team with 40 RBIs , while redshirt senior Jacob Wright brings in a team-leading .473 slugging percentage and six homers. Maldonado has been hot of late after an impressive series at Georgia Tech where he went 7-9 with a 1.000 slugging percentage.
SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State (28-21, 11-13 ACC) enters the weekend winners of eight of the last nine. A loss on Sunday to Delaware in the finale of a three-game series snapped a seven-game win-streak, including a series sweep of Virginia Tech at home. The Wolfpack claimed a series win over then No. 22 Florida State, in addition to Miami and the sweep of Virginia Tech. NC State has been swept once this year, falling in three-games to Boston College, but has claimed individual wins over Wake Forest, No. 1 Louisville, Notre Dame and No. 4 North Carolina.
On the bump, Johnny Piedmonte will take the ball in the opener, as the ace of the NC State staff. The righty brings in an unblemished mark of 5-0 with a miniscule 1.98 ERA. Piedmonte has tossed 41.0 innings, allowing nine earned runs off 27 hits and 11 walks, fanning 29 and holding opponents to a .190 average. Michael Bienlien will take the hill in game two, carrying a record of 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA. He has thrown 51.1 innings, allowing 21 earned runs off 43 hits and 19 walks, striking out 35 and allowing a .235 opponent average. Lefty Brian Brown will close it out on Sunday, bringing in a 2-1 record and a 2.83 ERA. He has tossed 47.2 innings, allowing 15 earned runs off 35 hits and 27 balls, fanning 45 and boasting a .216 opponent average.
Offensively, NC State brings in a team average of .274, led by a pair of hitters sitting over the .325 mark. Brad Debo leads the squad with a mark of .333, ranking second on the team with 35 RBIs, while Josh McLain brings in an average of .482 to rank second. Joe Dunand has contributed the most offensive power for the Wolfpack, leading the way with 44 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .646.
SERIES WITH NC STATE
The games will be just the fifth, sixth and seventh meetings all-time between the two squads in a series dating back to the 1941 season. NC State holds a 3-1 series advantage, having won the last three meetings.
In that inaugural matchup, Pitt captured a 3-1 victory and the two teams did not meet again until 2015, when the Wolfpack earned a series sweep on their home field.
FRANK'S RED HOT
Redshirt junior Frank Maldonado put together an impressive offensive campaign against ACC rival Georgia Tech, going 7-9 in the three games, hitting at a .778 average. The outfielder did not register an out until his third plate appearance of the series finale as he recorded two RBIs, two doubles, two walks and two hit by pitches.
The performance continued to build on an offensive surge for Maldonado who is currently riding a team-high eight-game hit streak and a 14-game reached base streak. Over the last eight outings, he is hitting .552 (16-29) with eight RBIs, three doubles, one home run, three walks, two stolen bases and four hit by pitchers, in addition to a sacrifice fly and just one strikeout. He has an on-base percentage of .622 and a slugging percentage of .759 over the past eight games, both team bests.
Maldonado did not start against Youngstown State, but pinch ran in the 10th inning, scoring the winning run on a wild pitch as Pitt captured the 3-2 victory in extras.
FLYING 'EM HOME
In the opening game of Pitt's weekend series with Georgia Tech, senior shortstop P.J. DeMeo recorded three sacrifice flies, setting a new Pitt record for sacrifice flies by an individual in a single game.
WHO'S STREAKING
Frank Maldonado brings in the longest active hit streak, sitting at eight games. Redshirt senior Jacob Wright sits at five games, with Caleb Parry, Nick Banman and Yaya Chentouf at two. Maldonado's eight-game mark is the longest of the season as Parry saw a seven-game mark snapped earlier this year. Nico Popa, Wright and Manny Pazos each put together six-game marks as well.
Wright is currently riding a 17-game reached base streak, the longest active for any Panther. Parry sits at 15 games, followed by Maldonado (14) and Alex Amos (10) in double digits. Wright's 17 games builds the longest streak of the season so far, as Maldonado and Parry saw 15-game streaks snapped earlier this year.
NEGRO LEAGUE CELEBRATION DAY
Friday's game will be Negro League Celebration Day, as the Panthers welcome the Josh Gibson Foundation in honoring the history of the Negro Leagues in Western Pennsylvania. In addition, former Pittsburgh Steeler Charlie Batch will be on hand to receive the Community Champion Award and will throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Both the Panthers and Wolfpack will don commemorative hats, featuring the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
SENIOR DAY
Pitt will celebrate Senior Day Saturday evening, recognizing seven student-athletes and one manager. The Panthers will recognize Adam Cornwell, P.J. DeMeo, Josh Falk, Dan Furman, Sam Mersing, Manny Pazos and Jacob Wright, as well as student manager Jake May.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for the final four games of the regular season, traveling to West Virginia on May 16 for the second of a home-and-home with the Mountaineers, who rank in the top 20 in the nation in RPI. Pitt will close out the regular season Thursday-Saturday, traveling to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on No. 19 Wake Forest in the season finale.
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