Pitt Welcomes Miami to Cost Field for ACC Showdown

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team returns to Charles L. Cost Field, hosting ACC Coastal Division cohort Miami this weekend.

The Panthers and Hurricanes will get things underway Friday at 6 p.m., returning to action at 3 p.m. Saturday before closing things out Sunday at 1 p.m.

PROMOTIONS

Friday
- The Panthers will join forces with the softball team, cohosting the Panthers Unite Party, as all Pitt student-athletes are encouraged to attend a pre-game tailgate beginning at 4 p.m.
- The first 100 Pitt students will take home a "Beat Miami" shirt, courtesy of the Student Alumni Association
Saturday
- Past and present military and first responders can receive free admission to the game. Those interested can sign up here.
Sunday
- It's Retro Sunday! The Panthers will sport their retro uniforms.
- The first 200 fans will receive a retro Pitt baseball jersey rally towel.

HOW TO FOLLOW

All three games can be seen live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app. Jeff Hathhorn and Brendan Gulick will be on the call.
Live stats will be available here.
Fans can follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.

LEADING OFF

Pitt (7-16, 1-8 ACC) looks to snap a five-game losing skid, hosting ACC Coastal Division opponent Miami in a three-game slate at Charles L. Cost Field. The Panthers are coming off a 3-2, 10-inning loss to Youngstown State Wednesday after being swept by Virginia on the road last weekend.
Connor Perry has led the Panther offense all season, hitting at a .342 clip with five doubles, five homers and eight RBI. He's tallied a .620 slug percentage and a .475 on base mark and is a near perfect 5-of-6 in stolen base attempts. Ron Washington Jr. (.313) is also hitting above the .300 mark and leads team with 10 doubles.
Right-hander Derek West will earn the start for Friday's matchup. West enters the game with a 2.82 ERA, having allowed seven earned runs off 22 hits and 11 walks in 22.1 innings. Saturday and Sunday's starters is TBD.

SCOUTING MIAMI

Miami (16-9, 3-6 ACC) is fresh off a 16-6 victory over Florida Atlantic on Wednesday where the Hurricanes racked up four home runs, now tied for second most homers in the ACC (34). In the Hurricanes last ACC outing, they were swept by NC State. Miami's three ACC wins came in a 2-1 series win over Georgia Tech and a 6-4 victory over No. 8 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Raymond Gil has been the fire of the Miami offense, hitting at a .371 clip with six doubles, seven homers and 17 RBI in 25 games. He is one of the leaders of the team with 33 hits and owns a slugging percentage of .674 and an on base mark of .423. Gil is the only Hurricane hitting above .350 mark as Freddy Zamora, who also boasts 24 RBI, follows with a .326 average.
On the mound, junior right-hander Evan McKendry is set to get the ball in game one, bringing a record of 4-1 with a 4.14 ERA. His last appearance was at NC State where he struck out 11 while walking just one. McKendry has allowed 17 earned runs off of 38 hits and nine walks in 37.0 innings. Chris McMahon will get the call in game two, owning a record of 1-2 with a 4.36 ERA. He has surrendered 16 earned runs off 27 hits and 14 walks, whiffing 39 in 33.0 innings. Redshirt junior Brian Van Bell will start for Miami in Sunday's finale, leading the team with a 3.31 ERA and a record of 3-2.

SERIES WITH MIAMI

Miami owns a 15-3 advantage all-time in a series that dates back to the 2001 season.
Pitt took two-of-three from the Hurricanes last season, capturing its first ever series win over Miami in program history.
The Hurricane have bested the Panthers 5-1 all-time in games played in Pittsburgh, all of which came at Cost Field.

WHO'S STREAKING

Sophomore Ron Washington Jr. and senior Connor Perry bring in the team's longest active hit streaks, each sitting at four games. Sky Duff, David Yanni and Kyle Hess all sit at two games apiece.
Washington Jr.'s 21-game reached base streak paces the Panther offense. Perry follows, sitting at seven games, while Yanni and Hess are at five.

PITT ON MARCH 29

The Panthers own a mark of 9-9 all-time in games played on March 29.
Pitt is 3-1 against ACC opponents all-time on March 29.

PITT ON MARCH 30

Pitt owns a mark of 10-9 all-time in games played on March 30.
Pitt is 2-2 against ACC opponents all-time on March 30.

PITT ON MARCH 31

Pitt owns a mark of 6-5 all-time in games played on March 31.
Pitt is 1-2 against ACC opponents all-time on March 31.

RON REMAINS HOT

There's been no slump for sophomore Ron Washington Jr. as the outfielder/designated hitter has continued to shine in the Panther offense.
Washington Jr. has tallied 10 doubles in 23 games this season, ranking sixth in the ACC and 27th in the nation.
On the season, he's hitting at a .313 clip, tallying 12 extra base hits with nine RBI and a .506 slugging percentage.
He paces the Panther offense in league play, hitting for a .375 average with a .531 slugging mark and a .444 on base percentage. His average in ACC play ranks 13th in the conference.

PERRY PACING PANTHERS

Outfielder Connor Perry is having a season to remember, putting up impressive offensive numbers in his senior season.
Perry leads the Panther offense with a .342 average, tallying five doubles, one triple and five homers with eight RBI. He owns a .620 slugging percentage and a .475 on base mark, going 5-6 on the base paths.
His average ranks 13th in the ACC, while his on base mark ranks 10th and his slugging percentage sits at ninth.

POPA'S POP

After missing a majority of the 2018 campaign due to injury, junior Nico Popa has returned to the lineup with a purpose for the 2019 squad. Popa is hitting at a .278 mark, ranking fourth on the team, tallying 12 RBI to rank second on the offense.
He leads the ACC with three triples, boasting a .398 slugging mark and a .350 on base percentage.
Popa has swiped two bases on the season, drawing eight walks and three hit by pitches, adding five doubles.

CORCORAN COMMANDING

Freshman Billy Corcoran has had an impressive start to his collegiate baseball career, putting up strong numbers as he looks for a spot in the weekend rotation.
Corcoran ranks eighth in the ACC with a 2.10 ERA, leading all Pitt pitchers. On the season, he's struck out 22 over 25.2 innings of work, holding opponents to a .191 average.
In league play the hard-throwing righty hasn't shied away, owning the ACC's fourth best ERA in conference action, with a mark of 1.20. He's collected 15.0 innings of work in the conference, letting up just two runs off nine hits and three walks, fanning 11 and holding opponents to a .167 average.

SMITH NAMED TO STOPPER WATCHLIST

Sophomore reliever Chase Smith was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist, an award annually given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
The Georgia native made 22 appearances as a true freshman, third most on the team. He held opponents to just a .191 average, competing to a record of 1-1 with one save and a 3.16 ERA.
Smith is one of five ACC pitchers to garner the recognition and marks the second straight season in which a Pitt reliever has earned the preseason distinction (Yasin Chentouf).

MALVERN CONNECTION

Freshman pitchers Billy Corcoran and Brady Devereux are no strangers to one another, as the duo comes to Pitt after stellar careers at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa.
The pair won three state championships at Malvern, collecting the state title in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
Both nationally touted recruits and highly sought after Pennsylvania player, both ranked in the top five amongst right handed pitchers and in the top 20 in the state of Pennsylvania by Perfect Game.

BRING IN BELL

Mike Bell is in his first season as head coach at Pitt after a seven-year stint as the associate head coach for ACC powerhouse Florida State. He brings 14 years of Division I coaching experience to the program and has coached 47 MLB draft picks, including 2006's No. 1 overall pick Luke Hochevar.
In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and before the 2017 season, was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com. In the last 13 years, Bell has also helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances - Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010), and Florida State (2012 & 2017). In his time at Florida State, the program won three ACC titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018 and his pitchers have recorded 500 or more strikeouts.

SUMMER CATCH

Junior pitcher Dan Hammer had a summer to remember in the prestigious Cape Cod League, earning national recognition in his second stint with the Chatham Anglers. The hard-throwing righty was the East Division's starting pitcher in the 2018 Cape Cod League All-Star game and put up impressive numbers splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation.
The Panthers' righty was one of the best in the nation's top collegiate summer league, posting a 2-0 record and a 2.16 ERA in 25.0 innings for the Anglers, striking out 20 in the process.
The Chatham Anglers are no stranger to Pitt pitchers, having hosted 2016 First Round Draft pick T.J. Zeuch, as well as 2017 19th round pick Isaac Mattson and 2018 Sixth Round pick RJ Freure.

ALL SIGNS POINT WEST

Redshirt junior pitcher Derek West had a solid season in the Cape Cod League, pitching with the league champion Wareham Gatemen. After joining the Gatemen in July, West made four appearances, including two starts, competing to a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings. He allowed just two runs off eight hits and six walks, striking out 15 and holding opponents to a .143 average.

UP NEXT

Pitt will travel to rival West Virginia Wednesday, April 3 in a mid-week tilt in Granville, W.Va.
The Panthers return to ACC play the following weekend, traveling to Duke for a three-game slate with the Blue Devils, April 5-7.

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Pitt Welcomes Miami to Cost Field for ACC Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Billy Corcoran

Brady Devereux

Sky Duff

RJ Freure

Dan Hammer

Kyle Hess

Connor Perry

Nico Popa

Chase Smith

Ron Washington, Jr.

Derek West

David Yanni

Pitt Welcomes Miami to Cost Field for ACC Showdown

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Billy Corcoran

Brady Devereux

Sky Duff

RJ Freure

Dan Hammer

Kyle Hess

Connor Perry

Nico Popa

Chase Smith

Ron Washington, Jr.

Derek West

David Yanni

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