Pitt Returns to Cost Field for Weekend Stand vs. Notre Dame

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team returns to Charles L. Cost Field for ACC action, hosting Notre Dame in a three-game series on Easter weekend.

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

HOW TO FOLLOW

All three games can be seen live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
Live stats will be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
Fans can follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.

LEADING OFF

Pitt (11-25, 3-15 ACC) will host Notre Dame for an ACC battle in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field. The Panthers enter the series after splitting mid-week action, defeating Youngstown State 16-6 on Tuesday at Cost Field before being edged by Kent State, 9-8, Wednesday evening on the road.
Freshman Sky Duff leads the offense, hitting for a .318 average on the season. He's tallied 19 RBI, tied for second on the team with Nico Popa (.317) and David Yanni (.219). Popa adds 44 hits with eight doubles and leads the ACC with five triples. Senior Connor Perry leads the team with 22 RBI and a .611 slugging percentage, hitting for a .313 average.
Redshirt junior Derek West will get the call in the opener, taking the mound for his sixth start of the season. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a 1-2 record with a 4.12 ERA, having let up 24 runs (18 earned) off of 44 hits and 18 walks, striking out 47 over 39.1 innings of work. Junior Dan Hammer will get the call on Saturday, bringing in a record of 2-4 with a 7.58 ERA. Hammer has let up 39 runs (32 earned) off of 53 hits and 24 walks, whiffing a team-best 50 batters in 38.0 frames. Sunday's starter has yet to be announced.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame (14-21, 8-10 ACC) enters the game on a two-game win streak after claiming the series finale against No. 21 North Carolina and a mid-week tilt over Northwestern. The Fighting Irish dropped the series against the nationally-ranked Tar Heels, but captured the finale to snap a six-game losing skid.
The Fighting Irish are hitting at an ACC-low .248 clip, led by Spencer Myers' .299 average. Eric Gilgenbach (.246) leads the team with 32 RBI, followed closely by Niko Kavadas (.254) who has brought around 31 runners. Kavadas adds a team-best 10 homers, while Gilgenbach boasts a team-best nine doubles.
Left-hander Tommy Sheehan will get the start on Friday, bringing in a record of 5-3 with a 4.78 ERA. He's allowed 41 runs (31 earned) off 68 hits and 15 walks, whiffing 40 in a team-high 58.1 innings. Cameron Junker will get the start on Saturday, bringing in a mark of 1-1 with a 4.21 ERA. He's let up 25 runs (22 earned) off 42 hits and 16 walks, striking out 46 in 47.0 innings.

SERIES WITH NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame holds a 45-22 record over Pitt all-time in a series dating back to the 1951 season.
The Fighting Irish hold an 11-4 all-time advantage in ACC play.
Last season, the Panthers fell 2-1 to the Fighting Irish in a three game series in Notre Dame, Ind. Pitt dropped the first game in a 7-4 decision followed by a close 7-5 lin the second matchup, before capturing an 8-7 victory in the series finale.

WHO'S STREAKING

Sophomore Ron Washington Jr. brings in the team's longest active hit streak, sitting at nine games. Both Nico Popa and Sky Duff have hit successfully in eight games, followed by Connor Perry at five.
Washington Jr.'s 34-game reached base streak paces the Panthers, followed by Duff at 15 and Popa at 13. Cole MacLaren sits at eight, followed by Perry at seven.

PITT ON APRIL 19

The Panthers own a record of 7-4 all-time in games played on April 19.
Pitt owns a mark of 0-1 in games played against ACC opponents on April 19.

PITT ON APRIL 20

The Panthers own a record of 11-12 all-time in games played on April 20.
Pitt owns a mark of 2-0 in games played against ACC opponents on April 20.

PITT ON APRIL 21

The Panthers own a record of 6-7 all-time in games played on April 21.
Pitt owns a mark of 1-2 in games played against ACC opponents on April 21.

PERRY PACING PANTHERS

Outfielder Connor Perry is having a season to remember, putting up impressive offensive numbers in his senior season.
Perry ranks third on the Panther offense with a .313 average, tallying seven doubles, one triple and 10 homers with 22 RBI. He owns a .611 slugging percentage and a .438 on base mark, going 7-8 on the base paths.
Seven of this team-leading 10 homers have come in conference action, ranking second in the league.

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 16 doubles in 36 games this season, ranking third in the ACC and 12th in the nation.
On the season, he's hitting at a .311 clip, tallying 18 extra base hits with 18 RBI and a .474 slugging percentage.
He ranks second on the Panther offense in league play, hitting for a .338 average with a .465 slugging mark and a .420 on base percentage.

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 .317 mark, ranking second on the team, tallying 19 RBI to rank second on the offense.
He leads the ACC with five triples, boasting a .489 slugging mark and a .404 on base percentage.
Popa has swiped seven bases on the season, drawing 12 walks and nine hit by pitches, adding eight doubles.

CORCORAN COMMANDING

Freshman Billy Corcoran has had an impressive start to his collegiate baseball career, putting up strong numbers as he looks to secure a spot in the weekend rotation.
Corcoran ranks ninth in the ACC with a 2.88 ERA, leading all Pitt pitchers. On the season, he's struck out 33 over 40.2 innings of work, holding opponents to a .240 average.
In league play the hard-throwing righty hasn't shied away, ranking fifth in the league with a 2.70 ERA in ACC action. He's collected 30.0 innings of work in the conference, letting up just nine runs off 28 hits and 12 walks, fanning 22 and holding opponents to a .246 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 take a break from mid-week action, returning to play April 26-27 for a two-day, three-game series against Presbyterian. The Panthers will host Maryland Eastern Shore for a pair of contests April 30 and May 1.
ACC action resumes May 3-5 as the Panthers travel to Florida State.

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Pitt Returns to Cost Field for Weekend Stand vs. Notre Dame

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Billy Corcoran

Brady Devereux

Sky Duff

RJ Freure

Dan Hammer

Cole MacLaren

Connor Perry

Nico Popa

Chase Smith

Ron Washington, Jr.

Derek West

David Yanni

Pitt Returns to Cost Field for Weekend Stand vs. Notre Dame

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Billy Corcoran

Brady Devereux

Sky Duff

RJ Freure

Dan Hammer

Cole MacLaren

Connor Perry

Nico Popa

Chase Smith

Ron Washington, Jr.

Derek West

David Yanni

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