Tuesday, April 30
Pittsburgh, Pa
6 PM
Pitt
vs
MD Eastern Shore
Pitt Concludes Homestand, Hosts Maryland Eastern Shore
4/29/2019 10:33:00 PM | Baseball
Pitt, Hawks Set for Two-Game Series
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team will conclude an eight-game hometsand, hosting Maryland Eastern Shore in a two-game series at Charles L. Cost Field.
The Panthers and Hawks will get things started Tuesday at 6 p.m., returning to action Wednesday at 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
The Panthers and Hawks will get things started Tuesday at 6 p.m., returning to action Wednesday 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.
- Pitt (14-28, 4-17 ACC) closes out its eight-game homestand with a two-game series against Maryland Eastern Shore at Charles L. Cost Field in a pair of mid-week battles. Over the weekend, the Panthers claimed a series win against Presbyterian, taking two of three games. Pitt edged out the Blue Hose in the series opener and took the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, before falling in the finale's 12-inning dual.
- Nico Popa continues to power the offense, hitting at a .319 clip with 51 hits, 30 runs and 22 RBI. He's added nine doubles, five triples and two homers, tallying a .475 slugging percentage and .403 on base mark. Connor Perry leads the squad with 25 RBI, hitting for a .303 average to rank second on the team. He leads the Panthers with 10 homers, adding 10 doubles and one triple with a team-best .574 slugging mark. Sophomore Ron Washington Jr. has also been a persistent threat, hitting for a .306 average with a team-high 17 doubles, adding two homers and a .465 slugging percentage.
- Sophomore Chris Cappas will make his seventh start of the season, bringing in a record of 1-3 with a 7.88 ERA. He's worked 16.0 innings, letting up 21 runs (14 earned) off 25 hits and nine walks, fanning 15. Freshman Mason Ronan will make his first career start, his 11th appearance of the season. He owns a 12.60 ERA, having yet to earn a decision this season. He's tossed 10.0 frames, allowing 16 runs (14 earned) off 14 hits and 13 walks, striking out 17.
- Maryland Eastern Shore (10-37, 4-17 MEAC) comes into the weekend after a sweep at the hands of conference rival Coppin State. The Hawks are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, which began in the series finale of their series against Delaware State.
- Sophomore Brian Cordell has lead the offensive charge for the Hawks, batting a team-high .270 with 30 hits, 18 RBI and a .441 slugging percentage. Junior Devynn Hancock has also made an impact, coming into this series with 35 hits, 19 runs and 11 RBI. As a team, Maryland Eastern Shore hits for a .237 average.
- Maryland Eastern Shore's starting rotation has yet to be announced.
- The Panthers own an10-1 all-time record over the Hawks in a series dating back to the 2002 season. This will mark the fourth straight year in which the two programs face off.
- Pitt owns a 5-1 advantage in Pittsburgh, all of which have been played at Charles L. Cost Field.
- Maryland Eastern Shore's only win came in 2016 in a 9-6 decision in the second game of a two-game series in Pittsburgh.
- Junior Nico Popa brings in the team's longest hit streak, sitting at 14 games. Five Panther batters follow, as Sky Duff, Connor Perry, Bryce O'Farrell, Kyle Hess and Gregory Ryan Jr. all sit at three games.
- Ron Washington Jr. paces the team with a 37-game reached base streak, which ranks as the second longest active streak in the ACC. Duff sits at 21 games, followed by Popa at 19 and Cole MacLaren at 14.
- The Panthers own a record of 10-10 all-time in games played on April 30.
- The Panthers own a record of 9-8 all-time in games played on May 1.
- Pitt is 1-0 all-time in games played against Maryland Eastern Shore on May 1.
- 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 .303 average, tallying 10 doubles, one triple and 10 homers with 25 RBI. He owns a .574 slugging percentage and a .414 on base mark, going 7-8 on the base paths.
- Seven of this team-leading 10 homers have come in conference action, ranking fifth in the league.
- 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 17 doubles in 39 games this season, ranking third in the ACC and 20th in the nation.
- On the season, he's hitting at a .306 clip, tallying 19 extra base hits with 19 RBI and a .465 slugging percentage.
- He leads the Panther offense in league play, hitting for a .325 average with a .450 slugging mark and a .413 on base percentage.
- 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 .319 mark, to lead the team, tallying 22 RBI to rank second on the offense.
- He leads the ACC with five triples, boasting a .475 slugging mark and a .403 on base percentage.
- Popa has swiped 10 bases on the season to lead the team, drawing 14 walks and 10 hit by pitches, adding nine doubles and two homers.
- Freshman Billy Corcoran has had an impressive start to his collegiate baseball career, putting up strong numbers in his rookie campaign.
- Corcoran ranks 11th in the ACC with a 3.48 ERA, leading all Pitt starting pitchers. On the season, he's struck out 39 over 51.2innings of work, holding opponents to a .238 average.
- In league play the hard-throwing righty hasn't shied away, ranking sixth with a 3.25 ERA in ACC action. He's collected 36.0 innings of work in the conference, letting up just 13 runs off 32 hits and 15 walks, fanning 25 and holding opponents to a .241 average.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- ACC action resumes May 3-5 as the Panthers travel to Florida State.
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