Pitt Commences ACC Play at Georgia Tech

PITTSBURGH - The Panthers begin ACC play in Atlanta, GA this weekend with a three-game set at Georgia Tech.

Pitt's most recent win over the Yellow Jackets came at home last April on a Jayden Melendez walk-off double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Their last road win at Georgia Tech was in game two of their series in May of 2023 when the Panthers shutout the Yellow Jackets, 5-0.

The Panthers is coming off of a 17-run output in their midweek win against Youngstown State.

Notes

• AJ Nessler went 3-4 with a triple, two runs scored and a career-high seven RBIs in Pitt's 17-7 win over YSU on Wednesday.

• This season, Pitt has three comeback victories when trailing in the sixth inning or later. In last Friday's game at ETSU, the Panthers were down to their final two outs in the ninth inning when they tied it and then won in the twelfth.

• Senior first baseman Luke Cantwell was named the fifth-best first baseman in college baseball heading into the 2025 season by D1Baseball. Cantwell is hitting .375 with 21 hits, 14 RBI, 8 doubles and a triple. He leads the ACC in walks with 20.

• Pitt's defense has turned 15 double plays in their 15 games this season. They rank first in the ACC.

• LHP Ethan Firoved has been the Panthers' go-to high-leverage reliever this season earning four saves in six appearances. He has a 1.04 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Firoved ranks second in the ACC in saves (4), fourth in ERA (1.04) and fifth in WHIP (0.75).

• Sophomore third baseman Ryan Zuckerman hit three home runs, three doubles with six RBIs last week. He hit two home runs in Friday's win at ETSU, including the game-winning three-run blast in the 12th inning. He leads the team in home runs (4), runs scored (15), and slugging percentage (.621). Zuckerman is second in hits (22), RBIs (16) and doubles (7).

• The Panthers' offense ranks 4th in the ACC in hit by pitches and 8th in the base on balls.

• The Panthers added 22 newcomers to campus for the 2025 season. Among them are 16 transfers and 6 freshmen. Per 64Analytics, the Panthers landed a top- 20 transfer portal recruiting class.