Pitt
Duke
Pitt Faces Duke in Durham in Second Round Matchup
5/21/2025 10:33:00 AM | Baseball
DURHAM, NC – Pitt looks to build on the momentum of their round-one victory as they now face the seven-seeded Duke Blue Devils at 5 PM on Wednesday evening in the ACC Baseball Championship.
ACC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
• The Pitt Panthers draw the No. 15 seed in the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship. The championship is being held in Durham, NC at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
• Pitt won their first-round matchup in dramatic fashion as Luke Cantwell broke the 11-11 tie with a two-run blast in the top of the ninth inning.
• The Panthers will face the 7-seeded Duke Blue Devils in their second-round matchup.
DANCING WITH THE DEVILS IN DURHAM
• Pitt will play the Duke Blue Devils for the fourth time this season. They were swept at Duke earlier this year.
• It will be the first time the two teams have met in the ACC Tournament and in the postseason.
SUCCESS IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
• In five out of Pitt's six trips to the ACC Tournament, they have won at least one game. The Panthers have a 7-6 all-time record in ACC postseason play.
• The Panthers advanced to the semifinal round in two of those seasons (2018 & 2022).
• Two of Pitt's seven wins have come against ranked opponents in the ACC Tournament.
FIRST ROUND HERO
• Luke Cantwell launched a two-run blast in the top of the ninth inning to give Pitt their round one win over Louisville in the ACC Tournament.
• Cantwell is batting .328 with 64 hits, 45 RBI, 18 doubles and a triple this year. He is sixth in the ACC in doubles.
• He leads the ACC in walks with 55 free passes He set Pitt's single season walks record last year with 57. In just two years, he ranks sixth all-time in Pitt history in walks with 112.
• Cantwell ranks top-ten in the ACC in walks (1st), on-base percentage (4th) and doubles (6th).
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
• There have been eleven games this season where the Panthers have tied or taken the lead in the eighth inning or later. Pitt is 6-5 in those contests.
NOTES
• Pitt makes their fifth-consecutive trip to the ACC Baseball Championship. Prior to Head Coach Mike Bell's tenure, the Panthers made just one trip to the postseason.
• The 15-seeded Panthers took down the 10-seeded Louisville Cardinals in their first-round matchup. Luke Cantwell launched a two-run blast in the top of the ninth inning that lift Pitt over Louisville.
• The Panthers will now face the No. 7 seed Duke Blue Devils in the second round. It is the first time that these two teams have met in the postseason.
• Pitt has a 7-6 record in their ACC Baseball Championship history. Pitt has won a game in five of their six ACC Tournaments that they appeared in. Pitt has advanced to the ACC semifinal round twice.
• Pitt's win over Louisville was the eleventh time the Panthers have tied or taken the lead in a game in the eighth inning or later this season. Pitt is now 6-5 in those games.
• This season, Pitt has nine comeback victories when trailing in the fifth inning or later. Three of which have come when Pitt was down to their final three outs.
• First baseman Luke Cantwell is hitting .328 with 64 hits, 45 RBI, 18 doubles and a triple this year. Cantwell leads the ACC in walks with 55 free passes. He set Pitt's single season walks record last year with 57.
• David Pedanou is 22-22 in stolen base attempts this year. He has swiped the most bags in a season by a Panther since 2005. In the outfield, he has 97 putouts with one outfield assist and has yet to record an error this year.
• LHP Ethan Firoved ranks second in the ACC in saves with eight. In twenty-three appearances this year, Firoved has a 3.82 ERA with two wins and 75 strikeouts. He has now compiled 167 strikeouts as a Panther.
