University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Stanford
Pitt Kicks Off Conference Play at Stanford
3/12/2026 2:52:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – Pitt (12-3) ends their seven-game West Coast road trip at Stanford (6-10, 0-3 ACC) as they commence conference play. The Panthers began their trip out west with a three-game sweep at San Jose State last weekend.
Pitt and Stanford will face off on the diamond for the first time in their histories in Friday's series-opener.
The Panthers 12-3 start is their best through the first 15 games of a season since 2002. The 2002 squad started the year 15-3-1.
Top of the Order.
• OF Lorenzo Carrier won nearly every national weekly award for his performance at the plate last week. Carrier was named the Golden Spikes National Player of the Week, Dick Howser Trophy National Co-Hitter of the Week, Perfect Game National Player of the Week, ACC Player of the Week and was named to Baseball America's National Team of the Week.
• In Pitt's last six games, Carrier is 18-for-23 (.783) with 26 RBIs, 14 runs scored, 7 home runs, 2 triples, 2 doubles and 45 total bases. He is hitting .491 this year with 36 RBI and an ACC-leading 1.094 SLG.
• Carrier is one of the best hitters in the country through the first four weeks of the season. He ranks second the country in RBI (38), fourth in SLG (1.094), sixth in OBP (.600) and 10th in AVG (.491).
• Pitt's offense is off to a scorching start. They rank fifth in the country in OBP (.476), seventh in scoring (10.9), 10th in SLG (.589) and 12th in AVG (.339).
• The Panther pitching staff leads the ACC in Walks Per Nine Innings (2.47). They rank second in the ACC and 10th in the country in Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (3.68).
• Pitt has worked 119 walks so far this season, ranking them third in the ACC and fourth in the country. SS Caden Dulin ranks seventh in the ACC in walks with 17.
• OF Julian Irizarry has been thriving as Pitt's nine-hole hitter as of late. Irizarry is hitting .388 with 19 hits, 11 RBI, six doubles and one home run. His two-run shot last Friday was the first home run of his career.
• Pitt leadoff man AJ Nessler is hitting .390 with 39 total bases, 23 hits, 25 runs scored, 12 RBIs and three home runs so far this season. He's recorded multiple hits in nine games this year.
• The Panthers welcomed 21 newcomers to campus for the 2026 season - among them are 16 transfers and five freshmen.
• Head Coach Mike Bell and the Panthers ushered in a new coaching staff in 2026, hiring Luke Bonfield, Sky Duff and Clay Martin.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, March 13 at 9:05 ET
RHP David Leslie (Pitt) vs. RHP Nick Dugan (Stanford)
Saturday, March 14 at 5:05 ET
LHP Vincent Spizzoucco (Pitt) vs. RHP Aidan Keenan (Stanford)
Sunday, March 15 at 4:05 ET
RHP Drew Lafferty (Pitt) vs. RHP Parker Warner (Stanford)
All games this weekend will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra.
