Panthers Face Tar Heels in Three-Game Series

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh Softball team returns to ACC play as the squad heads to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on the Tar Heels in a three-game series this weekend at Anderson Stadium.

THE SCHEDULE

The Panthers will begin their slate of games against UNC Friday, March 16 at 6 p.m. Pitt will then play an afternoon game with the Tar Heels Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m. To wrap up the series, the Panthers will face North Carolina Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

All games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra through WatchESPN.
Live stats will be available for all games.
Fans can follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

LAST TIME OUT

Over Pitt's spring break trip, the Panthers played seven games in five days, going 3-4.
The Panthers split a doubleheader at FIU, falling 8-0 in five innings before winning 2-0.
At the Parents' Weekend Tournament, hosted by FAU, Pitt went 2-3, earning victories in its first two contests against Ball State (6-1) and FAU (7-1).
The squad then fell in three straight with their first against No. 21/22 Michigan. Despite the loss, the Panthers held the Wolverines to just three runs and lost by just one run. Pitt closed out the weekend with losses to Rutgers and Stony Brook, both by 7-5 scores.

THE SERIES

Pitt trails UNC in the all-time series, 3-8, while the squad is 0-3 on the road in Chapel Hill, N.C.
In the Panthers last meeting against the Tar Heels, the team fell 8-7 in a nine-inning game at Anderson Stadium, March 5, 2017.
Pitt and UNC first met Feb. 27, 2010. The Panthers fell to the Tar Heels 8-0.

SCOUTING UNC

North Carolina enters the weekend with an 11-13 overall record and 3-0 mark in ACC play.
In their last action, the Tar Heels took on Duke in their opening conference series, sweeping the first year team. UNC was supposed to play a midweek contest at UNCW but it was rescheduled.
The Tar Heels are led at the plate by Leah Murray and Kiani Ramsey. Murray holds a team-best .364 average, 28 hits and 15 runs scored. Ramsey is currently hitting .357 with 25 hits and two triples.
Brittany Pickett, who is a threat on both sides of the ball for UNC, leads the Tar Heels in the circle with a 1.88 ERA. She has nine wins on the season in 22 appearances and has tossed 11 complete games including three shutouts. She ranks fifth in the ACC with 85 strikeouts.

BACK TO THE TRIANGLE

The Panthers return to the area known as the Triangle for the third time this season. The Triangle is the region that features Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, N.C., which boasts NC State, UNC and Duke University.
Pitt has already played at Anderson Stadium once this year as UNC played host to the B1G/ACC Challenge. The Panther faced Wisconsin and Illinois, but this go-around will feature a three-game series with the home squad.
The Panthers opened conference play in Raleigh at NC State just two weeks ago, defeating the Wolfpack 2-1 in the series.

GOING YARD

With 1.08 home runs per game, the Panthers sit 20^th in the nation this week in the category. In the ACC the squad holds the third spot. Pitt has blasted 26 long balls in 24 games.
Nine different players have hit a homer, including a team-leading seven by senior Giorgiana Zeremenko, who ranks 28^th in the nation in home runs and 3^rd in the ACC with 0.29 home runs per game.
Zeremenko became the all-time leader in the category at the B1G/ACC Challenge, notching her 35^th home run. She was the leading home run hitter for Pitt the past two seasons including 2016 when she set the single-season record with 17. She now has 38 in her career.

TAYLOR AT THE PLATE

In her final season with the Panthers, senior McKayla Taylor continues her dominance at the plate.
She is hitting .288 on the season with a second-bets 21 hits, 10 runs scored and nine RBI.
Against UNC, Taylor recorded her 128^th RBI, setting a new program record as she passes Holly Stevens who set the record with 127 from 2010-13. The senior now has 129 in her career.
Her record-breaking weekend saw her record six hits in 11 at-bats to hit. 545 against the Wolfpack. The senior put up four RBIs and scored twice. Two of Taylor's hits were for extra bases as he blasted a three-run homer and an RBI-double in game two. On the weekend, she finished with a .909 slugging percentage and a .583 on-base percentage.
She was perfect in game two of the NC State series, reaching base in all four appearances at the plate. She went 3-for-3 with a homer and double, and was hit by a pitch. Taylor also posted a team-leading four RBI. She continued her dominance in game three, extending her reached base streak to seven straight appearances dating back to Saturday's contest after producing three singles in her first three at-bats. Defensively, Taylor finished the weekend at third perfectly with 13 assists and three putouts.

FRESHMAN STANDOUT

After starting the season out in the bottom of the batting order, freshman Hunter Levesque worked her way into the top half of the order after picking up her game.
Levesque is hitting .300 with 19 hits, 10 runs scored and two home runs.
The freshman has reached base in seven straight games, dating back to Pitt's game versus FIU March 7 and is currently on four game hitting streak.

SOLAK SHOWING OFF

Junior Alexis Solak has proved to be one of the Panthers most consistent hitters at the plate.
The junior boasts seven games in which she has recorded multiple hits. She is currently hitting .280 and ranks second on the team with 21 hits.
From Feb. 10 to Feb. 24, Solak reached the base paths in 10-straight games.

DOMINANT DAWSON

Junior pitcher Sarah Dawson has been dominant in the circle for Pitt so far in 2018.
Dawson, the Panthers ace, is currently 8-6 on the season. In a team-leading 65.1 innings pitched, she has struck out 35 batters and owns a 2.25 ERA. Dawson has also held her opponents to a .244 average.
In a win over Coastal Carolina, Dawson pitched a complete game and struck out a career-high seven batters.
At the B1G/ACC Challenge, the junior gave up just five earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched, while striking out 11 total batters. Four of those earned runs came in the opening game of the weekend, leaving Dawson almost perfect after that.
Against Illinois Feb. 18, Dawson started the game and pitched all but one frame in the five-inning game, as she and Brittany Knight combined to toss the team's first shutout victory, 9-0. Dawson struck out five on the day and walked just one batter against the Illini.

LOCAL LEADER

Local product Olivia Gray, who hails from Washington, Pa., just south of Pittsburgh and attended Trinity High School, has grown to become one of Pitt's top players.
Gray, who started all of 2017 at third base and the beginning of the 2018 slate, has since become the starting shortstop. Gray boasts a .256 career average with 20 hits and a .385 slugging percentage. Defensively, she leads the team in assists with 85.
Gray hit .353 in the team's opening weekend boasting a team-leading six hits, including one triple and four runs scored.

UP NEXT

The Panthers are set to host their home opener and first midweek contest Wednesday, March 21. Pitt will take on local foe Saint Francis (PA) at 4 p.m. The Panthers will close out seven straight weekends of travel the following weekend as they head to Virginia Tech to continue conference play.

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Panthers Face Tar Heels in Three-Game Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sarah Dawson

Olivia Gray

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Alexis Solak

McKayla Taylor

Giorgiana Zeremenko

Panthers Face Tar Heels in Three-Game Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sarah Dawson

Olivia Gray

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Alexis Solak

McKayla Taylor

Giorgiana Zeremenko

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