Friday, March 23
Pittsburgh, Pa.
3 PM
Pitt
vs
Duke
Panthers Make Home Debut, Host No. 19 Duke
3/22/2018 3:31:00 PM | Baseball
Pitt Faces Tough Test versus ACC Foe
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team makes its official home debut this weekend, hosting ACC Coastal Division rival Duke in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field.
The Panthers and Blue Devils will kick things off Friday at 3 p.m. and return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. for game two. The finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
The Panthers and Blue Devils will kick things off Friday at 3 p.m. and return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. for game two. The finale is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats are available here.
- All three games will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app with Kevin Wheeler and Josh Roundtree on the call.
- Fans can also follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.
- Tickets for all three games can be purchased here.
- Friday
- Pick up the 2018 home schedule poster.
- Saturday
- The first 200 fans receive a Pitt baseball stress ball.
- Sunday
- The first 200 fans receive a USA-themed Pitt baseball decal.
- Pitt baseball will recognize members of the Wounded Warrior Project.
- Little League Sunday: kids can run the bases and there will be postgame autographs.
- Pitt (11-7, 1-5 ACC) looks to make its first full home debut after last week's mid-week cancellation, hosting No. 19 Duke (18-4, 4-2 ACC) in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field.
- Freshman Ron Washington Jr. has seen success of late, hitting .389 with seven hits in the last six games. In that span, he has knocked in four runs while scoring two of his own, one of which was a home run, the first of his collegiate career.
- Liam Sabino has been a persistent offensive threat in his first season with Pitt, following his transfer from Vanderbilt. Sabino, who is hitting at a .354 clip, leads the team in runs (19), hits (23), home runs (6) and RBI (16). He owns a .708 slug percentage and a .476 on base mark.
- Sophomore pitcher Dan Hammer is expected to return to the weekend rotation, taking the ball on Friday. Hammer struggled early, but has been steady of late, bringing a record of 2-1 and an 8.84 ERA into the outing. He's allowed 18 earned runs off 23 hits and 12 walks, fanning 22 in 18.1 innings. Redshirt senior Matt Pidich will take the hill in Saturday's outing, boasting a record of 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA. He's surrendered seven earned runs off 27 hits and just five walks, fanning 33 in 28.1 innings. Sunday's starter is TBD.
- The Blue Devils have gotten out to a fantastic start in the 2018 season, ranking in the top 25 of each major poll. They have captured wins in both ACC series, taking two from Virginia and Miami, both at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. This will be the first road ACC series for the Blue Devils.
- Duke has outscored its opponents 122-75 in 22 games, as six different players have 10 or more RBI. Joey Loperfido leads the team, hitting at a .333 clip with five doubles, one triple, one homer and 15 RBI. Zack Kone owns a .301 average with a .506 slugging mark, tallying five doubles, three triples, two homers and 12 RBI.
- Pitching has been stellar for the Blue Devils, owning the second best team ERA in the league at a 3.05. Adam Laskey will get the call in the opener, bringing a record of 4-1 and a 3.14 ERA into the outing. He has allowed 10 earned runs off 23 hits and 11 walks, striking out 25 in 28.2 innings. Mitch Stallings earns the start in Saturday's outing, bringing in a record of 2-1 and a 2.93 ERA. Stallings has let up nine earned runs off 23 hits and 15 walks, whiffing 31 in 27.2 innings. Ryan Day is set to take the hill in the finale, owning a record of 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA. He has surrendered 15 earned runs off 35 hits and eight walks, striking out 23 in 27.1 innings.
- The Blue Devils hold a 7-9-0 advantage over the Panthers in a series dating back to the 1939 season. In ACC play, the series is knotted up at 5-5-0.
- Last season, Pitt captured a 2-1 series victory over Duke in Durham, N.C., dropping the first game before a resounding 10-inning win in game two and a 6-2 series clincher in the finale.
- Since the start of ACC play, the Panthers are 3-2 over the Blue Devils in Pittsburgh.
- Ron Washington Jr. enters the game on the longest hit streak for the Panthers, sitting at four games. Both David Yanni and Liam Sabino sit at two, while Frank Maldonado and Brian Gerber are at one.
- Yanni's reach base mark of 28 games, dating back to the 2016 season is the longest active streak by a Panther batter. Connor Perry (11) is also in double figures, while Washington Jr. (4) and Sabino (2) also have multi-game streaks.
- Since the start of ACC play, Ron Washington Jr. has led the Panther offense in nearly every category, assuming a key role in his freshman season.
- The corner infielder/designated hitter is hitting at a .389 clip in ACC action, tallying seven hits, two doubles and one homer for a team-best four RBI and a .667 slugging mark. His ACC-only average is 18th in the league, while his slugging mark is tied for 10th.
- Frank Maldonado has made his at bats count this season, quickly tallying his way to 12 RBI on the season, the third best mark on the squad.
- Maldonado owns a .421 (8-19) mark with runners in scoring position, boasting a .800 (8-10) with a runner on third and less than two outs, both of which pace the starting group.
- The Panthers hit the road for a mid-week dual with rival West Virginia, taking on the Mountaineers in a 6 p.m. tilt on Tuesday in Granville, W.Va.
- Pitt returns to ACC play the following weekend, hosting perennial powerhouse Virginia at Charles L. Cost Field.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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