Tuesday, May 1
Pittsburgh, Pa.
6 PM
Pitt
vs
Maryland Eastern Shore
Pitt Continues Homestand with Maryland Eastern Shore
4/30/2018 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
Panthers, Hawks Set for Two-Game Series
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team will close out its five-game homestand this week, hosting Maryland Eastern Shore in a two-game series at Charles L. Cost Field.
The Panthers and Hawks will get things started Tuesday at 6 p.m., closing out the series Wednesday at noon.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Panthers and Hawks will get things started Tuesday at 6 p.m., closing out the series Wednesday at noon.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats will be available for all three games here.
- The series can be seen live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
- Fans can also follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.
- Tickets to can be purchased here.
- Pitt (23-17, 10-11 ACC) closes out its five-game homestand with a two-game series against Maryland Eastern Shore at Charles L. Cost Field in a pair of mid-week battles.
- Over the weekend, the Panthers claimed a series win against LIU Brooklyn, taking two of three games. Pitt edged out the Blackbirds in both games of a Saturday doubleheader, capturing a 2-1 victory in game one and 1-0 win in game two. The Panthers fell 5-1 in the series finale Sunday.
- Frank Maldonado continues to help power the offense, hitting .298 with 42 hits, 16 runs and 28 RBI. Liam Sabino, who is tied with Maldonado for the team lead in hits (42), has 29 runs, 27 RBI and a team-leading nine home runs.
- Tuesday will see Derek West get the start on the mound for the Panthers. West enters the game with a 4.60 ERA, having given up 25 hits and 15 earned runs while striking out 28 over the course of 29.1 innings. Chris Gomez is set to start on Wednesday, coming in with a 5.85 ERA. Gomez has pitched 20.0 innings, giving up 24 hits, 13 runs and walking seven while striking out 13.
- Maryland Eastern Shore (9-35, 5-16 MEAC) comes into the weekend having been swept by conference rival Norfolk State. The Hawks are currently on a seven-game losing streak, which began with a sweep at the hands of MEAC rival Delaware State.
- Junior Dominic DeBlasie has lead the offensive charge for the Hawks, batting a team-high .316 with 36 hits, 18 RBI and a .422 on base percentage. Tyler Friis has also made an impact, coming in to this series with 36 hits, 27 runs and 12 RBI.
- Freshman Chris Levere will get the call in the opener, bring in a 0-5 record with a 9.21 ERA. He has allowed 29 earned runs off 39 hits and 15 walks, striking out 15 in 28.1 innings. Sophomore Marty Tolson will take the hill in game two, owning a 1-6 record and a 5.85 ERA. He has surrendered 31 earned runs off 64 hits and 21 walks, striking out 23 in 47.2 innings.
- The Panthers own an 8-1 all-time record over the Hawks in a series dating back to the 2002 season. This will mark the third straight year in which the two programs face off.
- Pitt owns a 3-1 mark at Charles L. Cost Field.
- Maryland Eastern Shore's lone win came in 2016 as it captured a 9-6 victory in the second game of the two-game series in Pittsburgh.
- Liam Sabino brings in the team's longest hit streak into the week, having tallied four straight games with at least one hit. Seven other Panther batters sit at one game.
- Connor Perry and Sabino bring in five-game reached base streaks, while David Yanni sits at four. Cole MacLaren and Danny Alvarez are both at three.
- The Panthers have been a solid defensive force this season, boasting the third best fielding percentage in the ACC. Pitt owns a .976 mark, tallying 36 errors, second fewest amongst the 14 ACC schools, adding 1,077 putouts and 402 assists in 1,515 chances.
- The Panthers' fielding percentage ranks 35th in the nation.
- In conference play, the Panthers have put up the top defensive numbers in the ACC, owning a .981 percentage. In ACC action, Pitt has committed just 15 errors, a league-best, while tallying 573 putouts and 222 assists in 810 opportunities.
- In his three seasons with the Panthers, closer Yaya Chentouf has been a force, and that trend continues in 2018 as he has already accumulated seven saves on the year.
- Chentouf ranks fifth in the league in saves and has already surpassed his single season record of six saves set as a freshman in 2016. Chentouf is Pitt's all-time saves leader, having accumulated 15 in his three year stint.
- Opponents struggle against the righty, who has allowed just 10 earned runs off 24 hits and 14 walks in 31.2 innings, whiffing 34 and holding batters to just a .212 average.
- Sophomore Dan Hammer had a rough start to the season, but has turned things around and has been a force for the Panthers over his last three starts.
- In his first nine appearances, Hammer held an 11.70 ERA, giving up 26 runs on 27 hits over 20.0 innings. Since then, the sophomore has held a 1.69 ERA, giving up just four runs off of 13 hits, while striking out 16 batters over the course of 21.1 innings.
- Any time a Pitt batter hits a home run this season, as he crosses the plate fans may notice him sport a gold construction helmet, adorned with the 3-D script P logo and a smattering of numbers of those who have lined one over the wall before. It's the home run helmet.
- Dreamt up by redshirt senior Caleb Parry, the Panthers have used the home run helmet 21 times so far this season, on pace for just over 27 dingers. Liam Sabino has seen his number stuck to the helmet a team-best nine times, while David Yanni and Ron Washington Jr. are at three, Frank Maldonado, Nico Popa and Nick Banman sit at two.
- Redshirt junior Liam Sabino has knocked nine home runs on the season to pace the Panther offense. Sabino's mark ranks 10th in the ACC, as the leader is Kyle McCann (14) of Georgia Tech. Sabino is on pace for nearly 12 homers this season.
- On the season, Sabino has tallied two multiple homer games, smacking two against USC Upstate and Saint Peter's.
- The Vanderbilt transfer has 10 homers in his career, bringing one from his former team.
- Pitt returns to ACC play this weekend when it travels to Notre Dame to face the Fighting Irish in a three game series, its final regular season road league weekend of the year.
- The Panthers return home Tuesday to match up with rival Penn State, closing out non-conference play.
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