Panthers Set for Pair of Mid-Week Battles

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats will be available for both games.
- Kent State
- West Virginia
Both games will also stream live with Tuesday's game on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
- Kent State
- West Virginia
Fans can also follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.

LEADING OFF

Pitt (17-11, 6-9 ACC) returns to Charles L. Cost Field Tuesday to face Kent State before traveling to West Virginia Wednesday for a makeup game of the first of two Backyard Brawls set for the season.
The Panthers enter the mid-week games coming off of a 2-1 ACC series win against Boston College in Brighton, Mass., over the weekend. Pitt took both games in a doubleheader on Saturday, winning game two in 13 innings by a score of 6-4. The Panthers would be unable to sweep the Eagles, dropping the game on Sunday 0-8. The ACC series win was Pitt's second straight.
Since Pitt's series finale win over Virginia Tech, Frank Maldonado has increased his average by .116 points, now hitting with a .316 average to lead the team. Maldonado, who has 31 hits on the season, has tallied six doubles and 15 RBI over his last 11 games. He ranks second on the team with 24 RBI on the season, behind David Yanni (25) and owns a .408 slug mark.
Derek West (1-2) gets the start on the mound against Kent State Tuesday. West holds a 5.19 ERA, having pitched 17.1 innings while giving up 16 hits and walking 11, fanning 16. Dan Hammer (2-2) will get his fifth start of the season Wednesday at West Virginia, entering the weekend with an 11.70 ERA, having struck out 22 batters.

SCOUTING KENT STATE

Last weekend saw Kent State (17-10, 6-3 MAC) face Central Michigan, as the Golden Flashes took game one and won rubber match Sunday. The Golden Flashes are hot as of late, having won six of their last eight games.
Mason Mamarella and Nick Kanavas, both redshirt seniors, have led the offensive charge for Kent State. Mamarella leads the team with 29 runs and a .376 batting average, and holds a .504 on base mark. Kanavas, who is hitting .333, good for second on the team, has a team-leading 38 hits. Senior Brad Hamilton has also made a significant impact, smacking eight homers while boasting a .563 slugging percentage.

SERIES WITH KENT STATE

Kent State holds a 36-27 record over Pitt all-time in a series dating back to the 1951 season.
Last year, the Panthers fell to the Golden Flashes in both meetings of a home-and-home series. Pitt dropped a close 7-6 decision in Kent State in the first matchup, and the Golden Flashes would walk away with a 12-8 in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia (13-15, 1-5 BIG 12) comes into the game having taken two of three games in a series with UNLV. The Mountaineers face Penn State at PNC Park in Pittsburgh Tuesday night before taking on the Panthers Wednesday in Morgantown, W.Va.
Juniors Kyle Gray and Darius Hill have been powerful offensive forces for West Virginia this season. Gray, who is coming off a strong sophomore campaign, leads the team with 13 runs and a .567 slugging percentage, and is second in hits (26) behind Hill, who has 33. Twelve of Hill's hits this season have been doubles, a team best. Brady Zarbinsky has also been impressive of late, leading the team with a .293 clip with 13 runs and 22 hits.

SERIES WITH WEST VIRGINIA

West Virginia holds an edge over the Panthers with a mark of 82-73-0 over the Pitt all-time in a series dating back to the 1939 season.
The Panthers met the Mountaineers twice last season, dropping both games. The first matchup, played in Pittsburgh, saw West Virginia earn an 8-4 victory. The Panthers would drop the meeting in Morgantown, W.Va., by a score of 2-0.

UP NEXT

Pitt resumes ACC play this weekend, hosting Coastal division rival Georgia Tech in a three-game series at Charles L. Cost Field. The Panthers and Yellow Jackets will kick things off Friday at 6 p.m. as Pitt hosts Social Media Day. Saturday action is set for 3 p.m. with Sunday to conclude the weekend at 1 p.m.

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