Tuesday, May 22
Durham, N.C.
11 AM
Pitt
vs
Georgia Tech
Panthers Open 2018 ACC Baseball Championship
5/21/2018 2:16:00 PM | Baseball
Pitt in Pool A with Georgia Tech, North Carolina
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team opens postseason play this week, traveling to Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C., for the 2018 ACC Baseball Championships.
The postseason berth is the first for the Panthers since joining the ACC in 2014 as 12th-seeded Pitt will meet eighth-seeded Georgia Tech Tuesday at 11 a.m. and top-seeded North Carolina Wednesday at 7 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The postseason berth is the first for the Panthers since joining the ACC in 2014 as 12th-seeded Pitt will meet eighth-seeded Georgia Tech Tuesday at 11 a.m. and top-seeded North Carolina Wednesday at 7 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Both games can be seen live on Regional Sports Networks (RSN) including AT&T Sports Network in Pittsburgh. The games will also be available on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app (subject to blackout).
- Fans can also follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.
- Pitt (27-25, 11-19 ACC) travels to Durham, N.C., for the 2018 ACC Tournament, its first tournament appearance since entering the ACC in 2014. The 12th-seeded Panthers, who earned a spot in Pool A, will face the eighth-seeded Georgia Tech Tuesday at 11 a.m. and No. 1 seed North Carolina Wednesday at 7 p.m.
- The Panthers enter the tournament having dropped three to No. 7 Clemson at Charles L. Cost Field to close out the regular season.
- Frank Maldonado has led the Panthers offense throughout the season, hitting at a team-best .309 clip with 28 runs, 58 hits and 41 RBI. Maldonado has particularly excelled in the ACC, finishing with a .321 average against conference opponents. Liam Sabino has also been an integral part of the Panthers' offense, smacking a team-leading 16 home runs while holding a .296 average with 59 hits and 44 RBI.
- Ace Matt Pidich is set to get the start Tuesday against Georgia Tech. Pidich (5-2) enters the tournament with a 3.20 ERA, having allowed 33 runs off of 79 hits across 84.1 innings. In that time, Pidich has struck out a team-leading 91 batters, good for 10th in the ACC. Wednesday will see sophomore Dan Hammer take the mound. Hammer enters the game with a 6.67 ERA, having pitched 56.2 innings, giving up 42 runs off of 59 hits.
- Georgia Tech (31-25, 14-16 ACC) enters the 2018 ACC Tournament off of a series victory against nationally-ranked Duke, taking games one and two before dropping the finale 12-5.
- Four Yellow Jackets are hitting at the .300 mark or above this season, led by Joey Bart (.368) who has a team-best 16 home runs. Chase Murray is second on the team with a .355 average, adding 11 doubles and 39 RBI. Senior Wade Bailey (.345) and Oscar Serratos (.321) have also been significant factors as well.
- Xzavion Curry is expected to get the start against the Panthers on Tuesday, bringing in a 4.31 ERA with a record of 8-3. Curry has tossed 85.2 innings this season, striking out 93 and holding opponents to a .230 average. In his meeting with the Panthers this season, he earned a no decision, going 6.0 innings, allowing three runs off eight hits and one walk, fanning five in 101 pitches.
- The all-time series is knotted up at 7-7 dating back to the 2014 season when the Panthers joined the ACC. That season, Pitt swept a then nationally-ranked Georgia Tech team at Charles L. Cost Field as the Yellow Jackets would go on to win the ACC Tournament.
- This season, the Panthers took two from Georgia Tech to win the series. After dropping game one 7-3, Pitt won game two 4-3 in a dramatic 14-inning walk off thanks to a Liam Sabino single. The Panthers were successful again in game three, downing Georgia Tech 6-5 to take the series.
- North Carolina (37-17, 22-8 ACC) enters the tournament having earned the No. 1 overall seed. The Tar Heels faced Virginia Tech in the final weekend of the regular season, sweeping the Hokies with three convincing wins.
- The Tar Heels have been led by Kyle Datres (.344) and Michael Busch (.305) this season, while Junior Brandon Riley (.301) has also been vital to the team's success, leading the team will 11 home runs.
- Wednesday's pitcher is to be determined.
- North Carolina owns a 10-5 all-time mark over the Panthers in a series that also dates back to Pitt's inaugural campaign in the ACC in 2014.
- This season Pitt traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face the Tar Heels in its second week of ACC play, dropping all three games to North Carolina.
- Liam Sabino brings in the team's longest hitting streak sitting at seven, followed by Frank Maldonado who sits at five. Chris Cappas comes in at three games, while Cole MacLaren and Caleb Parry bring in one.
- Sabino brings in a season long 16-game reached base streak, while Parry has reached in 11 straight and Cappas comes in with three.
- The Panthers have tallied 11 wins in ACC play this season, tying the program record for ACC victories in a single season.
- Pitt last tallied 11 wins in its inaugural season in the league, going 11-19 in 2014, which included a sweep of Duke and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech, as well as a win over then top-ranked Virginia and nationally-ranked North Carolina and Clemson.
- Two Pitt hitters earned All-ACC recognition this season, as redshirt junior Liam Sabino checked in on the second team and freshman Ron Washington Jr. earned third team and all-freshman team honors.
- Sabino was a persistent offensive threat this season, finishing with a .296 average while leading the team with 16 homers and a whopping .623 slugging percentage. Washington Jr. had a stellar first year, holding a .278 batting average with 30 RBI and 54 hits.
- Sophomore RJ Freure (4-1) has been the leader out of the bullpen this season, owning a 4.42 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 55.0 innings.
- Freure's 90 punch-outs rank 11th in the ACC and 79th in the nation, while also tied for the number four spot in program history for strikeouts in a single season.
- This year, Freure has fanned 36 batters looking, good for second in the ACC.
- Freure currently ranks second in the country in strikeouts per nine innings, with a 14.73 mark.
- Ron Washington Jr. and Frank Maldonado are leading the Panthers' offense in ACC play this season, both hitting around the .300 mark in league action.
- Maldonado, who is batting .321 against ACC teams, has 36 hits, 19 runs and 24 RBI, along with a team-leading .420 on base percentage in ACC action.
- Washington Jr. has excelled against ACC teams this year, hitting at a .293 clip with 34 hits and 18 RBI. All five of Washington Jr.'s homers this season have been hit against ACC foes, including a two-run bomb against Louisville and the game winner in the ninth inning against Miami.
- The Panthers have been a solid defensive force this season, boasting the second best fielding percentage in the ACC. Pitt owns a .976 mark, tallying 49 errors, tied for second fewest amongst the 14 ACC schools, adding 1,416 putouts and 541 assists in 2,006 chances.
- The Panthers' fielding percentage ranks 50th in the nation.
- In conference play, the Panthers have put up the best defensive numbers in the ACC, owning a .978 percentage. In ACC action, Pitt has committed just 24 errors, while tallying 783 putouts and 309 assists in 1,116 opportunities.
- In his three seasons with the Panthers, closer Yaya Chentouf has been a force, and that trend continues in 2018 as he already accumulated eight saves on the year.
- Chentouf is tied for fourth 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 16 in his three-year stint.
- Opponents struggle against the righty, who has allowed just 15 earned runs off 35 hits and 17 walks in 39.0 innings, whiffing 44 and holding batters to just a .243 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 six 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 3.93 ERA, giving up just 16 runs off of 32 hits, while striking out 33 batters over the course of 36.2 innings and holding opponents to a .237 average.
- Redshirt senior Frank Maldonado has led the offensive charge for the majority of the season, taking control of the hitting core with .309 average, leading the team. The centerfielder owns a .386 mark with runners in scoring positon to lead the team, owning five game winning RBI on the year.
- In two games against Maryland Eastern Shore, Maldonado hit at a .429 mark, tallying five RBI off three hits with one double and one homer and a 1.000 slugging mark.
- In ACC action, Maldonado is hitting at a stunning .321 mark to lead the team. He has a team-best 24 RBI in league action, owning a .536 slugging percentage and a .420 on base percentage, which leads the team. He's tallied eight doubles, two triples and four homers in ACC outings.
- Not just electric on the offensive side of the ball, redshirt senior Frank Maldonado is the rock of the Panther defense, having yet to commit an error this season in 106 chances. Maldonado has made a slew of spectacular plays in centerfield, tallying two assists.
- In his career, the Short Hills, N.J., native has committed just two errors, owning a .995 career fielding percentage (406 putouts). It has been 59 games since Maldonado's last miscue, which came on May 8, 2017 in the finale of the Georgia Tech series and snapped a 110-game streak of errorless play.
- It's been another season of solid pitching for the Panthers as the team owns the ACC's ninth best ERA (4.46) and has been highlighted by some spectacular individual performances. As a group, the Panthers are holding opponents to a .253 average, 10th in the league.
- Redshirt senior Matt Pidich has emerged as the group's leader, holding down the Saturday role with a 3.20 ERA. He has struck out 91 to pace the rotation and rank 10th in the league, having tossed a team-high 84.1 frames.
- Reliever RJ Freure has been dominant as well, holding a gaudy 90 strikeouts in just 55.0 innings, ranking second in the nation with a 14.73 strikeouts per nine innings mark. His 90 punch outs ranks 11th in the ACC and 79th in the country as Pitt is one of just two pitching staffs to have two players ranked in the top 12 in strikeouts in the ACC. Freure is holding opponents to a .230 average, tied for third best on the team along with TJ Pagan.
- The Panthers have accumulated the seventh most walks in the ACC, taking 266 free passes on the season. That number ranks 31st in the nation as Pitt is led by David Yanni, who has recorded 42 walks on the season. In addition to Yanni, four more Panthers have 20 or more walks on the year with Cole MacLaren (38), Liam Sabino (35), Connor Perry (29) and Nick Banman (26) each racking up the free passes.
- Yanni's 42 walks ranks fifth in program history for walks in a single season, while MacLaren ranks 14th.
- 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 37 times so far this season, seven more than the 2017 total. Liam Sabino has seen his number stuck to the helmet a team-best 16 times, while Frank Maldonado, David Yanni and Ron Washington Jr. sit at five, followed by Nick Banman (4) and Nico Popa (2).
- Redshirt junior Liam Sabino has knocked 16 home runs on the season to pace the Panther offense. Sabino's mark ranks third in the ACC, as the leader is Seth Beer (19) of Clemson.
- Sabino's mark is tied for sixth in program history for homers in a single season with Chris Sedon (22) holding the record.
- On the season, Sabino has tallied two multiple homer games, smacking two against USC Upstate and Saint Peter's.
- The Vanderbilt transfer has 17 homers in his career, bringing one from his former team.
Players Mentioned
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
LHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballPitt Baseball | The Cardiac Cats do it again and defeat Louisville 13-11!
Wednesday, May 21
Pitt's Jayden Melendez Hits The Bull
Wednesday, May 21
Pitt First Baseman Luke Cantwell's Beautiful Basket Catch
Wednesday, May 21
Highlights | Pitt 13, Louisville 11 | ACC Tournament
Tuesday, May 20