University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers Set for Weekend Series with Rutgers
4/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburg baseball team continues play this weekend, welcoming Rutgers University to Trees Field for a three-game set. The Panthers and Scarlet Knights will kick off action with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 25th with the first pitch for game one coming at 1 p.m. Game two will follow approximately 35 minutes following game one. Sunday's single-game contest is scheduled for a Noon start.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers enters this weekend’s series at Pitt in 12th place in the Big East standings. The Scarlet Knights have won just one Big East series this season and lost four, including being swept three times. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games, but are coming off a 14-7 win over Lafayette in which they recorded a season-high four runs scored and home runs (4) in a game.
SERIES HISTORY
With the first pitch of game one of a doubleheader on Saturday, April 25th, Pitt and Rutgers will meet for the 31st time since 1996. The Scarlet Knights hold the overall series lead at 23-7, including having won the past two installments. The Panthers are 4-10 against Rutgers all-time at Trees Field. Although history does not appear to be on the Pitt side, Rutgers is 0-6 on the road this season. The Panthers are one of the best teams in the Big East while playing at home, standing at 9-2.
SWEEPS WEEK
With a 5-4 win over Seton Hall on April 19, the University of Pittsburgh baseball team accomplished something it hadn’t done in over a year - sweep a Big East opponent. The Panthers last series sweep came during the 2007 over Villanova at Trees Field.
BIG EAST HONORS
Pitt sophomore short stop Danny Lopez was honored as the Big East’s Player of the Week for the period ending April 20. The honor marked the first of Lopez’s career. Lopez hit .600 and slugged 1.000 to lead the Panthers to a three-game sweep of Seton Hall – Pitt’s first series sweep in Big East play since the 2007 season. He was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a sacrifice bunt in the opener, went 2-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base and two RBIs in the second game and was 1-for-3 with a run scored in the finale. Lopez helped the Panthers gain two places in the Big East standings over the course of the weekend.
SOMETHING SWEETER THAN YOO-HOO
Nate Reed and Corey Baker ensured the Panthers would have a chance at a Sunday sweep against Seton Hall last weekend. Reed, the game one starter on Friday, scattered five hits over eight innings of work, allowing just one run while striking out four Pirate batters in Pitt’s 3-1 victory. Baker followed Reed’s lead in game two, limiting the Pirates to just two runs on five hits, striking out six in a complete-game effort.
BAKER ON THE ROLL
Starting pitcher Corey Baker earned a spot on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll for his efforts against Seton Hall on April 18. This marks the second time this season that Baker has been honored by the Big East, with the first being when he was named Big East Pitcher of the Week for the period ending March 23.
NO ERROR ABOUT IT
Pitt enters this weekend as the best fielding team in the Big East Conference and ranks 16th in the nation. So far this season, the Panthers have committed just 32 errors in 1,293 chances in the field for a .975 fielding percentage.
