University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers Make Final Road Trip to West Virginia
5/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Pitt (17-31) at West Virginia (25-23) | |||
| Date | Tuesday, May 12 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) | ||
| Location | Morgantown, W.Va./Monongalia County Ballpark | ||
| Online | Live Stats | Audio | ||
| Game Notes / Stats | Pitt Game Notes | WVU Game Notes | ||
| Promotions | N/A | ||
| Social Media | @PITTBASEBALL- Twitter/ @pittbaseballacc - Instagram | ||
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt baseball team (17-31, 7-20 ACC) will make its final scheduled road trip of the season when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va., to take on West Virginia at Monongalia County Ballpark on Tuesday, May 12, at 6 p.m.
The Mountaineers got the upper hand in the teams' meeting on March 31 in Pittsburgh. WVU rode a three-run home run from Ray Guerrini to secure a 4-1 advantage and defeat the Panthers in their third straight contest.
Pitt's "backyard" neighbors have struggled down the final stretch of the season, losing eight of their last nine before winning, 5-4, at Oklahoma State on Saturday. Freshman Kyle Davis is the key man in the lineup for WVU, leading the team in average (.349), hits (68), doubles (16), and is second in RBIs (29). Projected starter Ross Vance has put together a successful 2015 campaign, going 6-4 with a 3.12 ERA while pacing the staff with 70 strikeouts.
PROBABLE PITCHING
RHP Hobie Harris (3-3, 5.36) vs. LHP Ross Vance (6-4, 3.12)
STARTING OFF WRIGHT
Leadoff hitter Jacob Wright is emerging as one of Pitt's best bats - stringing together a 35-game reached bases streak, the longest on the team. He's reached base in 43 of his 45 games this year.
- Hitting .317 (38-120) during the span to raise average by 79 points to .285.
- Has a base hit in 23 of the last 25 games with a .341 average and 18 runs scored.
- Team-high .428 on base percentage, 32 walks and 15 stolen bases.
- Led off the game 43 of 44 times this year and in that situation is batting .410 (16-39). His OBP is .477 in that spot with an additional walk and four HBP.
- Leading off his last 26 games, Wright is 12-23 (.522) in that first at bat and has reached 15 times (.577 on base %) resulting in him coming around to score 11 times to start the contest.
DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS
The Panthers were without two of their most productive bats, Boo Vazquez and Nick Yarnall, for a combined 22 games due to illness.
- Vazquez missed from March 1 until returning at Youngstown State on March 25.
- Since then Vazquez has played in all 26 games, making 23 starts.
- Second on team in batting .286 (26-for-91), first with five homers and 20 RBIs over that span.
- Yarnall was out from April 12 until appearing at Penn State on April 29.
- Resident righty-killer, batting .338 (24-for-71) with 12 RBI and .462 OBP on the year.
- Upon returning, he is batting .400 (6-for-15) in limited duty as DH vs. right-handers.
HEAT CZYK
Over his last seven games, junior catcher Alex Kowalczyk has been on an offensive roll in the heart of the order. Over that span he's paced the team in such categories as:
- Carrying a .370 batting average (10-for-27) and .433 OBP.
- Scored six runs and belted four extra-base hits.
- Went 4-for-5 on Saturday at Georgia Tech, scoring three times and driving in two.
TRIPLE THREAT
Pitt ranks sixth in the country and first in the ACC with 23 triples on the year.
- Ties program record for triples in a season (2013).
- Frank Maldonado crushed two triples against Akron giving him five this year, which is second the ACC and 29th in Division I.
- Aaron Schnurbusch also has five triples, tying him with Maldonado in nat'l/ACC rankings.
- Both Maldonado and Schnurbusch are tied for sixth in a single season at Pitt.
- Ron Sherman became the latest Panther with two triples in a game, hitting a pair of three-baggers against Fairfield in game one.
- The team posted its fifth multi-triple game of 2015 with two at Penn State on 4/29.
LEFT TURNS ON LEFT-HANDERS
Some of Pitt's biggest run-producers have fared well versus lefty pitching this year, as the team has faced left-handed starters in four of the last six contests. The team is tentatively slated to face lefties in all four remaining games this season, including at West Virginia on Tuesday.
- 13 of Aaron Schnurbusch's 25 RBIs have come against left-handed pitching. The lefty bucks matchup convention, raking .333 with a .644 slugging percentage (7 XBH).
- Pitt's RBI leader Charles LeBlanc is batting .351 when facing left-handers and has posted a team-best 20 hits.
- Boo Vazquez, Pitt's longtime largest left-handed lumber, is also batting an unconventionally strong .333 against his fellow lefties with a team-best .436 OBP.
- Three of Jordan Frabasilio's six home runs have come by way of southpaw pitching in just 47 at-bats - posting a .298 average in the process.
- Each of Ron Sherman's three home runs have come against lefties.
UP NEXT
Pitt will conclude the 2015 season when it hosts Virginia Tech for a three game series beginning Thursday, May 14. Having been eliminated from ACC Tournament contention, the Panthers will look to play spoiler to the Hokies as they seek to clinch a berth. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN3.
