University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Baseball Concludes 2015 Season by Hosting Virginia Tech
5/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| Pitt (18-31, 7-20 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (26-24, 12-14 ACC) | |||
| Date | Thursday, May 14 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) Friday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) Saturday, May 16 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) |
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| Pittsburgh, Pa./Charles L. Cost Field |
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| Television | ESPN3 | ||
| Game One | Game Two | Game Three | |||
| Game Notes | Pitt Game Notes | Virginia Tech Game Notes | ||
| Promotions | SATURDAY: Senior Day | ||
| Social Media | @PITTBASEBALL- Twitter/ @pittbaseballacc - Instagram | ||
PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh baseball team (18-31, 7-20 ACC) will wrap up its 2015 schedule this week as Virginia Tech (26-24, 12-14 ACC) will visit for a three-game series beginning on Thursday, May 14, at Charles L. Cost Field at 6 p.m. 
Saturday's 1 p.m. game will be the team's Senior Day observation, as Hobie Harris, Eric Hess, Jordan Frabasilio, Nick Parnell, and Boo Vazquez will be honored in a pregame ceremony. 
With Pitt previously eliminated from ACC Tournament contention, the team will look to play spoiler to Virginia Tech's postseason hopes. The Hokies have a `magic number' of two related to Wake Forest, and, currently in ninth place, could climb as high as sixth or drop out of the tournament field entirely. They've won seven straight.
This week's meeting will be the first since the Hokies swept Pitt in three games last season in Blacksburg, Va., on March 14 and 15. The series is currently even at 11-11, head-to-head. The Panthers own the longest winning streak in the pairing, however, as they won five straight from May 2003 to March 2004 -- scoring an average of 10.2 runs per game. Overall, Pitt is 5-3 in games played in Pittsburgh.
 Offensively, VT is paced by a pair of boppers in Erik Payne and Brendon Hayden who combine for 18 home runs and 100 RBIs on the year. Both are batting over .330 this season - the top two qualifying averages on the squad. On the hill, the Hokies will send out a trio of lefties in the series. Keselica has been a rotation staple, making 11 starts this year, but Scheetz and Naughton have just 11 between them. Luke Scherzer leads the staff with four saves.
  
PROBABLE PITCHING
Thursday: RHP Aaron Sandefur (1-6, 4.98) vs. LHP Sean Keselica (5-3, 3.22)
Friday: RHP T.J. Zeuch (4-6, 4.26) vs. LHP Kit Scheetz (3-2, 5.00)
Saturday: RHP Marc Berube (2-7, 4.87) vs. LHP Packy Naughton (2-1, 4.20)
 
PANTHER `PEN PALS
Pitt's relief corps covered all nine innings of the team's 4-1 win at West Virginia on Tuesday. The group has pitched well lately, with several hurlers turning in exceptional efforts in recent games.
-  Rich Condeelis has recorded multi-inning saves - the first saves of his career - in two of the last three games. He has not allowed a run since May 2 vs. No. 16 Miami (8.1 IP).
- Josh Mitchell, only a freshman, is riding a streak of 7.2 consecutive shutout innings. He's made three straight scoreless appearances and has recorded six strikeouts over the span.
-  Isaac Mattson, another freshman, accomplished the rare feat of striking out four men in a single inning on Tuesday at West Virginia. He finished with five K's in two frames.
 
STARTING OFF WRIGHT
Leadoff hitter Jacob Wright is emerging as one of Pitt's best bats - stringing together a 36-game reached bases streak, the longest on the team. He's reached base in 44 of his 46 games this year.
-  Hitting .309 (38-123) during the span to raise average by 71 points to .280.
-  Has a base hit in 23 of the last 26 games with a .330 average and 18 runs scored.
-  Team-high .425 on base percentage, 33 walks and 15 stolen bases.
-  Has Pitt's first at bat of the game 44 of 45 times this year and in that situation is batting .400 (16-40). His OBP is .467 in that spot with an additional walk and four HBP.
-  Leading off his last 26 games, Wright is 12-24 (.500) in that first at bat and has reached 15 times (.556 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 March 25 at Youngstown State.
-   Since then, Vazquez has played in all 27 games, making 24 starts.
-   Second on team in batting .277 (26-for-94), first with five homers, and first with 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-72) with 12 RBI and .457 OBP on the year against them.
-    Upon returning, he is batting .375 (6-for-16) in limited duty - primarily as DH vs. right-handers.
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 32nd 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.
- 13 of Aaron Schnurbusch's 26 RBIs have come against left-handed pitching. The lefty outfielder bucks matchup convention, raking .333 with seven extra-base hits versus southpaws on the year.
-   Pitt's RBI leader Charles LeBlanc is batting .345 when facing left-handers.
-   Boo Vazquez, Pitt's longtime largest left-handed lumber, is also batting an unusually strong .364 against his fellow lefties with a team-best .425 OBP.
-   Each of Ron Sherman's three home runs have come against lefties, and 11 of his 23 RBIs have come against left-handers overall.
