Friday, February 8
Charleston, SC
6 PM
Pitt
vs
Purdue
Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Pitt Set to Open Season at Cougar Classic
2/7/2019 4:16:00 PM | Softball
Panthers to Open Season in Charleston, S.C.
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team is set to open its season Friday, Feb. 8 as it travels to Charleston, S.C., for the Cougar Classic.
THE SCHEDULE
HOW TO FOLLOW
TOURNAMENT TICKETS
2018 SEASON IN REVIEW
FACING A STRONG SCHEDULE
A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP
INTRODUCING THE STAFF
RUNNING IT BACK
NEW IN TOWN
FRESH FACES
GRAY GOT GAME
THE SERIES – CENTRAL MICHIGAN
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
THE SERIES – COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
THE SERIES – PURDUE
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
THE SERIES – WICHITA STATE
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
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THE SCHEDULE
- Pitt will play five games in the three-day tournament, facing four different opponents.
- The Panthers will open their season on Friday with a contest against Purdue at 6 p.m., followed by a matchup with host-school College of Charleston at 8 p.m.
- On Saturday, Pitt will clash with Central Michigan at 1:30 p.m. before facing Wichita State at 6 p.m.
- The Panthers' last game of the tournament will feature another matchup with the Shockers at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live stats will be available for all games.
- Fans can also follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.
TOURNAMENT TICKETS
- Fans planning on attending the tournament can purchase tickets online or on-site.
- Weekend passes can be purchased for the entirety of the tournament, and cost $12 for adults and $5 for youth (ages 18 and under).
- Single game/day tickets cost $6 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 18 and under).
2018 SEASON IN REVIEW
- The Panthers finished the 2018 season with a 33-18-1 overall record, including a 16-6 mark in conference play.
- Pitt won seven of its eight ACC series on the year, with both its 16 conference wins and seven series wins marking a program high since the team joined the league in 2014.
- The Panthers' strong play in conference led to their first ACC Coastal Division Championship in program history.
- Pitt earned the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament, taking down Virginia Tech and North Carolina before falling to eventual National Champion Florida State in the championship game by a score of 5-4.
FACING A STRONG SCHEDULE
- The Panthers will face a tough schedule in the 2019 season, one that features two teams that finished in the top 25 of the NFCA Coaches Poll last year, including No. 6 Oregon, who advanced to the College World Series in last year's NCAA Tournament.
- Pitt will also face a total of nine NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago.
- The Panthers' schedule currently features nine teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the ESPN / USA Softball Preseason Poll, while seven opponents fit that criteria in the USA Today / NFCA Preseason Poll.
A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP
- Head coach Jodi Hermanek is entering her first season at the helm of the Pitt softball program.
- Hermanek joins the Panthers after spending the previous 10 years at Ohio University, where she led the Bobcats to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two MAC Tournament Championships and one MAC Regular Season Championship.
- In 14 seasons as a head coach at both Ohio and Southern Utah, Hermanek has compiled a 397-376-1 (.514) record while advancing to the NCAA Tournament four times.
INTRODUCING THE STAFF
- Joining Hermanek on the coaching staff are assistant coaches Jillian Van Wagnen and Brock Van Faussien, as well as volunteer assistant Maddy Grimm.
- Van Wagnen spent four years as a player under Hermanek at Ohio before joining the Bobcats' coaching staff in 2014.
- Van Faussien has spent time in both baseball and softball, and most recently worked with a University of Georgia team that advanced all the way to the NCAA Women's College World Series.
- Grimm spent a year as an assistant coach at Ashland University following a standout career at Kent State, where she still holds multiple program records.
RUNNING IT BACK
- The Panthers return 15 players from a season ago in seniors Sarah Dawson, Marissa DeMatteo, Gabrielle Fredericks, Olivia Gray, Taylor Myers, Taylor Rahach, Alexis Solak and Nava Susi, juniors Alexee Haynes, Kaitlyn Kruger and Connor McGaffic, redshirt sophomore Brittany Knight and sophomores Morgan Batesole, Brie Horrell and Hunter Levesque.
- Among the returnees are multiple key contributors to last year's success. Kruger earned NFCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Third Team recognition a season ago, while Gray received First Team All-ACC honors, Levesque was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and Dawson earned ACC All-Tournament Team accolades.
NEW IN TOWN
- Pitt has added two transfers to the 2019 roster in junior Walker Barbee and sophomore Chandler Walter.
- Barbee joins the Panthers after spending the past two years at Elon University.
- Walter comes to Pitt following a one-year stint at the University of Utah.
FRESH FACES
- The Panthers also welcome four freshmen to the team in Hannah Bach, Abby Edwards, Katlyn Pavlick and Sarah Seamans.
- The ACC released its annual Preseason Coaches Poll Tuesday, Jan. 29, with the Panthers projected to finish fourth in the conference.
- Florida State, who is coming off a College World Series Championship, was picked first in the poll after receiving 121 total points and 11 first place votes. Notre Dame, who made an appearance in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, placed second with 102 points. North Carolina came in third with 95 points, followed by Pitt with 88 points.
GRAY GOT GAME
- The conference also released its first-ever Preseason All-ACC Team, with senior Olivia Gray being selected as one of its 15 members.
- Gray is coming off a 2018 season in which she garnered All-ACC First Team recognition following a campaign that saw her record a .311 batting average to go along with 50 hits, 29 runs, 25 RBIs, eight doubles and four home runs.
- Gray finished the 2018 season with 173 assists, which ranks third in single-season program history. She also collected 10 assists in a matchup with UCF Feb. 12, 2017, which is the top single-game mark in program history.
THE SERIES – CENTRAL MICHIGAN
- The Panthers and Chippewas have met eight times previously, with Central Michigan holding a 6-2 all-time series edge over Pitt.
- The teams' most recent meeting came Feb. 14, 2016, where Central Michigan earned a narrow 4-3 victory against the Panthers.
- Pitt has taken two of the past three contests against the Chippewas, earning a 5-3 victory March 19, 2006 and a 2-0 win Feb. 12, 2016 before its defeat on Feb. 14.
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS
- Central Michigan finished the 2018 season with a 22-26 overall record, including a 12-11 mark in MAC play.
- The Chippewas are led offensively by senior Erika Underwood and sophomore Shaidan Knapp. Underwood led the team in batting average (.382), doubles (13) and home runs (eight), while also being tied for first in RBIs (29) last year. Knapp closed out the 2018 slate with a .365 batting average to go along with 38 hits, 20 runs, 12 RBIs and six doubles.
- Central Michigan saw its top two pitchers in both wins and ERA depart following the 2018 season, but return sophomores Cloe Mallory and Samantha Howell. Mallory recorded a 3.34 ERA last season while going 3-3 on the year. Howell earned a 2-2 record while posting a 3.62 ERA.
THE SERIES – COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
- Pitt and College of Charleston have collided seven times in program history, with the Cougars holding a 4-3 advantage all-time.
- The Panthers earned the win in the teams' most recent contest, coming out with a 9-3 victory Feb. 21, 2015.
- College of Charleston won the first four meetings in the series, while Pitt has taken the last three matchups.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
- College of Charleston closed out the 2018 slate with a 31-27 overall record while going 8-13 in CAA competition.
- The Cougars top two returning offensive players come in the forms of junior Yari Felix and senior Kelly Sinclair. Felix recorded a .337 batting average while collecting 58 hits, 36 runs, 12 RBIs and four doubles. Sinclair posted a .305 average at the plate while adding 54 hits, 40 RBIs, 37 runs and 11 doubles.
- College of Charleston returns both of its top pitchers from last season in juniors Summer Jenkins and Izzy Berouty. Jenkins led the team in ERA at 3.08, while Berouty posted a team-high 17 wins on the season.
THE SERIES – PURDUE
- The Panthers and Boilermakers have met just four times in program history, with Purdue taking the win in all four contests.
- Pitt and Purdue haven't competed against each other since the 2007 season.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
- Purdue went 16-40 overall in 2018 while recording a 7-15 mark in Big Ten play.
- The Boilermakers welcome back their top offensive producer from 2018 in senior Jenny Behan, who amassed a .309 batting average to go along with 47 hits, 30 RBIs, 27 runs, 10 doubles and seven home runs.
- In the circle, Purdue returns its top two pitchers from last season, with senior Kaitlynn Moody and redshirt sophomore Sydney Bates back on the squad for 2019. Moody led the team in ERA last year at 4.18, while Bates posted the most wins on the squad with eight.
THE SERIES – WICHITA STATE
- Saturday and Sunday's contests against the Shockers will mark the first meetings between the two teams in program history.
SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS
- Wichita State earned a 32-23 overall record while going 12-9 in AAC play during the 2018 slate.
- The Shockers advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament, where they collected two wins against Oklahoma State while dropping two contests to No. 13 Arkansas in regionals.
- Wichita State is currently receiving votes in both the ESPN / USA Softball Preseason Poll and the USA Today / NFCA Coaches Preseason Poll.
- The Shockers said goodbye to their top two offensive performers from 2018, but welcome back junior Ryleigh Buck, who collected a .305 batting average while adding 50 hits, 35 runs, 30 RBIs, 10 doubles and six home runs.
- Wichita State returns its workhorse on the mound in senior Bailey Lang, who went 20-13 in 209.2 innings while recording a 2.90 ERA.
- Following the Cougar Classic, Pitt will head to Raleigh, N.C., and face both Wisconsin and Nebraska in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge from Feb. 15-17.
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