Pitt to Finish Road Swing against Duke

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will close out its road swing with a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) series against Duke beginning Friday, March 15 at the Duke Softball Stadium in Durham, N.C.

THE SCHEDULE

The Panthers will open their series against the Blue Devils with a 12:30 p.m. contest Friday, March 15.
Pitt will then face Duke on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Panthers will close out their three-game slate on Sunday with a 12 p.m. contest.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats will be available for all games.
Fans can watch the contests on ACC Network Extra.
Fans can also follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers dropped a midweek contest to Liberty, 4-1, Wednesday, March 13.
The Flames used a three-run third inning to take control of the contest and earn the eventual win.

FACING A STRONG SCHEDULE

The Panthers 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 also faces a total of nine NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago.
The Panthers' schedule currently features seven teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today / NFCA Preseason Poll, while six opponents also fit that criteria in the ESPN / USA Softball Preseason Poll.

PAVLICK PUTTING UP NUMBERS

Freshman Katlyn Pavlick has had an impressive start to her Panther career offensively.
On the season, Pavlick ranks first on the team in total bases (33), runs (16) hits (15), walks (13) and home runs (five).
Pavlick hit a leadoff long ball in her first career at-bat for Pitt, going on the close out the Panthers season-opening weekend at the Cougar Classic (Feb. 8-10) ranked first on the team in runs (five) and home runs (two), tied for first in hits (six) and second in both batting average (.429) and walks (three).
In Pitt's third tournament of the season from Feb. 22-24, Pavlick accumulated a .500 on-base percentage to go along with a .273 batting average, five walks, three hits, three runs and one double at the UCF Knight's Classic.
In the Panthers' first ACC series against Virginia from March 9-10, the freshman hit .500 through three games, adding five runs, four hits, four walks, two home runs and a double.

GRAY GOT GAME

The conference released its first-ever Preseason All-ACC Team Tuesday, Jan. 29, with senior Olivia Gray being selected as one of its 15 members.
Gray garnered All-ACC First Team recognition following a 2018 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.
In Pitt's season-opening tournament at the Cougar Classic from Feb. 8-10, Gray finished the weekend with a .333 batting average while ranking first on the team in doubles (four) and tying for the team-lead in hits (six). She also added four runs and three RBIs in the team's five contests.

LOOK OUT FOR LEVESQUE

Coming off a 2018 season in which she garnered ACC All-Freshman Team recognition, sophomore Hunter Levesque has continued to be a constant in Pitt's starting lineup this season.
The Troy, N.Y., native is one of just two Panther players to start all 22 games on the season, and currently ranks first on the team in RBIs (eight), second in runs (eight), is tied for second in total bases (21), walks (seven) and home runs (two) and tied for third in hits (11).
Levesque ranked third on the team with a .357 batting average at the conclusion of the Panthers season-opening weekend at the Cougar Classic (Feb. 8-10), adding five hits, three RBIs, two runs and two walks.

HOT START FOR HORRELL

After only appearing in two contests for the Panthers during her freshman campaign in 2018, sophomore Brie Horrell has appeared in 13 games while making eight starts on the season.
She currently leads the team in batting average (.474) and slugging percentage (.789), while being tied for second in RBIs (six) and home runs (two).
Horrell closed out Pitt's season-opening weekend at the Cougar Classic (Feb. 8-10) with a team-best .571 batting average, collecting her first career home run while adding four hits, three RBIs, two runs and two walks.

BATESOLE'S GOT A BAT

After recently earning a role in the starting lineup, sophomore Morgan Batesole has been a consistent presence at the plate for Pitt.
In 25 at bats, Batesole sports a .320 batting average, adding eight hits, three RBIs and three runs.
In the Panthers' first ACC series against Virginia from March 9-10, the Walnut Creek, Calif., native hit for a .429 average through three games, collecting three hits to go along with one RBI and one run.

THE SERIES - DUKE

The Panthers and Blue Devils have met on just three occasions all-time, as Duke is entering just its second season as a softball program.
Pitt won its first-ever series against Duke last year, taking two of three games against the Blue Devils.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

Duke enters Friday's contest with a 10-14 (1-2 ACC) overall record, most recently earning a 2-1 win against ACC opponent North Carolina Saturday, March 19.
The Blue Devils closed out their 2018 campaign with a 29-27 overall record, including a 13-11 mark in ACC play.
Offensively, Duke currently sports three players hitting .280 or better at the plate. Reja Davis owns a .293 average, followed by Reilly Metzger at .290 and Jameson Kavel at .282.
In the circle, two Blue Devil pitchers own a sub-3.00 ERA. Brianna Butler leads the pitching staff with a 1.94 ERA and owns a 4-1 record. Shelby Walter boasts a 2.26 ERA, recording 46 strikeouts in 55.2 innings on the mound.

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