Pitt to Begin Nine Game Homestand with Ohio

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will begin a nine game homestand Tuesday, March 19 at 4 p.m. when it faces Ohio at Vartabedian Field in the Petersen Sports Complex.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers earned their first ACC win of the season with a 5-3 victory over the Blue Devils Sunday afternoon at the Duke Softball Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Freshman Abby Edwards earned the start on the rubber for Pitt, allowing just three earned runs through seven innings to pick up her second win of the season.
The Panthers produced 11 hits at the plate, with three players recording multi-hit efforts. Senior Alexis Solak led the way with a 3-for-4 effort. Sophomore Hunter Levesque went 2-for-3 on the day while collecting an RBI, with freshman Katlyn Pavlick adding a 2-for-2 showing to go along with two RBIs and two walks.

GOING UP AGAINST 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.

FACING HER FORMER TEAM

First year head coach Jodi Hermanek will be facing her former team in Pitt's home opener on Tuesday.
Hermanek had spent the previous 10 years at Ohio before joining the Panther program, leading the Bobcats to two NCAA Tournament appearances, two MAC Tournament Championships and one MAC Regular Season Championship.
Assistant coach Jillian Van Wagnen also has ties to the Bobcats, spending four years as a player at Ohio under Hermanek before joining the coaching staff in 2014.

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 (39), hits (19), runs (16) walks (15), home runs (five) and doubles (five), while being tied for the team-lead in RBIs (nine).
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.
Pavlick hit for a .444 average in the Panthers' series against Duke from March 15-17, adding four hits, four RBIs, two doubles and two walks. The freshman was a big factor in helping Pitt to collect its first ACC win of the season, going 2-for-2 with two doubles, two RBIs and two walks in the Panthers' 5-3 victory against the Blue Devils Sunday, March 17.

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 25 games on the season, and is currently tied for first on the team in RBIs (nine), ranks second in runs (eight) and total bases (26), is tied for second in walks (seven) and home runs (two) and tied for third in hits (14).
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.
The sophomore batted .333 in Pitt's ACC series against Duke from March 15-17, collecting three hits, two doubles and one RBI.

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 34 at bats, Batesole sports a .294 batting average, adding 10 hits, five runs, four RBIs, two walks and one double.
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 - OHIO

The Panthers and Bobcats have met seven times in program history, with Ohio holding a slight 4-3 all-time series edge.
The teams' most recent meeting came March 27, 2018, where the then-Hermanek led Bobcats recorded a 6-1 win.
Pitt has come out with a win in three of its last four meetings with Ohio dating back to 2000.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS

Ohio enters Tuesday's contest with a 17-10 overall record, most recently suffering a 6-4 loss to Indiana Sunday, March 17.
The Bobcats closed out their 2018 season with a 40-17 record, including a 20-3 mark in MAC action. Ohio advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they defeated James Madison and Monmouth, while also dropping contests to James Madison and Tennessee.
Offensively, the Bobcats currently have five players hitting .300 or better on the season. Senior Natalie Alavarez owns the top average on the team at .400, while senior Morgan Geno leads the team in both home runs (10) and RBIs (39).
Ohio relies almost exclusively on two pitchers in freshman Mackensie Kohl and sophomore Madi McCrady. Kohl boasts the top ERA on the team at 2.83, while McCrady leads the squad in innings (97.1), strikeouts (79) and wins (10).

UP NEXT

The Panthers will host ACC opponent Virginia Tech at Vartabedian Field beginning Friday, March 22.

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Pitt to Begin Nine Game Homestand with Ohio

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Morgan Batesole

Abby Edwards

Olivia Gray

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Alexis Solak

Pitt to Begin Nine Game Homestand with Ohio

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Morgan Batesole

Abby Edwards

Olivia Gray

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Alexis Solak

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