Pitt Continues Homestand with UNC Series

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will continue its homestand with a three-game ACC series against North Carolina beginning Friday, March 29 at Vartabedian Field.

THE SCHEDULE

The Panthers will open their series against the Tar Heels with a 5 p.m. contest Friday, March 29.
Pitt will then face North Carolina on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Panthers will close out their three-game slate with the Tar Heels on Sunday with a 4 p.m. contest.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats will be available for all games.
Fans can watch Friday and Saturday's contests on ACC Network Extra and Sunday's matchup on ESPNU.
Fans can also follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt dropped a midweek matchup to Penn State, 8-3, Wednesday, March 27 at Vartabedian Field.
The game was tight through five frames, but a four-run sixth inning by the Nittany Lions led to the eventual PSU win.
Redshirt sophomore Brittany Knight started on the mound for Pitt, allowing eight runs (four earned) while striking out three through 5.2 innings of action. Senior Taylor Rahach relieved Knight in the contest, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless ball while allowing just one hit.
The Panthers produced seven hits at the plate via four different batters. Sophomore Hunter Levesque led the team with a career-high three hits while adding two RBIs and one run. Seniors Gabrielle Fredericks, Olivia Gray and Taylor Myers and sophomore Morgan Batesole all collected one hit apiece, with Fredericks adding an RBI in the contest.

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 six teams that are either ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Poll, while six opponents also fit that criteria in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR'S ACC SUCCESS

Pitt went 16-6 in conference play during the 2018 season, winning seven of its eight ACC series.
Both marks were a program high since joining the league in 2014.
The Panthers' strong play in conference led to their first ACC Coastal Division Championship in program history.

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 batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.424), slugging percentage (.538), total bases (43), hits (23), runs (20) walks (19) 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 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.

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 30 games on the season, and currently ranks first on the team in RBIs (15), is tied for first in doubles (five), ranks second in total bases (38), runs (12), walks (nine) and home runs (four) and third in hits (19).
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.
Levesque recorded a career-high three hits in the Panthers' contest against Penn State March 27, going 3-for-4 while adding two RBIs and a run.

SOLAK GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS

Senior Alexis Solak has picked up her production at the plate following a relatively slow start to the season offensively.
In her last 10 games, the senior has compiled a .310 batting average to go along with nine hits, three RBIs, one home run and one walk.
On the season, Solak ranks second on the team in hits (20) and third in RBIs (nine).
Solak collected five RBIs in Pitt's season-opening weekend at the Cougar Classic from Feb. 8-10. She recorded an RBI in four of five games, including a season-high tying two RBIs against Central Michigan.
The senior hit .333 at the Ole Miss Classic from March 1-2. In four contests, she amassed a team-high eight total bases off of four hits, one home run and one double.
The Woodbridge, Ill., native batted .624 in the Panthers' ACC series against Duke from March 15-17, collecting five hits in just three games.

FREDERICKS FINDING HER FOOTING AT THE PLATE

After a quiet start to the season offensively, senior Gabrielle Fredericks has found her footing at the plate as of late, ranking second on the team in on-base percentage (.441) and batting average (.321) during the Panthers' last 10 games.
During that span, she has collected nine hits, six walks, three RBIs, two home runs and one double.
On the season, Fredericks owns a .258 batting average to go along with 17 hits, seven RBIs, seven walks, four doubles, three home runs and three runs.
The New Philadelphia, Ohio, native batted .375 in Pitt's three-game ACC series against Virginia from March 9-10, collecting three hits, two RBIs, two walks and one home run.

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.

THE SERIES – NORTH CAROLINA

The Panthers and Tar Heels have met 15 times in program history, with UNC holding a slight 9-6 all-time edge against Pitt.
In their most recent meeting, the Panthers recorded a 3-0 victory against North Carolina May 11, 2018 in the ACC Tournament.
Pitt has won its last three contests against the Tar Heels.

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS

North Carolina enters Friday's contest with a 17-12 [6-3 ACC] record, most recently earning a 5-0 win against ECU Wednesday, March 27.
The Tar Heels closed out their 2018 campaign with a 30-26 overall record, including a 15-8 mark in ACC play.
Offensively, UNC has three players hitting .300 or better on the season, with senior Kiani Ramsey leading the squad at .400.
The Tar Heels mainly rely on two pitchers on the mound in junior Brittany Pickett and freshman Hannah George. Pickett currently ranks first on the team in innings pitched (105.1), strikeouts (87), wins (10) and ERA (1.46), with George amassing a 6-4 record and 4.22 ERA through 66.1 innings of action.

UP NEXT

Following their series with North Carolina, the Panthers will close out their homestand with a 4 p.m. matchup against Ohio State Wednesday, April 3 at Vartabedian Field.

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Pitt Continues Homestand with UNC Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Morgan Batesole

Gabrielle Fredericks

Olivia Gray

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Taylor Myers

Katlyn Pavlick

Taylor Rahach

Alexis Solak

Pitt Continues Homestand with UNC Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Morgan Batesole

Gabrielle Fredericks

Olivia Gray

Brittany Knight

Hunter Levesque

Taylor Myers

Katlyn Pavlick

Taylor Rahach

Alexis Solak

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