Pitt to Open ACC Play at Virginia

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play with a three-game series against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va., beginning Friday, March 8.

THE SCHEDULE

Pitt will play its ACC opener against Virginia Friday at 5 p.m.
The Panthers will then face the Cavaliers at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Pitt will close out its series with Virginia on Sunday, playing a 12 p.m. contest.

HOW TO FOLLOW

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

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers split their last day of games at the Ole Miss Classic, defeating Nicholls State, 5-3, while falling to the Rebels, 4-3.
Pitt closed out the tournament with a 1-3 record, moving to 3-15 overall on the season.

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.

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.

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.

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 11 games while making seven starts on the season.
She currently leads the team in batting average (.500) and slugging percentage (.833), is tied for first in RBIs (six) and tied for second in total bases (15), hits (nine) 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.

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 (22), hits (11), walks (nine) and home runs (three) while tying for the top spot in hits (11).
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.

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 18 games on the season, and currently ranks second on the team in total bases (18) and runs (six), is tied for second in home runs (two), ranks third in RBIs (five) and is tied for third in hits (nine).
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.

SOLAK SENDING 'EM IN

Senior Alexis Solak is currently tied for the team lead with six RBIs on the season.
Solak collected five of her 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 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 SERIES - VIRGINIA

The Panthers and Cavaliers have clashed 16 times, with Pitt holding a 9-7 all-time series edge over Virginia.
The teams' most recent meeting came April 22, 2018, where the Panthers captured a 12-1 victory in five innings.
Pitt swept the Cavaliers in their weekend series last season, outscoring them 24-5 in three games.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS

Virginia enters the weekend with an 8-9 overall record, most recently notching an 11-4 win against Buffalo Saturday, March 2.
The Cavaliers concluded their 2018 campaign with an overall record of 12-41, while registering a 3-21 mark against ACC opponents.
Senior Lucy Smith leads the team at the plate with a .436 batting average while adding 19 RBIs and seven home runs.
Redshirt senior Allyson Frei and freshman Aly Rayle lead the Cavalier pitching staff. Frei has accumulated a team-high 44.2 innings pitched in 13 appearances, including seven starts. Rayle boasts a 3-1 record with a 2.95 ERA, and has allowed just 19 hits in 21.1 innings.

UP NEXT

Following their three-game series with Virginia, the Cavaliers will travel to Lynchburg, Va., for a 5 p.m. contest with Liberty Wednesday, March 13.

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Pitt to Open ACC Play at Virginia

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Players Mentioned

Olivia Gray

Brie Horrell

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Alexis Solak

University of Pittsburgh Athletics

Pitt to Open ACC Play at Virginia

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Next Event

Players Mentioned

Olivia Gray

Brie Horrell

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Alexis Solak

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