Pitt Set for Doubleheader at Saint Francis

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team will travel to Loretto, Pa., for a doubleheader against Saint Francis beginning at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 9 at the Red Flash Softball Field.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats will be available for both games.
Fans can watch the contests on NEC Front Row.
Fans can also follow @Pitt_SB on Twitter for live in-game updates.

LAST TIME OUT

Pitt closed out the Mizzou Tournament with a 1-3 mark on the weekend, picking up a win against Missouri while also falling to the Tigers and dropping two contests against Oregon.
Two Panther pitchers saw the mound in Pitt's win over Mizzou, with senior Taylor Rahach earning the start and freshman Abby Edwards coming in for relief duty. Edwards entered the game in the second frame, earning the win after allowing just one earned run and striking out four in 5.2 innings of action.
Offensively, Pitt collected nine hits from five different players. Sophomore Hunter Levesque led the way with a 3-for-4 showing, adding three runs, two RBI and a long ball in the contest. Senior Gabrielle Fredericks posted a 2-for-3 effort to go along with a walk and two-run homer, while senior Alexis Solak rounded out the multi-hit group with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, adding a double and RBI. Senior Olivia Gray and junior Kaitlyn Kruger also contributed one hit apiece in the matchup.

FACING A STRONG SCHEDULE

Pitt faces one of the toughest schedules in the nation, with its strength of schedule currently ranked 28^th in the country.
The Panthers' 2019 slate 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.
Pitt also has seven opponents on its schedule who are currently rated in the top 50 of the NCAA RPI.

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 the only Panther to start all 38 games on the season, and currently ranks first on the team in total bases (55), hits (29), RBI (20) and doubles (six), second in runs (20) and is tied for second in home runs (six).
Levesque hit for a .357 batting average in the Panthers' season-opening weekend at the Cougar Classic (Feb. 8-10), adding five hits, three RBI, 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.
In Pitt's series against North Carolina from March 29-30, Levesque hit .556 while collecting five hits, three runs, two walks, one RBI and one double. In the Panthers' series finale against the Tar Heels, the sophomore recorded a career-high four hits.
The Troy, N.Y., native hit for a .417 average in the Mizzou Tournament from April 5-7, adding five hits, five runs, four RBI, two home runs and two walks in four total games against Missouri and Oregon.

GRAY GOT GAME

Senior Olivia Gray was named to the conference's first-ever Preseason All-ACC Team Tuesday, Jan. 29, and has amassed the stats to back it up so far this season.
While appearing in just 18 games due to injury, Gray has still been able to compile a .333 batting average and .443 on-base percentage, adding 17 hits, 11 RBI, 10 runs, 10 walks, five doubles and three home runs.
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 RBI in the team's five contests.
In the senior's first series back from injury, Gray hit for a .714 average to go along with six RBI, five hits, four runs, three walks and two home runs in three games against North Carolina from March 29-30.
The Washington, Pa., native batted .333 against Missouri and Oregon in the Mizzou Tournament from April 5-7, collecting four hits, two runs, two RBI, two walks, one long ball and one double in just four contests.

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 runs (22) and walks (19), is tied for second in home runs (six) and doubles (five), ranks third in total bases (48) and is tied for third in hits (25).
Pavlick hit a leadoff long ball in her first career at-bat for Pitt, going on to 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 RBI, 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 RBI and two walks in the Panthers' 5-3 victory against the Blue Devils Sunday, March 17.

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 third on the team in both on-base percentage (.394) and batting average (.333) during the Panthers' last 10 games.
During that span, she has collected 10 hits, 10 RBI, five runs, four home runs and three walks.
On the season, Fredericks owns a .275 batting average to go along with 25 hits, 16 RBI, nine walks, eight runs, seven home runs and four doubles.
The New Philadelphia, Ohio, native batted .375 in Pitt's three-game ACC series against Virginia from March 9-10, collecting three hits, two RBI, two walks and one home run.
The senior hit for a .300 average in Pitt's ACC series against North Carolina from March 29-30, adding five RBI, three hits, three runs and two home runs in three contests.
Fredericks finished the Mizzou Tournament (April 5-7) with a .364 average, recording four hits, two RBI, two walks and one home run in four total contests against Missouri and Oregon.

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 15 games, the senior has compiled a .341 batting average to go along with 15 hits, five RBI, four runs, three doubles, three walks and one home run.
On the season, Solak ranks second on the team in hits (27), fourth in total bases (37) and RBI (12) and is tied for fourth in doubles (four).
Solak collected five RBI 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 RBI 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.
Solak hit for a .364 average in Pitt's series against North Carolina from March 29-30, recording four hits, two runs, two doubles and one RBI.

THE SERIES – SAINT FRANCIS

In a series dating back to 1998, the Panthers currently own a 22-10 all-time edge over the Red Flash.
The teams' last meeting came April 5, 2017, with Pitt recording an 8-3 extra-innings victory against Saint Francis.
The Panthers have won their last five contests against the Red Flash.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH

Saint Francis enters Tuesday's contests with a 17-23 [5-3 NEC] record, most recently splitting a doubleheader with Mount St. Mary's Sunday, April 7.
The Red Flash closed out their 2018 campaign with a 39-19 [16-0 NEC] record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Arizona and Mississippi State.
Offensively, Saint Francis currently has four regulars hitting .300 or better on the season. Senior Hayley Norton currently leads the team with a .371 average.
The Red Flash's workhorse on the mound this season has been freshman Christina Clark, who currently leads the team in innings pitched (108.1), ERA (5.49) and wins (eight).

UP NEXT

The Panthers will head to Atlanta, Ga., for an ACC series with Georgia Tech beginning Friday, April 12.

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Pitt Set for Doubleheader at Saint Francis

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Edwards

Gabrielle Fredericks

Olivia Gray

Kaitlyn Kruger

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Taylor Rahach

Alexis Solak

Pitt Set for Doubleheader at Saint Francis

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abby Edwards

Gabrielle Fredericks

Olivia Gray

Kaitlyn Kruger

Hunter Levesque

Katlyn Pavlick

Taylor Rahach

Alexis Solak

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