Friday, May 3
Tallahassee, FL
6 PM
Pitt
at
Florida State
Bell Set for Return to Florida State
5/2/2019 10:29:00 PM | Baseball
Panthers Travel to Tallahassee for ACC Clash
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team will return to ACC action this weekend, traveling to perennial powerhouse Florida State for a three-game set in Tallahassee, Fla.
The trip marks the first voyage back for head coach Mike Bell as he returns to his former team and alma mater for the first time as a head coach. The series will get underway Friday at 6 p.m., with Saturday's and Sunday's contests set for 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
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The trip marks the first voyage back for head coach Mike Bell as he returns to his former team and alma mater for the first time as a head coach. The series will get underway Friday at 6 p.m., with Saturday's and Sunday's contests set for 1 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- All three games can be seen live on the ACC Network Extra via WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.
- Saturday's contest will air live on Regional Sports Networks.
- Live stats will be available via FSU.Statbroadcast.com.
- Fans can follow @Pitt_BASE on Twitter and Instagram.
- Fresh off one of the most prolific offensive performances in program history, Pitt (16-28, 4-17 ACC) voyages south for a three-game series at Florida State. The weekend marks the first trip to his former program and alma mater for head coach Mike Bell, who joined the Panthers after an impressive tenure with the Seminoles. Pitt enters the game winners of two straight and four of the last five, having taken a three-game series from Presbyterian and sweeping a two-game set against Maryland Eastern Shore. The outing will be Pitt's first league action since April 20-21, in a 2-1 weekend loss to Notre Dame.
- Junior Nico Popa continues to set the tone for the Panthers offensively, hitting for a .343 average, ranking 10th in the ACC. He's recorded a hit in 16 straight, tallying 12 doubles, five triples and three homers on the year with a .527 slugging mark and a .421 on base percentage. Sophomore Ron Washington Jr. (.306) leads the team and ranks in the top 25 in the nation in doubles, tallying 17 on the season, with two homers and 19 RBI, while senior Connor Perry (.301) rounds out the Panthers' top three, recording 10 doubles, one triple and a team-best 11 homers and .577 slugging mark.
- On the mound, Derek West will get the call Friday night, making his eighth start of the season. West brings in a mark of 1-2 with a 3.73 ERA, having allowed 30 runs (21 earned) off 52 hits and 22 walks, striking out 59. Dan Hammer will get the call on Saturday, his 11th start of the campaign. The junior owns a record of 3-6 with a 6.58 ERA and is fresh off of an 11-strikeout performance against Presbyterian. He's allowed 47 runs (38 earned) off 69 hits and 27 walks, fanning a team-best 66 batters. Sunday's starter has yet to be announced.
- Florida State (28-15, 14-10 ACC) enters the weekend winners of four of the last five after taking a two-game series from Stetson and winning its last ACC series over Wake Forest, 2-1. The Seminoles have won three straight ACC series, sweeping Clemson and taking two from both Virginia and Wake Forest after back-to-back series defeats at the hands of Boston College and Miami.
- Robby Martin paces the Florida State offense, hitting at a .343 clip with 13 doubles, three homers and a team-best 40 RBI. Mike Salvatore hits for a .316 average, smacking 13 doubles and five homers, adding 37 RBI and a .511 slugging mark. Infielder Drew Mendoza owns a team-best .604 slugging percentage, hitting for a .289 average with six doubles, one triple and a team-high 13 homers.
- Junior Drew Parrish will get the call Friday night, bringing in a record of 6-3 with a 3.99 ERA. He's allowed 28 runs (26 earned) off 45 hits and 18 walks, striking out a team-high 75. Sophomore CJ Van Eyk will take the mound in Saturday's game, bringing in a record of 6-3 with a 4.25 ERA. He's allowed 32 runs (28 earned) off 51 hits and 28 walks, whiffing 69. Sophomore Conor Grady will take the mound in the finale, bringing in a record of 6-4 with a 3.74 ERA, having let up 20 runs (18 earned) off 31 hits and 16 walks, striking out 55.
- Florida State owns a 24-1 all-time advantage over the Panthers in a series dating back to the 1983 season.
- The Panthers' sole win over the Seminoles came in the finale of the last series between the two squads as Pit captured a 5-2 win over the then 11th-ranked Seminoles.
- Junior Nico Popa brings in the team's longest hit streak, sitting at 16 games, dating back to the Duke series, and leading the ACC in active hit streaks. Sophomore Bryce O'Farrell and freshman Kyle Hess follow with five game marks, while David Yanni sits at four and Zach Klapak at three.
- Ron Washington Jr. owns a 37-game reached base streak, to pace the team and rank second amongst active streaks in the ACC. Popa follows at 21 games, while Cole MacLaren sits at 16.
- Pitt is 8-8 all-time in games played on May 3.
- The Panthers own a mark of 1-2 all-time in games played against ACC opponents on May 3.
- Pitt is 11-10 all-time in games played on May 4.
- The Panthers own a mark of 2-4 all-time in games played against ACC opponents on May 4.
- Pitt is 14-10 all-time in games played on May 5.
- The Panthers own a mark of 2-3 all-time in games played against ACC opponents on May 5.
- Pitt's visit to Florida State marks the first time that first year head coach Mike Bell has made the trip back to his alma mater and previous coaching staff.
- Bell had an impressive career as the associate head coach at his alma mater, spending seven seasons with the Seminoles at the height of their success, before accepting the Pitt job in July.
- Pitt pitchers have continued to dominate the strike zone in 2019, tallying 402 strikeouts through the first 44 games. The mark ranks ninth in the ACC in total strikeouts and sixth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.26).
- The Panthers are on pace for 502 whiffs this season, which would surpass the program high of 493 set during the 2018 campaign.
- On the year, junior Dan Hammer leads the group with 66, followed by fellow starter Derek West at 59. Reliever Chase Smith ranks third with 42, followed by freshman Billy Corcoran at 39.
- Of Pitt's six returning pitchers with at least 20.0 innings of work, all six have recorded new season highs with strikeouts – Hammer (66), Smith (42), West (59) Chris Gomez (28), William Kirwan (26) and Chris Cappas (23).
- Outfielder Connor Perry is having a season to remember, putting up impressive offensive numbers in his senior season.
- Perry ranks third on the Panther offense with a .301 average, tallying 10 doubles, one triple and 11 homers with 27 RBI. He owns a .577 slugging percentage and a .407 on base mark, going 7-8 on the base paths.
- Seven of this team-leading 11 homers have come in conference action, ranking fifth in the league.
- There's been no slump for sophomore Ron Washington Jr. as the outfielder/designated hitter has continued to shine in the Panther offense.
- Washington Jr. has tallied 17 doubles in 39 games this season, ranking third in the ACC and 22nd in the nation. His 37-game reached base streak is good for the second longest active streak in the league.
- On the season, he's hitting at a .306 clip, tallying 19 extra base hits with 19 RBI and a .465 slugging percentage.
- He leads the Panther offense in league play, hitting for a .325 average with a .450 slugging mark and a .413 on base percentage.
- After missing a majority of the 2018 campaign due to injury, junior Nico Popa has returned to the lineup with a purpose for the 2019 squad. Popa is hitting at an impressive .343 mark, to lead the team, tallying 26 RBI to rank third on the offense.
- Having recorded a hit in 16 straight contests, Popa leads the league with the longest active hit streak as one of only four batters currently sitting above the 10-game mark.
- He leads the ACC with five triples, as his average checks in at 10th best in the league. He boasts a .527 slugging mark and a .421 on base percentage.
- Popa has swiped 11 bases on the season to lead the team, drawing 14 walks and 10 hit by pitches, adding 12 doubles and three homers.
- Freshman Billy Corcoran has had an impressive start to his collegiate baseball career, putting up strong numbers in his rookie campaign.
- Corcoran ranks 10th in the ACC with a 3.48 ERA, leading all Pitt starting pitchers. On the season, he's struck out 39 over 51.2innings of work, holding opponents to a .238 average.
- In league play the hard-throwing righty hasn't shied away, ranking sixth with a 3.25 ERA in ACC action. He's collected 36.0 innings of work in the conference, letting up just 13 runs off 32 hits and 15 walks, fanning 25 and holding opponents to a .241 average.
- Sophomore reliever Chase Smith has put up impressive numbers as the anchor out of the bullpen for the Panthers. Smith currently ranks third in the ACC with a 2.70 ERA, having let up just 14 earned runs in 46.2 innings of work.
- The Georgia native leads Pitt with four saves, tallying a career-best 42 strikeouts, having let up just nine extra base knocks on the season.
- The Pitt offense surged in the finale against Maryland Eastern Shore (May 1), tallying 26 runs off 21 hits, downing the Hawks 26-2 to secure the series sweep.
- The run output was the second highest in program history for the Panthers and the most against an NCAA Division I opponent, nearing the 36 runs put up against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1953.
- Thirteen Panther batters collected at least one hit as Pitt tallied its most runs and largest margin of victory in program history at Charles L. Cost Field.
- Sophomore reliever Chase Smith was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watchlist, an award annually given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
- The Georgia native made 22 appearances as a true freshman, third most on the team. He held opponents to just a .191 average, competing to a record of 1-1 with one save and a 3.16 ERA.
- Smith is one of five ACC pitchers to garner the recognition and marks the second straight season in which a Pitt reliever has earned the preseason distinction (Yasin Chentouf).
- Freshman pitchers Billy Corcoran and Brady Devereux are no strangers to one another, as the duo comes to Pitt after stellar careers at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa.
- The pair won three state championships at Malvern, collecting the state title in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
- Both nationally touted recruits and highly sought after Pennsylvania player, both ranked in the top five amongst right handed pitchers and in the top 20 in the state of Pennsylvania by Perfect Game.
- Mike Bell is in his first season as head coach at Pitt after a seven-year stint as the associate head coach for ACC powerhouse Florida State. He brings 14 years of Division I coaching experience to the program and has coached 47 MLB draft picks, including 2006's No. 1 overall pick Luke Hochevar.
- In 2012, he was named the Perfect Game Assistant Coach of the Year and before the 2017 season, was named the No. 13 recruiter in the country by D1Baseball.com. In the last 13 years, Bell has also helped lead three teams to four College World Series appearances - Tennessee (2005), Oklahoma (2010), and Florida State (2012 & 2017). In his time at Florida State, the program won three ACC titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018 and his pitchers have recorded 500 or more strikeouts.
- Junior pitcher Dan Hammer had a summer to remember in the prestigious Cape Cod League, earning national recognition in his second stint with the Chatham Anglers. The hard-throwing righty was the East Division's starting pitcher in the 2018 Cape Cod League All-Star game and put up impressive numbers splitting time between the bullpen and the starting rotation.
- The Panthers' righty was one of the best in the nation's top collegiate summer league, posting a 2-0 record and a 2.16 ERA in 25.0 innings for the Anglers, striking out 20 in the process.
- The Chatham Anglers are no stranger to Pitt pitchers, having hosted 2016 First Round Draft pick T.J. Zeuch, as well as 2017 19th round pick Isaac Mattson and 2018 Sixth Round pick RJ Freure.
- Redshirt junior pitcher Derek West had a solid season in the Cape Cod League, pitching with the league champion Wareham Gatemen. After joining the Gatemen in July, West made four appearances, including two starts, competing to a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings. He allowed just two runs off eight hits and six walks, striking out 15 and holding opponents to a .143 average.
- Pitt returns to Charles L. Cost Field for the final four home games of the season, hosting Western Michigan May 7 before welcoming ACC rival North Carolina May 10-12.
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