University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Justin Pondexter/Pitt Athletics
2020 Softball: A Season Cut Short
3/31/2020 11:23:00 AM | Softball
PITTSBURGH – The 2020 Pittsburgh softball season consisted of just 20 games, all of which were neutral site or away contests, but plenty of highlights occurred in the six weeks that the Panthers took the field before the season ended abruptly due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
"Usually 'The Game' tells you when, how or why the season is going to conclude," said head coach Jodi Hermanek." "Usually, there is anticipation for celebration of your team's last victory, or there is hesitation of your team's last pitch. This year, our 2020 team didn't get that last pitch told by 'The Game' that our season is done. This year, we got to read and hear about the decisions and changes going on in the sports world, and among our nation."
"Nonetheless, we are proud of the season's work and commitment and direction that this team worked for," stated Hermanek." "Even though the season got interrupted, the Panthers are proud of the work and gains that we made in off-season, in the locker room and on the diamond. Twenty-something more games would've allowed us to unveil more about what this team could've accomplish, but the eight months we committed to one another and this program, this group of young athletes and amazing coaches and staff can certainly be proud of the impact made by each. Even though our season halted, we Panther Softball is stronger now that it was eight months ago."
Pitt opened play in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif., with a 5-1 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Junior transfer LoLo Sanchez began her Pitt career in a big way, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk against the Roadrunners. In 14 at-bats in her home state of California, Sanchez totaled eight hits, including a triple, 2 RBI, two walks and a .571 batting average and earned Office Depot Student-Athlete of the Week on Feb. 11.
Leaving California with a 2-3 record, including two losses against No. 4 UCLA, the Panthers traveled to Clemson, S.C., and competed in the ACC/B1G Challenge against Michigan State and Maryland.
Pitt split its four games with the Spartans and Terrapins. The Panthers opened ACC/B1G Challenge play with a 3-2 walk-off win against Michigan State courtesy of junior Morgan Batesole's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Hunter Levesque and sophomore Katlyn Pavlick each had five hits for the weekend, both accounting for one double each. Pavlick tallied five RBIs, four runs and a home run while Levesque scored three times and drew five walks. Redshirt junior Brittany Knight made three appearances, throwing two complete games and striking out 23 batters over 19.2 innings of work.
The Panthers continued their road trip to Greenville, N.C., and played three games in the Pirate Invite. Pitt defeated Towson, 4-2, and dropped decisions against UMass and East Carolina. Pitt stayed in the state of North Carolina and opened up ACC play against the North Carolina Tar Heels, taking the first of three games. It was the first time since 2015 the Panthers started ACC play 1-0. Against the Tar Heels, senior Alexee Haynes hit .500, going 5-for-10 with a triple, two RBIs and a slugging percentage of .700. Levesque slashed a slugging percentage of 1.000, hitting one double, one triple, and one home run and scored four runs against North Carolina.
Pitt traveled a state south and continued ACC play with a three-game series against Clemson. The Panthers dropped the first two in the series before bouncing back in game three with arguably its best game of the season. Pitt defeated the Tigers 8-2 in a game that included a web gem from Pavlick, a pinch-hit grand slam from sophomore Sarah Seamans and a commanding performance on the mound for Knight allowing just one hit in seven innings.
The Panthers endured their last week of the season at Furman and Charlotte, splitting between the two. As Pitt traveled to Buies Creek, N.C., the season was halted on March 12 due to the COVID-19 outbreak spreading across the nation.
While the 2020 softball season will be remembered for the abrupt halt due to an invisible foe, the lasting highlights made throughout the short campaign will also not be forgotten by these players and staff.
For starters, junior Hunter Levesque ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak, while senior Connor McGaffic concluded with an eight-game streak. Levesque hit .355 with 11 hits, 10 runs, three doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBIs, four walks and a .613 slugging percentage during her hitting streak.
"Hunter is such a consistent athlete," said Hermanek. She cares so much about how she can contribute to her team, how she can be the best hitter she's capable of being. Hunter's hitting streak is directly related to her being a student of the game, knowing her strengths and rocking it when the scoreboard is lit. And watching the working relationship she has with Coach Hall was exactly how you want to see an athlete invest in being her very best."
As soon as I watched this kid swing a bat when I got on campus two years ago, I could only see potential in this athlete," stated Hermanek on McGaffic. "Man, she has a swing! And Coach Hall challenged Connor to give more attention to her craft, and she did. When Connor is challenged to be her best version of her, she answers! So, her hitting streak is a testament to the cliché coaches put on their athletes all the time: if you work at it, and you work to perfect it until you can't get it wrong, you will feel success.
The four seniors came on hot in their last 10 games. Walker Barbee, Alexee Haynes, Kaitlyn Kruger and McGaffic combined for a .325 batting average, totaling 14 RBIs, 33 hits, seven extra base hits and a .468 slugging percentage during that span.
Multiple Panthers earned NCAA Softball recognition for their play in the field. Against San Diego, Levesque made a diving grab to her right to end the third inning, ultimately earning NCAA Top Five Plays of the Week at number five. Freshman Hope Alley made a leaping grab to her right at shortstop against North Carolina, while Pavlick robbed a home run away from Clemson.
The bats made noise this season too. Batesole walked it off for the Panthers against Michigan State in the bottom of the seventh and Pavlick hit one of her four home runs of the year roughly 300 feet at North Carolina.
The moment of the season, as dubbed by the team, was Seamans' pinch-hit grand slam against Clemson on Sunday, March 8. Down 2-0, coach Hermanek put in Seamans in a bases loaded situation with no outs in the top of the fourth inning to try and produce some runs. Seamans did just that, cranking a grand slam to left field and jolting the Panther offense that scored four more after that, including home runs from Pavlick and Kruger.
"My overall reaction when I hit the grand slam was excitement," said Seamans. "I was so pumped that I was able to come in at a time like that and get something going for my team."
Pitt finished the season 8-12 overall and 2-4 in conference play, and while the rest of the season was officially cancelled on March 17 as announced by the ACC, the memories on the field and on the road during its six-week road trip will outweigh the sudden halt to the season.
"Truthfully, I'm not mentally ready to walk into the 'next season' mindset," said Hermanek. "Yes, I have a lot of great anticipation for the future of Panther softball, the athletes coming in and the impact they will bring. But, our coaches and staff remain focused on making this 2020 team the best they can be for themselves, their families and their communities. We might not be training the 'athlete' and playing on a diamond, but this staff is dedicated to mentoring and supporting the 'student' in other ways that will help guide these seniors closer to their diploma's; continuing to guide this team towards their academic goals for this semester and building the best at-distance sisterhood we can be."
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"Usually 'The Game' tells you when, how or why the season is going to conclude," said head coach Jodi Hermanek." "Usually, there is anticipation for celebration of your team's last victory, or there is hesitation of your team's last pitch. This year, our 2020 team didn't get that last pitch told by 'The Game' that our season is done. This year, we got to read and hear about the decisions and changes going on in the sports world, and among our nation."
"Nonetheless, we are proud of the season's work and commitment and direction that this team worked for," stated Hermanek." "Even though the season got interrupted, the Panthers are proud of the work and gains that we made in off-season, in the locker room and on the diamond. Twenty-something more games would've allowed us to unveil more about what this team could've accomplish, but the eight months we committed to one another and this program, this group of young athletes and amazing coaches and staff can certainly be proud of the impact made by each. Even though our season halted, we Panther Softball is stronger now that it was eight months ago."
Pitt opened play in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, Calif., with a 5-1 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Junior transfer LoLo Sanchez began her Pitt career in a big way, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk against the Roadrunners. In 14 at-bats in her home state of California, Sanchez totaled eight hits, including a triple, 2 RBI, two walks and a .571 batting average and earned Office Depot Student-Athlete of the Week on Feb. 11.
Leaving California with a 2-3 record, including two losses against No. 4 UCLA, the Panthers traveled to Clemson, S.C., and competed in the ACC/B1G Challenge against Michigan State and Maryland.
Pitt split its four games with the Spartans and Terrapins. The Panthers opened ACC/B1G Challenge play with a 3-2 walk-off win against Michigan State courtesy of junior Morgan Batesole's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Hunter Levesque and sophomore Katlyn Pavlick each had five hits for the weekend, both accounting for one double each. Pavlick tallied five RBIs, four runs and a home run while Levesque scored three times and drew five walks. Redshirt junior Brittany Knight made three appearances, throwing two complete games and striking out 23 batters over 19.2 innings of work.
The Panthers continued their road trip to Greenville, N.C., and played three games in the Pirate Invite. Pitt defeated Towson, 4-2, and dropped decisions against UMass and East Carolina. Pitt stayed in the state of North Carolina and opened up ACC play against the North Carolina Tar Heels, taking the first of three games. It was the first time since 2015 the Panthers started ACC play 1-0. Against the Tar Heels, senior Alexee Haynes hit .500, going 5-for-10 with a triple, two RBIs and a slugging percentage of .700. Levesque slashed a slugging percentage of 1.000, hitting one double, one triple, and one home run and scored four runs against North Carolina.
Pitt traveled a state south and continued ACC play with a three-game series against Clemson. The Panthers dropped the first two in the series before bouncing back in game three with arguably its best game of the season. Pitt defeated the Tigers 8-2 in a game that included a web gem from Pavlick, a pinch-hit grand slam from sophomore Sarah Seamans and a commanding performance on the mound for Knight allowing just one hit in seven innings.
The Panthers endured their last week of the season at Furman and Charlotte, splitting between the two. As Pitt traveled to Buies Creek, N.C., the season was halted on March 12 due to the COVID-19 outbreak spreading across the nation.
While the 2020 softball season will be remembered for the abrupt halt due to an invisible foe, the lasting highlights made throughout the short campaign will also not be forgotten by these players and staff.
For starters, junior Hunter Levesque ended the season on an 11-game hitting streak, while senior Connor McGaffic concluded with an eight-game streak. Levesque hit .355 with 11 hits, 10 runs, three doubles, one triple, one home run, four RBIs, four walks and a .613 slugging percentage during her hitting streak.
"Hunter is such a consistent athlete," said Hermanek. She cares so much about how she can contribute to her team, how she can be the best hitter she's capable of being. Hunter's hitting streak is directly related to her being a student of the game, knowing her strengths and rocking it when the scoreboard is lit. And watching the working relationship she has with Coach Hall was exactly how you want to see an athlete invest in being her very best."
As soon as I watched this kid swing a bat when I got on campus two years ago, I could only see potential in this athlete," stated Hermanek on McGaffic. "Man, she has a swing! And Coach Hall challenged Connor to give more attention to her craft, and she did. When Connor is challenged to be her best version of her, she answers! So, her hitting streak is a testament to the cliché coaches put on their athletes all the time: if you work at it, and you work to perfect it until you can't get it wrong, you will feel success.
The four seniors came on hot in their last 10 games. Walker Barbee, Alexee Haynes, Kaitlyn Kruger and McGaffic combined for a .325 batting average, totaling 14 RBIs, 33 hits, seven extra base hits and a .468 slugging percentage during that span.
Multiple Panthers earned NCAA Softball recognition for their play in the field. Against San Diego, Levesque made a diving grab to her right to end the third inning, ultimately earning NCAA Top Five Plays of the Week at number five. Freshman Hope Alley made a leaping grab to her right at shortstop against North Carolina, while Pavlick robbed a home run away from Clemson.
The bats made noise this season too. Batesole walked it off for the Panthers against Michigan State in the bottom of the seventh and Pavlick hit one of her four home runs of the year roughly 300 feet at North Carolina.
The moment of the season, as dubbed by the team, was Seamans' pinch-hit grand slam against Clemson on Sunday, March 8. Down 2-0, coach Hermanek put in Seamans in a bases loaded situation with no outs in the top of the fourth inning to try and produce some runs. Seamans did just that, cranking a grand slam to left field and jolting the Panther offense that scored four more after that, including home runs from Pavlick and Kruger.
"My overall reaction when I hit the grand slam was excitement," said Seamans. "I was so pumped that I was able to come in at a time like that and get something going for my team."
Pitt finished the season 8-12 overall and 2-4 in conference play, and while the rest of the season was officially cancelled on March 17 as announced by the ACC, the memories on the field and on the road during its six-week road trip will outweigh the sudden halt to the season.
"Truthfully, I'm not mentally ready to walk into the 'next season' mindset," said Hermanek. "Yes, I have a lot of great anticipation for the future of Panther softball, the athletes coming in and the impact they will bring. But, our coaches and staff remain focused on making this 2020 team the best they can be for themselves, their families and their communities. We might not be training the 'athlete' and playing on a diamond, but this staff is dedicated to mentoring and supporting the 'student' in other ways that will help guide these seniors closer to their diploma's; continuing to guide this team towards their academic goals for this semester and building the best at-distance sisterhood we can be."
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