Pitt Continues Road Trip with Three-Game Series at Clemson

Friday, March 6

Clemson, SC

2 p.m.

Pitt

Clemson

Chandler Walter at third base vs. CSU Bakersfield.

Photo by: Nick Allen

Pitt Continues Road Trip with Three-Game Series at Clemson

3/5/2020 9:31:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt softball team stays on the road this weekend, playing ACC foe Clemson for a three-game series starting Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m.

LEADING OFF

The Panthers travel back to Clemson, S.C. for a three-game conference series with Clemson starting Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m.
Pitt made the trip to Clemson in its second week for the ACC/B1G Challenge, playing Michigan State and Maryland twice.
The contest Friday will be the first ever meeting between Pitt and Clemson. Clemson is in its first year as a program.

THE SCHEDULE

Pitt begins play Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m. Its second game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. followed by the third and final game on Sunday at 12 p.m.

GOOD KNIGHT

Through seven starts, redshirt junior Brittany Knight has five wins and has punched out 37 batters over 45.2 innings.
Knight holds a 3.83 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP. In nine appearances, she has thrown five complete-games, tied for fourth in the ACC.
The Windham, Ohio, native has caused 11 batters to strike out looking, tied for tenth in the conference.
Knight pitched a complete game last Friday night at North Carolina, giving up three earned and striking out three for her fifth win of the 2020 campaign.
At the ACC/B1G Challenge, Knight broke her career single-game strikeout record with nine Ks vs. Michigan State. Knight followed that performance up with nine strikeouts vs. Maryland, throwing 18 strikeouts in 12.2 innings of action.
Knight opened the season against CSU Bakersfield, where she threw a complete game with six strikeouts and allowed just one earned run. She followed that performance up with a complete game showing vs. San Diego, giving up just one earned and striking out three.

POWERFUL PAVLICK

Sophomore Katlyn Pavlick has showed her muscle this season, leading the team in slugging percentage (.636), home runs (3) and RBIs (9).
The South Park, Pa., native is tied for first on the team in hits (14), second in OPS (1.011), batting average (.318) and runs (11).

In last Friday's contest against UNC, Pavlick went 2-for-4 with a home run, triple, two RBIs and two runs. Her home run was hit in the first inning off the first pitch of the game, becoming the first Panther since Olivia Gray on April 13 of last year to lead off an inning with a homer.

Pavlick went 5-for-12 with five RBIs, one double, a home run and four runs in four games at the ACC/B1G Challenge against Michigan State and Maryland.
During the opening season Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at UCLA, Pavlick homered, tripled, scored four runs and collected five hits.

A NEW HOPE

Freshman Hope Alley has started in all 15 games this season at shortstop, totaling eight hits and three RBIs.
The Pleasanton, Calif., native leads the team in assists (20) and is tied for third on the squad with 26 putouts.
Alley registered the first RBI of her career Feb. 15 against Maryland, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk in the Panthers' 8-5 victory.

ON THE HUNT

Junior Hunter Levesque has picked up where she left off in 2019, batting .317 with a 1.025 OPS, 13 hits and 12 runs to her credit. Levesque hit .322 last season with a 1.034 OPS, 11 home runs and 31 RBIs on her way to All-ACC Second Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team honors.
The Troy, N.Y., product has three doubles, a triple and two home runs while registering 24 total bases and leads the team with a .440 on base percentage.
Most recently in Chapel Hill, Levesque hit .333 with a double, triple and a home run and scored four runs, recording a slugging percentage of 1.000.
Levesque enjoyed a productive weekend at the ACC/B1G Challenge in Clemson, going 5-for-11 with three runs, one double and five walks.
Levesque made a diving grab to her right to end the third inning against San Diego in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament, ultimately earning a spot on the NCAA Softball Top Five Plays list at number five.

KRUGER CATCHING FIRE

Senior Kaitlyn Kruger is swinging a hot bat as of late, hitting .368 with a .579 slugging percentage and five doubles. Kruger's batting average currently leads the team and stands 8th in the conference.
The Calabasas, Calif., native is tied for fifth in the ACC in doubles and is tied for first on the squad in hits with 14.
Last weekend at North Carolina, Kruger went 4-for-7 with two doubles and an RBI, totaling six bases and hitting .571 for the weekend.
In the Pirate Invite, she hit .375 with a double and three hits.
At the ACC/B1G Challenge, Kruger hit two doubles and produced two RBIs while slugging .417.

SENIORS STEPPING UP

Seniors Walker Barbee, Alexee Haynes, Kaitlyn Kruger and Connor McGaffic provided the offense last weekend at North Carolina, combining for 14 of the teams 23 hits and hitting a collective .433.
Haynes finished the series 5-for-10 with a triple and two RBIs. McGaffic had three hits and an RBI, while Barbee had two hits, including a home run and drew three walks.

MORGAN IN THE CLUTCH

Junior Morgan Batesole came up big for the Panthers Feb. 14 vs. Michigan State, delivering a walk-off single to defeat the Spartans 3-2.
Tied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Walnut Creek, Calif., native hit a single up the middle, scoring Hope Alley to give Pitt the victory. The Panthers were down 2-1 with two outs a no one on in the bottom of the seventh before the rally was capped off by Batesole.
She recorded four hits, three RBIs, one triple and turned a double play in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Batesole has a team-best three double plays turned for the Panther defense.

THE SERIES – CLEMSON

The Panthers and Tigers meet for the first time in program history Friday.
2020 marks the first year for the Clemson softball program.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

The Tigers enter the weekend 16-7 overall and 3-0 in ACC play.
Clemson swept Virginia in its first ACC series ever, outscoring the Cavaliers 28-14 from Feb. 28 - March 1.
Clemson is 4-0 against opposition Pitt has played this year. The Tigers swept both Maryland and Michigan State in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
The Tigers enter Friday on an eight game winning streak, last losing on February 22.
Valerie Cagle leads the Tiger offense, securing ACC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season last week.
Cagle is first in the ACC in home runs (9), RBIs (31) and runs (24) and is second in hits (32) and slugging percentage (.788). The freshman is hitting .400 for the season with an on-base percentage of .450.
Cagle also leads the pitching staff with a 2.60 ERA and a 7-6 record. Logan Caymol also has seven wins, posting a 7-1 record with a 2.85 ERA. Cagle (69) and Caymol (55) have combined for 124 of the team's137 strikeouts.

UP NEXT

Pitt stays on the road for its spring break trip, traveling to Greenville, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C., playing Furman on Tuesday, March 10 at 1 p.m. and Charlotte on Wednesday, March 11 at 3 p.m.
The Panthers conclude their spring break trip at the Camel Stampede on the campus of Campbell Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15. Pitt will play host school Campbell and Saint Joseph's twice, beginning with SJU at 1 p.m. Friday.

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