Pitt Hosts No. 5 Virginia for ACC Weekend Series

PITTSBURGH – Pitt baseball returns to ACC play with another home weekend series against the No. 5 team in the nation, Virginia: Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

GAME PROMOTIONS

Sunday will have a postgame Easter egg hunt on the field.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on ACCNX, and Sunday is on the ACC Network.
Fans can follow along with live stats and updates through Twitter. Follow @Pitt_BASE for the latest news and updates about the team.

STARTING PITCHERS

FRIDAY: RHP Matt Gilbertson (5-2, 2.98 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) | LHP Savino (4-2, 3.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP)
SATURDAY: RHP Logan Evans (3-3, 6.00 ERA, 1.45 WHIP) | LHP Gursky (5-0, 3.09 ERA, 1.31 WHIP)
SUNDAY: RHP Billy Corcoran (4-2, 3.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) | LHP Berry (4-1, 4.62 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)

HOME RUN HITTING SQUAD

The story of the Pitt offense so far this season has been its home run hitting ability.
With 55 in 31 games, the Panthers rank in the nation 13th in homers and 12th per game (1.77).
Additionally, Pitt is 15th in slugging percentage (.519) and 30th in on-base percentage (.403).
Tatem Levins has been the leader of that power-hitting squad, blasting 10 to place 48th in the nation.
Ron Washington, Jr. (nine) is 78th.
Per game, Washington, Jr. (.36) is 41st, Levins (.32) is 65th and Hess is 91st (.30).
All nine of the batters in the current starting lineup have hit at least two with Brock Franks and Washington, Jr. both registering seven, Bryce Hulett hitting six and Jack Anderson with five.
CJ Funk hit his first collegiate homer at Virginia Tech (Saturday, March 19) and has hit three in the last six games (two against No. 5 Louisville, April 2 and 3, and at Boston College, April 9).
Filling in at shortstop for an injured Franks, freshman Tommy Tavarez has hit three in the last five games (at Youngstown State, April 6, at Boston College, April 8 and at Kent State, April 12).

SERIES WIN AT BC

Pitt won its third-straight ACC series last weekend at Boston College, winning the first game 13-3 and clinching the series 10-9 Sunday.
The Panthers have won two of three games in all five ACC series against the Eagles (2022, 2021, 2018, 2016 and 2014).
Starting pitching was a key once again for the Panthers' weekend success, as Matt Gilbertson won his four-straight start and went seven innings for the third time in a row in Friday's victory.
Billy Corcoran went six innings with one earned run, four hits, one walk and five strikeouts for his second-straight start.
The Panthers' offense was explosive once again, hitting three triples Friday, the most in an ACC game, and racked up 17 total extra-base hits, including five homers.

BREAKOUT SEASON FOR WASHINGTON, JR.

Ron Washington, Jr. has saved his best season for last in his five-year career at Pitt.
Already an established bat in the ACC his entire career as an all-freshman selection in 2018, he has taken his game, especially the power numbers, to another level this spring.
Despite missing five games and limited to a pinch-hit appearance due to an injury, he has the team-lead for OPS (1.110) and slugging percentage (.685), is tied with Levins for the team-lead in extra-base hits (15) and has 24 RBI, a .315 batting average and four stolen bases.
In the nation he ranks 41st in homers per game (.36), 78th in homers and 79th in slugging percentage.
In 89 at-bats, he has already established a season-best nine homers (eight last year) and four steals (two in 2021 and 2018).
Entering this year, he posted a season-best of a .480 slugging percentage last year (not counting a .492 total in the shortened 2020 season).

BREAKOUT SEASON FOR HULETT

Bryce Hulett has enjoyed a tremendous start to the season as one of the Panthers' top hitters.
Known for his tremendous glove at first base since he started his career in Pittsburgh in 2020, Hulett has excelled at the plate so far this spring.
He has recorded a .327 batting average and .456 on-base percentage along with 1.026 OPS, .570 slugging percentage, 35 hits, 13 for extra-base, and 24 walks to just 14 strikeouts.
In the nation he ranks 95th in walks and is 18th in the ACC.
His power has seen an uptick with six homers, six doubles and a triple in 107 at-bats (eight, three and zero in 154 last season), and he's drawn more walks and cut down drastically on strikeouts (averaging one per 7.6 at-bats), compared to last year (55 in 157, average of one every 2.85 at-bats).

THE DUFFMAN

Sky Duff had a breakout campaign in 2021, his third year in Pittsburgh, and earned spots on the All-ACC Third-Team and ABCA/Rawlings All-East Region Second Team.
Serving as the leadoff batter for most of the season, Duff has an active 52-game reached base streak started last year and currently ranks 43rd in the nation in walks (27).
This season he leads the team in walks and has a .442 on-base percentage, 35 hits and 16 RBI.
He recorded a nation-best nine walks and three hits also on opening weekend.
Known for his ability to draw walks in his entire career, he ranks fourth in program history with 110.
Former teammate David Yanni (148, 2016-21), John Schultz (142, 2008-11) and Jacob Wright (116, 2015-17) all could be passed by Duff this or next season.

GILL ON THE HILL

Matt Gilbertson was the Panthers' "Saturday" pitcher all last season and is the No. 1 pitcher this year.
Gilbertson has posted a team-best 2.98 ERA along with a 1.32 WHIP, 5-2 record, 45 strikeouts to 10 walks and a .284 opposing batting average.
This season he ranks in the ACC third in innings pitched (48.1) and strikeouts looking (20) and 10th in wins (five).
In the nation, he's 30th in wins, 26th in games starts (eight) and 90th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.86).
He earned his first win this season with no earned runs allowed and four strikeouts in five innings pitched against Bradley (Feb. 25).
He recorded his first ACC victory at Virginia Tech (March 18), going six innings with two runs, six hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.
He notched another ACC win against No. 20 Clemson with seven shutout innings with just five hits and no walks allowed with nine strikeouts.
He made it three-straight starts with a win by going seven innings again versus No. 5 Louisville with two runs, eight hits and no walks with five strikeouts.
It became four-straight starts with a victory and three-straight with seven innings pitched at Boston College with three runs, 10 hits, no walks and four strikeouts.
In 25 career starts at Pitt, Gilbertson has accumulated 137 strikeouts to just 36 walks and gone at least five innings in all but two games.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Virginia has the edge at 21-6.
Half of the Panthers' wins have come at Cost Field.
Pitt owns the most recent series win, winning two of three last year on March 21-22 (2-1 and 6-2) for the first wins in Charlottesville and the second series victory overall.
The Panthers have defeated a ranked Cavalier squad on two occasions: 2-1 on April 5, 2014 (No. 1) and 1-0 on March 7, 2015 (No. 1).

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Pitt Hosts No. 5 Virginia for ACC Weekend Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jack Anderson

Billy Corcoran

Sky Duff

Logan Evans

Brock Franks

C.J. Funk

Matt Gilbertson

Bryce Hulett

Tatem Levins

Tommy Tavarez

Ron Washington, Jr.

David Yanni

Pitt Hosts No. 5 Virginia for ACC Weekend Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jack Anderson

Billy Corcoran

Sky Duff

Logan Evans

Brock Franks

C.J. Funk

Matt Gilbertson

Bryce Hulett

Tatem Levins

Tommy Tavarez

Ron Washington, Jr.

David Yanni

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