Pitt Back with ACC Play at Boston College

PITTSBURGH – Pitt baseball resumes ACC play with a three-game series at Boston College: Friday at 5:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

All three games will be streamed on ACCNX.
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 (4-2, 2.83 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) | RHP Joe Mancini (2-1, 4.84 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)
SATURDAY: RHP Logan Evans (3-2, 5.65 ERA, 1.42 WHIP) | RHP Sean Hard (0-3, 10.80 ERA, 2.26 WHIP)
SUNDAY: RHP Billy Corcoran (1-2, 4.15 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) | RHP Mason Pelio (1-2, 11.42 ERA, 2.77 WHIP)

HOME RUN HITTING SQUAD

The story of the Pitt offense so far this season has been its home run hitting ability.
With 49 in 27 games, the Panthers rank in the nation 10th in homers and ninth per game (1.81).
Additionally, Pitt is 23rd in slugging percentage (.509) and 29th in batting average (.404).
Tatem Levins has been the leader of that power-hitting squad, blasting nine to place 42nd in the nation.
Kyle Hess (eight) is 73rd in the nation.
Per game, Levins (.33) is 50th, Ron Washington, Jr. (.32) is 71st and Hess is 80th (.31).
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 had two in the series win over No. 5 Louisville.

BREAKOUT SEASON FOR HULETT

Bryce Hulett has enjoyed a tremendous start to the season as the Panthers' top hitter.
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 the team-lead for OPS (1.159), batting average (.380), hits (35), slugging percentage (.663) and on-base percentage (.496) along with 13 extra-base hits and 20 walks to just 11 strikeouts.
In the nation he ranks 67th in on-base percentage and 100th in batting average and is in the ACC seventh in OPS, eighth in batting average and 10th in on-base percentage.
His power has seen an uptick with six homers, six doubles and a triple in 92 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 8.4 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 48-game reached base streak started last year and currently ranks 71st in the nation in walks (22).
This season he leads the team in walks and has a .441 on-base percentage, 31 hits and 13 RBI.
He recorded a nation-best nine walks and three hits on opening weekend.
Known for his ability to draw walks in his entire career, he ranks fifth in program history with 105.
Former teammate David Yanni (148, 2016-21), John Schultz (142, 2008-11), Jacob Wright (116, 2015-17), and Jim Negrych (107, 2004-06) all could be passed by Duff this or next season.
In the nation he ranked last year 14th in doubles per game (.43), 47th in doubles (18), 67th in hits per game (1.43), 83rd in batting average (.366) and 91st in on-base percentage (.461).
He was in the ACC fifth in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage and doubles.
The junior showed an improvement with his power, racking up a team-high 18 doubles.
He also hit two homers each of the last two years after recording his first career homer the previous 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 2.83 ERA along with a 1.31 WHIP, 4-2 record, 41 strikeouts to 10 walks and a .270 opposing batting average.
This season he ranks in the ACC tied for first in strikeouts looking (17) and third in innings pitched (41.1).
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 with two runs, eight hits and no walks with five strikeouts.
In 24 career starts at Pitt, Gilbertson has accumulated 133 strikeouts to just 36 walks and gone at least five innings in all but two games.
With starts in the second game of each weekend series in 2021, Gilbertson posted a 6-4 record with a 1.29 WHIP, 4.45 ERA, 72 strikeouts to 20 walks and a .269 opposing batting average.
In the ACC, he ranked tied seventh in innings pitched (85.0) and ninth in wins (six), both team-highs.

SCOUTING BOSTON COLLEGE

Stand in last place in the ACC at 2-10 and 13-16 overall.
Won two games in a row, both at home, with a 4-2 victory over local rival Northeastern Tuesday and 7-6 win in the series finale Sunday against Wake Forest.
Ranks 14th in the nation in homers (47) and 43rd in slugging percentage (.478).
Sophomore outfielder Cameron Leary ranks in the nation eighth in walks (30), 10th in homers (12), 27th in runs (36) and 59th in RBI.
Junior infielder Luke Gold ranks fourth in doubles (15), and sophomore first baseman/left-handed pitcher Joe Vetrano ranks 26th in homers (10) and 39th in RBI (34).

ALL-TIME SERIES

Pitt has the advantage at 30-26.
The Panthers have won two of three games in all four series (2021, 2018, 2016 and 2014) since joining the ACC in 2014.
The two schools have split the 24 matchups at Boston College.

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