Pitt Hosts Georgia Tech to Finish Regular Season

Thursday, May 19

Pittsburgh, Pa.

6 PM

Pitt

Georgia Tech

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

Pitt Hosts Georgia Tech to Finish Regular Season

5/18/2022 6:56:00 PM | Baseball

Live Stream (Thursday)Live Stream (Friday)Live Stream (Saturday)Live Stats Game Notes

PITTSBURGH – Pitt baseball plays its final series of the season this weekend at home in a pivotal matchup against ACC Divisional foe Georgia Tech: Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.

GAME PROMOTIONS

Thursday:
- The third set of Pitt baseball trading card packs will be given out.
- Lacrosse player Brittney Villhauer to throw out the first pitch.
Friday:
- The fourth set of Pitt baseball trading card packs will be given out.
Saturday:
- Fan appreciation day.
- As a special thank you for your support all year long, Pitt baseball prizes will be given away to fans every inning! Fans will be able to enter at the marketing table to be eligible to win.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Each game 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 (8-3, 3.06 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) | RHP John Medich (4-4, 5.28 ERA, 1.43 WHIP)
SATURDAY: RHP Billy Corcoran (7-4, 3.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) | RHP Marguis Grissom, Jr. (2-5, 5.91 ERA, 1.80 WHIP)
SUNDAY: RHP Logan Evans (4-6, 6.90 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) | TBA

RPI TALK

With the Panthers' improved play and strong wins in April, they find themselves in the upper portion of the RPI rankings.
Pitt currently stands at No. 59 (.5499) with a strength of schedule at 40 (.5495).
With its strong slate of opponents, Pitt is 10-13 against quadrant one teams (squads ranked 1-50) and 1-0 against quadrant two teams (squads ranked 50-100).
- Two wins against No. 10 Louisville, No. 16 Virginia and No. 23 Clemson.
- One win versus No. 5 Virginia Tech, No. 11 Miami, No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 41 West Virginia and No. 58 Campbell.
The ACC is the second-highest rated league in the country.
Pitt has one three-game weekend series left against a quad one squad (No. 25 Georgia Tech) to solidify its RPI and postseason aspirations.

ACC TOURNAMENT

With one league weekend series remaining in the regular season, the Panthers have already clinched a spot in the ACC Tournament (May 24-29, Truist Field in Charlotte) for a second-straight season for the first time.
Pitt (13-13) is eighth in the ACC overall standings.
The standings remain tight as Pitt can move ahead as high as No. 5 in the league or fall as far as No. 11 after this weekend's series against Georgia Tech (12-15).
A series victory with two wins would ensure the Panthers wouldn't be seeded below their current spot of eighth in the standings.
The last weekend's matchups with the team's current place in the standings:
- No. 13 Duke (10-17) at No. 2 Virginia Tech (16-9)
- No. 14 Boston College (5-22) at No. 12 Clemson (10-16)
- No. 6 Florida State (15-12) at No. 11 North Carolina (12-15)
- No. 5 Virginia (16-11) at No. 4 Louisville (16-10-1)
- No. 9 Wake Forest (12-14-1) at No. 7 NC State (14-12)
- No. 3 Notre Dame (15-9) at No. 1 Miami (18-9)

HOME RUN HITTING SQUAD

The story of the Pitt offense so far this season has been its home run hitting ability.
With 69 in 50 games, the Panthers rank in the nation 45th in homers per game (1.38) and 46th in homers.
Additionally, Pitt is 49th in on-base percentage (.394) and 80th in slugging percentage (.461).
Tatem Levins has been the leader of that power-hitting squad, blasting 14 to place 85th in the nation.
Per game, Ron Washington, Jr. (.31) is 67th.
All nine of the batters in the current starting lineup have hit at least two with Levins hitting 14, Washington, Jr. blasting 13, Brock Franks registering nine, Bryce Hulett hitting seven and Jack Anderson with six.
CJ Funk hit his first collegiate homer at Virginia Tech (Saturday, March 19) and has hit three in his last 18 games (two against No. 5 Louisville, April 2 and 3, and at Boston College, April 9).
Filling in the infield due to multiple injuries, freshman Tommy Tavarez has hit four in his last 16 starts (at Youngstown State, April 6, at Boston College, April 8, at Kent State, April 12 and against No. 5 Virginia, April 15).

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 to another level this spring, especially the power numbers.
Despite missing eight games and limited to a pinch-hit appearance twice due to an injury, he is tied for first on the team in extra-base hits (22) and is second in RBI (36), slugging percentage (.592) and total bases (90) along with four stolen bases.
In the nation he ranks 67th in homers per game (.31).
In 152 at-bats, he has already established a season-best 13 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).
He continues to etch his name in the record book, ranking in program history third in total bases (357), tied for third in homers (33), sixth in doubles (46) and at-bats (733), seventh in RBI (138), ninth in games started (189), 11th in games played (194), tied for 12th in hits (208) and tied for 13th in walks (84).

SLUGGING TATEM

For the season, Tatem Levins has been an effective power hitter, ranking 85th in the nation with 14 homers that included a five-game home run streak (Lipscomb, Feb. 27-at High Point, March 9) and a pair of two-homer performances in the 9-4 win at No. 4 Miami (April 24) and the 21-5 win over Bucknell (March 15).
Overall this season, he has boasted a team-leading 47 RBI, 1.012 OPS and 22 extra-base hits.
In the five-game stretch with a homer he registered a .545 batting average (12-22), 12 hits, 12 RBI, 28 total bases, a 1.273 slugging percentage and .545 on-base percentage.
In program history, Levins ranks for a single-season tied for 11th in home runs and tied for 13th in hit by pitches.
Levins was named ACC Player of the Week March 7 for in his performance at the All-American Classic.
Levins homered in all three games and posted nine RBI and a 1.231 slugging percentage.
He opened the tournament in Fayetteville, N.C. with a 2-4 performance at the plate with a solo homer and double against Army.
He had a two-run homer in the 6-5 comeback win over Ohio State.
In the 11-5 victory over Campbell, he saved his best performance for last with a grand slam and two other hits, six RBI and two runs.
He was also named one of Collegiate Baseball's Players of the Week.

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 this season, Duff has an active 64-game reached base streak started last year and currently ranks 23rd in the nation in walks per game (.90).
This season he is second on the team in walks (38) and has a .443 on-base percentage, 44 hits and 18 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 third in program history with 121.
Former teammate David Yanni (148, 2016-21) and John Schultz (142, 2008-11) could be passed by Duff next season.
He also ranks in program history 15th in doubles (37) and 18th in hits (163).

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 3.06 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 8-3 record, 82 strikeouts to 11 walks and a .255 opposing batting average.
This season he ranks in the ACC first in innings pitched (85.1) and strikeouts looking (32), tied for second in games started (13), tied for third in least walks allowed (11) and wins (8), sixth in strikeouts (82), seventh in least runs allowed per game (3.48) and ninth in ERA (3.06).
In the nation, he's 13th in walks allowed per nine innings (1.16), 16th in wins, 17th in games started, 20th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.36), 84th in strikeouts and 91st in WHIP (1.11).
Gilbertson ranks in program history tied for ninth in career wins (16), 14th in strikeouts (174), tied for 15th in games started (30) and 16th in innings pitched (194.1).
This year, he ranks in single-season program history tied for seventh in wins, tied for 14th in strikeouts and tied for 20th in games started and innings pitched.
In his nine ACC starts, Gilbertson has 51 strikeouts to just five walks in 69.2 innings pitched.
Starting against No. 20 Clemson (March 25), Gilbertson recorded 47.1 consecutive innings without a walk that ended against Duke (May 7).
He's recorded seven wins in his last nine appearances with the one a no decision on eight innings and just one run at then-No. 4 Miami on April 22.
The appearance was the eighth quality start of the season, and he's gone at least seven innings in seven of his last eight games.
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.
The win-streak became five against No. 5 Virginia when he went eight innings with eight strikeouts, no walks and four runs.
He threw an eight-inning complete game, two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts and no walks in the win against North Carolina A&T.
In an ACC victory over Duke, he went seven innings with six strikeouts to just one walk and two runs.
In 30 career starts at Pitt, Gilbertson has accumulated 174 strikeouts to just 37 walks and gone at least five innings in all but two games.

COMEBACK SEASON FOR CORCORAN

Limited to just four appearances in 2021, Billy Corcoran has bounced back tremendously this spring.
This season he ranks in the ACC first in least walks allowed (8), fifth in innings pitched (77.2) and tied for sixth in wins (7).
In the nation, he's fifth in walks allowed per nine innings (0.93), 13th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.88), 49th in victories, 57th in complete games (1) and 65th in WHIP (1.07).
Corcoran was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week on April 25, earning the honors with a win at No. 4 Miami on April 24 in which he had eight strikeouts, one walk and one run in seven innings.
He has gone at least six innings in all 12 appearances this season and allowed just four walks in his last eight starts with a combined 50 strikeouts in 53.2 innings pitched.
He notched wins in four-straight starts (then-No. 5 Louisville, at Boston College, then-No. 5 Virginia and at then-No. 5 Miami).
In that span, he recorded a 1.55 ERA, 26 strikeouts and just two walks in 29.0 innings pitched.
In program history, he ranks 14th in games started (31), 18th in innings pitched (181.1) and tied for 19th in strikeouts (154).

SCOUTING GEORGIA TECH

Stands in a tie for 10th place (12-15) with North Carolina and are 30-21 overall.
Two wins against the Panthers would clinch an ACC Tournament spot.
Enter as one of the best hitting teams in the nation, ranking second in homers (24), fourth in batting average (.320) and hits (598), sixth in slugging percentage (.547), seventh in scoring (9.1 runs per game) and homers (99) and 16th in on-base percentage (.415).
Junior catcher Kevin Parada ranks in the nation second in total bases (161), third in RBI (77), 10th in runs (65), 19th in slugging percentage (.732) and 22nd in hits (78).

ALL-TIME SERIES

Pitt has the edge 11-10.
The Panthers took last year's series against the Yellow Jackets 2-1 on the road with an 11-9 win in the series opener and an 18-12 win in the closer.
Pitt has a 6-2 advantage over Georgia Tech at Cost Field.

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