Pitt
Maine
Baseball Set to Open 2023 Season Against Maine in Sarasota
2/16/2023 11:50:00 AM | Baseball
TOP OF THE ORDER
1. SEASON BEGINS IN SARASOTA
The Pitt baseball team (0-0, 0-0 ACC) opens the 2023 season with a three-game set against Maine (0-0, 0-0 America East) in the Snowbird Classic at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla.
The new season begins Friday (Feb. 17) with a 2 p.m. first pitch. Saturday (Feb. 18) and Sunday (Feb. 19) are both slated for noon starts. All three games will be streamed live on FloBaseball.
Pitt vs. Maine | Friday, Feb. 17 | 2 p.m. | Ed Smith Stadium | Sarasota, Fla.
FloBaseball | StatBroadcast
Pitching Matchup: Pitt Jr. RHP #17 Kyle Mosley (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Maine So. LHP #25 Caleb Leys (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Pitt vs. Maine | Saturday, Feb. 18 | 12 p.m. | Ed Smith Stadium | Sarasota, Fla.
FloBaseball | StatBroadcast
Pitching Matchup: Pitt So. LHP #15 Ethan Firoved (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Maine So. RHP #23 Colin Fitzgerald (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Pitt vs. Maine | Sunday, Feb. 19 | 12 p.m. | Ed Smith Stadium | Sarasota, Fla.
FloBaseball | StatBroadcast
Pitching Matchup: Pitt Gr. RHP #32 Erubiel Candelario (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Maine Jr. RHP #33 Noah Lewis (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
The Panthers are 1-0 all-time against Maine, with the last meeting taking place on March 12, 1999 - a 16-7 victory for Pitt.
Pitt is a perfect 5-0 all-time against current members of the America East Conference.
2. SUNSHINE STATE START
Pitt will spend its first four weekends of the 2023 campaign in the state of Florida.
The Panthers have opened up the season in the Sunshine State nine years in a row.
Pitt is set to play 15 of its first 16 games in Florida to start this season.
3. FOR OPENERS
Pitt is 39-42 on Opening Day dating back to 1939 (records do not include the 1945, '47 and '74 seasons).
The Panthers are seeking their first win on Opening Day since an 11-1 triumph over Indiana State on Feb. 14, 2020, at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. Pitt dropped an 11-3 decision to Canisius on Feb. 18, 2022, in last season's lid lifter at the Snowbird Classic.
OPENING DAY RECORDS
Most Runs Scored: 21
vs. Albany; W, 21-10 (March 3, 2001)
Most Runs Allowed: 19
vs. Wake Forest; L, 19-2 (1986)
Last Shutout: W, 8-0
vs. LIU-Brooklyn (1983)
Last Time Shutout: L, 4-0
vs. Indiana State (Feb. 19, 2021)
Largest Shutout Win: W, 8-0
vs. LIU-Brooklyn (1983)
Worst Shutout Loss: L, 7-0
vs. LIU-Brooklyn (1983)
Longest Extra Inning Game: 13 innings
vs. Mercyhurst; L, 7-6 (March 2, 1991)
Longest Winning Streak: 8 years
2013-20
Longest Losing Streak: 8 years
1984-91
A LOOK BACK AT 2022
Pitt continued the program's ascension under head coach Mike Bell in 2022, posting a winning record with 29 victories, which tied for the program's most since joining the conference in 2014. The Panthers recorded five ACC series victories, including triumphs over a pair of top-five ranked squads (Louisville and Clemson). The Panthers qualified for the ACC Tournament for the second year in a row and just the third time since joining the league. Pitt advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2018 as the No. 11 seed, logging wins over No. 7-seeded Georgia Tech and No. 2-seeded Louisville. The Panthers ended the regular season with an RPI ranking of 69, the 37th-toughest strength of schedule, 12 wins against quadrant one teams and 10 wins against the NCAA Tournament field.
COACHING STAFF BACK FOR '23
Pitt returns its entire coaching staff from the 2022 campaign in '23.
Mike Bell enters his fifth season as head coach of Pitt baseball. Bell was hired in July of 2018, becoming the fifth head coach in Pitt baseball history and bringing 14 years of Division I coaching experience to the Panther program. He joined Pitt after a seven-year stint as the associate head coach and pitching coach at Florida State. Bell signed a new contract in August of 2022 that will ensure his leadership of the Panthers through at least the 2027 season.
Bell has guided the Panthers to 83 victories over his four seasons as head coach. Pitt has tallied four all-region honorees, nine All-ACC selections and five MLB Draft picks during the Bell era.
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Ty Megahee is also back for a fifth season. He works with the Panther offense and infielders in addition to serving as the recruiting coordinator.
Joe Mercadante enters year two as an assistant coach. He primarily works with the outfielders and assists Megahee in the recruiting and offensive efforts.
Former Major League catcher Devin Mesoraco is in his third year serving as a volunteer coach. He works primarily with the program's catchers.
Rounding out Pitt's coaching staff are director of player development Drew Linder and director of operations Austin Thompson. Linder is in his fifth year with the Panthers while Thompson is in his third.
PITT UNDER BELL IN SEASON OPENERS
The Panthers are 2-2 under head coach Mike Bell in season openers.
Feb. 15, 2019: vs. Villanova: W, 7-2
Feb. 14, 2020: vs. Indiana State: W, 11-1
Feb. 19, 2021: vs. Indiana State: L, 4-0
Feb. 18, 2022: vs. Canisius: L, 11-3
PITT RETURNS 15 PLAYERS FROM 2022 SQUAD
The Panthers bring back 15 players from the 2022 team. Returners include sophomore infielder Tommy Tavarez, graduate student infielder Sky Duff, junior outfielder Dom Popa, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Brady Devereux, sophomore left-handed pitcher Quin Konuszewski, junior catcher Johnny Long III, sophomore catcher Luke Lambert, redshirt junior infielder Cameron Barto, graduate student outfielder Kyle Hess, sophomore right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bautista, sophomore right-handed pitcher Kyle Demi, senior catcher/infielder Jack Anderson, sophomore left-handed pitcher Will Droll, junior outfielder CJ Funk and junior right-handed pitcher Logan Evans.
WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH
Pitt has added 24 newcomers to its roster for the 2023 season. The class of newcomers features 11 freshmen and 13 transfers.
Joining the Panthers for the 2023 campaign are infielder Justin Acal, right-handed pitcher Nash Bryan, right-handed pitcher Erubiel Candelario, left-handed pitcher Sam Falace, right-handed pitcher Matthew Fernandez, left-handed pitcher Ethan Firoved, infielder Brett Heckert, infielder Nolan Kutney, infielder Anthony LaSala, right-handed pitcher Gavin Lill, outfielder Carlos Martinez, infielder Noah Martinez, catcher/infielder Jayden Melendez, right-handed pitcher Kyle Mosley, outfielder AJ Nessler, left-handed pitcher Zack Oswald, right-handed pitcher Holden Phelps, left-handed pitcher Ryan Reed, infielder Drew Ripepi, right-handed pitcher Dylan Simmons, right-handed pitcher Ryan Slattery, right-handed pitcher Jack Sokol, outfielder Caleb Sturtevant and infielder Matt Travisano.
REPLACING PRODUCTION
Pitt will be tasked with replacing production both in the lineup and on the mound from the 2022 team.
Notables from the lineup who have departed include Jeffrey Wehler, Tatem Levins, Bryce Hulett and Ron Washington, Jr.
Wehler led the team in runs (48) and doubles (17) while ranking second in hits (65) and third in RBI (37).
Levins, who was selected in the eighth round (No. 246) of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft by the Seattle Mariners, started all 56 games for the Panthers, leading the squad in batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.613), OPS (1.048), hits (68), extra base hits (27), home runs (16) and total bases (130).
Hulett ranked third on the team with 58 hits and fourth with 34 RBI. Washington, Jr. ranked fifth on the squad with 48 hits, including 15 home runs and 10 doubles to rank second on the team in both categories.
On the mound, the Panthers lost two of its three weekend starters in Matt Gilbertson and Billy Corcoran.
Gilbertson boasted a staff-best 3.74 ERA and went 9-3 on the season in 2022, leading the squad in innings pitched (96.1) and strikeouts (88).
Corcoran, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks, sported a 4.43 ERA last year. He ranked among the ACC leaders in fewest walks allowed (1st - 8), innings pitched (8th - 85.1) and wins (T-8th - 7). He was also tied for third in the NCAA in walks allowed per nine innings (0.84) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.62).
Pitt also lost reliever Baron Stuart, who signed with the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent. Stuart appeared in a team-high 27 games out of the bullpen and logged a team-high seven saves, which ranked fifth in the ACC and tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history.
BACK ON THE MOUND
Junior right-handed pitcher Logan Evans is the lone carryover from last year's starting rotation. He started all 14 games he appeared in, tying for second on the team in starts, while ranking third on the team wins (4), innings pitched (66.2) and strikeouts (52). Heading into the 2023, Evans is ranked as the 132nd-best starting pitcher in the country per D1Baseball's top-200 list.
Pitt returns several familiar faces to its pitching staff in 2023, including redshirt junior right-hander Brady Devereux and sophomore righty Jonathan Bautista. Devereux made a career-high 25 appearances out of the bullpen a year ago, going 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.40 WHIP and striking out 33 while allowing 14 walks over 39.1 innings of relief. Bautista appeared in 15 games on the mound last year, including five starts. He recorded one save and logged 23 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
NEW ARMS
The Panthers will boast a bevy of new arms on the pitching staff in 2023.
• Junior righty Kyle Mosley started for three years at Hill College, striking out 83 hitters over 60.2 innings in 2022. D1Baseball has him ranked as the 153rd-best starting pitcher on its top-200 list.
• Sophomore southpaw Ethan Firoved made 15 appearances and 13 starts on the mound at Tallahassee Community College in 2022, going 10-3 with one complete game and 96 strikeouts over 76.2 frames en route to Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year honors.
• Junior right-hander Jack Sokol made five appearances, including three starts as a freshman at Auburn in 2021, posting a 1-1 record and striking out nine batters in 11.2 innings of work. He spent the 2022 campaign at Pensacola State.
• Graduate student righty Erubiel Candelario played four years at Marist College, making 34 appearances on the mound with 19 starts. He posted a career record of 10-6, one save, a 4.17 ERA and 120 strikeouts over 123 innings of work. Candelario Earned 2022 All-MAAC First Team honors after starting 14 games and totaling a conference-best eight wins, striking out 88 batters over 76.1 innings.
• Junior right-hander Dylan Simmons, who played in 60 games over three years at Florida State, pitched 18.2 innings, striking out 19. He also hit .278 with 30 hits, including eight doubles, to go along with 16 RBI. Simmons was named a 2020 Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball after hitting .378 with four doubles, seven RBI, four runs scored and eight walks drawn.
• Graduate student right-hander Nash Bryan made 45 appearances over three seasons on the mound at Seton Hill, striking out 96 while issuing only 18 walks over 64.1 innings and sporting a 2.11 ERA. He struck out 54 against just nine walks and posted a 2.73 ERA over 24 appearances and 33 innings.
• Junior righty Matthew Fernandez made 17 starts at Miami Dade Community College in 2022, going 7-5 and striking out 110 against just 39 walks over 91.1 innings as his team finished as Florida state runners-up. He spent his 2021 freshman year at Florida International, where he made 13 appearances with 10 starts and struck out 37 in 40.2 innings.
HESS, FUNK RANKED AMONG NATION'S TOP OUTFIELDERS
D1Baseball ranked both graduate student Kyle Hess and junior CJ Funk among the top 150 outfielders in the country heading into the 2023 season, with Hess ranked 98th and Funk ranked 108th.
Hess has played in 128 career games with 123 starts and has a career slash line of .290/.372/.494. He has registered 139 career hits, including 33 doubles, seven triples and 17 home runs to go along with 45 walks, 75 runs scored and 110 RBI.
Funk has played in 54 career games with 45 starts and owns a career slash line of .284/.462/.486. He has tallied 42 career hits with nine doubles, three triples and five home runs to go along with 41 walks, 24 RBI and 36 runs scored. Last season, he started 45 of the 46 games he played in and slashed a career-best .298/.476/.631 with a career-high 42 hits, including nine doubles, three triples and five home runs, to go along with 41 walks, two stolen bases, 24 RBI and 35 runs scored.
THE SKY IS LIMIT
Another mainstay in the Pitt lineup is graduate student infielder Sky Duff. A 2021 ABCA/Rawlings All-East Region Second Team and All-ACC Third-Team selection at third base, Duff has played in 158 career games with 152 starts. He sports a career slash line of .299/.432/.400 and has recorded 171 career hits with 39 doubles, two triples and five home runs to go along with 124 walks, 10 stolen bases, 70 RBI and 109 runs scored.
REPPING THE STEEL CITY
A pair of Panthers represent their hometown of Pittsburgh in the starting lineup -- senior catcher/infielder Jack Anderson and junior outfielder Dom Popa.
A native of Mars, Pa., Anderson played in 50 games with 42 starts in his first season as a Panther in 2022 after transferring from State College of Florida. He slashed .280/.393/.453 a year ago with 45 hits, including eight doubles, a triple and six home runs, and tallied 29 walks, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored.
A graduate of Seton-LaSalle High School, Popa played in 47 games with 17 starts as a sophomore in 2022. He slashed .262/.444/.475 on the season and recorded 16 hits, including five doubles and a triple, to go along with 14 walks, eight RBI and 20 runs scored.
PITT ADDS KEY TRANSFER TO INFIELD
Pitt added a key transfer to its infield in senior Noah Martinez. Ranked as the 22nd-best first baseman in the country by D1Baseball, Martinez spent three seasons on the roster at Central Connecticut State, playing in 87 games over the last two and hitting .309 with 107 hits, 16 doubles, three triples, 22 home runs, 99 RBIs and 69 runs scored. He earned All-NECBL First Team honors in 2022 after ending the regular season with a .288 average, driving in a team-high 29 runs, smacking four home runs and seven doubles and scoring 23 runs.
STRONG UP THE MIDDLE
The Panthers possess a strong double play combo in middle infielders Tommy Tavarez and Justin Acal.
A sophomore, Tavarez played in 30 games with 20 starts as a rookie in 2022. He slashed .256/.414/.449 on the season and recorded 20 hits, including three doubles and four home runs, to go along with 20 walks, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored.
Acal, a junior transfer, hit .387 with a .494 OBP and .664 slugging percentage in three years at Frederick Community College, registering 123 hits, 29 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs, 88 RBI and 104 runs scored.
Redshirt junior Cameron Barto and freshman Anthony LaSala provide depth for the middle infield.
DEPTH AT CATCHER
Pitt has depth at catcher in junior Johnny Long III, sophomore Jayden Melendez and sophomore Luke Lambert.
Long III saw limited action a year ago after spending his first two years (2020-21) of his collegiate career at Florida Gulf Coast. He was named to the 2021 ASUN All-Freshman Team after appearing in 42 games and making 39 starts that season, hitting .289 (37-128) with six doubles, one home run, 18 RBI and 24 runs.
Melendez played in 41 games with 38 starts at Florida International in 2022, hitting .232 with 32 hits, including five doubles and three home runs, to go along with 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. His brother, MJ, currently plays for the Kansas City Royals.
Lambert played in 23 games with one start in his 2022 freshman season, hitting .250 with seven hits, including a double.
SCOUTING MAINE
Nick Derba has guided Maine to a 110-153 overall record over the last six years. After serving as the interim head coach of the Black Bears in 2016, he was named the 25th head coach in program history in '17.
Maine posted its first winning record under Derba in 2022, going 27-22 with a 21-9 record in America East Conference play. Derba was named the league's Coach of the Year after guiding a squad that led the conference in slugging percentage (.464), on-base percentage (.393), and strikeouts thrown (416). The Black Bears saw their season end in the America East Tournament despite being the No. 1 seed, dropping a pair of 9-7 decisions to UMass Lowell and NJIT.
The Black Bears return three of their eight all-conference selections from a year ago in 2023.
Junior infielder Quinn McDaniel is the squad's lone returning First Team All-America East honoree. He slashed .330/.569/.414 with a team-high 65 hits, including 11 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs. He also ranked second on the team with 22 stolen bases. Sophomore designated hitter Jeremiah Jenkins was named Second Team All-America East in addition to earning a spot on the league's All-Rookie Team, sporting a slash line of .284/.485/.409. Maine will have to replace the power of first baseman Joe Bramanti and the speed of utility player Jordan Schulefand. Bramanti led the Black Bears in doubles (18), home runs (conference-high 17) and RBI (64) while Schulefand led the team with 25 stolen bases and sported a team-best .350 batting average. Both were First Team All-America East selections.
Sophomore southpaw Caleb Leys is Maine's top returning arm. He was named to the America East All-Rookie Team after going 3-3 with a 4.64 ERA and 68 strikeouts over 15 appearances, 14 starts and 66.0 innings pitched. Maine lost two-thirds of its starting rotation from a year ago with the departures of Brett Erwin and Trevor LaBonte. Erwin started 13 of his 14 appearances on the mound, leading the team with 74 strikeouts while walking just 19. LaBonte went 5-4 over 15 appearances and 12 starts, striking out 60 in a team-high 73.1 innings of work. The Black Bears will also look to replace closer Matthew Pushard, who led the America East with nine saves a season ago.
FORMER PANTHERS FREURE, WEST SELECTED TO 2023 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC ROSTERS
A pair of former Pitt baseball players have been selected to rosters for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, with right-handed pitcher R.J. Freure earning a spot on Canada's roster and right-handed pitcher Derek West being named to the roster for the Netherlands.
Freure appeared in 48 outings, including one start, in his two-year career (2017-18) as a Panther, owning a career record of 8-2 with two saves. He threw 96.2 innings with a 4.47 ERA. His 27 games played in 2018 are tied for the third-most by a pitcher in a single season program history while his 95 strikeouts that season rank as the fifth-most. Freure was drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros with the 192nd overall pick. He has spent the last four seasons in Minor League Baseball, most recently suiting up for the Rome Braves - the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves - in 2022. In 77 minor league games, he has gone 14-13 with four saves and a 4.43 ERA and has registered 277 strikeouts over 223.1 innings.
West appeared in 31 games with 19 starts in his two seasons of competition at Pitt in 2018 and '19 after missing his first two years due to injury. He posted a career record of 6-6 with a 3.57 ERA and logged 118.1 innings of work, tallying 129 strikeouts and a .236 opponent average. His 82 strikeouts in 2019 are tied for the 15th-most in a single season in program history. West was drafted in the 28th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves with the 832nd overall pick but did not sign. He was then taken in the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros with the 436th overall pick. West has spent the last three minor league seasons in Houston's system and split the 2022 season between High-A Asheville and Double-A Corpus Christi. He has played in 60 games, boasting a 6-3 record with 108 strikeouts over 93.2 innings.
PITT TO APPEAR ON ACC NETWORK/ACC NETWORK EXTRA 39 TIMES IN 2023
A total of 39 Pitt games will be broadcast on ACC Network and ACC Network Extra. The Panthers will appear on ACC Network three times.
Saturday, April 22 vs. Wake Forest - 4 p.m. on ACC Network
Saturday, May 6 at Georgia Tech - 6 p.m. on ACC Network
Sunday, May 14 vs. Miami - 12 p.m. on ACC Network
All other home games will be broadcasted on ACC Network Extra. Pitt's road conference games will also be on ACCNX.
UP NEXT
Pitt heads to Port Charlotte, Fla., to take on Harvard in a four-game series next weekend (Feb. 24-26).
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