Pitt
Kent State
Panthers Host Kent State in Midweek Clash
3/21/2023 5:34:00 PM | Baseball
TOP OF THE ORDER
1. PANTHERS PLAY HOST TO KENT STATE IN MIDWEEK MATCHUP
The Pitt baseball team (8-9, 1-3 ACC) will host a midweek game for the second time this season when it welcomes Kent State (15-4, 3-0 MAC) to Charles Cost Field on Wednesday (March 22). First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
Pitt vs. Kent State | Wednesday, March 22 | 3 p.m. | Charles Cost Field | Pittsburgh, Pa.
ACC Network Extra | StatBroadcast
Pitching Matchup: Pitt Jr. RHP #38 Holden Phelps (0-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. Kent State Jr. LHP #5 Aidan Longwell (1-0, 1.72 ERA)
2. IMPACT TRANSFER
A transfer from Central Connecticut State, Noah Martinez has made an impact through 17 games with the Panthers this season.
Martinez is leading the team in batting average (.350), slugging percentage (.717), on base percentage (.506), hits (21) and RBI (24) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (6). He is riding a team-high 12-game hitting streak and is tied with Jack Anderson for the longest reached base streak on the team with 76. His six multi-RBI games are tied for the team lead.
3. WALK THIS WAY
Pitt ranks 24th in the country with 117 walks on the season. Noah Martinez is 16th in the nation with 21 walks while CJ Funk is 18th in the country with 20 free passes.
OFF TO A GOOD START
Freshman AJ Nessler is off to a solid start to his collegiate career. Nessler ranks second on the team in RBI (17) and is third in hits (19) and batting average (.302) and fifth in slugging percentage (.444). He also leads the team with a pair of triples. His six multi-RBI games are tied for the team lead with Noah Martinez while his five multi-hit games are tied for second on the team.
HIT PARADE
Jack Anderson ranks second on the team with 20 hits and a .313 batting average on the year. His .457 on base percentage is also good for second on the squad. He is tied with Noah Martinez for the current longest reached base streak on the team with 17 and is tied for the second-most multi-hit games on the team with five.
WE'VE GOT THE FUNK
CJ Funk has displayed both power and patience at the plate so far this season. His six home runs are tied for the team lead with Noah Martinez, and he has coaxed 20 walks, which is good for 18th in the country and second on the team behind Martinez. His .429 on base percentage ranks fourth on the team.
STRONG OUT OF THE 'PEN
Pitt has seen several relievers deliver big performances out of the bullpen so far this season. Dylan Simmons has struck out 20 while giving up just four walks in seven appearances and 11.1 innings. He has logged one save. Matthew Fernandez has fanned 21 while permitting just nine walks in five appearances and 15.1 innings. Nash Bryan has made seven appearances and recorded three wins and a save in relief, striking out 15 against just three walks in 12.1 frames. Jonathan Bautista is tied with Bryan with a team-high seven appearances and has struck out 14 in 12.2 innings. Quin Konuszewski has not allowed a run in four appearances and has struck out four in 2.1 innings.
PITT DROPS LONE GAME AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA
Pitt dropped a 17-7 decision to North Carolina last weekend. The game concluded on Saturday after being suspended Friday after four innings of play due to weather conditions. Games two and three of the series were canceled due to weather conditions.
North Carolina pounded out 17 runs on 19 hits in the series opening victory, including six home runs. The Tar Heels put up multiple runs in five innings, including three in the second, four in the third and five in the fifth.
Noah Martinez, Johnny Long III and Tommy Tavarez led Pitt with two hits apiece. Tavarez recorded his team leading sixth multi-hit game of the year. CJ Funk hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first inning while Kyle Hess belted his second home run of the season - a two run shot to right center in the bottom of the third.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
Pitt is 28-42 all-time against Kent State. Pitt won the last meeting between the two teams, 12-5, on April 12, 2022.
Jeff Duncan has served as the head coach of Kent State since 2014 and has guided the Golden Flashes to a pair of Mid-American Conference Tournament titles and three regular season titles.
The Golden Flashes are riding a 13-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Pitt and are 7-4 in games played away from Kent so far this season. Kent State most recently swept a three-game series at home against Canisius (W, 17-4; W, 21-3; W, 11-2).
Kent State ranks fifth in the country in scoring (10.5 runs per game), fifth in stolen bases per game (3.53), eighth in on base percentage (.444), 11th in batting average (.327), 13th in doubles per game (2.63) and 24th in slugging percentage (.544).
Aidan Longwell is a two-way player who is expected to get the start on the mound for the Flashes on Wednesday. The first baseman/left-handed pitcher leads Kent State in batting average (.430), hits (34), doubles (10) and RBI (40). On the mound, he is 1-0 with a 1.72 ERA in four appearances and three starts, striking out 24 with just eight walks over 15.2 innings. Seven Kent State players are hitting .300 or better. Jake Casey leads the team with seven home runs.
UP NEXT
Pitt is scheduled to conclude its current homestand with a three-game series against Virginia Tech this weekend at Charles Cost Field. The series opener is set for Friday (March 24) at 3 p.m. Game two (Saturday, March 25) is also slated for a 3 p.m. start while the series finale on Sunday (March 26) will get underway at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.
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