Wednesday, April 19
Pittsburgh, Pa.
6 PM
Pitt
vs
West Virginia
Pitt Baseball Hosts West Virginia In Backyard Brawl at PNC Park
4/18/2023 11:12:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH -- The Panthers are set to host West Virginia in the first installment of The Backyard Brawl this season at PNC Park, on Wednesday April 19 at 6 PM. Pitt will head three miles across town for their first of two games at PNC Park this year, the other coming Tuesday may 16 against in-state rival Penn state.
Pitt is looking to keep their momentum heading into this midweek game after a series win at No. 7 Virginia, where they took the first two games of their three-game set this past weekend.
On the mound for the Panthers will be Junior RHP Matthew Fernandez. Fernandez has appeared in 12 games this season, sporting a 2-0 record, has thrown 31.2 innings, while striking out 39 batters.
The Mountaineers enter this matchup at PNC Park coming off of a series win at No. 18 Oklahoma State. They are currently ranked 33rd in the RPI rankings.
JJ Wetherholt is fifth in the country in batting and currently holds the Big 12 batting title by nearly 50 points with his .451 batting average, with the next closest player hitting .404. He also leads the team in nearly every offensive category, highlighted by his .746 slugging percentage, eight home runs, 64 hits, and 104 total bases. Wetherhold, McNeely, and Hussey are all tied for the team lead in home runs with eight a piece. Six Mountaineers have driven in at least 25 runs.
West Virginia boasts a team ERA of 4.39, with 11 arms that have double digit strikeouts. Blaine Traxel (5-3) and Ben Hampton (3-1) each having a team high nine starts on the season.
SERIES WIN AT NO. 7 VIRGINIA
The Panthers found themselves down early in both of their wins last weekend, battling back and ultimately coming out victorious. Pitt would use the long ball against Virginia as they hit five home runs on the weekend. Justin Acal led the way for the Panthers as he went on to hit two two-run home runs, while CJ Funk, Kyle Hess, and Noah Martinez added to their home run totals, each hitting solo shots.
RHP Logan Evans won game two of the series, improving his record to 2-1. After surrendering a three-run home run to the third batter of the game, Evans would retire 21 of the next 24 batters he faced, striking out nine in the process. He finished with a final line of 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K.
Graduate Student Kyle Hess hit .455 and recorded seven hits in the series. He would hit a home run in game three, while knocking in six runs in total on the weekend.
BELL CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE
With his next win, head coach Mike Bell will have won his 100th game as Pitt's skipper and the 100th game of his career. He has a current record of 99-104 and is in his fifth season at the helm for the Panthers.
RECORD BREAKER
In the eighth inning of Pitt's comeback win over Notre Dame on April 8, Sky Duff coaxed a walk, the 149th of his Pitt tenure to set the program's new career record. His career total now stands at 155.
With 52 career doubles, Duff is also two shy of breaking Pitt's career record of 53 owned by John Shultz (2008-11).
This season, Duff is tied for second on the team in hits (37) and leads the squad with 13 doubles.
THEY GET ON BASE
Four Panthers have four double-digit reached base streaks going. Jack Anderson leads the pack with 34 straight games while CJ Funk is close behind at 31 in a row. Sky Duff has reached base in each of the last 21 games while Kyle Hess has achieved the feat in 16 straight games .
MULTIPLYING HOMERS
Pitt has hit multiple home runs in 17 games this year, including 12 of the last 18 games. The Panthers have hit at least three home runs in a game five times this year, including a season-high four against Virginia Tech on March 25.
A total of nine Panthers have hit multiple home runs on the season so far, with CJ Funk (12), Noah Martinez (8), Justin Acal (7), Jack Anderson (5), and Jayden Melendez (5) leading the way.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Jack Anderson has his name in the top five of several statistical categories for the Panthers this season. He leads the team in on base percentage (.466), is tied for first in hits (37), is tied for fourth in home runs (5), ranks third in batting average (.301), and fourth in RBI (26).
UP NEXT
Pitt hosts No. 2 Wake Forest at Charles L. Cost Field this weekend, with the series opener set for Friday at 6 PM.
BUY TICKETS HERE: https://www.mlb.com/pirates/tickets/events/college-baseball
Pitt is looking to keep their momentum heading into this midweek game after a series win at No. 7 Virginia, where they took the first two games of their three-game set this past weekend.
On the mound for the Panthers will be Junior RHP Matthew Fernandez. Fernandez has appeared in 12 games this season, sporting a 2-0 record, has thrown 31.2 innings, while striking out 39 batters.
On the opposing side for West Virginia, they will be starting Freshman RHP Carson Estridge. The Freshman is making his first career start in this contest, the Mountaineers have won every game he has pitched in. He has a 2-0 record with a 0.92 ERA in 9.2 IP.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIAThe Mountaineers enter this matchup at PNC Park coming off of a series win at No. 18 Oklahoma State. They are currently ranked 33rd in the RPI rankings.
JJ Wetherholt is fifth in the country in batting and currently holds the Big 12 batting title by nearly 50 points with his .451 batting average, with the next closest player hitting .404. He also leads the team in nearly every offensive category, highlighted by his .746 slugging percentage, eight home runs, 64 hits, and 104 total bases. Wetherhold, McNeely, and Hussey are all tied for the team lead in home runs with eight a piece. Six Mountaineers have driven in at least 25 runs.
West Virginia boasts a team ERA of 4.39, with 11 arms that have double digit strikeouts. Blaine Traxel (5-3) and Ben Hampton (3-1) each having a team high nine starts on the season.
SERIES WIN AT NO. 7 VIRGINIA
The Panthers found themselves down early in both of their wins last weekend, battling back and ultimately coming out victorious. Pitt would use the long ball against Virginia as they hit five home runs on the weekend. Justin Acal led the way for the Panthers as he went on to hit two two-run home runs, while CJ Funk, Kyle Hess, and Noah Martinez added to their home run totals, each hitting solo shots.
RHP Logan Evans won game two of the series, improving his record to 2-1. After surrendering a three-run home run to the third batter of the game, Evans would retire 21 of the next 24 batters he faced, striking out nine in the process. He finished with a final line of 7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 9 K.
Graduate Student Kyle Hess hit .455 and recorded seven hits in the series. He would hit a home run in game three, while knocking in six runs in total on the weekend.
BELL CLOSING IN ON MILESTONE
With his next win, head coach Mike Bell will have won his 100th game as Pitt's skipper and the 100th game of his career. He has a current record of 99-104 and is in his fifth season at the helm for the Panthers.
RECORD BREAKER
In the eighth inning of Pitt's comeback win over Notre Dame on April 8, Sky Duff coaxed a walk, the 149th of his Pitt tenure to set the program's new career record. His career total now stands at 155.
With 52 career doubles, Duff is also two shy of breaking Pitt's career record of 53 owned by John Shultz (2008-11).
This season, Duff is tied for second on the team in hits (37) and leads the squad with 13 doubles.
THEY GET ON BASE
Four Panthers have four double-digit reached base streaks going. Jack Anderson leads the pack with 34 straight games while CJ Funk is close behind at 31 in a row. Sky Duff has reached base in each of the last 21 games while Kyle Hess has achieved the feat in 16 straight games .
MULTIPLYING HOMERS
Pitt has hit multiple home runs in 17 games this year, including 12 of the last 18 games. The Panthers have hit at least three home runs in a game five times this year, including a season-high four against Virginia Tech on March 25.
A total of nine Panthers have hit multiple home runs on the season so far, with CJ Funk (12), Noah Martinez (8), Justin Acal (7), Jack Anderson (5), and Jayden Melendez (5) leading the way.
JACK OF ALL TRADES
Jack Anderson has his name in the top five of several statistical categories for the Panthers this season. He leads the team in on base percentage (.466), is tied for first in hits (37), is tied for fourth in home runs (5), ranks third in batting average (.301), and fourth in RBI (26).
UP NEXT
Pitt hosts No. 2 Wake Forest at Charles L. Cost Field this weekend, with the series opener set for Friday at 6 PM.
BUY TICKETS HERE: https://www.mlb.com/pirates/tickets/events/college-baseball
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