Pitt
West Virginia
Pitt Hosts West Virginia for Backyard Brawl at PNC Park
4/29/2024 6:04:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH - Pitt and West Virginia meet at PNC Park for final installment of the Backyard Brawl this season on Tuesday, April 30. It will be their fourth time meeting at PNC Park.
The Mountaineers got the best of the Panthers in their first meeting this season despite Pitt outhitting them.
This round of the Backyard Brawl will be televised on ESPN2 and will be called on KDKA radio in addition to that. First pitch is set for 7 PM.
TOP OF THE ORDER
• Dom Popa is off to the best start of his career, hitting .329 with 35 runs scored and a .436 on-base percentage. He leads the team in hits (50), average (.329), and stolen bases (6), and is second in runs scored (35), doubles (8) and on base percentage (.436).
• First baseman Luke Cantwell currently leads the ACC in on base percentage (.515), is second in the ACC and eighth in the country walks (45), second in the ACC and fourth in the country in walks/game (1.13) and is tied for sixth in the ACC in HBPs (11).
• Jack Sokol has shined in his last four starts, two of which coming against top-seven ranked teams. He is 2-0 with 22 strikeouts and has allowed just six runs over those 24.1 innings.
• Phil Fox has emerged as Pitt's go-to late-inning arm out of the bullpen. He has appeared in 17 games and has given up just four runs. Fox is 3-2 with five saves and a 1.30 ERA.
• Senior C.J. Funk is one walk away from 116 career walks. The mark would put him fourth all- time in walks in Pitt baseball history.
• Pitt's lineup has been finding every way to get on base. Luke Cantwell leads the team in walks (45) while he and Dom Popa are both tied for the team-lead in HBPs (11). Each are tied for sixth in the ACC in HBPs.
• The Panthers will likely have four "Pittsburgh Kids" in the starting lineup on Tuesday night, with the potential of seeing more come out of the bullpen. Josh Spiegel (DH), Tyler Bischke (2B), Jake Kendro (SS), and Dom Popa (CF) all grew up within 30 minutes of PNC Park.
