University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Panthers Open 2025 Season at Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte
2/13/2025 1:44:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH - The Panthers open up their 2025 campaign against Eastern Michigan in Port Charlotte, FL this weekend. This will be the sixth-consecutive year Pitt has began their season at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte. The Panthers have a 12-3 record on opening day since 2010.
Last season, the Panthers swept Maine in their season-opening series. It was the first time Pitt swept an opponent to open up a season since 2013.
Notes
• Pitt returns 14 lettermen from last season, including 3/4's of their starting infield in 1B Luke Cantwell, SS Jake Kendro and 3B Ryan Zuckerman.
• The Panthers return one weekend starter and their primary midweek from a year ago, Ryan Reed and Aidan Coleman, in addition to key bullpen pieces Ethan Firoved and Matt Porter.
• Pitt added 22 newcomers to campus for the 2025 season. Among them are 16 transfers and 6 freshmen. Per 64Analytics, Panthers landed a top-20 transfer portal recruiting class.
• Notable transfers in include 2025: OF Lorenzo Carrier, INF Caden Dulin, RHP Andrew Gaines, LHP Patrick Gardner, RHP Drew Lafferty, OF AJ Nessler, OF David Pedanou, OF Derrick Tarpley Jr.
• Senior first baseman Luke Cantwell was named the fifth-best first baseman in college baseball heading into the 2025 season by D1Baseball. Cantwell hit .333 with 62 hits, 44 RBI, 10 home runs and 10 doubles and led the Panthers in in walks (57), runs scored (49), hit by pitches (18), and on base percentage (.515).
• Last season, Pitt saw an uptick in offensive output in it's first year under the direction of Brandon Romans and Chris Collazo. The Panthers scored their most runs (382) and had their second-highest team batting average (.282) since 2013.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 14 at 1 PM
LHP Patrick Gardner (Pitt) vs. LHP Drew Beckner (Eastern Michigan)
Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 PM
LHP Ryan Reed (Pitt) vs. RHP Tyler Kapa (Eastern Michigan)
Sunday, Feb. 16 at 12 PM
RHP Drew Lafferty (Pitt) vs. RHP Bobby Jones (Eastern Michigan)
All games will be streamed on FloSports.
