The No. 18 UVA baseball team plays host to its third straight ACC series this weekend, battling Pitt for three games at Davenport Field. The series opener is slated for 6 p.m. Friday, while Game 2 is at 4 p.m. Saturday. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS (23-8, 5-7 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – Jr. RHP Derek Casey (2-0, 2.01 ERA)
Sat. – Fr. RHP Noah Murdock (1-1, 5.93 ERA)
Sun. – Jr. LHP Adam Haseley (4-1, 3.43 ERA)
PITT PANTHERS (14-12, 6-6 ACC)
Probable Starting Rotation
Fri. – RHP Matt Pidich (3-2, 3.40 ERA)
Sat. – LHP Josh Mitchell (1-2, 3.06 ERA)
Sun. – RHP Josh Falk (3-2, 2.25 ERA)
Tickets
Tickets are available online at VirginiaSports.com or beginning one hour prior to the game at the ticket window at Davenport Field. Gates open one hour prior to first pitch.
Parking
Free parking is available in the University Hall, John Paul Jones Arena and McCue Center lots.
Promotions
Trading Card Fridays – Every ACC Friday, collect a new set of Cavalier trading cards at the Promotions table located on the concourse on the third-base side.
ACC Family Sundays – Family Packages are available for the Sunday game and include four general admission tickets and four $8 concessions vouchers, good for any food or drink item at Davenport Field. After the game, all fans are invited down to the field where kids can run the bases and get autographs.
Princess/Super Hero Day: Sunday – special themed promotions will take place throughout the game. All kids in costume can come on the field pregame.
Racing Presidents: Sunday – the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents will be in attendance for the Sunday afternoon game.
Broadcast Information
All three games will air on ACC Network Extra, which is available to authenticated subscribers of ESPN3 through WatchESPN and the ESPN app. WINA 1070-AM/98.9-FM has the radio broadcast for the full series, with online links available at VirginiaSports.com and WINA.com. A link to live statistics also can be found on VirginiaSports.com.
Things to Know
• Ernie Clement is 8-for-24 (.333) in six career games against Pitt (2 2B, 3B, 5 RBI).
• Virginia leads the ACC in batting in all games (.322) and ACC games (.296) and is seventh nationally.
• Pitt is fifth in the ACC in ERA (3.79); UVA has faced the ACC’s top three teams in ERA (Louisville, UNC, Clemson).
• Adam Haseley leads the ACC in batting (.410).
• Haseley has hits in 13 straight games, while Caleb Knight owns an eight-game streak.
• With 15 RBI in his last four games, Pavin Smith has moved into the top 10 in career RBI at UVA with 146.
The Basics
Virginia rebounded from a series loss last weekend to No. 2 Louisville by battering Old Dominion and George Washington in a pair of midweek games, piling up 29 runs and 43 hits in two wins. The Cavaliers are ranked as high as 16th nationally this week in the USA Today Coaches poll. UVA leads the ACC and ranks seventh nationally in batting average (.322), while the team has a 4.35 ERA, which is ninth among conference teams. UVA is fielding at a .973 clip, which is fifth among ACC teams.
Pitt Makes First Trip to UVA in ACC Play
Virginia owns a 12-3 edge in the series, including 8-1 in ACC play, after sweeping Pitt last year on the road. This marks Pitt’s first trip to Charlottesville as a member of the ACC. Pitt last played in Charlottesville in on March 24, 1981, an 11-4 UVA win.
Pitt’s first scheduled trip to Charlottesville as a member of the ACC was in March 2015, but the series was moved to Cary, N.C., because of inclement weather.
Pavin Smith: Not Your Typical Power Hitter
Pavin Smith has put up some big numbers in the first half of the season, hitting for power as well as contact. He ranks as the toughest to strike out of any player in Division I, with three strikeouts in 120 official at bats (141 plate appearances). He is tied for 13th nationally with 10 home runs.
Only one other player among the top 40 nationally in home runs has fewer than 12 strikeouts – UVA’s Adam Haseley with 11. Haseley is tied for 24th nationally with nine homers.
Noting Pitt
Pitt downed Penn State, 3-2, at home Tuesday and has won six of its last eight games, including taking two of three games at Duke last weekend for its second ACC series win of the year. The Panthers rank fifth in the ACC in ERA at 3.79, 12th in batting (.234) and fourth in fielding (.976). Yaya Chentouf leads the team in batting at .278, while Alex Amos is hitting .275. The Panthers’ pitching staff has limited opponents to a .247 batting average while walking just 88 batters (second fewest in the ACC).
Up Next
Virginia concludes its homestand at 6 p.m. Tuesday against VCU before heading to Blacksburg, Va., next Thursday through Saturday (April 13-15) to play Virginia Tech in a three-game ACC series.
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Chris Graham
