North Carolina will once again play an ACC series after being off from league play last week.
The second-ranked Tar Heels will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on May 8-10. The Tar Heels are coming off a 1-1 weekend, with a 12-2 loss to Coastal Carolina and a rebound 13-0 win over Triangle rival Duke in Chapel Hill.
Pitt (28-18, 10-14 ACC) is coming off a series that ended in a sweep at the hands of then-No. 14 Florida State. The Panthers have had an up-and-down season, but they have shown they can be dangerous — case in point, their series sweep of then-No. 10 Virginia.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. Keep reading below as we dive deeper into our preview with several must-knows ahead of this weekend’s matchup.
Series Schedule
- Game 1 (Friday, May 8) – vs. Pitt, Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium, 6 p.m., ACCNX
- Game 2 (Saturday,May 9 – vs. Pitt, Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium, 12 p.m., ACCNX
- Game 3 (Sunday, May 10) – vs. Pitt, Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium, 1 p.m., ACCNX
UNC’s Key to Victory
Get outs.
Pittsburgh is one of the nation’s best offensive teams in the country as it is top 10 in home runs, runs per game and slugging percentage and second in batting average and 17th nationally in batting average. The runs are a product of the home runs of course, but in reality it’s because of how Pitt gets on base.
The Panthers lead the country in walks and are fourth in the country in on-base percentage. That means they are extremely patient at the plate and won’t take silly risks.
UNC’s pitching staff will be important in this one as it has to deliver outs by any means necessary.
Players to watch from UNC
Pitching Staff
- SP Jason DeCaro (8-2): 2.07 ERA, 61.0 IP, 20 runs (14 earned) on 51 hits, 28 walks, 52 strikeouts
- SP Caden Glauber (6-0): 2.09 ERA, 51.2 IP, 15 runs (12 unearned), 25 walks, 62 strikeouts
- RP Walker McDuffie (6-2): 2.40 ERA, 48.2 IP, 13 runs (all earned) on 30 hits, 4 saves, 26 walks, 65 strikeouts
- RP Jackson Rose (3-0): 1.59 ERA, 34.0 IP, six runs (all earned) on 20 hits, 17 walks, 32 strikeouts
Position Players
- OF Owen Hull: .379 batting average, 66 hits, 17 doubles, four home runs, 56 RBI,
- INF Jake Schaffner: .344 batting average, 64 hits, 12 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 32 RBIs
- C Macon Winslow: .309 batting average, 52hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 42 RBI
Players to watch from Pitt
- LHP Antonio Dogniero (5-3): 3.89 ERA, 44.0 IP, 28 runs (19 earned) on 41 hits, 18 walks, 42 strikeouts
- OF Lorenzo Carrier: Team highs in batting average (.378), on-base percentage (.540), home runs (18) and RBI (61)
- INF Caden Dulin: .363 batting average, 11 doubles, , 12 home runs, 43 RBI
- OF AJ Nessler: .341 batting average, five doubles, team-hgh four triples, eight home runs, 38 RBI
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball vs Pittsburgh: Series preview
