Hokie ClubPITTSBURGH, Pa. - The Virginia Tech baseball team continues ACC play this weekend with a three-game set at the Pittsburgh Panthers. The series features single games on Friday and Saturday, with first pitch for both starting at 3 p.m. Sunday's final game is set to start at 1 p.m. Pitt enters the weekend with a 6-9 overall record and are 0-3 in the ACC, while the Hokies are 11-5, 1-2 in league play.
Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
March 15-17, 2019
Charles L. Cost Field
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Gameday Links
Stats (all three games): Pitt Sidearm Stats
Audio (all three games): VT/IMG Radio Network
Video: ACC Network Extra: Friday; Saturday; Sunday
Tech Game Notes (PDF)
Pitt Game Notes (PDF)
Hokies back on road for weekend No. 2: After traveling to No. 1 Florida State to open the 2019 ACC season, Virginia Tech is back on the road for the second weekend of league play, heading North to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face the Panthers in a three-game series.
This will mark the fourth time since the team joined the ACC that the Hokies will open with two straight ACC weekends on the road. Those three other years and their results were 2007 (3-3) - Tech opened at No. 21 Georgia Tech (2-1) and NC State (1-2); 2008 (0-6) - at No. 19 Georgia Tech (0-3) and No. 3 North Carolina (0-3); and 2012 (2-4) - at No. 27 Virginia (1-2) and No. 14 Georgia Tech (1-2). The Hokies opened this year at No. 1 Florida State and went 1-2 to open the season.
Facing the Panthers: In a match up that dates back to the old Big East days, Tech and Pittsburgh have faced each other a total of 35 times, with the Panthers holding a slight 19-15-1 edge in the overall series.
The Panthers, though, own the series in home games, holding a 9-3 advantage in games in Pittsburgh, including winners of 5-of-6 since they joined the ACC in 2014. Tech has never won a series on the road - losing two games to one in 2001, 2003 and 2015, while being swept their last time here in 2017.
However, last year, the Hokies did win two-of-three under their then new head coach John Szefc when the teams faced off in Blacksburg.
Szefc facing the Panthers and success in Pennsylvania: As stated above, Tech's head coach John Szefc led the Hokies to a series win over the Panthers last season at English Field at Union Park and will look to continue a three-game winning streak he has as a head coach in Pittsburgh.
With Maryland, Szefc led the Terrapins to a three-game sweep of the Panthers in Pittsburgh back in 2014, as his team outscored the home squad by a 32-6 count, giving him a 5-1 record against the Panthers combined at Tech and Maryland. In 2016, the Terrapins played three games at Penn State, winning that series two games to one, also giving him a combined 5-1 mark in the Keystone State in his last two head coaching spots.
Playing the close games: It's early in the season, but Tech has already posted four wins in games decided by one run and are 4-2 overall. The Hokies were 5-11 in such games during the 2018 season. However, Tech has suffered losses in its last two one-run games, including a walkoff at No. 1 Florida State.
In two-run games, Tech lost its first two of the season, but won its first on Tuesday night versus Richmond. In 2018, the team went 5-4 in two-run games and is 1-2 this season. The Hokies only other loss of the season was decided by three runs (a 5-2 loss at No. 1 Florida State).
In games decided by 5+ runs, the Hokies are 6-0 in 2019. They were 8-14 in such games last year.