Notes & Weekend Preview: No. 17 Pitt
BC is making its first road trip to Pittsburgh since 2016 and will face a top-25 Panthers club.
After a disappointing midweek loss to Massachusetts, Boston College is in the Keystone State this weekend for another big conference matchup. No. 17 Pittsburgh, who’s played just one game since April 18th due to COVID-19 protocols, welcomes the Eagles’ in for their first series at Charles L. Cost Field since 2016.
“It’s hard because you have no clue from our standpoint, what you’re going to get out of them,” BC head coach Mike Gambino said about the Panthers’ layoff. “Are they going to come out looking rusty? Are they going to come out rested and excited and fired up? It could be anywhere in between. It’s just weird and not something anybody is used to dealing with.”
With BC sitting at 13th in the conference and three games out of a postseason spot, the significance of the weekend can’t be understated. Duke—who is 12th—has to travel to No. 15 Louisville. Since the Eagles hold the tiebreaker with the Blue Devils, picking up a series win over the Panthers while Duke could struggle in Kentucky is a best-case scenario.
Few lineup notes:
The left field situation has remained up in the air throughout this season for the Eagles. Lately, with no established starter, BC has played lefty-righty matchups with Daniel Baruch and Cameron Leary. On the year, the left field slot in the lineup has been arguably the weakest link, posting a 79 OPS+ between Baruch, Leary, and Chris Galland.
“It’s been a spot that nobody has jumped up and grabbed,” Gambino said about left field. “We kept waiting for somebody to grab it and run with it. It’s the only spot in the order that somebody hasn’t.”
The catcher position has seen some shifts the last week. Parker Landwehr, thanks to his hot bat in midweek games and steps forward defensively, started the series finale against Miami. Peter Burns then caught the midweek game against UMass with the plan to return to Landwehr for Wednesday against Bryant before that was postponed. With the chance of a doubleheader this Saturday thanks to a rainy forecast, expect to see Landwehr get another nod behind the dish.
And now, on to Pitt…
When are the games and how can I watch them?
Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be aired on ACC Network Extra. Saturday and Sunday will both be on ACC Network Extra at 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Pitt’s Projected Lineup
Since the Panthers have played just one game since April 18, there’s no place for the usual “who’s hot and who’s not” section. Pitt returned from its long spell in COVID-19 protocols and took an 8-2 loss to West Virginia in which it managed seven hits. As a whole, the Panthers have a good all-around lineup with few holes.
Sky Duff is a prototypical leadoff hitter, getting on base at a .428 clip. He’s got some pop, too, with 12 doubles. Nico Popa leads the regulars with a .338 batting average and has an impressive power-speed combination, boasting eight home runs and 12 stolen bases. Kyle Hess is tied for the team lead in strikeouts (42), but has 15 extra-base hits to boost his slugging percentage to the second-highest mark on the roster.
The middle of the order is paced by five-hole hitter David Yanni, who leads the team in OPS+ thanks to a team-high nine home runs alongside nine doubles. He’s flanked usually by designated hitter Ron Washington Jr. (.318) and first baseman Bryce Hulett (30 K%). Shortstop Brock Franks and catcher Jackson Phinney are both below-average hitters, with Phinney really struggling. He took over catching duties after Riley Walsh was below the Mendoza Line in March, but he hasn’t been much better—he was just 1-for-18 at the dish in April. Finally, Jordan Anderson worked his way into the starting lineup in mid-March and sets the table for the top of the order, getting on base at a .432 clip.
Pitt Rotation
The Panthers have two high-end arms, then have opted for an opener—similar to how BC’s Joe Vetrano was used earlier in the year—on Sunday’s at times. Based on the listing of right-hander Billy Corcoran as Sunday’s probable starter, you can likely expect him to be followed by someone like Stephen Hansen (who has made eight starts). There’s not much on Corcoran from this season out there—he’s only pitched twice, and that was in the first weekend of the year against Indiana State and then again in late April against North Carolina. He does have really strong control (28:5 K/BB ratio in 2020) and was an effective reliever in 2019 before transitioning to the rotation.
Corcoran and the Sunday slot is the only question mark surrounding the Panthers pitching staff, as Mitch Myers and Matt Gilbertson are one of the top 1-2 punches in the ACC. The duo rank third and seventh respectively among qualified ACC pitchers by ERA, trailing only Florida State’s duo of Parker Messick (2nd) and Bryce Hubbart (5th) as the top pairing.
“We’re going to see good arms,” Gambino said. “Mike [Bell] has done a good job with that staff. You kind of got a glimpse of it early on—I think there opening weekend they struck out Florida State like 40-plus times or something like that. They’ve been throwing the ball great all year.”
Myers and Gilbertson offer a contrast in pitch speed and approach on the mound. Myers lives in the low 90s (up to 93) and has a slider, changeup, and really impressive control. He’s issued just 15 walks in 57 1/3 innings of work to go along with a team-high 61 punch-outs. Head coach Mike Bell described the senior as “pitching off his fastball” and working three different quadrants while changing levels.
That contrasts with Gilbertson, who throws in the upper 80s (and touches 91) and uses a “bulldog mentality”, per Bell. He works a fastball and splitter combination to keep hitters off balance and can locate both pitches effectively. He’s more prone to contact and strikes out fewer batters than Myers, but issues walks just four percent of the time. Ultimately, the duo are averaging 6.5 and 6.4 innings per start, so expect to see them eat up a lot of the first two games this weekend.
Pitt Bullpen
Unlike Miami’s bullpen from last weekend, this isn’t one that is loaded top-to-bottom with high-caliber arms. The Panthers rank eighth in bullpen ERA in the ACC and have also been relied on the second-fewest. Bell keeps his starters in for long outings and you’ve got to think that has to do with the depth in the back end. He’s used six different relievers for 10-plus innings this year, and one of them is a swingmen who has made eight starts as well in Hansen.
The most trusted reliever is Pitt’s most dominant: Jordan McCrum. The senior right-hander didn’t pitch in 2020 thanks to an arm injury, but he’s got a sub-2.00 ERA across 23 innings this season with 26 strikeouts. Chris Gomez was leaned on more in March but has allowed just three earned runs in 13-plus innings. As a whole, the thing that sticks out is the 14 BB% for the relievers—you’d be surprised to know that’s a full two percentage points higher than BC’s bullpen. The Panthers are going to want long outings from Myers and Gilbertson and ideally turn it over to McCrum if the weekend goes the way they’re planning on it.
Images Courtesy of Pitt Athletics
happy to welcome the boys to the keystone state