The ‘damage zone’: Deep, experienced roster has Pitt baseball eyeing rise within tough ACC
The postmortem performed by Pitt baseball coach Mike Bell and his staff following the 2025 campaign was straightforward enough. The Panthers, among other things, needed to refine their approach at the plate. That would involve taking far better at-bats, pitch by pitch, to cut down on strikeouts, draw more walks...
Nick Yorke walks it off for Pirates, who top Orioles to win series, 4th straight game
Staying ready for when your number is called is a bit of coach-speak that transcends sports. In the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 3-2 walk-off win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday at PNC Park, multiple players proved they were primed for the moment. Nick Yorke, originally entering the game as a pinch-runner,...
Konnor Griffin hits RBI double in 1st MLB at-bat, helping Pirates top Orioles in home opener
Despite already possessing a reputation for maturity and calmness, Konnor Griffin must have felt an indescribable amount of pressure on his shoulders Friday. Griffin, 19, who’s ranked as the top overall prospect in baseball, made his MLB debut at PNC Park when the Pittsburgh Pirates hosted the Baltimore Orioles for...
Konnor Griffin’s Pirates teammates excited for big-league arrival of 19-year-old top prospect
As Konnor Griffin navigated what undoubtedly has been a dizzying lead-up to a highly anticipated MLB debut Friday afternoon, reminders of home have abounded. Griffin’s parents, Kim and Kevin, arrived at PNC Park for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener, ready to watch their 19-year-old son — the top-ranked prospect in...
Pitt’s receivers, defensive backs compete for takeaway, big-play helmet stickers
Pitt wide receiver Blue Hicks is quickly running out of room on his helmet. The shell of Hicks’ helmet, from the top of his head down to the facemask, is plastered with white stickers spelling out “Blurrr.” In total, Hicks has a team-leading six “Blurrr” stickers, each of which is...
After strong freshman season, Pitt’s Josh Guerrier eyes starting role at safety
Early last August, long before he ascended to the starting quarterback role at Pitt, then-freshman Mason Heintschel offered a prediction regarding a fellow young teammate. “Josh Guerrier, he’s a freak,” Heintschel said. “That dude is a stud. He’s going to make some noise here soon. It’s tough going against him...
Report: Pitt roster exodus continues, as Roman Siulepa plans to enter transfer portal
News surfaced Tuesday that both Pitt’s Brandin Cummings and Papa Amadou Kante would enter the transfer portal. But a bigger blow for the Panthers was in store before the day was through, as promising Australian forward Roman Siulepa is expected to do the same, according to DraftExpress. NEWS: Pitt's Roman...
Pitt’s Papa Amadou Kante to enter transfer portal
Following news Tuesday that Pitt’s Brandin Cummings plans to enter the transfer portal, a second Panthers men’s basketball player is preparing to do the same. Forward Papa Amadou Kante, who will be a redshirt junior for 2026-27, has also informed the Panthers of his intentions to enter the portal upon...
Pitt grapples with both clarity, uncertainty across position groups as spring ball continues
Spring ball is a time for questions to be answered in advance of a break in organized team practices until August. But some matters naturally take longer than others to become fully illuminated in the eyes of football coaches. What’s more, there are undoubtedly questions that will take through the...
Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper to leave for position at Baylor; John Henderson named interim AD
Duquesne announced a change in its athletic department leadership Tuesday as athletic director Dave Harper has accepted a position at Baylor, the university revealed. Stepping in as interim athletic director will be John Henderson, who previously was senior associate athletic director for the Dukes. Harper is set to transition to...
Pitt’s Brandin Cummings to enter transfer portal
Jeff Capel being retained as coach at Pitt was no guarantee that the Panthers wouldn’t experience an eventful offseason with regards to player movement. While Capel will remain for at least the 2026-27 campaign, one of Pitt’s leading contributors for the past two seasons apparently will not, as guard Brandin...
‘It will be done’: Pitt entrusts Robin Harmony with rebuilding women’s basketball program
The concept and process of building up a program is not unfamiliar to Robin Harmony. In 2007, at St. Thomas University in Florida, she was the inaugural coach of a newly founded women’s basketball program that didn’t even have its own gym for the first two seasons. Foundations then had...
Pitt WR Deuce Spann raises NFL Draft stock with impressive pro day performance
Audible gasps followed Deuce Spann’s completion of the vertical jump Thursday at Pitt’s pro day at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. Spann’s former Panthers teammates had a similar reaction when the 6-foot-4 wideout ran an unofficial 4.37-second 40-yard dash. At the start of Pitt Pro Day, Spann,...
SportsNet Pittsburgh unveils full ‘creative refresh’ for Pirates broadcasts
Major enhancements are about to arrive on the screens of fans tuning into Pittsburgh Pirates games. Over the last year, SportsNet Pittsburgh, which televises the vast majority of Pirates games and is managed by New England Sports Network, has been working on a significant overhaul of its broadcasts. When the...
‘1 last hurrah’: 15 former Pitt players hope pro day performances help plot a course to NFL
The eyes of scouts from every NFL team were fixated on 15 outgoing Pitt players Thursday as the Panthers hosted their annual pro day at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. Of those 15, only linebacker Kyle Louis is considered a lock to be selected at the upcoming...
Back from injuries, LB Jeremiah Marcelin, RB Synkwan Smith hope to contribute for Pitt
Last August, Jeremiah Marcelin began Pitt’s fall camp looking to earn a larger role as a sophomore middle linebacker. Teammate Synkwan Smith, a freshman tailback, aimed to get on the field early. Unfortunately for both players, injuries ended their campaigns before things ever got underway, as Marcelin suffered a season-ending...
Pitt parts ways with men’s basketball assistants Tim O’Toole, Jason Capel
Jeff Capel might have been retained by athletic director Allen Greene — at least for 2025-26 — but early into the offseason, a pair of his assistants are being let go. Associate head coach Tim O’Toole and assistant Jason Capel, Jeff Capel’s younger brother, will not be retained for this...
Pitt’s Isaiah Neal enjoying life at defensive end
Pitt’s Isaiah Neal had good reason to enter the offseason with confidence. Last fall, after the Panthers were decimated by injury at defensive end, Neal — to that point a tackle — was tasked to transition to the outside midseason. By year’s end, Neal had impressively played the part, recording...
Offense clicking early for Pitt this spring, including at team’s 1st scrimmage
Pitt conducted its first scrimmage of spring ball Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, with the offense and defense running a total of 109 plays, per coach Pat Narduzzi. Narduzzi also reported a 52-24 win by the offense, with those units raising some eyebrows by starting off the debut scrimmage on such...
Pitt hires Robin Harmony as new women’s basketball coach
Robin Harmony will be Pitt’s new women’s basketball coach, athletic director Allen Greene announced Monday. Harmony, a Hershey native, joins the Panthers from the College of Charleston, where she just led the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and conference tournament titles....
Previewing the Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinski earns final spot in starting rotation
The final few spots on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster are filling in as spring training nears its conclusion. On Sunday afternoon, as the Pirates took on the Boston Red Sox in their penultimate spring contest, manager Don Kelly answered a major remaining question as to who would be...
Pirates fall to Red Sox in penultimate spring training game
The 2026 regular season is within sight for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who played their penultimate spring training game Sunday afternoon at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Mitch Keller, making his final start of spring, took on the Boston Red Sox and delivered 32⁄3 innings in a 6-3 Pirates defeat. Boston...
Pirates option C/1B Rafael Flores, RHP Cam Sanders to Triple-A
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a series of roster moves Sunday morning ahead of their spring training game vs. the Boston Red Sox, optioning catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores and right-hander Cam Sanders to Triple-A Indianapolis. Righties Chris Devenski and Carson Fulmer, left-hander Joe La Sorsa and infielder Alika Williams were reassigned...
Pirates reassign top prospect Konnor Griffin to minor league camp
Konnor Griffin, MLB’s
No. 1 overall prospect, possesses the kind of skill set that makes him a strong bet to make it to the big leagues sooner rather than later. However, at least to start the 2026 regular season, Griffin will head back to the minors to build on a...
Paul Skenes tosses 4 scoreless frames, Oneil Cruz homers as Pirates beat Blue Jays
In his final tune-up of spring training, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes started Saturday afternoon versus the Toronto Blue Jays at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. Skenes, who made one other start (Feb. 25) this spring and is fresh from winning a silver medal with the United States at the...