Pitt baseball cracks top 25 in national polls for first time since 2013
Pitt baseball continued to rewrite history when the Panthers reached top-25 national designations for the first time in nearly eight years. Pitt (9-4, 6-3) has played all 13 games on the road, but finds itself ranked No. 18 by DIBaseball.com and No. 19 by Baseball America.
“Always great for the student-athletes to be recognized on a national level for their accomplishments on the field against a very challenging schedule,” Pitt coach Mike Bell said in a statement. “I’m very excited for our players and staff’s hard work, but we know the road ahead will not get any easier as we shift our focus to a national power in Virginia this upcoming weekend.”
With its best start in the ACC, Pitt is tied for first place in the Coastal Division with North Carolina and Georgia Tech.
Pitt won its second road ACC series against a top-10 team last weekend against then-No. 7 Georgia Tech, scoring seven runs in the final inning Friday for an 11-9 comeback victory. Then, on Sunday, Pitt led 11-0 before winning 18-12. Georgia Tech had won 12 ACC and home series in a row.
Earlier this season, Pitt swept then-No. 9 Florida State, 1-0, 7-2 and 9-7 (13 innings), for its first series sweep against a top-10 opponent and the first road sweep in ACC play. The Panthers also own a series victory against Indiana State.
Outfielder Nico Popa, a senior from Seton LaSalle, leads the team with four home runs. Sophomore outfielder Kyle Hess is hitting .415 with 14 RBIs.
The No. 18 ranking by DIBaseball is tied for the fourth-highest ranking in Pitt baseball history and its first ranking in that poll. The No. 19 ranking is Pitt’s highest in Baseball America’s poll.
The Panthers were most recently ranked in 2013 after a weekend sweep of Villanova and its 40th victory of the season.
Pitt hits the road again for a three-game series, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Virginia. The series will be delayed one day due to the threat of inclement weather.
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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