The University of Virginia baseball team, ranked No. 10 nationally, will travel to face the Pittsburgh Panthers in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series beginning Friday, April 24. The Cavaliers enter the weekend with a record of 29-13 overall and 12-9 in conference play after a midweek win over Liberty.
This matchup is important as both teams seek to improve their standings within the ACC. Virginia’s strong offensive performance this season has placed them among the top programs in both runs scored and home runs nationwide.
The Cavaliers are averaging 8.5 runs per game, ranking them fifth in the league and twenty-fourth nationally. They have hit seventy-four home runs through forty-two games, already surpassing last year’s total of sixty-nine. Several players have received national recognition: Lucas Hartman is on both the National Pitcher of the Year and Stopper of the Year semifinalist lists; Tyler Kapa joins him on the Stopper list; Eric Becker was named a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist for top shortstop.
In their history against Pittsburgh, Virginia holds a twenty-eight to twelve advantage over forty meetings, including taking two out of three games at home last year and sweeping Pitt on the road in 2024. Notably, Nathan Kirby threw a no-hitter against Pittsburgh on April 4, 2014.
Probable starting pitchers for Virginia are Henry Zatkowski (6-0), Kyle Johnson (0-1), and John Paone (1-2). Zatkowski returns as Friday’s starter after tying his career high with ten strikeouts against Clemson recently. Paone struck out seven batters in his last outing versus Clemson.
Recent highlights include series wins over Clemson and Wake Forest as well as comeback victories at Maryland and Boston College. Four Cavaliers were named to Perfect Game Midseason All-American teams: AJ Gracia (first team), Lucas Hartman (second team), Eric Becker (third team), and Noah Yoder (freshman second team). Gracia also appears on this season’s Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List.
