Pitt Softball Opens ACC Tournament Thursday vs. No. 6 Florida State

RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of Pittsburgh softball team is set to square off against No. 6 Florida State in the first round of the ACC Tournament, Thursday, May 12 at 11 a.m. All games will take place at NC State’s Dail Softball Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and RSN.

(Photo courtesy of Pitt Athletics)

The Panthers enter the tournament as the eight-seed while the Seminoles are the overall top-seed.

MULTIMEDIA

· Live stats will be available for all games and can be found at PittsburghPanthers.com.

· The quarterfinal match-up between Pitt and Florida State will be broadcast live on RSN and ESPN3. Fans can find their local RSN Network by clicking here.

· Local Pittsburgh fans can watch the match-up on ROOT Sports Network.

SERIES HISTORY

· Pitt has played 11 games against Florida State in program history dating back to 2002.

· The Panthers are now 0-11 all-time versus the Seminoles, after being swept during the regular season 16-11, 4-3 and 15-5.

· The match-up marks the second meeting between Pitt and Florida State in the ACC Tournament with the first coming last year in the 2015 ACC Championship game where the Panthers fell to the Seminoles, 6-2.

ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

· 2015 marked the first ACC Tournament appearance for Pitt.

· The Panthers defeated the two and three seeds, Notre Dame and North Carolina, respectively, at Tech Softball Park, en route to securing a position in the title game where they fell to Florida State, 6-2.

LAST TIME OUT

· Pitt enters this weekend after a 1-2 weekend at Boston College. The Panthers fell 5-2 in game one and 7-3 in game two, before returning Sunday morning to defeat the Eagles 8-2.

BOOM, SEE YA!

· The long ball has been a helping hand for Pitt this season, as the Panthers have posted 75 home runs which leads the ACC. Pitt’s 1.47 home runs per game ranks fifth in the nation.

· The Panthers’ 75 home runs are more than double of what Pitt’s opposition has been able to post this season.

SOPHOMORE STANDOUT

· Giorgiana Zeremenko continues to be an offensive threat at the plate for the Panthers. She leads Pitt in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.393), home runs (17), RBIs (52), total bases (110), slugging percentage (.902) and on base percentage (.490).

· Her 17 home runs leads the ACC and ranks her seventh in the nation, while her .931 slugging percentage hits the fourth-best mark in the country.

LASTING LEGACY

• With just a few weeks left in her senior season, Maggie Sevilla will look to reach the top of the career record book in several offensive categories and leave a lasting legacy here at Pitt.

• Following the series at Boston College, she now sits first all-time in at-bats (672).

• She currently ranks second in runs scored (145), home runs (33) and RBIs (126), and hits (212).

• To catch the leader in each of these categories, she will need to score three runs, hit two homers, drive in two runs, and tally seven hits.

IN THE RANKINGS

· Pitt’s presence at the plate has been one to watch this season. The Panthers sit at fifth overall in home runs per game (1.47) and eight in slugging percentage (.560).

· Pitt is 21st in scoring (6.41) and 22nd in the nation in doubles per game (1.61).

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE

· Florida State enters the weekend with a 45-8 overall record, including a 21-2 mark in the ACC. In the polls, FSU is ranked sixth by ESPN.com/USA Softball and in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll.

· The Seminoles enter the tournament after finishing out the season at Louisville. Florida State lost the opening game 4-0 but bounced back to win the final two, 9-0 and 4-3, respectively.

· Offensively, sophomore Jessica Warren leads Florida State with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs and a .739 slugging percentage. Junior Alex Powers also stands out for the Seminoles at the plate, hitting for a team-best .403 average, while posting double-digit homers and driving in 55 runs.

· In the pitcher’s circle, junior Jessica Burroughs and freshman Meghan King have dominated their opponents. Burroughs boasts a 2.08 ERA while King holds a 2.34.

LOOKING FORWARD

· A victory would advance the Panthers to the semifinal game on May 13 where they would take on either the four-seed Boston College or five-seed North Carolina. The ACC title game is slated to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 14.