Pitt Athletics heads into spring break with a busy weekend

Pitt Athletics has another busy weekend ahead with some pivotal matchups for both winter and spring sports. 

Men’s basketball 

Pitt men’s basketball hosts NC State for Senior Night on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Panthers will honor redshirt junior forward Will Jeffress, senior guard KJ Marshall and senior forward Blake Hinson for Senior Night.

Hinson was deliberate in Tuesday night’s postgame press conference on what his expectations for his senior night are. 

“A win,” Hinson said.

The Panthers must win Saturday night’s matchup to keep their hopes alive of obtaining an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Baseball

Pitt baseball has started the 2024 campaign with an 8-1 record, and the Panthers hope to continue their hot streak in a weekend series against No. 16 North Carolina. The contest is their first ACC test of the season.

The Panthers’ key to their success is their offense. Pitt has scored a total of 94 runs in its first nine games and is a perfect 7-0 when the team scores five or more runs. 

Junior infielder Luke Cantwell is the leader of the Panthers’ offense with a .400 batting average, a 1.220 OPS and a total of 12 runs batted in. 

Wrestling

Pitt wrestling’s postseason play starts on Sunday in the ACC Championships. The Panthers will have ten different wrestlers participating. 

Redshirt senior Cole Matthews is the Panthers’ only No. 1 seed in the ACC Championship wrestling at 141 pounds. But not too far behind are redshirt senior brothers Reece and Holden Heller. Holden Heller is the No. 2 seed at 165 pounds and redshirt senior Reece Heller is a No. 2 at 184 pounds.

Last year, Nino Bonaccorsi won his third consecutive ACC Championship, and Matthews hopes to follow suit by winning what would be his third consecutive ACC Championship.

Track & Field

Pitt track & field has two athletes participating in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday and Friday. 

Senior Foluke Olujide-Ajibade is participating in the women’s weight throw on Thursday night at 8 p.m., where she hopes to surpass her school record weight throw of 21.67m.

Graduate student Lydia Bottelier is participating in her last pentathlon competition on Friday morning at 9:50 a.m. Bottelier’s current best score is 4150, which ranks No. 12 in the ACC.

Softball

Pitt softball travels to Fort Myers, Florida, for the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Classic this weekend. The Panthers will take on Purdue and Western Michigan on Friday and Saturday for two respective two-game series. The Panthers finish out the weekend against Florida Gulf Coast. 

The Panthers are hoping to rattle off some wins on FGCU’s campus, as they are currently on a seven-game losing streak.

Lacrosse

Pitt lacrosse is looking for its first ACC win in Durham, North Carolina, for a bout with Duke at noon on Saturday. 

Junior Jenna Hendrickson is the leading point scorer for the Panthers this season with 22, and the Panthers will need even more to pull off a win against the Blue Devils.

Gymnastics

Pitt Gymnastics hosts Bowling Green on Friday Night for Senior Night at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers will honor six different gymnasts.

The Panthers are honoring four fifth-year gymnasts Shruthi Anand, Erin Hutchison, Arayah Simons and Ciara Ward. Pitt is honoring seniors Jah’Liyah Bedminster and Faith Lerro as well. 

Bowling Green is currently on a four-game losing streak, and the Panthers hope to extend that streak to five with a win on their Senior Night.

Men’s soccer

Pitt men’s soccer continues their spring season on Friday night at 6 p.m. as they face Vaughan SC at Ambrose Urbanic Field. The Panthers are hoping to rebound after they lost their first game of the spring season against Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium.