Baseball: Panthers get shot at ending road struggles at Kent State

The last time Pitt’s baseball team picked up a road victory, Major League Baseball teams were still toiling in Spring Training, Pitt students weren’t completely frantic about finals and “300: Rise of an Empire” was number one at the box office.

That game was a 10-9 win in 11 innings at Presbyterian on March 12, but the Panthers’ struggles aren’t limited to road games. The team has dropped eight of its last nine games, with a five-game losing streak. After Tuesday’s scheduled game against Youngstown State was cancelled because of inclement weather, the Panthers will hit the road today for a nonconference matchup with Kent State (22-12, 9-3 MAC) at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium at 6 p.m.

Pitt is coming off a sweep last weekend at the hands of the now No. 17 Miami Hurricanes, dropping their overall record to three games under .500 at 16-19. The Panthers also dropped to sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division, with a record of 8-10. 

Going on the road has been the biggest struggle for the Panthers, who have lost 12 of their 18 games away from Charles L. Cost Field this season.

Pitt coach Joe Jordano remains optimistic that the team can escape its recent funk.

“I am not sure of why we are struggling on the road over the past few weeks,” Jordano said. “We have not played well on the road but I am confident we can turn it around heading into the second half of the season.”

With an ACC three-game series awaiting them this weekend at home against the No. 20 Clemson Tigers, the Panthers need to right the ship with a win against Kent State Wednesday. 

Senior outfielder Stephen Vranka, who is sporting a .274 batting average this season, is trying to lead by example during the losing streak.

“I always try to stay positive… I think that staying loose during the game is important to [help] the younger guys not press,” Vranka said. 

Although the Panthers have been coming up short recently, the team does not seem to lack confidence according to sophomore infielder Dylan Wolsonovich. 

“We all believe that we can compete against any team in the country when we play our game,” Wolsonovich said.

When asked what the Panthers need to do against Kent State in order to end the current losing streak, Jordano offered his remedy.

“I am trying to simplify the process as much as possible. We need to execute the little things,” he said. “This team has played fairly consistently all year. If you analyze our losses, regardless of opponent, they have all been competitive games.”

Pitt has been competitive during its recent skid, with only three of its eight losses this month coming by more than three runs. Perhaps this is a sign that Jordano and his players are taking the recent struggles seriously and are close to getting themselves out of their slump. Or perhaps it’s evidence that the team simply struggles to come through when they need to.

Either way, Wolsonovich cited a few things the Panthers need to do to get back to winning, including capitalizing on opportunities with runners in scoring position and playing clean defense.

“We have to play flawless baseball, which we know we are capable of,” he said. “So it really just comes down to execution for us.”

The starting pitchers for both teams on Wednesday are yet to be determined, but Pitt will likely put the 6-foot-7 freshman T.J. Zeuch or junior Luke Curtis on the mound. Zeuch has been consistent for the Panthers in his six starts this season, pitching to a 1-2 record and a 2.36 earned run average. Curtis, meanwhile, has only started once this year, but in 10 relief appearances, he has accumulated a 2.08 earned run average and 18 strikeouts in only 17 1/3 innings pitched. 

Either pitcher will have his hands full with Kent State’s offense, which includes five hitters with a batting average of .300 or better. 

The hottest hitter of the bunch has been infielder Zarley Zalewski, who is currently batting at a .409 clip and has knocked in 24 runs. Another dangerous offensive player in the Kent State lineup is Alex Miklos, a junior outfielder hitting with a .391 batting average and three home runs to pair with 29 runs batted.