CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After downing Liberty in the midweek, the No. Virginia baseball team (29-13, 12-9 ACC) heads the road for a weekend ACC showdown with the Pittsburgh Panthers (25-14, 7-11 ACC) at Charles L. Cost Field.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Watch: ACCNX
Listen: WINA (98.9 FM/1090 AM) (Saturday & Sunday)
Live Stats: VirginiaSports.com
Probable Starting Pitchers:
FRIDAY – 6 PM
Virginia: LHP Henry Zatkowski (6-0, 4.08 ERA, 53 IP, 15 BB, 62 SO)
Pittsburgh: LHP Antonio Doganiero (5-2, 3.37 ERA, 34.2 IP, 13 BB, 34 SO)
SATURDAY – 3 PM
Virginia: LHP Kyle Johnson (0-1, 3.38 ERA, 16 IP, 8 BB, 21 SO)
Pittsburgh: TBA
SUNDAY – 1 PM
Virginia: RHP John Paone (1-2, 5.45 ERA, 38 IP, 16 BB, 42 SO)
Pittsburgh: RHP Drew Lafferty (4-3, 5.83 ERA, 41.2 IP, 13 BB, 27 SO)
LEADING OFF
- Entering the weekend, Virginia is averaging 8.5 runs per game, which ranks 24th in the country and fifth in the league behind Georgia Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh and Louisville. Overall, UVA has scored the 13th-most runs in the country at 355.
- UVA’s 74 home runs have powered the power surge through the first 42 games of the season. The 74 blasts rank 13th nationally and third in the ACC. In 2025, the Cavaliers only hit 69 home runs as a team.
- A trio of Cavaliers were named to national award semifinalist lists, headlined by Lucas Hartman on the National Pitcher of the Year and Stopper of the Year lists. Tyler Kapa joins Hartman on the Stopper of the Year list, while Eric Becker landed on the Brooks Wallace Award list for top shortstop in the country.
AGAINST PITTSBURGH
- In a series that has only been contested 40 times, Virginia enters the weekend holding a 28-12 record, including winning the first meeting 19-5 in 1940.
- The Cavaliers took two of the three from the Panthers when the two squads squared off at Disharoon Park in 2025. After splitting a Saturday doubleheader, UVA run-ruled Pitt 18-0 to clinch the series.
- In the 2024 series, Virginia swept Pitt on the road. The Cavaliers outscored the Panthers 36-8 for the three-game series.
- On April 4, 2014, Nathan Kirby tossed the program’s fifth no-hitter in a 4-0 shutout in Pittsburgh. Kirby struck out 18 batters in the contest and only two Panther hitters reached base (one hit, one error).
ON THE MOUND
- After a handful of weeks away, Henry Zatkowski returns to the first night starter stage. The sophomore is 6-0 this season with a 4.08 ERA and 62 strikeouts against 15 walks in 53 innings.
- In the series opener against Clemson, Zatkowski tied a career-high with 10 Ks over seven innings of three-run ball.
- Kyle Johnson will get the ball on Saturday with an extra day of rest. Johnson has a 0-1 record with a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings with 21 innings pitched.
- To close out the weekend, John Paone will once again take the mound on Sunday. The Freshman will enter the contest with a 1-2 record and a 5.45 ERA on the year. In his last outing, Paone fanned a season-high seven batters in 4.1 innings against Clemson.
TAMING THE TIGERS
- To claim its fifth ACC series victory of the season, the Virginia Cavaliers took the opening game and the rubber match from the Clemson Tigers.
- It was the ninth series win for the Cavaliers over the Tigers in 12 tries since the start of the 2006 season.
- In game one, Henry Zatkowski tossed seven innings of two earned run ball while tying a career-high in strikeouts with 10. AJ Gracia homered in the contest, while Jake Weatherspoon’s bases-clearing three-run double in the sixth proved to be the difference in the 6-4 contest.
- With Eric Becker and AJ Gracia both out of the lineup, UVA got a pair of home runs from Harrison Didawick and 4.1 innings of one-run ball from John Paone to clinch the series win with a 5-4 victory.
SOUTH BEND SLUGGERS
- En route to its first series at Notre Dame since 2019, the Virginia offense came alive by crushing 10 home runs over the course of the weekend.
- In game one, Harrison Didawick cemented his place in the Virginia Blue & Orange as the senior moved to second all-time on the career home run list with a pair of dingers. With the game tied at four in the ninth, a Zach Jackson long ball opened the floodgates as Virginia won 8-4.
- To take the series, UVA exploded for 20 runs on 18 hits, including six home runs from five different Cavaliers in a 20-5 thrashing.
MIDSEASON HONORS FOR THE HOOS
- As the calendar turns to April, several Hoos have garnered national attention for their stellar play over the first half of the season.
- Four different Hoos found themselves on the various Perfect Game Midseason All-American teams when the publication announced its selections on Wednesday. AJ Gracia led the way on the first team while Lucas Hartman and Eric Becker landed on the second and third teams, respectively. Noah Yoder was named to the Freshman second team to round out the Virginia quartet.
- D1Baseball also announced its midseason accolades on Wednesday as Lucas Hartman earned second team Midseason All-American honors.
- To go along with his midseason All-American honors, Gracia was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List. The UVA outfielder was one of 45 amateur baseball players who were named to the watch list.
FRED NATED & BIRDBALLED
- Virginia bookended its four-game road swing with a pair of wins over Maryland in Fredericksburg and Boston College in the weekend series finale.
- During UVA’s annual contest with Maryland at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, UVA picked up its ninth comeback victory of the year while also collecting its fifth run-rule victory of the season.
- After dropping the first two games of the weekend series at Boston College, the Cavaliers notched a 3-1 victory to salvage the weekend. The win was UVA’s 10th comeback victory of the season and the first win of the year when Virginia trailed in the seventh inning or later.
DEFORESTATION AT THE DISH
- For its seventh-straight ACC series win dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Virginia took two of three from the then-No. 24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
- With the series win, UVA improves to 38-12 in the last 50 games that the Cavaliers have played on the baseball diamond.
- In the series opener, Kyle Johnson made his UVA debut on the mound and set the tone with an electric 10-pitch inning. In the bottom of the frame, the Virginia offense exploded for five runs and cruised to a 10-6 victory.
- Sunday’s rubber match saw Virginia collect its eighth come-from-behind victory behind another offensive eruption and 4.2 shutout relief innings from the bullpen duo of Noah Yoder and Lucas Hartman.
CLASH POINT SECURED
- For the opening home weekend of ACC play, Virginia took two of three games from in-commonwealth rival Virginia Tech at Disharoon Park.
- In game one, UVA rode a career-high performance from Henry Zatkowski as the lefty fanned 10 Hokies. The Virginia office exploded for eight runs over the middle third to take the series opener.
- To claim the series, four different Cavaliers homered, led by Sam Harris, who did it twice, as Virginia got a trio of shutdown innings from Kevin Jaxel and Noah Yoder in relief.
- The Saturday series clincher gave Virginia a share of the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. UVA exited the weekend leading 11-4, with seven sports remaining.
CAROLINA CONQUERED
- For the opening weekend of ACC play, Virginia took two of three games from No. 8 North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 29-13 during the weekend set.
- In game one, UVA rode monster offensive performances from Harrison Didawick, Noah Murray and Eric Becker to a 13-3 victory in seven innings. Henry Zatkowski held North Carolina to five hits over 5.1 innings of work.
- To claim the series, Max Stammel had his best game in a Virginia uniform, surrendering one run in six innings. Zach Jackson and Sam Harris each homered in the 9-2 victory.