Feb. 21, 2008

The Pitt baseball team will begin its 2008 campaign in Conway, S.C. when it takes part in the IMIChotel INN-vitational this weekend. The Panthers will face Virginia Tech in the tournament's opening game on Friday afternoon at 12 p.m. before squaring-off with the Hokies again the following day at 10 a.m. Pitt's final game of the invitational is set for Sunday at 11 a.m. against Maryland.

The Panthers' 2007 season came to an end at the Big East Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. with a 5-2 loss to Connecticut. Pitt (27-27 overall) finished fourth in the Big East after a projected finish of ninth.

Virginia Tech notched a 23-31 overall record in 2007, defeating two ranked opponents in then No. 4 UNC and No. 21 Georgia Tech. Along with their success, however, the Hokies battled through sixteen frustrating losses of three runs or less, finishing last in the Coastal Division of the ACC.

Left-handed pitcher Nate Reed (SO/Reading, Pa./Oley Valley) is projected to get the start for the Panthers in their season-opener on Friday. Reed went 4-5 on the mound last season as a true freshman, compiling a 4.17 ERA with 82.0 innings pitched and 60 strikeouts.

Rob Brant (SR/ Mansfield, Pa./Mansfield) will take the mound Saturday in Pitt's second game of the invitational against the Hokies. Last season, the lefty started 14 games for the Panthers, the second-highest number of starts in a season in Pitt history.

Pitt will look to transfer Brian Chrisman (RS SR/Pittsburgh, Pa./Marshall University) to lead the way on the mound in Sunday's game against Maryland, as he makes his debut in a Panther uniform. Chrisman served as a three-year letterman at Marshall, tallying 11 starts and 58.1 innings pitched as a redshirt junior, while notching a team-high 53 strikeouts in his last season with the Herd.

Three other seniors will scatter the Panthers' lineup this weekend, providing veteran experience in a tournament they're very familiar with. Sean Conley (SR/Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk)  is Pitt's probable starting left fielder, while Dan Williams (SR/Berwyn, Pa./Episcopal Academy) will anchor the infield and Nick Mullins (SR/Brick, N.J./Brookdale Community College) will get the nod behind the plate.

2008 will mark Pitt's fourth-straight appearance in the IMIChotel INN-vitational, with Brant, Conley and Williams participating in all four campaigns. The Panthers are 4-7 all-time in the invitational after dropping three-straight games to open the 2007 season.

Pitt will look to rebound this year and once again even its invitational record at 7-7. Until last season's 7-3 loss to the Hokies in Conway, S.C., the Panthers had defeated Virginia Tech in five-straight meetings and lead the all-time series with the Hokies 10-7. Pitt hasn't loss two consecutive games to Virginia Tech since dropping contests in 2002 and 2003.

It's been 58 years since the Panthers and Terps matched up on the diamond. Sunday's contest will mark the first meeting between the teams since 1950, when Maryland defeated the Panthers by a score of 8-5. Pitt is 0-2 all-time against the Terps, as Maryland has out-scored the Panthers 22-5 in the team's two meetings.