Pitt baseball released their 2021 ACC schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The number of conference series has been increased from the typical 10 weekend series to 12, bringing their total number of league games to 36.
Pitt played only 16 games last season — three in conference — before the 2020 college baseball season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To avoid the often frigid early spring weather in Northeast, Pitt opens with a brutal swing through the south of the ACC. Unfortunately for the Panthers, a majority of the league’s top teams reside in those more temperate climates. Three of Pitt’s first four weekend series in ACC play will come on the road against teams ranked in the preseason top 25.
Panthers head coach Mike Bell called this year’s slate “possibly the most challenging schedule in the history of our program” and added that he is simply grateful to be back on the field again after last year’s season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Starting out with four top-15 ranked programs on the road in the first five weekends will not define us as a team, but will challenge us to grow together as a program,” Bell said through a release. “We’re extremely excited to get back on the field together and compete. I truly believe last year’s pandemic/pause allowed a lot of us as coaches and athletes to reflect and truly understand how lucky we are to play this great game.”
Pitt is scheduled to play their first ACC contest in the Sunshine State. On Feb. 26 they will play a three game series against preseason No. 24 Florida State — Bell’s alma mater and former employer — in Tallahassee.
The Panthers will visit Duke for three games from March 5-7. Then they will head to Atlanta, Georgia to face No. 15 Georgia Tech five days after and a series against No. 16 Virginia awaits on the other side.
Pitt’s only home series in the month of March will begin on the 26th when Virginia Tech travels to Pittsburgh.
Home series with Notre Dame, No. 21 Miami and North Carolina make up a more forgiving nine-game homestand through the first three weekends of April. But a date with No. 5 Louisville looms on the other side. The Panthers will visit the Cardinals from April 23-25.
Six games — three each against Boston College from May 7-9 and No. 13 NC State — will complete the home schedule. Pitt’s last home game of 2021 and Senior Day for the team’s eight graduating members will be on May 16 against NC State.
The final three games of the regular season are slated for May 20-22 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina against No. 17 Wake Forest.
The ACC Tournament does not yet have a set location, but will be held from May 25-30.
A full schedule that includes non-conference contests will be announced “at a later time” according to Pitt. The Panthers will begin official practices on Jan. 29.
Feb. 26-28 at Florida State
March 5-7 at Duke
March 12-14 at Georgia Tech
March 19-21 at Virginia
March 26-28 vs. Virginia Tech
April 1-3 vs. Notre Dame
April 9-11 vs. Miami
April 16-18 vs. North Carolina
April 23-25 at Louisville
May 7-9 vs. Boston College
May 14-16 vs. NC State
May 20-22 at Wake Forst
May 25-30 at ACC Tournament, TBD
