Three things to know about Pitt ahead of UNC's weekend series

North Carolina will once again play an ACC series after being off from league play last week.

The second-ranked Tar Heels will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on May 8-10. The Tar Heels are coming off a 1-1 weekend, with a 12-2 loss to Coastal Carolina and a rebound 13-0 win over Triangle rival Duke in Chapel Hill.

Pitt (28-18, 10-14 ACC) is coming off a series that ended in a sweep at the hands of then-No. 14 Florida State. The Panthers have had an up-and-down season, but they have shown they can be dangerous — case in point, their series sweep of then-No. 10 Virginia.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. Keep reading below for three things to know about Pitt.

Desperate Times For the Panthers

North Carolina might have walked into the trap of a starving panther finally finding a meal.

Right now, Pittsburgh is on the ropes as it chases its first postseason appearance since 1996 and just its fourth in program history. Pitt sits at No. 47 in the RPI, and with 48 teams projected to qualify for regional play, the Panthers are firmly on the bubble.

They already own a ranked series win over Florida State from a couple of weeks ago, but taking a series from the No. 2 team in the country would significantly bolster Pitt’s NCAA tournament résumé.

Pitt Power

Pittsburgh is one of the nation’s most dangerous offensive teams. The Panthers rank in the top 10 nationally in home runs, runs per game and slugging percentage, and they sit near the top in batting average as well.

Four players on Pitt’s team have 10 home runs or more: Lorenzo Carrier (18), Sebastian Pisacretta (13), Caden Dulin (12) and Carter Dierdorf (10).

The Panthers are Patient at the Plate