Courtesy: Pitt Athletics
Pitt Baseball is about to enter the most difficult part of its schedule. With a conference record of
4-8, Pitt sits 13th in the ACC. Still, first baseman Luke Cantwell has been a bright spot for the
Panthers, and he hopes that improvements this year will pay off down the stretch.
“Obviously, we have some new players here, but the task is still the same,” Cantwell said.
“Taking every pitch by its pitch and every game by its game is the motto we’ve enscripted here.”
The Panthers have a few key ACC series coming up, including a series against Virginia this
weekend and series against Duke and North Carolina on the horizon. These are key
opportunities to advance in the conference.
“It’s tough to look by a weekend,” Cantwell said. “Every team in this conference is a pretty good
ball club. I was here last year and played pretty much all these schools. You can’t take anyone
lightly.”
Cantwell, who broke the Panthers’ single season record for walks with 57 last season, also
leads the team in free passes this year. It’s a key factor of his game that allows him to get on
base more than any of his teammates.
“Taking balls and swinging at strikes is our simplified approach to hitting, [and] you take your
free passes when you get them,” Cantwell said.
A transfer from Farleigh Dickinson, Cantwell emerged as one of the Panthers’ best bats.
Halfway through his senior season, Cantwell is still focused on leading this team.
“Being a D1 baseball player in the ACC is a dream come true.”