AP Sports Preview

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Interstat) — The Atlantic Coast Conference baseball championship begins Tuesday, May 19, with a matchup between the seed Pittsburgh Panthers (30-23) and the seed Louisville Cardinals (30-26) at Truist Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT.

Pittsburgh enters the tournament after a 21-10 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, a game in which right fielder Lorenzo Carrier went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs. Carrier has been a bright spot for the Panthers, batting .667 (4-for-6) with two homers and four RBIs over his past two games. For the season, he leads the team in slugging percentage and has been a consistent run producer, despite Pittsburgh dropping six of its last seven contests.

Louisville, the higher seed, closed the regular season with a 10-5 win over Virginia on Saturday. Third baseman Bayram Hot was 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in that game. Hot has been hot at the plate of late, collecting seven hits over his past four games, including three multi-hit performances. The Cardinals have won four of their last six, though they stumbled down the stretch with series losses at Miami and Wake Forest.

The two teams met in a three-game series in late March, with Pittsburgh taking two of three. The Panthers won 4-3 on March 27 and 13-7 on March 29, while Louisville earned an 8-5 victory on March 28. That series was played in Pittsburgh.

Both rosters feature dangerous bats. Carrier leads a Panthers lineup that has scored 10 or more runs in three of its last six games, but the pitching staff has allowed at least 10 runs five times in that same span. Louisville counters with a deeper lineup, including Hot, center fielder Lucas Moore and left fielder Zion Rose, who combined for three home runs in the victory over Virginia.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 4-2 victory for Louisville.

The winner advances to the second round of the double-elimination tournament; the loser drops into the consolation bracket.