WVU, Pitt Return to PNC Park, Expand Series to 3 Games

The Backyard Brawl will return to PNC Park for the second consecutive year in 2020, with Pitt and West Virginia set to face one another at the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 29.

They will also play at West Virginia’s Mongolia County Ballpark and Pitt’s on-campus Charles L. Cost Field for a three-game series between the teams.

“We are really excited to continue our series with Pitt at one of the most beautiful ballparks in baseball,” West Virginia head coach Randy Mazey said. “Our guys always look forward to playing at PNC Park, and we hope this great opportunity continues for a long time.”

The teams met at PNC Park in 2019 with the Mountaineers taking home a 9-4 victory on May 14. That was the second victory over Pitt in the 2019 season for the Mountaineers, coming on the heels of a 5-4 win in Morgantown on April 3.

“We are extremely grateful to the Pittsburgh Pirates for allowing us to create lifelong memories for our student-athletes,” Pitt head coach Mike Bell said in a press release. “There isn’t a better way to expand the Backyard Brawl to a three-game series than by playing in the best stadium in the country, PNC Park.”

West Virginia went on to a 38-22 record and hosted in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers were eliminating by Texas A&M in a heartbreaking 11-10 home loss.

WVU also beat Pitt in 2018 and swept a two-game home-and-home series in 2017. Pitt’s last win over WVU came on April 12, 2016, with a 4-1 victory in Morgantown.

The Pirates will be wrapping up a three-game road trip in Chicago against the Cubs while the collegiate players take over their home field.

“The Pirates are thrilled to have another opportunity to host these two great baseball programs at PNC Park,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a press release. “Giving the community a unique chance to watch this rivalry and to be able to offer our venue as a place to showcase local collegiate baseball is an exciting opportunity for us and another way to support our sport in the region.”

A version of this story originally appeared at our partner site, Pittsburgh Sports Now.