Pitt’s Zeremenko goes a long way in helping team
Tri-State Sports & News Service
With one mighty swing, Giorgiana Zeremenko sent a softball screaming through the steamy southern air. Off it went, 100, 150, 200 feet, ultimately crashing into the scoreboard at the Florida Gulf Coast University Softball Complex.
“It wasn’t high off the scoreboard,” Zeremenko said of her first career home run, which came in the 20th game of her freshman season at Pitt. “It was one of those hits where you hold your breath until you see it clear the fence.”
Soon after, Zeremenko, named first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday, began an assault on the record books that has left little doubt that she is the greatest slugger in Pitt history.
Her career total of 46 home runs easily outdistances the previous mark of 34, set by Holly Stevens in 2011. Zeremenko’s 15 homers this season are two shy of her single-season record of 17, set in 2016.
A Canon-McMillan High grad, the senior catcher ranks first in the ACC and 21st nationally in that category.
“Hitting a home run is a way of getting momentum going for your team,” Zeremenko said. “It’s not something I strive to do, but it comes with trusting yourself at the plate.”
It is not uncommon to see one of Zeremenko’s shots traveling 300 feet; out of Pitt’s Vartabedian Field and into the adjacent soccer field.
Her all-time greatest homer, per the slugger, came in her first ACC series. The opponent was visiting North Carolina State, and Zeremenko launched a walk-off homer over the scoreboard in left-center field.
A frenzied celebration soon ensued.
“Will never forget it,” Zeremenko said.
Known simply as “G,” Zeremenko has played like an MVP for a Panthers team (31-17-1, 16-6 ACC) that will entered the ACC tournament Thursday as the Coastal Division champion, a first for the program.
Following a first-round bye, the Panthers were scheduled to face the Virginia Tech-Duke winner in the second round.
“Here at Pitt, we hold ourselves to high standards, and we are expected to give it our best,” said Zeremenko, who ranked seventh nationally with an .888 slugging percentage in 2016. “We lost only one senior from last year, so we thought we had a chance to be a good team. There’s a lot of chemistry here. And everyone is expected to give 100 percent.”
This talented Pitt team is vying for a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history. The first occurred in Zeremenko’s freshman season.
One of six WPIAL alums on the roster, Zeremenko is joined by junior Olivia Gray of Trinity (.309 average, 4 HRs, 47 hits, 25 RBIs) who also was named firstteam all-ACC, senior Erin Hershman of Mars (.236, 8 doubles), junior Marissa DeMatteo of New Castle (.242, 17 runs), sophomore Connor McGaffic of South Side Beaver and freshman infielder Brie Horrell of Pine-Richland.
Zeremenko, coach Holly Aprile said, is the catalyst for the Panthers.
“When G hits a home run, we feed off of her energy, and it gives us a big lift when she sends it out of the park, especially if there are runners on,” said Aprile, who led Pitt to its first national ranking last season and to the regional final of the 2015 NCAA tournament and was named ACC Coach of the Year on Tuesday. “Every time she comes up there’s a little bit of that expectation from the crowd and our team. That’s something that is difficult for her at times and that’s a tribute to her as a batter, being able to stay within herself as much as possible.”
Don’t get the wrong idea about the right-handed Zeremenko: She is more than a one-dimensional hitter.
She leads the Panthers in average (.348), hits (48), doubles (10), slugging percentage (.746) and walks (33). Included in those numbers are 13 multi-hit games, 7 multi-RBI games and 15 consecutive games of reaching base safely.
So powerful is Zeremenko’s reputation these days that a number of opponents eschew throwing to her. Take, for example, Duke. The Blue Devils intentionally walked Zeremenko four times after she belted a homer in the first game of a doubleheader. Others refuse to pitch near her, hence all the free passes.
“Much of that comes from patience; I’m waiting for pitches I can drive versus taking swings and getting myself out,” said Zeremenko, who led CanonMac to two WPIAL titles and a PIAA crown. “I’ve had intentional walks here and there — that’s part of the game — but the key is being patient.”
An exercise science major who will graduate next spring, Zeremenko plans to go into sports administration or coaching. But that must wait. She has more softball to play.
“Going to the NCAA tournament was one of the best experiences of my life,” she said. “So, to end on a high note and get back there would be awesome. We’re capable of doing it. It’s in our grasp.”