USA Volleyball Nationwide Staff Improvement Program (NTDP) chosen Pitt incoming first-year duo of proper aspect hitter Olivia Babcock and outdoors hitter Blaire Bayless for the 2023 Ladies U19 NORCECA Pan American Cup from Might 9-15 in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico on Monday.

Bayless stands at 6-foot-2 and earned a rating of the No. 5 recruit within the Class of 2023. She led her highschool workforce to a District 6-6A Championship this 12 months. Bayless obtained district MVP honors, earned a spot on the First-Staff All-District in 2021, and Newcomer of the Yr honors after her sophomore 12 months. She additionally obtained the glory of enjoying within the 2022 Beneath Armour All-American match.

Babcock earned volleymag.com and AVCA First-Staff Excessive College All-American honors, as she led her highschool, Sierra Canyon, to their first ever Division I ladies volleyball championship. She stands at 6-foot-4, and prepdig.com ranked her at No. 27 her class, whereas prepvolleyball.com ranked her at No. 43.

The groups that Babcock and Bayless and the USA squad might compete towards within the Pan Am Cup are Honduras, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.

USA Volleyball can even compete on the 2023 FIVB Ladies U19 World Championship, and the federation will decide the roster later this 12 months, previous to the August 1 beginning date.

Pitt jumped into Jayden Clark’s recruiting chase throughout his freshman season, but it surely went quiet for a bit. Till he made it out to Pitt’s Junior Day in January.

And since then, Clark — a 6-foot-5, 250-pound three-stat offensive deal with from Northmont Excessive in Clayton, Ohio — has seen his recruiting course of warmth up increasingly with Pitt.

“Me and my dad and mom cherished the teaching workers, the power, the place it’s situated, too,” Clark instructed PSN. “Every little thing was nice. The campus was nice, we didn’t see an excessive amount of of it as a result of it was extra simply seeing the power, but it surely was simply nice there.”

And the connection progressed even additional as Randy Bates prolonged Clark an official provide late final month.

After an amazing dialog with @BatesBacker I’m blessed to obtain a suggestion from @Pitt_FB 🔵🟡 Reward God@247Sports @AllenTrieu @On3sports @PittRecruiting @On3Recruits @247recruiting pic.twitter.com/5GKdJutEFI

— Jayden Clark (@ClarkJayden78) April 21, 2023

“It feels nice,” Clark mentioned. “I’m blessed with that chance from coach Bates, and it feels nice.”

Pitt was truly the primary college that Clark talked to throughout his recruiting course of, so the connection has at all times been there, however ever since he rekindled the connection with a Junior Day go to, there’s been a brand new sense of precedence.

Since he’s a recruit within the class of 2025, Pitt’s workers hasn’t been allowed to straight attain out, not till June 15, however with a Junior Day go to and in going by means of the Northmont teaching workers, the connection has begun to bloom.

Bates, one among Pitt’s lead recruiters in Ohio, has been Clark’s predominant level of contact to date, and whereas the communication remains to be comparatively contemporary, the connection that he’s constructed with Clark and his household hasn’t gone unnoticed. That private reference to the Clark household means one thing.

At any time when Bates makes it out to Northmont, which has been the case a number of instances, as typically as Bates is ready, he chops it up with Clark. It’s relationship constructing.

And in persevering with to develop his relationship with Bates, studying increasingly about Pitt’s program, and seeing it for himself first hand on Junior Day, he’s been in a position to see how the tradition has contributed to success these days.

“I really feel prefer it’s a very good bond with them, actually good,” Clark mentioned. “I really feel like all people’s connecting, particularly with the gamers, as a result of the dorms are proper there, proper subsequent to the services, so it’s simply actually related there.

“Particularly with it being Pittsburgh, all people’s actually related over there. With that facet of it, I simply really feel prefer it’s a very good bond over there.”

As Clark grew up in Ohio, practically the whole lot he was Ohio State, however he appreciated what he noticed from Pitt. He likes it much more now after an amazing go to — and a slowly rising relationship with the teaching workers.

And Pitt likes what it sees in Clark as a giant, bodily offensive lineman. He’s heard how the workers likes his recreation, his approach and his aggression. He is aware of he has plenty of room to develop as a participant, however he additionally acknowledges that that’s the precise motive why Pitt likes him — to have the possibility to develop him over the following 4 years.

“I’d say I get my job achieved,” Clark mentioned. “Transfer my man from A to B, get my joh achieved, we get them touchdowns and we win video games. Easy, actually.”

247Sports charges Clark because the Thirty fifth-ranked offensive deal with and the Twenty seventh-ranked recruit from Ohio. Neither On3 nor Rivals has ranked him but, however that may change within the weeks and months to come back.

With gives from Bowling Inexperienced, Miami (Oh.), Pitt and Purdue, together with curiosity from Cincinnati, Duke and Minnesota, Clark’s recruiting course of is heating up. However Pitt is recruiting him perhaps the toughest.

As only a recruit within the class of 2025, solely a rising junior in highschool, he’s a methods away from having to slim down his recruiting chase, however Pitt has definitely been in a position to stand out within the early going.

“Simply that relationship with the coaches, their private relationship with my household, how they deal with me and the way I can present for them on the sphere, off the sphere and vice versa,” Clark mentioned.

“I’d say (Pitt is) on the upper finish. I’m nonetheless contemporary with the provide, as a result of I don’t have rather a lot, solely 4, however they’re on the upper finish for certain.

There are nonetheless 4 months till the 2023-24 faculty soccer season kicks off, however the powers that be at DraftKings and FanDuel aren’t excessive on Pitt’s possibilities as soon as it does.

The early betting odds for the 2023-24 season characteristic Pitt as a middle-of-the-road ACC squad, languishing in mediocrity with the likes of Syracuse and Duke. And its ACC championship odds are even worse.

DraftKings has set Pitt’s win whole in 2023 at 6.5, which is tied for sixth within the ACC with North Carolina State, Syracuse and Duke. Florida State (10), Clemson (9.5), North Carolina (8.5), Louisville (7.5) and Miami (7.5) all have increased projected win totals.

DraftKings has additionally set Pitt’s nationwide title odds at +20000, tied with the likes of Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Minnesota, Texas Tech and Louisville.

FanDuel has set its personal ACC championship odds, and Pitt is seventh (+2300) behind Florida State (+165), Clemson (+190), North Carolina (+650), Louisville (+1100), North Carolina State (+1500) and Miami (+2200).

FanDuel has additionally set Pitt +25000 to win the nationwide championship, tied with various groups that features Missouri, Tulane, UCF, West Virginia, Purdue, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Maryland and Illinois.

FanDuel has set Phil Jurkovec with +15000 odds to win the Heisman Trophy, tied, humorous sufficient, with new BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis.

However in a single way-too-early common season unfold, FanDuel holds Pitt as one-point favorites over West Virginia within the Yard Brawl on Sept. 16. Odds for or in opposition to are set at -110.

Pitt, in fact, is coming off a 9-4 season, ranked within the last AP Ballot for the second time in as many seasons, and whereas the roster sustained some main losses, there are many causes for optimism throughout all three phases of the group. Particularly on the defensive aspect of the soccer.

For those who really feel like Pitt has higher odds to win greater than six video games when the schedule options Wofford, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Florida State, Syracuse, Boston Faculty and Duke, you probably received’t have higher odds than now.