Pirates To Host PC, Series Now Starts Friday

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team (15-21, 1-5 BIG EAST) will be back in action this weekend to take on Providence (6-19, 3-2 BIG EAST) for a three-game BIG EAST set. PLEASE NOTE: the series will now kick off with a doubleheader on Friday, April 6 beginning at 12 p.m. The date of the single-game finale will be decided following the conclusion of Friday's action.

The Pirates are coming off a week off, last taking the field on Saturday, March 31 at Butler where they picked up a 1-0 win on the backs a complete game shutout from Reganne Camp (Bloomington, Ill.). The Friars were in action on Wednesday, falling to Boston College by a score of 16-4.

LEADING OFF >>

The Pirates have been led at the dish this year by freshman Janae Barracato (Hempstead, N.Y.), who is batting .336 with seven doubles, four home runs, 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored
Fellow rookie Payton Beaver (Lake Stevens, Wash.) is second on the squad with a .311 average and has knocked in 15 runs, also drawing 21 walks for a team-best .427 on-base percentage
In the power department, Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) leads The Hall and ranks second in the BIG EAST with eight home runs and is tied with Hailey Arteaga (Upland, Calif.) for a team-high with 19 RBIs
Arteaga is also batting .292 and has added seven doubles and three home runs in her sophomore season
In the circle, Camp leads the way with a 2.61 ERA over 88.2 innings, striking out 69 against 28 walks and limiting opponents to a .267 batting average against
Madison Strunk (Adkins, Texas) has also tossed 85.0 innings and pitched to a 4.28 ERA

FACING THE FRIARS >>

The Hall is 29-28 all-time against Providence in a series dating back to 1992
In recent seasons the Pirates have fared particularly well against the Friars, holding a 10-3 record since the 2012 campaign
Last year The Hall dropped two of three at Providence, with each game decided by one or two runs
The Pirates swept PC in its last trip to South Orange, a three-game set in the 2016 campaign

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE

The Friars visit South Orange with a 6-19 overall record, but are 3-2 in BIG EAST play with two wins over Georgetown and one at Creighton
Vanessa Portillo leads PC with a .279 average, while Brittney Veler has hit two home runs and knocked in 13 runs
The Friars feature a potent 1-2 punch in the circle, with Miranda Trinidad holding a 2.49 ERA and Christina Ramirez checking in at 3.02

WHAT'S AHEAD
Following the BIG EAST weekend series, The Hall will travel to Hofstra on Tuesday, April 10.