SHU Hosts SJU For Three, All-Access Game Sunday

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team (17-16, 4-3 BIG EAST) looks to stay hot this weekend when it welcomes in rival St. John's (19-16, 7-1 BIG EAST) for a three-game league set. The match-up is one of the bigger series between the longtime rivals in recent memory, with both teams entering the weekend in the top-three of the conference standings. Action kicks off on Saturday, April 13 with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. before a series finale single game on Sunday, April 14 at noon. All three contests will be available live and FREE on the Pirate Sports Network.

Sunday's broadcast will have an added element of intrigue. The PSN is going "All-Access" for the series finale, with Seton Hall head coach Paige Smith mic'd up for the duration of the contest.

LEADING OFF >>

The Pirates enter the weekend on a roll, winning eight of their last 10 including series victories over both Villanova and Butler to move into third in the BIG EAST standings
During that 10-game stretch, the Pirates are batting .330 as a team and hold an OPS of .942
Overall on the season The Hall is second in the BIG EAST in both batting average and slugging
Hailey Arteaga (Upland, Calif.) and Janae Barracato (Hempstead, N.Y.) have led SHU's offense this season from the top two spots in the lineup
- Both have notched 12 doubles on the year, tied for the most in the BIG EAST
- Arteaga is fourth in the league with a .412 batting average and leads SHU with 27 RBIs
- Barracato checks in at sixth in the league with 26 runs and eighth with 37 total hits
Also batting .300 or better for the Pirates are Destini Peck (Riverside, Calif.) and Katherine Matthys (Spring Branch, Texas), while Baylee Allender (Rosharon, Texas) leads The Hall with six home runs
In the circle, Reganne Camp is 5-1 with a 1.73 ERA over the last 10 games and has struck out 92 batters over 86.1 innings overall on the season

BATTLING THE RED STORM >>

The Pirates are 25-54 all-time against St. John's in a series dating all the way back to 1981
The Red Storm have had the upper hand in recent seasons, winning 13 of 14 dating back to 2014
Last season The Hall notched a 9-8 win in its series opener with the Red Storm behind a pair of Arteaga home runs, but would drop the next two and fall in the series
Despite SJU's recent success, four of the last seven in the series have been decided by one run
This season St. John's holds a 19-16 overall record and a league-best 7-1 mark in conference play
The Red Storm lead the conference in every offensive category, slashing .297/.396/.491 this year
Marissa Rizzi (.422), Peyton Cody (.415) and Lauren Delgado (.404) are all among the BIG EAST's leaders in batting average, while Rizzi has clubbed 11 home runs and scored 36 times
Cody has knocked in 37 runs for the Red Storm and Christina Melendez has driven home 32
In the circle, Madison Morris leads the way with a 12-5 record and 3.21 ERA over 128.2 innings, striking out 141 batters and limiting opponents to a .251 batting average against

WHAT'S AHEAD >>
Following the crucial league set, the Pirates are back in action on Tuesday, April 16 at Stony Brook.