The Hall Welcomes Butler For Three-Game Set

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Winner of five of its last six, the Seton Hall softball team (14-15, 2-2 BIG EAST) jumps back into BIG EAST play this weekend when it plays host to Butler (12-20, 1-2 BIG EAST) for a three-game set at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field. The series will kick off with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. and conclude with a single game on Sunday at noon. All three contests will be available live and FREE on the Pirate Sports Network presented by RWJ Barnabas Health.

Both squads are coming off midweek triumphs that followed weather-shortened BIG EAST series last weekend. The Hall swept a doubleheader with Saint Peter's on Wednesday after seeing two of three games at DePaul over the weekend canceled due to cold temperatures. The Bulldogs most recently notched a 10-inning win over IUPUI on Wednesday, which followed their entire series against Villanova being wiped out last week.

LEADING OFF >>

The Pirate bats have heated up in recent outings, as The Hall has averaged 8.0 runs per game over its last six contests and raised its overall season slash line to .286/.356/.456
The Hall is second in the BIG EAST in batting average and slugging percentage and leads the conference in both doubles (56) and triples (9)
The Pirates rank fourth in the NCAA in doubles per game with 1.93 two-baggers per contest
Hailey Arteaga (Upland, Calif.) has led the offensive barrage and is batting .400 on the year, leading the BIG EAST and ranking top-25 nationally with 12 doubles
Arteaga is third in the conference in batting average and fourth with a team-high 25 RBIs
Katherine Matthys (Spring Branch, Texas) is second on the club with a .378 average, while Jaden Tate (Las Vegas, Nev.) checks in at .310 with 10 extra-base hits and 15 runs scored
Also providing some pop is Janae Barracato (Hempstead, N.Y.), who checks in with a .305 average, 23 runs scored, 10 doubles and 17 RBIs from the leadoff spot
Destini Peck (Riverside, Calif.) is the fifth Pirate hitting at least .300 and has knocked in 16 runs while Darby Pandolfo (Massapequa, N.Y.) is tied with Arteaga with a team-high four home runs
In the circle, Kelsey Gumm (Spokane, Wash.) leads the squad with 2.91 ERA in 33.2 innings while Reganne Camp (Bloomington, Ill.) has struck out 70 batters over a team-high 68.0 innings

BATTLING BUTLER >>

Seton Hall is 6-9 all-time against Butler in a series dating back to BU joining the BIG EAST in 2014
Last season the Pirates dropped two of three in Indianapolis, with the lone win coming via a Camp shutout in the series finale
Neither team has ever recorded a sweep in the all-time series, and The Hall's lone series victory came back in 2015 when it took two of three on the road
Jenna Foreman leads BU with a .340 average and has scored 18 runs along with a league-leading 24 stolen bases
Lauren Fey checks in with a .329 average, while Sammy Andersen and Karli Ricketts have each clubbed three home runs and combined for 31 RBIs for the Bulldogs
In the circle three different pitchers have logged at least 47 innings and the Bulldogs hold a 3.56 ERA, third-best in the BIG EAST

WHAT'S AHEAD
The Pirates continue a season-long nine-game homestand on Thursday, April 11 with a 4 p.m. matinee against Hofstra.