Pirates Set to Host DePaul For Important Weekend Series

South Orange, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team will host BIG EAST foe DePaul for a three-game series at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field this weekend. First pitch for the series is slated for Friday at 3 p.m. with single games on Saturday and Sunday to follow.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates are coming off a doubleheader sweep at Manhattan on Saturday which saw solid pitching performances from Sydney Babik (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Cadyn Ehrenberg (Fremont, Wisc.). Babik tossed a complete-game shutout in the 1-0 game one victory. The shutout was the second of Babik's career and her nine strikeouts were a career mark. With the win, Babik moved to 6-4 on the season. In game two, Ehrenberg picked up the complete game victory scattering one earned run across seven innings with a strikeout. The win moved Ehrenberg to 2-1 on the season. The Hall improved to 14-13 on the season and currently sit at 4-5 in the BIG EAST.

SCOUTING

DePaul (14-18, 3-6 BIG EAST)

The Blue Demons are coming off a mid-week, six-inning victory over UIC 16-6 on Wednesday. Prior to that, DePaul took two-of-three at home against Villanova.
Brooke Johnson leads the Blue Demons with a .357 average, seven home runs and 26 runs driven in. Johnson is currently in the top-10 amongst BIG EAST hitters for all three categories.
DePaul uses a trio of pitchers: Hocker, Lehman and Halvorson with Hocker leading all pitchers with a 3.52 ERA while Lehamn has racked up a team-high 59 strikeouts.
The Blue Demons lead the all-time series 27-6 between the two programs.

NEWS AND NOTES

Both the Pirates and Blue Demons sit behind Villanova for fourth in the BIG EAST standings with four teams making the BIG EAST Tournament. The Pirates trail the Wildcats by just a half game while DePaul sits 2.5 back.
With the Pirates' first win against Manhattan on Saturday, Head Coach Angie Churchill picked up her 200^th career NCAA victory.
A BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll selection last week, Taylor Hill has turned it on in conference play for the Pirates, leading all qualified hitters with a .414 average and four doubles in nine BIG EAST games, both good enough for top-five spots in the conference. The Pirates' primary shortstop is also tied for the team lead in conference runs driven in with eight to her credit to go along with a .973 fielding percentage.
The Pirates, along with Creighton and DePaul, are one of three teams in the conference to have multiple BIG EAST Player of the Week selections. Janae Barracato earned the distinction for the Pirates on Feb. 21 while Shelby Smith did the same on March 21. Laure Caye was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Feb. 21 following a weekend in which she went 3-for-5 (.600) with three home runs in three Pirate wins at the Retriever Round Robin hosted by UMBC. Additionally, Smith (2x) and Hill have been named to the conference's weekly honor roll for the Pirates.
Junior Abby Wingo leads the team and is second in the conference in doubles with 10. Shelby Smith leads the league in innings pitched and is sporting a 2.40 ERA in conference games.
The Pirates currently lead the BIG EAST in doubles with 47 and are 13^th in the nation in doubles per game at 1.74.
On Feb. 20, the Pirates accounted for 30 runs, 28 hits and nine home runs in two wins over UMBC and Saint Joseph's. The 19 runs in the win over UMBC in game one set the program record for most runs in a game while the 17-run differential was the largest margin of victory in program history. The 19 hits tied a program record.
The Pirates have scored 10-plus runs in five games this season.
With a three-run homer in the win over Nevada on March 4, Hannah Alexander became the ninth different Pirates to hit a home run this season compared to eight different Pirates who jumped the yard from a season ago.