Pirates Travel To No. 9 UConn

South Orange, N.J. - Coming off of a series victory at then-first place Xavier last weekend, the Seton Hall baseball team hits the road for another key BIG EAST series as they open a three-game series with No. 9 UConn on Friday at 7:35 p.m.

Saturday's game time is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. and Sunday's game will start at 2:30 p.m.

Seton Hall (25-19, 7-5 BIG EAST) has won six of its last seven games. The Pirates are just two games back of first and 1.5 GB of the Huskies in the BIG EAST standings. They currently hold the fourth and final spot in the BIG EAST Championship with three weeks left to play.

News & Notes

The Pirates have won three of its four BIG EAST series this season.
Seton Hall holds a 46-44 edge in the all-time series against UConn.
Both head coaches — Rob Sheppard at Seton Hall and Jim Penders at UConn — are coaching their alma maters and played against each other in the early 1990s
The Hall is coming off of a 14-3 win over Manhattan on Wednesday at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium.
It was Seton Hall's second 14-run game this season and its 17 hits was the Pirates third most in a game this season.
Junior Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .400 with eight hits and seven runs scored in a 4-1 week.
Hack had a career day against Xavier in game one on Friday where he registered personal bests with four hits and three runs.
Graduate student Nick Payero (Monroe, N.J.) was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following his Friday performance at Xavier where he allowed only two hits and two runs while fanning eight in seven innings.
In his last two starts, Payero has gone seven innings in both appearances while allowing three runs, four walks and collecting 15 strikeouts.

What a Difference a Year Makes

After a disappointing 2022 campaign that saw the Pirates miss its first BIG EAST Tournament since 2010, Seton Hall had nowhere to go but up in 2023.
With a new assistant coaching staff, including Seton Hall greats Giuseppe Papaccio and Ryan Ramiz, the Pirates have improved drastically on the mound and at the plate.
With 25 victories this season, Seton Hall has its most wins since winning 30 games in 2018.
As a team, Seton Hall has already hit more home runs (31), scored more runs (282) and stolen more bases (82) than last season.
31 home runs are the most for the Pirates since the 2005 squad also hit 31 round trippers.
The pitching staff is averaging 4.5 walks allowed per nine innings this season, down from 5.4 walks per nine last season.
After posting a 6.38 team ERA in 2022, the Pirates' arms have a 4.48 staff ERA this season.

Viera Named to Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

Junior Max Viera (Greenwood Lake, N.Y.) was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List on April 18 as one of the nation's top shortstops.
Viera is returning to his freshman All-American form this season as he leads the team with 31 RBI, 14 doubles and 51 hits while hitting .336 and stealing 19 bases.

Back To Stealing Bases

Seton Hall is back to stealing bags at high clip this season as the Pirates rank second in the BIG EAST and 30th in the country with 82 stole bases.
Hack leads the Pirates in swiped bags with 23 and he's a perfect 23-for-23 on the season.
Viera and redshirt junior Will Gale (Scotch Plains, N.J.) are tied for second on the club with 21 stolen bases.