Pirates Visit Drexel, Rutgers to Close Non-Conference Play

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – After a crucial BIG EAST series win over St. John's, the Seton Hall softball team (23-18, 10-8 BIG EAST) will play a pair of mid-week opponents before taking their first weekend off since the end of February. On Tuesday, April 15, the Pirates will visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to take on the Drexel Dragons (3-33). First pitch for game one is slated for 2 p.m.

Then, on Wednesday April 16, The Hall will travel to Rutgers (17-26 overall, 1-11 BIG TEN) in the second and final game of the home-and-home series between the two New Jersey rivals. First pitch for the game is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Pirates hosted a BIG EAST-leading St. John's that had only one loss in conference play, and ten losses overall, up to that point this season. The Pirates narrowly fell in game one, 5-4, despite having multiple chances to equalize the game. Those signs of hope powered the Pirates to a doubleheader sweep and series win on Sunday, 3-1 and 10-0 (5 innings), over the Red Storm for the Pirates' third consecutive series win over their rivals.

Weekly Schedule
Tuesday, April 15 (Game One)
2 p.m. – Seton Hall at Drexel (Live Stats - Stream)
Wednesday, April 16
2 p.m. – Seton Hall at Rutgers (Live Stats - Stream)

Previewing Drexel

Seton Hall is 12-9 all-time against Drexel, with the first matchup ending as a 14-0 Seton Hall win in 1983.
- The Pirates have won the last four matchups.
The Dragons are currently 3-33 on the season with a 3-15 conference record.
Drexel is slashing .258/.316/.374 with 16 home runs, 97 RBI, 24 stolen bases and a -150-run differential (886-to-1036).
At the plate, the Dragons have a few notable bats. Infielder Mia Garza is the focal point of the Dragons this season, logging 11 runs scored, five doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI, while slashing .333/.391/.536. Alongside Garza, outfielder Kylah Reading is hitting .287/.349/.349 and leads the team with 16 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Violet Marta and Devyn Demchak are also hitting above .300, but have started just under a third of the Dragons' games
In the circle, no Drexel pitcher has an ERA better than 6.95 or a WHIP lower than 2.10.

Previewing Rutgers

Seton Hall is 21-45 all-time against Rutgers, with the first matchup occurring in 1977.
The Scarlet Knights are currently 17-26 on the season with an 1-11 record in BIG TEN play.
As a team, Rutgers is slashing .239/.332/.314 with nine home runs, 120 RBI, 36 stolen bases and a -92-run differential (139-to-231).
At the plate, the Scarlet Knights's offense is spearheaded by a pair of hitters with opposite profiles. Jillian Anderson tops the team with her slash line of .382/.504/.464, while also logging 15 RBI, 8 extra-base hits and 21 runs scored. Conversely, LA Matthews is hitting .285/.331/.439 with team leading tallies in home runs (4) and RBI (33).
In the circle, Rutgers is headlined by Ella Harrison. The freshman from Clarence, New York, leads the team in appearances and starts (26 appearances & 23 starts), innings pitched (141.1) strikeouts (183), WHIP (1.23) and ERA (2.23).

NEWS & NOTES

With her three wins last week, Head Coach Angie Churchill surpassed 300 career wins.
By winning the first game of the doubleheader over St. John's, Churchill also one reached 50 career BIG EAST wins.
- It took Churchill 88 BIG EAST Games to reach that mark, setting a new program record for the quickest coach to 50 BIG EAST wins in program history.
- Previously, the record was held by Ray Vander May, who took 106 games to earn his 50^th win.
With the 10-0 win over St John's the Pirates became only the second team this season to score more than five runs against the Red Storm. The only other time this season that occurred was during the opening week of the season when Houton defeated St John's 8-7.
- It was also St. John's first run-rule loss of the season.
With ten walks this week, Kelsey Carr surpassed Alexis Walkden's (2015-18) program record for of 114 career walks.
With her 58^th career double in the second game of the Pirates' doubleheader against St. John's, Taylor Hill passed Janae Barracato (2018-22) for the most doubles in Seton Hall history.
After surpassing 200 career hits against Villanova, Hill needs only 17 hits across the remainder of the season to break the current career hits program record held by two-time All-BIG EAST selection Katie Pierce (2003-06) with 225 hits. The Pirates have nine regular season games remaining, plus any postseason games that are to be determined.
On April 7, Naya Martinez earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors after she totaled .333/.368/.556 with four runs scored, one double, one home run, seven RBI and a single stolen base.
With three weeks remaining in the season, Kelsey Carr is amidst a career-best season. In the BIG EAStT she ranks inside the top five in slugging (3^rd, .764), on-base percentage (1^st, .535), runs scored (5^th, 37), RBI (T-5^th, 38), doubles (T-3^rd, 10), home runs (T-3^rd, 12), total bases (T-4^th, 84), walks (1^st, 45), innings pitched (3^rd, 108.1), wins (3^rd, 12) and saves (T-2^nd, 3).
Alongside Carr, Katey Brennan ranks third in on-base percentage (.488), doubles (10), and runs (42). She is also second in the conference in walks behind Carr with 36 walks.
Olivia Gilbert currently sits fourth in the conference in RBI (43), third in doubles (10), 10^th in plate appearances (154) and tied for ninth in the conference in hits (44).
In the entirety of D1 softball, Seton Hall ranks 3^rd in the nation in hit-by-pitches (49), 32^nd in on-base percentage (.413) and 45^th in runs per game (6.26).
Through 38 games, the majority of the Pirates' clashes are decided at the end of the fourth inning. The Hall is 21-1 when leading after 4, but 0-14 when trailing after four innings.
With a 23-0 victory against Wagner, the Pirates set new single-game program records for runs scored (23), margin of victory (23) and walks in a game (14).
In the Pirates' 3-2 victory over Villanova on March 29, Taylor Hill made history. Crossing home plate after her game-sealing, three-run home run, Hill broke the program record for career runs scored. That record was held by 2017 BIG EAST Player of the Year and three-time All-BIG EAST selection Alexis Walkden (2015-18), who registered 147 runs in her four seasons at The Hall.
Across the entire season, all but one player (Karissa Dupuis) on the Pirates roster has had at least one plate appearance. With Rachael Schumann's RBI against Army, every Pirate who has batted in a game has registered an RBI this season.