Five Pirates Claim Academic All-District Honors
5/29/2025 6:59:00 AM | Softball
South Orange, N.J. – Five members of the Seton Hall Pirates softball team were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, the organization announced Tuesday. Hannah Alexander (Wrightstown, N.J.), Katey Brennan (Yardley, Pa.), Kelsey Carr (Ridgewood, N.Y.), Olivia Gilbert (Johnston, R.I.) and Caroline Hobbes (Bay Shore, N.Y.) each received the distinction for their stellar performance both on the field and in the classroom.
ÂStudent-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and they must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average in order to be named to the All-District Team.
ÂBrennan, last season's BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, continued to grow in her sophomore season in South Orange. Stepping into the leadoff spot, the Yardley, Pa. native utilized improved plate discipline to help power an explosive Pirates offense. Over the course of her 51 starts, Brennan registered career-high marks of 45 walks and a .474 on-base percentage, both of which ranked second on the team. All of those opportunities pushed Brennan into history books when she broke the single-season runs scored record with her 49th run of the season against Creighton on May 5. In addition to those career bests, the sophomore also added top marks in doubles, home runs and slugging percentage.
ÂCarr capped off an illustrious two-way career with a strong season for the Pirates in 2025. In the circle, Carr amassed a career-high 29 appearances with a 3.35 ERA and a career-best 13 wins. At the plate, the graduate student was a nightmare for opposing pitchers. With her immense plate discipline, Carr led the BIG EAST with both a .543 on-base percentage and 56 walks, breaking both the program's single-season and career walks record in the process. Nationally, Carr's mark of 1.12 walks per game ranked third-highest in the entire NCAA. That discipline helped her blast a team-leading 14 home runs, joining Pirates Hall of Famer Laura Taylor (2002-05) as the only other Pirate to hit double-digit home runs in three consecutive seasons. The All-BIG EAST honoree made her mark throughout the season at the plate and in the circle. In a big rivalry game on April 11 against St. John's, Carr tied the single-game program record for walks. Two days later, she followed that up in the circle by pitching a one-run, complete-game victory against the Red Storm two days later. By season's end, Carr logged 11 complete games in the circle, as well as 14 multi-walk games and 14 multi-RBI games.
ÂGilbert was the power-packed core at the heart of the Pirates' explosive batting order in 2025, ending her final season in South Orange with her second All-BIG EAST selection. The senior finished tied for the team lead with a .348 batting average and led the Pirates with 56 hits. For the second straight season, she thrived in conference play, leading the team with a .378 batting average. Off the back of 15 multi-RBI games, Gilbert utilized her innate ability to drive runners home to land a team-leading tally of 57 RBI, a new single-season program record. In total, she recorded new career-highs in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, hits, home runs and RBI in 2025.
ÂHobbes continued her strong defensive play in her second season as The Hall's full-time second baseman, starting 51 of 52 games for the Pirates. At the plate, however, the junior turned herself into a premier top-of-the-order bat. From the second spot in the lineup, she amassed a .311 batting average, scored 38 runs, and finished tied for third in the team in hits with 47 total knocks. In conference play, her team-leading .377 batting average and 21 runs scored ranked inside the top ten of the BIG EAST's leaderboards.
ÂAlexander, after missing last season due to injury, returned to starting catching duties for the Pirates in 2025 and provided The Hall with a career-best season. In addition to her stout defensive presence, Alexander took an immense leap forward at the plate. The graduate student logged career highs in every significant category, including a .315 batting average and 40 RBI, the latter of which ranked third on the team. Alexander's signature performance of the season was her seven-RBI day against Georgetown on March 9, a tally that tied the single-game RBI program record.
