Pirates Open 2026 Campaign at Puerto Rico Challenge

Friday, February 13

Ponce, P.R.

7:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

Boston College

Pirates Open 2026 Campaign at Puerto Rico Challenge

2/12/2026 8:41:00 PM | Baseball

Watch (Victory+)

PONCE, PUERTO RICO – The 2026 Seton Hall baseball season kicks off at the Puerto Rico Challenge this weekend, where the Pirates will play three games to open the new campaign. The Pirates' season begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. with a matchup against Boston College, one of two ACC foes this weekend for The Hall. A showdown with Manhattan follows on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. before the Pirates close the weekend on Sunday at 11 a.m. against NC State.

All three games this weekend will be streamed for free on Victory+.

SCHEDULE

Fri., Feb. 13 vs. Boston College | 7:30 p.m. | Ponce, PR | Victory+
- Seton Hall leads all-time series, 26-20
- Last Meeting: Apr. 3-4, 2005
- Marks the first meeting between the teams since they were BIG EAST foes
Sat. Feb. 14 vs. Manhattan | 2:30 p.m. | Ponce, PR | Victory+
- Seton Hall leads all-time series, 26-5
- Last Meeting: May 3, 2023 (W, 14-3)
Sun. Feb. 15 vs. NC State | 11:00 a.m. | Caguas, PR | Victory+
- NC State leads all-time series, 2-1
- Last Meeting: Feb. 16-18, 2018
- Seton Hall opened the 2018 season in Raleigh, salvaging the finale of the three-game series against the No. 23 ranked Wolfpack.

NEWS & NOTES

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Steven Svenson was named the Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, one of two Pirates to earn a preseason honor from the conference.
- Svenson is the first Pirate to earn Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year since Ricky DeVito in 2019.
- Svenson landed on the All-BIG EAST First Team last season after ranking second in the league with a 2.15 ERA in six BIG EAST starts as a freshman.
Svenson was also a Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree alongside fellow starter John Downing.
- Downing had a highly impactful 2025 season primarily as a long reliever. He posted a 6-0 record with a 2.70 ERA in 50 innings of work during the year.
- Downing never allowed more than three runs in any of his 14 appearances last season.
- He also led the team in saves, ERA and wins.
Seton Hall will face a challenging slate of games in the 2026 campaign, facing five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season (NC State, Louisville, Creighton, Fairfield, Binghamton).
- Louisville came within two wins of reaching the College World Series last year.
The Pirates are set to face 14 teams this season that won at least 29 games a year ago, as well as eight opponents who won at least 35 games last season.
The Hall welcomes in 21 newcomers to the 2026 club consisting of 13 transfers and eight freshmen.
Of the 13 transfers, seven of them are graduate students: Ty Acker (George Washington), Jayden Barroqueiro (James Madison), Derek Benzinger (Monmouth), John Higgins (Ramapo), Christopher Ho (UMBC), Joe Marini (Catholic U) and Matt Pontari (Montclair State).
Of the eight freshmen on the roster, three reside from New Jersey: John Donahue (Montgomery, N.J.), Jason Kuhn (Waldwick, N.J.) and Drew Slomkowski (Nutley, N.J.).

UP NEXT
The Pirates continue their non-conference slate next weekend at the Swig & Swine Classic in Shipyard, S.C. Seton Hall will face George Mason, Merrimack and Ball State in the tournament.