Pirates Open BIG EAST Road Slate at Butler

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – After the cancellation of their midweek series due to weather, the Seton Hall (10-11, 2-4) softball team will hit the road to visit the Butler Bulldogs (10-9, 3-0) in Indianapolis, Indiana, for The Hall's first BIG EAST road series this year. First pitch for game one between the two teams is set for 3 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Pirates hosted the UConn Huskies for The Hall's second BIG EAST series of the season. After losing the lead late in game one of the series, Katey Brennan drilled a walk-off home run to secure a 5-4 win. Game two saw the Pirates' pitching fall afoul of the home run ball, ultimately resulting in an 8-6 loss. In the rubber match of the series, despite allowing four runs in the first innings, Karissa Dupuis shut down the Huskies, save a stray solo home run, for the remainder of the game as the Pirates won the game 8-5.

By virtue of taking two of the three games against UConn, Seton Hall secured its first series win against the Huskies since 2013.

Schedule
Friday, March 20
3 p.m. – Seton Hall at Butler (Live Stats)
Saturday, March 20
1 p.m. – Seton Hall at Butler (Live Stats)
Sunday, March 20
12 p.m. – Seton Hall at Butler (Live Stats)

PREVIEWING BUTLER

So far this season, Butler is 10-9 overall this season, 3-0 in BIG EAST play, after sweeping Villanova to open conference play.
Entering the weekend, Butler leads the conference in runs per game with a mark of 7.58, good for 17th in the nation and nearly 2 runs higher than the next-closest team. Across the lineup, the Bulldogs have five players batting .340 or better and seven with an on-base percentage of .350 at a minimum.
However, the engine at the heart of Butler's success is Makena Alexander. The junior infielder is hitting blistering .534/.627/1.069 with eight home runs and 35 RBI, the latter two of which lead the conference and put her just shy of her personal career highs.
In the circle, the Bulldogs are one of three BIG EAST teams with at least two pitchers with a top 12 ERA in the BIG EAST. Rylyn Dyer has a 4.20 ERA in seven games, while Alyx Johnson holds a 4.55 ERA across eight appearances. Neither of them has logged the most innings or starts, however. Katie Petran leads the team with both 32 innings pitched and eight starts, though she has a 6.13 ERA.

NEWS AND NOTES

The Pirates entered the season on the precipice of 1000 wins in program history. As of now, Seton Hall has 993 all-time wins, dating back to the 1976 season.
For the first time since 2013, the Pirates claimed a series win over the UConn Huskies.
Stepping into the leadoff spot this season, Angelina Benitez has been a key cog to the Pirates' offensive game plan. The sophomore is hitting .400 with a team-leading 30 hits while also being tied for second on the team in RBI with 16.
At first base, Sophia DeMarco has filled in perfectly since taking over the position from single-season RBI record holder Olivia Gilbert this season. So far this season, DeMarco is hitting .333 with both a team-leading four home runs and 22 RBI.
After recording two hits in her first 16 at-bats this season, Andrea Perez has been on fire at the plate. The senior shortstop has hit .429 with 15 RBI over her last 16 games with the team going 9-6 during that time.