Pirates Play Host to Rutgers, Saint Joseph's in Midweek Tilts

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – After coming up short in the weekend BIG EAST road series against Butler, the Seton Hall softball team (10-14, 2-7) will play host to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Saint Joseph's Hawks on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, respectively. First pitch for the Rutgers game is set for 2 p.m., while the Saint Joseph's game is set for 3 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Pirates traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, to take on the Butler Bulldogs in the Pirates' first BIG EAST road series of the season. Unfortunately, The Hall was unable to maintain its offensive momentum from the prior weekend's series against UConn. Seton Hall lost all three games, 3-0, 8-5, and 11-3, while scoring in only two of the 20 innings played over the weekend.

Schedule
Tuesday, March 24
2 p.m. – Rutgers vs Seton Hall (Live Stats - Stream)
Wednesday, March 25
3 p.m. – Saint Joseph's vs Seton Hall (Live Stats - Stream)

PREVIEWING RUTGERS

So far this season, Rutgers is 16-14 overall with wins over FGCU, Maryland, FDU and UC San Diego.
The Scarlet Knights' 69th-ranked scoring offense in the nation starts with the keynote pairing of Sam Rohwer and Riley Hwang atop the batting order. From the leadoff spot, Rohwer mixes strong plate discipline with immense power. Through 30 games, she is currently slashing .326/.426/.663 while leading the team with eight home runs and 24 RBI. Hwang, batting behind Rohwer, leads the team with a .397 batting average, 16 RBI and 19 runs scored, the final of which sits second on the team. The final member of Rutgers' defining offensive trio is sophomore Addie Osborne. At her spot in the hot corner, Osborne is hitting .324 with seven home runs and 24 RBI, matching Rohwer's team-leading tally.
In the circle, the Scarlet Knights are led by two-way star Kelsey Hoekstra. Across her 18 appearances and 12 starts, Hoekstra has earned a 3.27 ERA and a 4-4 record with a 63:18 K:BB ratio.

PREVIEWING SAINT JOSEPH'S

So far this season, Saint Joseph's is 13-13 overall, 7-2 in conference play, after wins over Delaware, Colgate, Saint Louis, George Mason and Rhode Island.
Offensively, the Hawks are able to produce runs across the entire order, but are powered by a quartet of explosive hitters. Junior pitcher/DP Julia Shearer leads the team with 26 RBI, while also sitting tied with Riley York and Grace Brown atop the team with three home runs. York and Brown, alongside Meghan Sinkus, are the only players with double-digit RBIs this season.
Atop the rotation for the Hawks sits the formidable pairing of Shearer and Taylor Trowbridge. While both hold a 2.98 ERA and a sub-1.40 WHIP, Shearer has produced a strangling 44:9 K:BB ratio across 47 innings. However, just ahead of the pair is senior Jules Scogna, who has a 2.90 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched.

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 a team-leading .388 at the plate, with the most runs scored on the team (20) and second-most RBI (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 .338 with both a team-leading four home runs and 24 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 .404 with 16 RBI over her last 19 games.