Hall Heads to Windy City Wednesday
4/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Softball
SOFTBALL TRAVELS TO WINDY CITY FOR MIDWEEK TWINBILL WITH DEPAUL
Seton Hall will continue BIG EAST play with a midweek doubleheader at DePaul University on Wednesday, April 3, at Cicciatore Stadium in Chicago, Ill. DePaul leads the all-time series with Seton Hall, 11-3, and the Blue Demons swept a three game series last season in South Orange; DePaul has won six-straight games in the series dating back to 2009, when the two teams matched up in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship. Seton Hall’s last win over DePaul in Chicago came in 2009 when the teams split a weekend doubleheader on April 4.
LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall is coming off a three-game series at St. John’s University where the two teams split both games on Thursday but St. John’s prevailed, 4-2, in the rubber game on Saturday afternoon in Queens, N.Y. The Pirates’ win in the series was a 10-0 decision in five innings. Sophomore Danielle DeStaso hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to set the tone while junior Maria DeLuca went 2-for-2 with three RBI and freshman Yasmin Harrell was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. DeStaso also picked up the win on Saturday, striking out four while giving up just four hits in five innings.
WHO TO WATCH
SETON HALL: Freshman centerfielder Yasmin Harrell and senior shortstop Brittany Hammer continue to pace Seton Hall offensively. Harrell had a spectacular series against St. John’s, hitting .500 (6-for-12) with four runs scored and three stolen bases. Both Hammer and Harrell are batting a team-best .333. Junior Maria DeLuca also swung a hot bat over the weekend, hitting .625 (5-for-8) with three RBI.
DEPAUL: Sophomore Mary Connolly was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after hitting a three-run home run to secure a 4-1 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, while Hannah Penna struck out 12 batters in a 7-2 victory over Pitt on Saturday. Connolly has a team-high eight home runs this season but Allie Braden is hitting a team-best .378.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
DePaul is off to a fast start in BIG EAST play, sweeping its opening series at Providence before taking two of three at home against Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Blue Demons are hitting .279 as a team and have five starters hitting north of .300. DePaul’s team earned run average is 3.07 which ranks eighth in the BIG EAST. The Blue Demons went 1-4 in a five-game road trip to Fullerton, Calif., but have gone 5-1 since then, all against conference foes.
FUTURE SCHEDULE
Seton Hall steps out of BIG EAST play for a pair of doubleheaders against non-conference foes this weekend. The Pirates host Marist for two games on Saturday and then play a doubleheader at Siena on Sunday in Loudonville, N.Y.
WINNING BIG
Seton Hall defeated St. John’s University, 10-0, in game two of a doubleheader on March 28. It marked the largest margin of victory for Seton Hall this season and the biggest win for the Pirates since a 15-0 victory over Central Connecticut State on March 23, 2010. It was the first time Seton Hall needed just five innings of play to secure a victory since an 11-3 win over Morgan State on Feb. 19, 2011.
SCORCHING THE BASE PATHS
Freshman Yasmin Harrell continues to be a blur along the base paths as she stole three more bases in the series at St. John’s last week. She is 12-for-14 in stolen base attempts this season and ranks third in the BIG EAST in overall steals and first in conference-only action with four stolen bases in six games.
HEAT CHECK
• Junior Maria DeLuca hit a team-high .625, going 5-for-8 at the plate in the series with St. John’s
• Freshman Yasmin Harrell has recorded a base hit in four-straight games and batted .500 (6-for-12) last week
• Freshman Jackie DiPietro has started three-straight games at third and went 4-for-9 (.444) with three runs scored in the series at St. John’s
YOUTH MOVEMENT
So far this season Seton Hall has been getting substantial contributions from several members of its freshman class:
• Alex Rabbetts has started all 27 games and has made 14-straight starts at catcher. She is batting .250 with two homers
• Yasmin Harrell has started all 27 games at center field and leads the team with a .333 average, 15 runs scored and 12 steals
• Jackie DiPietro has seen action in 23 games, making 16 starts. She started all three games in the series at St. John’s, hitting .444
MAKING AN IMPACT
Sophomore Sam DeMasi started the last two games as the designated player and recorded a hit in both games. She is batting .308 in 13 at bats this season with four singles and two runs scored.
SENDING IT DEEP
Seton Hall combined to hit three home runs in its BIG EAST opening series with Notre Dame on March 23-24, hitting one in each game. Freshman Sara Haefeli recorded a solo homer in game one, the first home run of her career, and sophomore Danielle DeStaso hit her team-leading third home run in game two. Senior Brittany Hammer made it three-straight games with a SHU home run, sending a two-run shot over the wall in game three.
DOUBLE DELUCA
Junior Maria DeLuca leads Seton Hall with six doubles, and she recorded back-to-back two-base hits in the first game of the series against Notre Dame on March 23.
SUPER SHELDON
Sophomore outfielder Colltey Sheldon turned in a remarkable performance on the first day of the San Diego Classic on Friday, March 15. Against Texas Tech she hit the first home run of her career which came in the form of a grand slam and she followed that up with a three-hit, four RBI performance with two doubles in a 6-5 win over Miami (Ohio). In the two games she hit 5-for-9 with eight RBI and three extra base hits.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Seton Hall picked up its first extra-inning victory of the season with its come from behind 6-5 win over Miami (Ohio) in nine innings on March 15. After both teams scored one run in the eighth, sophomore Colltey Sheldon came up with a two-RBI double in the top of the ninth to propel the Pirates to a victory in their longest game of the season.
HARRELL NAMED TO BIG EAST HONOR ROLL
Freshman center fielder Yasmin Harrell was named to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll on March 11. It is the first time in her career Harrell received the conference honor. Harrell hit .600 (9-for-15) to help Seton Hall post a 4-1 record over the second week of its Spring Break trip. She also stole four bases and hit safely in four games, with four multi-hit performances. Harrell ranks first on the team with a .333 average and leads the Pirates with 12 stolen bases.
#WINNING
Sophomore Danielle DeStaso leads Seton Hall with nine wins so far this season and has already eclipsed her freshman season win total of six games last year. DeStaso ranks first on the team with a 3.28 earned run average and 94 strikeouts.
CLOSING IT OUT
So far this season Seton Hall has done a good job a preserving leads late in a game. The Pirates are 9-1 when they lead through six innings with the only exception coming in a 5-2 loss to Delaware on Feb. 22, where the Blue Hens scored four runs in the top of the seventh.
SPEEDY FRESHMAN
Freshman center fielder Yasmin Harrell has already shown a knack for swiping bases. So far this season she leads the team and ranks third in the BIG EAST with 12 steals and she has only been caught stealing twice.
CLOSING IN ON THE TOP 10
Senior shortstop Brittany Hammer has jumped into the top-10 in school history in career batting average and career doubles. She is hitting .306 for her career, which ranks 10th all-time. With 23 career doubles she sits in a tie for 10th place in program history with Jen O’Connor and Leah Menichetti.
