Baseball Hosts USF This Weekend
5/8/2013 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10 - 11, 2013
#20 USF (32-16, 15-3) at
SETON HALL (30-16, 13-5)
Owen T. Carroll Field
South Orange, N.J.
Game 47: Fri., May 10 – 6:00 p.m. ET
Jimmy Herget - R (USF) vs. Jon Prosinski - R (SHU)
Live Video Stream: CLICK HERE
Radio: 89.FM WSOU
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Game 48: Sat., May 11 – 1:00 p.m. ET (game one)
Nick Gonzalez - L (USF) vs. Greg Terhune – L (SHU)
Live Video Stream: CLICK HERE
Radio: 89.FM WSOU
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Game 49: Sat., May 11 – 4:00 p.m. ET (game two)
Joey Lovecchio - R (USF) vs. TBD (SHU)
Live Video Stream: CLICK HERE
Radio (online only): 89.FM WSOU
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
SETON HALL STATUS
Last weekend, the Pirates completed their second straight BIG EAST series sweep. With three victories at Cincinnati, Seton Hall has now won nine straight games and 13 of its last 14. The Pirates have won their last six weekend series and have clinched a berth in the 2013 BIG EAST Championship in Clearwater, Fla. On Friday, Jon Prosinski went seven innings and gave up only two runs, but the Pirates needed extra innings to defeat Cincinnati, 9-8, in 10 innings. Giuseppe Papaccio had four RBIs in the win. On Saturday, senior Greg Terhune threw his first career complete game, while giving up just one earned run and striking out a career-best 10 batters in Seton Hall’s 14-3 win. The Pirates hit four home runs, including two by Papaccio. Chris Selden went 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBIs. On Sunday, Seton Hall defeated the Bearcats, 14-4, in a rain-shortened game. Both Papaccio and Sal Annunziata went 4-for-4. Papaccio had three RBIs. Annunziata had four RBIs and his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Anthony Elia got the win, going 5.2 innings. Seton Hall has now reached the 30-win plateau for a third straight season.
SETON HALL - USF SERIES
Seton Hall and the University of South Florida (USF) will meet for only the 16th, 17th and 18th times in history this weekend. Seton Hall is just 4-11 all-time against the Bulls and have never won a season series. The teams didn’t play last season due to the conference’s unbalanced schedule. In 2011, Seton Hall lost two of three games at Owen T. Carroll Field against USF. The lone Pirates’ win came in the series’ most recent game, a 6-0 victory. Jon Prosinski, a sophomore, threw 7.2 innings of shutout baseball to earn the victory. Seton Hall is 12-3 at home this year. USF is 8-10 on the road.
GET OUT THE BROOMS AGAIN
Seton Hall swept its second straight BIG EAST opponent by winning three games at Cincinnati last weekend. The Pirates defeated the Bearcats, 9-8 in 10 innings on Friday, 14-3 on Saturday, and 14-4 in a rain-shortened game on Sunday. Seton Hall has now won six straight conference games and eight of their last nine.
CLINCHED
With its three-game sweep of Cincinnati last weekend, Seton Hall has clinched a spot in the 2013 BIG EAST Baseball Championship in Clearwater, Fla. The top eight teams of the 11-team league will compete in the event, and with six games remaining, the Pirates have an eight-team lead on ninth place Georgetown. USF, Pittsburgh and Louisville are the other BIG EAST teams who have already clinched.
30 WINS
For a third consecutive season, Seton Hall has reached the 30-win plateau. The last time the Pirates have won at least 30 games in three straight seasons was 1999-01.
PAPACCIO NAMED POTW
Senior Giuseppe Papaccio was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on May 6. The Nutley, N.J. native batted .556 and drove in a team-high 13 RBIs in four games the prior week. He had 11 RBIs in the three-game series against Cincinnati alone. He’s the second Pirate to receive the honor this year (Zack Granite on 4/15).
TERHUNE’S GEM
Senior Greg Terhune pitched arguably his best career game vs. Cincinnati on May 4. The 6-foot-5 left-hander threw his first career complete game, while giving up just one earned run and striking out a career-high 10 batters. For his effort, he was named to the BIG EAST’s Weekly Honor Roll.
HOME RUN BARRAGE
On May 4 at Cincinnati, Seton Hall erupted for four home runs. Giuseppe Papaccio hit two, while Scott Kalamar and Chris Selden each had one. It’s the most home runs in a single-game for Seton Hall since hitting six at Fairleigh Dickinson on April 15, 1999.
ROAD WARRIORS
With a sweep at Cincinnati, Seton Hall has now won nine straight road games. For the year, Seton Hall is 18-13 away from Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates’ 18 road wins ranks third in the country, behind only Canisius (24) and Cal State Fullerton (21).
ON A ROLL
Seton Hall is one of the hottest teams in the country. The Pirates have won nine straight games and 13 of their last 14. They’ve also won six straight weekend series. Since starting the season 0-9, Seton Hall has won 30 of its last 37 games.
SUPER SELDEN
Junior Chris Selden had a huge week for Seton Hall. In four games, the third baseman batted .500 with his first two career home runs and 12 RBIs. Against Cincinnati on May 4, Selden went 3-for-4 with a home run and a career-high six RBIs. The six RBIs is the high number this season for any Pirate in a single game.
NATIONAL LEADERS
Seton Hall’s strong play has resulted in high national rankings. As a team, the Pirates currently rank 15th in the nation with a .308 batting average and are tied for 16th with a .977 fielding percentage. Both marks lead the BIG EAST Conference. Additionally, Seton Hall’s 115 steals rank fifth in the country.
GET OUT THE BROOMS
Seton Hall completed its first three-game sweep of a BIG EAST opponent on Sunday. The Pirates defeated Villanova, 7-0 on Friday, 16-5 on Saturday, and 11-8 on Sunday. It’s the first road BIG EAST three-game series sweep by Seton Hall since sweeping Georgetown in 2000.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Senior Jon Prosinski was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on April 29. Three days earlier, the Pirates’ ace pitched a complete-game, shutout at Villanova in Seton Hall’s 7-0 victory. Prosinski also struck out a career-high 13 batters and walked only one. Prosinski has already been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times this season.
GENOVESE HONORED
Senior Mike Genovese was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on April 29. The Pirates’ captain was instrumental in guiding Seton Hall to a perfect 5-0 record last week. He batted .500 for the week, including nine hits and eight runs scored. In Friday’s opener at Villanova, he went 4-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
HISTORIC HITTING
Seton Hall currently leads the BIG EAST with a .308 batting average. The Pirates have belted at least nine hits in 21 of the last 22 games. In that time, they’ve raised their team batting average from .264 to .308. Seton Hall’s current batting average is the highest it has been since it batted .313 in 2000.
PIRATES DOWN HOYAS
In a crucial weekend BIG EAST series, Seton Hall won two of three games vs. Georgetown. The Pirates have now won their last four weekend series. The Seton Hall offense exploded for nine runs on Friday and 11 runs on Saturday in the Pirates’ two victories.
PAPACCIO HONORED
Senior Giuseppe Papaccio was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this week. The shortstop batted .563 (9-for-16) with seven RBIs over the four games last week. Most notably was his performance vs. Georgetown on Saturday. Papaccio went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a career-high five RBIs in Seton Hall’s 11-4 victory.
RUNNING INTO RECORD BOOKS
Seton Hall has 115 bases stolen already this year, which is the highest single-season mark since stealing 137 bases in 1995. The Pirates still have at least nine games remaining. As a team, Seton Hall ranks fifth in the country. Junior Zack Granite ranks ninth in the nation with 31 steals.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Having already set three career records, senior Jon Prosinski is on the cusp of setting two more. The ace is needs three more victories to tie the career wins leader and just 10 strikeouts to pass Jason Grilli for the all-time lead in that category.
SEEING DOUBLE
Senior Giuseppe Papaccio currently leads the BIG EAST with 21 doubles. He has tied Tim Pahuta for Seton Hall’s career record. The Pirates’ single-season record for doubles is 24 set by David Kim in 1997.
PIRATES TAME #24 COUGARS
Seton Hall took advantage of its BIG EAST bye weekend, winning a series at #24 Houston. The Pirates sandwiched a pair of offensive explosions around a Houston shutout. Seton Hall outscored Houston, 26-6, in the three-game series.
SOLID AS A ROCK
Zack Granite had an all-time great game at Houston on April 14. The junior leadoff hitter reached base five times, going 4-for-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs, a walk, a double and a stolen base.
GRANITE, PROSINSKI HONORED
Junior Zack Granite was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Jon Prosinski was added to the Weekly Honor Roll for the fourth time this season on April 15. Granite batted .444 with eight runs scored, five RBIs and six steals in a 3-1 week for Seton Hall. Prosinski improved to 5-2 with eight innings of one-run baseball on 4/12 with nine K’s and no walks.
TOOK A LICKING AND KEPT ON TICKING
Making Jon Prosinski’s eight-inning, one-run performance at #24 Houston even more impressive is the fact that he was hit in the face on a come-backer in the third inning. A batted ball took one hop and hit the senior in the jaw. The game was halted as medical personnel cared for Prosinski, but to the surprise of many, the ace stayed in the game and kept Houston off the scoreboard for an additional 4.2 innings.
GOING YARD
Senior Giuseppe Papaccio hit a towering home run at Houston on April 14 as part of a 15-run, 18-hit barrage. The dinger was Papaccio’s first of the season and sixth of his career. The home run was the seventh for the Pirates as a team this year and first since March 20.
NEW SCOREBOARD AT OWEN T. CARROLL FIELD
A new, state-of-the-art scoreboard, equipped with cutting edge graphic and video capabilities, has been installed for Seton Hall baseball home games this spring. The scoreboard will improve the fans’ viewing experience and is wired to supplement the enhanced coverage offered on the Pirate Sports Network.
VISITING BIGGIO
A native of Houston, Texas, Craig Biggio came to all three games that Seton Hall faced the Univ. of Houston. Prior to each game, he spent time watching batting practice and conversing in the Pirates’ dugout. Prior to the series’ rubber game, the Seton Hall and future MLB Hall of Famer addressed the team in its locker room.
PIRATES SADDLE RU WITH FIRST SERIES LOSS
Rutgers entered its series with Seton Hall having swept Villanova and taken two of three at Louisville, but the Pirates pinned them with their first series loss. Seton Hall defeated Rutgers, 15-1, on Friday and, 5-3, on Sunday, sandwiched around a 7-5 loss on Saturday. The Pirates enter their BIG EAST bye week with a 5-4 conference record.
RECORD BREAKER
In the Pirates’ 15-1 victory at Rutgers, starting pitcher Jon Prosinski broke two Seton Hall career records. The start was the 50th of his career, surpassing the prior record of 49, and by throwing a complete game, Prosinski set the all-time innings pitched record.
NEAR NO-HITTER
On April 7, starting pitcher Greg Terhune flirted with a no-hitter. The 6-foot-5 left-hander kept Rutgers hitless for 7.1 innings before losing the bid and the shutout. Terhune earned the victory with 7.1 innings pitched, just one run on one hit, and struck out four.
BREAKING OUT THE BATS
Seton Hall’s offense broke out in a huge way vs. Rutgers on April 5. The Pirates exploded for 15 runs on a season-high 20 hits. The 20-hit barrage is the most since belting 21 vs. Georgetown on March 15, 2008. Zack Granite, Giuseppe Papaccio, Sal Annunziata and John Beaubien all had three hits.
WALK THIS WAY
In Seton Hall’s victory at Wagner on April 10, Seahawks pitchers walked a season-high 15 Pirate batters. It’s the most walks for Seton Hall in a game since walking 19 times vs. Saint Peter’s on March 18, 1999. Zack Granite and John Beaubien walked four times each.
SETON HALL TAMES HUSKIES
The Pirates won their first BIG EAST series of the season winning two of three games against Connecticut over the Easter break. Starters Jon Prosinski and Josh Prevost combined to pitch 14 innings and give up just one earned run in a double-header sweep on April 28.
PREVOST’S HONOR ROLL
Josh Prevost received the first BIG EAST honor of his career by being named to the Weekly Honor Roll on April 1. Prevost pitched 7.1 innings of scoreless baseball and gave up just three hits vs. UConn on March 28.
MID-WEEK MASTERS
With a victory at Saint Peter’s this week, the Pirates improved to 9-1 against mid-week opponents. Seton Hall has averaged 9.2 runs in mid-week games, but have allowed an average of only 2.7 runs.
PIRATES OPEN BIG EAST PLAY
Last weekend, Seton Hall opened BIG EAST play with a three-game set at #15 Notre Dame. The Pirates lost two out of three very close games. The run differential for the series was Notre Dame +1, as all three were decided by just one run. Seton Hall’s 4-3 victory on Friday was their first victory over a ranked team since defeating #19 Louisville on April 15, 2012.
SPEED FREAKS
Seton Hall stole a season-high 12 bases in its victory over UMass on March 17, five of which occurred in the first inning. The Pirates currently rank second in the BIG EAST with 115 steals. Zack Granite is second in the BIG EAST among individuals with 31 steals.
TOURNAMENT MVP
Junior Zack Granite turned in a career weekend at the Strike Out Cancer Tournament. The speedy leadoff hitter batted a tournament-high .556 with eight stolen bases. He also led all competitors with 14 total bases, 10 hits, eight runs scored and two triples. For his efforts, Granite was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, NJCBA Division I Player of the Week and earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Seton Hall placed four players on the 2013 Strike Out Cancer All-Tournament Team. Zack Granite was named Most Valuable Player, and joining him on the team were Jon Prosinski, Giuseppe Papaccio and Chris Selden. Manhattan had three members of the team and UMass added one.
NEW BIG EAST
On March 20, the new BIG EAST Conference was unveiled with 10 teams and Fox as the new media rights partner. The 2014 BIG EAST baseball conference will feature seven teams, Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Xavier.
PIRATES GET OUT BROOMS
Needing a win after nine straight losses to start the season, Seton Hall swept Pepperdine in Malibu. The Pirates received strong pitching on all three days, including a complete game performance by Jon Prosinski on Friday. Seton Hall gave up just six runs over the three-game series, while scoring 18 runs.
PROSINSKI GETS HONORS
Junior Jon Prosinski threw a complete game vs. Pepperdine, leading the Pirates to their first victory of the season. For his efforts, Prosinski was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the second time this season. He also earned a spot on CB360 Primetime Performers Weekly Honor Roll.
TWO OUT OF THREE
Seton Hall nearly swept the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association (NJCBA) Weekly Awards last week. Jon Prosinski was named NJCBA Division I Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Sam Burum earned NJCBA Division I Rookie of the Week honors. Steve Zavala of Rutgers was named Player of the Week.
STRIKE OUT CANCER TOURNAMENT
March 15-17 will mark the fifth annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament hosted by Seton Hall. Each season, the Pirates have hosted the tournament to raise funds through donations and merchandise sales to support cancer awareness and research.
UP TO THEIR OLD TRICKS
True to their “small ball” style, Seton Hall has recorded 44 sacrifice bunts this season, which is tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference. Last season, the Pirates led the conference, and Mike Genovese led the BIG EAST among individuals.
FOR A TEAMMATE
For the fourth straight season, the Pirates baseball team will honor David Bachner, a 2009 in-coming freshman who passed away on August 11, 2009, by hanging a t-shirt with his name and high school number in the dugout each game.
HEAVY D
Seton Hall has been one of the best defensive teams thus far this season. The Pirates lead the BIG EAST in fewest errors (41) and fielding percentage (.977).
PROSINSKI’S HONOR ROLL
Senior Jon Prosinski was named to the BIG EAST’s first Honor Roll following his masterful performance vs. #1 North Carolina on Feb. 15. The right-hander threw seven innings and gave up just one run, while scattering three hits.
TANGLING WITH TAR HEELS
The Pirates opened the 2013 season with a weather-abbreviated series at #1 North Carolina. Seton Hall lost a pitchers’ duel on Friday, Feb. 15, losing 1-0, after Pirates’ pitchers scattered just four hits. Seton Hall had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position in the ninth inning, but couldn’t push the runs across. UNC starter Kent Emanuel pitched a complete-game shutout. Saturday’s game was rained out. Seton Hall lost Sunday’s game, 17-2.
STRIKE OUT CANCER
March 15-17 marked the fifth annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament hosted by Seton Hall. Each season, the Pirates have hosted the tournament to raise funds through donations and merchandise sales to support cancer awareness and research.
KALAMAR CRUSHES
Senior Scott Kalamar was the offensive star for the Pirates in their opening weekend vs. #1 North Carolina. The Bethlehem, Pa. native garnered one of the Pirates’ four hits on Friday and reached base four times on Sunday. Kalamar also crushed his second career home run in the loss.
CUNDARI HONORED
Seton Hall baseball associate head coach Phil Cundari was celebrated by the New Jersey Sportswriters Association for his “Distinguished Service to College Baseball” and was honored at the organization’s 77th Anniversary Banquet on January 20. Cundari has been instrumental in developing what is annually one of the strongest pitching staffs in the BIG EAST Conference.
PROSINSKI NETS PRESEASON HONOR
Senior Jon Prosinski was named Preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year. A First Team All-BIG EAST selection last season, Prosinski went 9-3 with a 3.52 ERA and did not allow a home run in 94.2 innings of work. An All-NJCBA pick, he was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll four times and earned NJCBA Pitcher of the Week honors on April 16. The right-hander pitched back-to-back complete-game shutouts against Fordham and Rutgers respectively. Prosinski led the conference with a 1.91 ERA in 2011, while helping lead the Pirates to the BIG EAST Championship.
PIRATES PICKED SIXTH
The Seton Hall baseball team was picked to finish sixth in the 11-team BIG EAST Conference by the 2013 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Louisville is expected to win the conference this year and garnered eight first place votes. St. John’s was second, and received three first place votes. Notre Dame, Connecticut and USF round out the teams above the Pirates in the standings.
PIRATES TEAM WITH ST. BALDRICKS
For the first time, Seton Hall Athletics partnered with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to encourage people to voluntarily have their head shaved to recognize children suffering from pediatric cancer. Each member of the baseball team had their heads shaved in an effort to raise money for research and childhood cancer awareness. St. Baldrick’s “BaseBald” campaign encourages baseball teams specifically to have their heads shaved in solidarity with childhood cancer patients.
DUNCAN A PIRATE AGAIN
Eric Duncan, former minor leaguer and Seton Hall Prep standout, is the Pirates’ new volunteer assistant coach for 2013. The talented Duncan recently wrapped up a 10-year professional baseball career, but it was his performance at nearby Seton Hall Prep that put him on the local scene. Duncan attended Seton Hall Prep from 2000-03 where he was a four-year letterman on the baseball team. He was a part of two state championship teams and county titles, in 2001 and 2003, as well as three conference championships (2000, 2001, 2003).
PIRATES WELCOME 10
The Pirates will welcome 10 new members to the team this season. Sam Burum, Luke Cahill, Chris Chiaradio, Brett Fontenelli, Derek Jenkins, Steven Lombardi, Adnan Pjetrovic, Blaise Scerbo, Nate Vahedi and Zack Weigel will all don Seton Hall uniforms for the first time this spring. All are true freshmen.
MIKE SHEPPARD FIELD DEDICATED
Last season, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored Seton Hall University Baseball Head Coach Emeritus Mike Sheppard by renaming the softball field at Ivy Hill Park, “Essex County Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field.” The field, which has been the home to the Seton Hall softball team since it received a $1.1 million facelift in 2005, will honor one of Seton Hall and Essex’s greatest coaches.
