Softball Travels to East Carolina Invitational
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
GREENVILLE, N.C. - EAST CAROLINA PIRATE INVITATIONAL
Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 21-22 • Greenville, N.C.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Seton Hall (5-5) vs. Virginia Tech (9-1) - 11 a.m. |
Seton Hall (5-5) at East Carolina (5-4) - 1:30 p.m. |
Sunday, Feb. 22
Seton Hall (5-5) vs. Virginia Tech (9-1) - 10 a.m. |
Seton Hall (5-5) at East Carolina (5-4) - 12:30 p.m. |
Seton Hall Game Notes 
| Tournament Website
The Seton Hall University softball team returns to action this weekend for what is now the two-day East Carolina Pirate Invitational at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. A field that was originally slotted to feature five teams now includes SHU, Virginia Tech and host East Carolina, who are scheduled to play a double round robin on Saturday and Sunday.
Virginia Tech received votes in both the ESPN/USA and NFCA/USA Today top-25 polls this past week as the Hokies are off to a 9-1 start. East Carolina is 5-4 and is hosting its third-straight tournament to start the year.
Seton Hall won its first five games of the season, but was unable to put another one in the win column last weekend at San Diego State. Seton Hall lost three of those games last weekend by two runs or fewer, and the 7-4 loss to Central Michigan in the tournament finale came down to the final inning.
The Pirates hit nearly .400 as a team during opening weekend but struggled to string hits together in some lower-scoring affairs last week. Leading the team offensively was junior Yasmin Harrell, who was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, and senior Whitney Jones.
Harrell had a hit in four of the five games with a pair of multi-hit games to bat .375 last weekend. Jones currently leads The Hall with a .407 average, racking up eight extra-base hits including five doubles and a pair of home runs.
Although not as dominant last weekend as she was in Texas, sophomore Lauren Fischer continues to be the most consistent player on the mound, leading SHU with a 2.25 earned run average. Danielle DeStaso also has two wins on the year and is the SHU leader with 17 strikeouts, fanning a season-high eight against Central Michigan last Sunday.
DeStaso continues to ascend the Seton Hall career ranks in a number of. With 26-career home runs she is currently tied for second in program history, she needs nine RBI to move up to fourth place and also sits two doubles shy of the SHU top-10.
SETON HALL SOFTBALL HEADLINES
- Seton Hall was 0-5 at the 25th Annual Campbell/Cartier Classic last weekend in San Diego. The Pirates lost three games by two runs or fewer and saw Central Michigan pull away in the seventh inning of its weekend finale.
- Junior Yasmin Harrell was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday afternoon. She hit .375, scoring a pair of runs with a pair of multi-hit games out in California.
- Through two weeks of action, senior Whitney Jones leads Seton Hall's offense with a .407 average and eight extra-base hits.
- Sophomore Lauren Fischer continues to be The Hall's most consistent option on the mound, posting a team-leading 2.25 earned run average with a .234 opponent batting average.
- With her home run against San Diego State last Friday, senior Danielle DeStaso moved into a tie for second-place in program history with 26-career homers.
HARRELL ON HONOR ROLL
Yasmin Harrell landed on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 16, after leading the Pirates offensively at the 25th Annual Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego. Harrell hit a team-best .375 with a base hit in four of the five games of the tournament and two multi-hit games. She also scored twice and had an RBI and a stolen base.
JONES ROLLING
Senior Whitney Jones has been on a roll to start 2015. Through two weeks of action, she leads SHU with a .407 average and has notched eight extra-base hits, including five doubles and a pair of home runs. She had four extra-base hits in 93 at-bats all of last season. Jones has driven in eight runs and is slugging .889.
DESTASO IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Senior Danielle DeStaso has some of the most impressive offensive numbers in program history, and is poised to continue her ascent in the SHU record books. She currently ranks second in school history with 26 home runs and fifth with 101-career RBI. She needs two more doubles to crack the top-10.
STRIKEOUT LEADER
Senior Danielle DeStaso fanned eight against Central Michigan on Feb. 15, the most for an SHU pitcher so far this year. DeStaso leads the Pirates with 17 strikeouts this season and ranks fourth all-time at The Hall with 373-career strikeouts.
