Softball Season Opens This Weekend at North Texas
2/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
NORTH TEXAS INVITATIONAL
Friday-Sunday, Feb. 6-8 • Denton, Texas
Friday, Feb. 6
Seton Hall (0-0) vs. Boise State (0-0) - 11 a.m. (ET) | Live Stats
Seton Hall (0-0) at North Texas (0-0) - 1 p.m. (ET) | Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 7
Seton Hall (0-0) vs. Texas Southern (0-0) - 1 p.m. (ET) | Live Stats
Seton Hall (0-0) at North Texas (0-0) - 5:30 p.m. (ET) | Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 8
Seton Hall (0-0) vs. Texas Southern (0-0) - 10 a.m. (ET) | Live Stats
Tournament Website | Seton Hall Game Notes 
The 2015 Seton Hall University softball season will get underway this weekend, as the Pirates head south for warmer weather at the North Texas Invitational this Friday-Sunday, Feb. 6-8. Seton Hall will play five games in three days in a field that includes Boise State, Texas Southern, and host North Texas.
The Pirates have not faced any of their three opening-weekend foes in program history, and the schedule includes a pair of matchups with North Texas and Texas State. The Tigers of Texas State are the defending SWAC Champions, and competed in an NCAA Regional last spring in Lafayette, La., and return the SWAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year in Samantha Jimenez.
Seton Hall is coming off a 15-34 campaign in 2014, but The Hall went 9-12 in BIG EAST play and was fighting for a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament until the final weekend of the season. This year, SHU was picked to finish sixth in the eight-team league for a second-straight year, but returning to the conference championship after a year hiatus is at the forefront of the team's goals.
Early season tournaments such as this weekend's contest down in Texas will go a long way toward making that goal a reality. Third-year head coach Paige Smith has a great deal of defensive depth at her disposal, as well as a few emerging offensive threats, and figuring out how all of those pieces can complement one another begins Friday.
Two players that figure to be in the lineup nearly every time the Pirates take the field are senior pitcher/designated player Danielle DeStaso and junior outfielder Jackie DiPietro, both of which earned First-Team All-BIG EAST honors last season. DiPietro led the team with a .338 average, scoring 19 runs with five doubles, while DeStaso is SHU's top returning power threat, and most experienced pitcher. She homered eight times last year and is currently third in program history with 23 bombs in her career, needing just four more to take over second place. She also drove in a team-high 29 runs and hit nine doubles to slug .579.
On the mound, DeStaso logged 108.2 innings, striking out 88 and earning seven wins. She enters the year fourth at Seton Hall in career-strikeouts (356) and eighth in wins (27).
Sophomore Valerie Suto, senior Sara Haefeli, senior Whitney Jones, all figure to factor into SHU's plans in the outfield, with Jones splitting time at first base.
Fortunately for Smith, several players can move around the infield and provide opportunities to keep strong defenders or hot bats in the lineup depending on the situation. Junior Yasmin Harrell should be in the middle of the infield after hitting .295 with 17 steals last season. Senior Sam DeMasi, sophomore Noel Lent, sophomore Joelle Arrante and freshman Alexis Walkden will also see playing time.
Junior Alex Rabbetts is one of The Hall's top power hitters, and can play on the corners, serve as designated player or come in for a late-inning offensive boost. Smith also expects senior Jordan Moses to compete for at-bats as designated player.
Behind the plate, junior Faith Laudano and senior Kaylyn Sanbower will both see action. Laudano came through as a top offensive option in BIG EAST play a year ago, hitting .306 during the conference season.
SHU's other top returning pitchers include senior Casey Moses and sophomore Lauren Fischer. Moses threw a career-high 72 innings last year with 33 strikeouts. Fischer posted an impressive line during conference play, leading the team with a 2.33 earned run average while holding the opposition to a .171 average in 21.0 innings of work.
First pitch for 2015 comes Friday morning against Boise State at 11 a.m., followed by a matchup with host North Texas at approximately 1:30 p.m.
PAIR OF ALL-BIG EAST PLAYERS RETURN
Seton Hall had three players earn All-BIG EAST accolades at the conclusion of the 2014 season and the Pirates' pair of First-Team honorees in Jackie DiPietro and Danielle DeStaso. DiPietro emerged as SHU's most consistent hitter last year, leading the Pirates with a .338 average while seeing an .080 boost from her freshman season. DeStaso, who was Second-Team All-BIG EAST in 2013, belted eight home runs with 29 RBI and a .579 slugging percentage a year ago.
STRONG FINISH FOR FISCHER
Sophomore pitcher Lauren Fischer really came on towards the end of the season for Seton Hall, posting a team-leading 2.33 earned run average against conference foes. She held opponents to a .171 average in 21.0 innings of action, also recording a pair of saves. Fischer threw eight innings in a win over Butler and closed out the year with a quality start at Georgetown, yielding just one earned run with two strikeouts against the Hoyas.
GOTTA HAVE FAITH
Junior catcher Faith Laudano emerged as one of Seton Hall's more potent offensive threats once BIG EAST play got underway last season. Laudano was hitting just .167 prior to the first conference series, but went on to hit .306 in BIG EAST play which ranked third on the team. She started in 19-of-21 games and tallied 11 hits, two doubles, and a homer, to slug .444.
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 third in school history with 23 home runs and sixth with 89-career RBI. She needs four more doubles to crack the top-10 in that offensive category as well.
BIEMAN JOINS COACHING STAFF
Melissa Bieman has joined Paige Smith's coaching staff for the 2015 season. Bieman, who spent the last three seasons with Columbia, will work primarily with the Pirate pitchers. She is not familiar with BIG EAST softball, having graduated from Syracuse in 2001. A native of Ontario, Canada, Bieman tried out for the Canadian National Team in 2002 and 2003 and played professionally in New Zealand and Canada.
PIRATES ADD FOUR IN 2015
Seton Hall welcomes four freshman faces to the program for the 2015 season in pitcher/infielder Alannah Basile (Levittown, N.Y.), infielder/outfielder Sara Foster (Long Beach, Calif.), utility player Alyssa Prukop (Coto de Caza, Calif.), and infielder Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas).
