Baseball Hosts Strikeout Cancer Classic
3/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SETON HALL WEEKEND NOTES
| CONNECTICUT NOTES
Game 15: Friday, March 20 - 2:00 p.m. ET
CONNECTICUT (11-7) at SETON HALL (6-8)
Carson Cross - R (UConn) vs. Zach Prendergast - R (SHU)
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Game 16: Saturday, March 21 - 1:00 p.m. ET
CONNECTICUT (11-7) at SETON HALL (6-8)
Anthony Kay - L (UConn) vs. Shane McCarthy - R (SHU)
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Game 17: Saturday, March 21 - 4:30 p.m. ET
FORDHAM (4-12) at SETON HALL (6-8)
Brett Kennedy - R (FORD) vs. Luke Cahill - R (SHU)
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Live Stats:
Game 18: Sunday, March 22 - 4:30 p.m. ET
FORDHAM (4-12) at SETON HALL (6-8)
Kirk Haynes, Jr. - R (FORD) vs. Anthony Pacillo - L (SHU)
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PREVIEW
Seton Hall has won five straight games entering this weekend's Strikeout Cancer Classic at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates are coming off a successful Spring Break trip, which saw them get swept at USF before winning four straight at the Snowbird Classic. Most recently, The Hall registered its fifth straight game of at least 11 runs in a 16-2 rout of Saint Peter's on Wednesday. During the Pirates' win streak, they have seen their team batting average rise from just .181 through the season's first nine games to a respectable .264. Senior D.J. Ruhlman has been scorching hot as of late. He has batted .722 over the last five games and was named BIG EAST, ECAC and NJCBA Player of the Week. Alex Falconi has also been hot, being named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll this week. Anthony Pacillo got the win on Wednesday with seven innings of two-run baseball against the Peacocks.
Fordham and Connecticut invade Owen T. Carroll Field for the Strikeout Cancer Classic this weekend. The Hall will play four games, two against each opponent starting with UConn on Friday.
THINGS TO KNOW
POUNDING THE PEACOCKS
Seton Hall used a 10-run fourth inning to rout Saint Peter's, 16-2, on Wednesday for its fifth straight victory. Anthony Pacillo earned his first win of the season with seven innings of two-run ball.
TURNING THE CORNER
Two years ago, the 2013 Pirates began the season 0-9, but finished a memorable season with a 37-19 overall record. This year, the Pirates appear to be headed towards a similiar turnaround. After nine games, The Hall was just 1-8, but now has won five straight games.
SNOWBIRD DOMINANCE
Seton Hall won all four of its games as part of the Snowbird Classic during its Spring Break trip to Port Charlotte, Fla. The Pirates didn't score fewer than 11 runs in any of the games defeating Florida International (12-10), Saint Joseph's (16-9), Lehigh (13-6) and Western Michigan (11-2).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior D.J. Ruhlman was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday for the first time in his career. Ruhlman went 11-for-15 (.733) last week after starting the season in a 4-for-29 slump. The shortstop also belted three home runs and drove in 12 RBIs and four Pirate victories. Later in the week, he was also named ECAC and NJCBA Player of the Week.
AWESOME ALEX
Senior Alex Falconi was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in his career on Monday. The Pirates' catcher batted .529 and scored a team-best 10 runs. Against WMU, he went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases.
BREAKOUT BATS
Over the Pirates' last five games, they haven't scored fewer than 11 runs per game after averaging just 2.7 runs per game during their 1-8 start. Furthermore, The Hall has seen its team batting average improve from .181 to .264 in just five games.
300 WINS
With Seton Hall's victory over Western Michigan on March 14, head coach Rob Sheppard won his 300th career game. The Pirates' skipper trails only Owen T. Carroll and his father, Mike Sheppard on the program's career wins list.
FRESHMAN DAZZLES
Making only his second career start, freshman Shane McCarthy pitched a memorable game vs. Western Michigan on Saturday. The right-hander earned his first career victory by going eight innings and giving up just one earned run in an efficient 78 pitches.
FIVE HITS
Against Saint Joseph's on March 11, junior Derek Jenkins went 5-for-6. It's the first five-hit game by a Seton Hall player since current assistant coach Mark Pappas went 5-for-5 vs. Georgetown on May 15, 2008. Jenkins also drove in three runs, scored two runs, had a triple and stole a base.
