Softball Hosts DePaul in BIG EAST Opener
3/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Seton Hall University softball team will play its home opener and commence BIG EAST play when it hosts DePaul University for a three-game series Tuesday-Wednesday, March 24-25, at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field. The squads will play a doubleheader on Tuesday, starting at 2 p.m., with the series finale to follow Wednesday at 3 p.m.
For the Pirates, the action comes at the end of a nine-day layoff as poor field conditions forced the postponement of what should have been their BIG EAST opener at Providence College over the weekend. That series will be made up in early April, leaving The Hall with the tough task of facing the defending league champions to start the conference season.
DePaul, which leads the all-time series with Seton Hall 17-3, is actually making its first trip to South Orange since 2012. The Blue Demons swept three games last year in Chicago, and won three low-scoring contests when these teams last met at Seton Hall.
The Blue Demons represent a unique challenge because they boast one of the most potent offenses in the league and a standout individual performers in Mary Connolly, but they have been searching for an ace on the mound, as one has yet to emerge as they rank last in the BIG EAST with a 7.03 earned run average.
Connolly is hitting .415 with seven homers and 18 RBI, and also has three wins, logging a team-leading 55.0 innings. But her earned run average is 7.25 and opponents are hitting .318 against her. DePaul has 29 home runs overall, one more then SHU, as these teams enter the series ranked first and second in the league in homers. The Blue Demons have a whopping seven offensive players batting north of .300, with nearly every batter they send to the plate acting as a threat to go deep.
Coming out of the Spring Break trip last week, Alexis Walkden was flying high for Seton Hall, landing on the BIG EAST Honor Roll for a second time. Her freshman campaign already ranks as one of the best-ever for a Seton Hall player, as her nine home runs tie for ninth in a single season and currently lead the BIG EAST. She also has 25 RBI and is slugging .855.
Danielle DeStaso has seen a bit of a dip in some of her offensive numbers this year, but continues to be a standout on the mound. She struck out 11 against Florida A&M, the most for an SHU pitcher this year, and her 63 strikeouts lead The Hall and rank third in the BIG EAST.
However, sophomore Lauren Fisher continues to lead the team in ERA (3.71) and opponents' batting average (.279) posting a 4-7 record in 12 starts with seven complete games.
LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall had what should have been its season opening series at Providence postponed due to poor field conditions, so Tuesday's doubleheader will come at the end of a nine-day layoff for the Pirates. Seton Hall was last in action down in Clearwater, Fla., as it wrapped up play in the USF Clearwater Parks and Rec Tournament with a 2-1 win over Florida A&M. Seton Hall went 2-3 in the tournament, also picking up a 14-0 win over Quinnipiac.
SCOUTING DEPAUL
The Blue Demons are still searching for a pitching ace and they rank last in the league with a 7.03 earned run average and seventh with a .344 opponent batting average. However, they make up for it with one of the best offenses in the league. DePaul hits .295 as a team, second in the BIG EAST and has hit 29 home runs with a .491 slugging percentage, which leads the league. Connolly is one of two players hitting over .400, as Angela Scalzitti is hitting .400 in 35 at-bats. Sophomore Maxine Rodriguez leads the team with a .612 ERA and is 2-2 with five starts.
WALKDEN BACK ON THE HONOR ROLL
Freshman slugger Alexis Walkden was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for a second time on March 16, as the Pirates wrapped up action over Spring Break. In seven games that week, she hit a pair of home runs with three doubles to slug .720 with a .407 on-base percentage. Walkden recorded three multi-hit games and had at least one base hit in five games, highlighted by a 2-for-4 day with six RBI in a win over Quinnipiac.
TOP-10 IN HOMERS
Freshman Alexis Walkden has already moved into the top-10 for a single season with nine home runs this year, which ties for sixth at Seton Hall. She needs four more to move into a tie for fifth, matching Laura Taylor's 2005 campaign. Taylor holds the single-season overall and freshman record with 18 home runs in 2002. This year, Walkden ranks first in the BIG EAST in home runs and 41st in the nation with .33 home runs per game.
IN DRAMATIC FASHION
Seton Hall made a habit of winning late, picking up three walkoff wins during its Spring Break trip to Clearwater.
- In a 7-6 win over Robert Morris, Danielle DeStaso picked up a game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh.
- Sara Haefeli homered twice and delivered the game-winning hit as The Hall erased a nine-run deficit in a 14-13 win over Western Michigan.
- In a 2-1 win over Florida A&M, sophomore Chelsea Caynon drove in DeStaso in the bottom of the seventh.
