Softball Back Home to Host Villanova Sunday
3/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Seton Hall University softball team continues BIG EAST play when it hosts the Villanova Wildcats for a three-game series this Sunday-Monday, March 29-30, at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at 12 PM, and a single game on Monday afternoon at 3 PM.
The series was postponed a day due to unseasonably cold temperatures forecast for Saturday.
Seton Hall lost three games to DePaul in its BIG EAST opening series, while Villanova lost two of three to Georgetown last weekend, meaning both squad will be looking to bounce back early in conference play.
Seton Hall boasts some of the best power hitting numbers in the league, an area the Wildcats have certainly struggled with so far this season, but conversely Villanova has one of the stronger pitching staffs in the league.
For the Pirates, senior Sara Haefeli and freshman Alexis Walkden have nine homers apiece, which not only paces the Pirates but also ties for the BIG EAST lead. They have combined for five multi-home run games, three for Haefeli and two for Walkden, which is particularly impressive given that SHU had just 13 in its history prior to this year.
While Kate Poppe is still the defacto ace for Villanova, throwing a bulk of the innings with 89.0, sophomore Brette Lawrence has impressed, leading the team with a 1.58 earned run average and a 4-3 record in seven starts.
Poppe has struck out 101, which ranks second in the league. As a staff, Villanova's pitchers boast a 2.85 earned run average, second in the BIG EAST.
When these teams met up late last year, Seton Hall won two of three on the road. This will actually be Villanova's first trip to South Orange since the 2010 season, and the Wildcats lead the all-time series 33-32.
Danielle DeStaso outdueled Poppe in a 5-4 SHU victory in nine innings in game one of last year's series. The Pirates went on to earn the day one sweep as they jumped on the Wildcats for a 10-2 win in game two. DeStaso added a two-RBI triple in that win.
LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall lost three games to defending BIG EAST Champion DePaul during a midweek series. The Pirates led game one 5-3 heading into the seventh inning, but the Blue Demons rallied for four runs to come away with a 7-5 win. DePaul carried that momentum into the next two games of the series to pick up the sweep and take a very early lead in the BIG EAST race. Those contests were the home and BIG EAST openers for Seton Hall.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
Villanova heads into the weekend with a 9-14 overall record and a 1-2 mark in the BIG EAST. The Wildcats are last in the league in nearly every power hitting category, with only six home runs and a .336 slugging percentage. Villanova, however, boasts some of the best pitching numbers in the BIG EAST, ranking second with a 2.85 earned run average and first with 152 strikeouts. While Kate Poppe throws a majority of the innings for Villanova, it is sophomore Lawrence Brett that leads the squad with a 1.58 ERA. She is 4-3 in seven starts, yielding just nine earned runs in 40.0 innings.
PIRATES PILING UP HOMERS
Senior center fielder Sara Haefeli hit a pair of home runs against DePaul on March 24, which marked her third multi-home run game of the year and the fourth of her career. Combined with freshman Alexis Walkden's pair of multi-home run games, Seton Hall has five multi-homer performances this year, compared to just 13 in the history of the program heading into this season. As a team, the Pirates have left the yard 30 times, the SHU single-season record is 40, set back in 2006.
HARRELL SWINGING A HOT BAT
Junior Yasmin Harrell went 5-for-8 in the series with DePaul, recording a pair of multi-hit games, to see her batting average jump to .337, which ranks second on the team. Over the last nine games, Harrell is batting .433 (13-for-30) with five runs scored.
KEY TO SUCCESS
Getting off to a strong start has been key to Seton Hall seeing success on the field so far this season. The Pirates have scored 31 runs in the first inning, already more than they did during all of last year, and they are 6-3 when scoring first in a game. Comparatively, the Pirates are just 4-8 when their opponent scores first.
TOP-10 IN HOMERS
Senior Sara Haefeli and freshman Alexis Walkden have already moved into the top-10 for a single season with nine home runs this year, which ties for sixth at Seton Hall. They both need 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, set in 2002. Haefeli and Walkden rank first in the BIG EAST in home runs and 58th in the nation with .31 home runs per game.
