Players Mentioned
Seton Hall Resumes BIG EAST Play vs. Villanova This Weekend
4/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game 39: Friday, April 22 - Noon ET
Hunter Schryver - L (VU) vs. Shane McCarthy - R (HALL)
| GAME MEDIA | ||||||||||||
| Live Video | Live Audio | Radio | Live Stats | |||||||||
| BEDN | None | 89.5 FM WSOU | SHUpirates.com | @SHUBaseball | ||||||||
Game 40: Saturday, April 23 - 1:00 p.m. ET
Kagan Richardson - R (VU) vs. Cullen Dana - L (HALL)
| GAME MEDIA | ||||||||||||
| Live Video | Live Audio | Radio | Live Stats | |||||||||
| Pirate Sports Network | None | 89.5 FM WSOU | SHUpirates.com | @SHUBaseball | ||||||||
Game 41: Sunday, April 24 - Noon ET
Ryan Doty - R (LIU) vs. Zach Prendergast - R (HALL)
| GAME MEDIA | ||||||||||||
| Live Video | Live Audio | Radio | Live Stats | |||||||||
| Pirate Sports Network | None | 89.5 FM WSOU | SHUpirates.com | @SHUBaseball | ||||||||
PREVIEW
Seton Hall will resume BIG EAST Conference play when it welcomes Villanova to Owen T. Carroll Field for a three-game series this weekend. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for Noon ET.
Seton Hall won two of three games against non-conference local rival LIU-Brooklyn last weekend. The Pirates got a huge boost on Friday when sophomore Shane McCarthy tossed the first perfect game in BIG EAST history. The sophomore struck out eight batters and needed just 88 pitches as the Pirates routed the Blackbirds, 10-0. On Saturday, Seton Hall downed LIU, 6-1, but the Blackbirds salvaged the final game of the series on Sunday, winning, 6-3. In a series strewn with strong pitching performances, the Pirates allowed just four earned runs over three games. For his efforts, McCarthy was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for a third time this season, and NCBWA and Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week.
On Tuesday, Seton Hall routed Monmouth, 13-3. Senior Derek Jenkins stole five of Seton Hall's season-high 11 stolen bases. Joe Poduslenko hit a grand slam and drove in five runs. The Pirates used eight pitchers, including Luke Cahill and Dylan Verdonk, who made their season debuts.
SERIES INFORMATION
Seton Hall and Villanova will resume their long rivalry this weekend. The Pirates have won 78 of 121 all-time meetings, including seven of the last nine games. However, the Wildcats won two of three games in Pennsylvania last year, including a marathon 12-10 affair. The last time Villanova visited Owen T. Carroll Field, the Pirates swept the Wildcats in 2014. Last year, Chris Chiaradio batted .455 in three games against the Wildcats, while Derek Jenkins batted .400 with two stolen bases.
Villanova is coming off a 5-2 home victory over LaSalle on Wednesday. The Wildcats split their first two BIG EAST series,' taking two of three games from Butler two weeks ago, and dropping two of three games to St. John's last weekend. Friday starter Hunter Schryver leads the conference in strikeouts.
THINGS TO KNOW
PIRATES ROUT MONMOUTH
Seton Hall stole a season-high 11 bases and went on to rout Monmouth, 13-3 on Tuesday. Derek Jenkins stole five bases and went 3-for-5 in the victory. Joe Poduslenko drove in five runs with a grand slam. Seton Hall got work in for eight pitchers as Luke Cahill earned the victory.
SETON HALL WINS LIU SERIES
The Pirates won two of three games vs. LIU-Brooklyn last weekend during their BIG EAST bye weekend. The Hall routed the Blackbirds, 10-0, on Friday behind Shane McCarthy's perfect game. On Saturday, Seton Hall won 6-1, but LIU salvaged the final game of the series with a 6-3 win.
MR. PERFECT
Sophomore Shane McCarthy pitched the first perfect game in Seton Hall and BIG EAST history on Friday vs. LIU-Brooklyn. The right-hander needed just 88 pitches and struck out eight batters. It's only the 27th perfect game in NCAA Division I history. McCarthy improved to 4-3 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.64.
MAJOR RECOGNITION
For his perfect game exploits, Shane McCarthy was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season. He was also named NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week and one of Louisville Slugger's National Players of the Week.
THIS IS 40
Against Monmouth on Tuesday, Derek Jenkins stole five more bases giving him a new career season-high of 40. The national leader currently has 110 career stolen bases, which ranks fourth on the Pirates' all-time list. Hall of Famer Greg Jemison is third on the list with 114 career steals. The career record for steals is 137 set by Eli Ben.
GRAND SLAM
In Seton Hall's 13-3 victory over Monmouth on Tuesday, junior Joe Poduslenko connected on a grand slam in the sixth inning. It is Poduslenko's first home run of the season and second of his career. The towing shot to left field is the first to clear the roof of the new parking deck extension in left field since it was built prior to the 2015 season.
SEASON DEBUTS
Seton Hall's game with Monmouth on Tuesday meant the season debuts for several Pirates. Senior Luke Cahill, recovering from injury, started and pitched a scoreless first inning to pick up the victory. Freshman Dylan Verdonk tossed scoreless second inning in his collegiate debut. Sophomore Chris Talbott made his collegiate debut, singled and scored a run in a pinch hitting role in the eighth inning.
DADONA SHINES
While filling in for an injury Mike Caputo, Rob Dadona has shined in his last four games. In that time, Dadona has batted .500 (7-for-14), has driven in six runs and stole three bases. Against Monmouth on Tuesday, Dadona went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
BORN TO RUN
Seton Hall is stealing bases at an incredible rate this year. To date, the Pirates have 115 steals as a team, which is the highest total in the nation. Individually, Derek Jenkins has 40 steals, which also leads the country. Furthermore, five of the BIG EAST's top-10 base stealers are currently Pirates... Jenkins, Chris Chiaradio (18), Zack Weigel (12), Joe Poduslenko (10) and Ryan Ramiz (9).
WALK THIS WAY
Seton Hall has been patient at the plate this year to the tune of 192 walks, which ties for 12th in the country. The Pirates have four players with at least 25 walks this season. Zack Weigel leads the BIG EAST with 31 free passes.
