Baseball's Pirate Pride Challenge
11/15/2018 10:10:00 AM | Baseball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – For the seventh straight year, the Seton Hall baseball team will be competing in its "Pirate Pride Challenge" for the remainder of the fall semester. The initiative is a mental and physical competition among players on the team to provide a sense of history and tradition of the program.
The 2019 squad will be divided into four equal groups based on class and physical prowess, such as power, running, defense, position, etc. Each year the groups are given names that represent a former player, coach or team from the past. The 2019 team will be divided into groups bearing the names of Thaddeus S. Lepcio, Patrick Pacillo, John V. Donovan, Jr., and Isaac Pavlik.
"We really enjoy doing this because it keeps the energy high, promotes teamwork and keeps everyone competing," said head coach Rob Sheppard. "History and tradition is a huge part of our program's culture, and this is a nice way to teach that history to some of our younger guys."
The four squads will compete in a number of physical challenges, which includes the mile run, most pushups, most pull ups and the vaunted "Rock Run", among others. Fun challenges include contests of rock/paper/scissors, cornhole, tug-of-war and brain-benders like Jeopardy.
TEAM NAMESAKES
John V. Donovan, Jr. had a career record of 22-6 at Seton Hall. Starting in 26 games, he pitched 21 complete games, and in 223 innings, he had 201 strikeouts. He broke Seton Hall's record for the most shutouts in a single season (5). In 1969, he was second in the nation with a 0.62 ERA. Donovan was a Metropolitan Conference All-Star, an All-American in 1970 and an All-New Jersey University Division in 1969-71. Selected 11th overall by the California Angels in the first round of the 1971 MLB Amateur Draft, Donovan went on to pitch professionally for five seasons. Donovan was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Thaddeus S. Lepcio was considered one of the finest baseball players in Seton Hall history and was one of the first players to earn induction into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame. Brilliant at third base and shortstop during his time with the Pirates, he hit .388 in 1949 and .373 in 1950. After graduating Seton Hall, he spent 10 years playing in the Majors, mostly for the Boston Red Sox, and hit three career grand slam home runs. He was also named to the American League All-Rookie team in 1952. Lepcio was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973.
Patrick Pacillo was a two-way star for Seton Hall, helping the Pirates to a 106-41 record in three seasons and leading them to the 1984 ECAC New York-New Jersey Championship and the NCAA East Regional. A two-time New Jersey College Player of the Year, he hit .367 with six home runs and 50 RBI as a senior and was named third-team All-America and the ECAC Player of the Year. A member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1984, Pacillo was the fifth overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1984 MLB Amateur Draft and pitched two seasons in the big leagues. Pacillo was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Isaac Pavlik was one of the greatest relief pitchers in Seton Hall history. Named to the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2002, he is best known for his heroics in the 2001 BIG EAST Championship. Pavlik celebrated his 21st birthday by closing out a 5-2 victory over Virginia Tech in the championship game, his second save of the tournament. For his efforts, he was named the event's Most Outstanding Player. Pavlik completed his historic career at Seton Hall as the program's all-time leader in saves and relief appearances. Pavlik went on to enjoy 16 seasons in professional baseball, 13 of which for the New Jersey Jackals.
The 2019 squad will be divided into four equal groups based on class and physical prowess, such as power, running, defense, position, etc. Each year the groups are given names that represent a former player, coach or team from the past. The 2019 team will be divided into groups bearing the names of Thaddeus S. Lepcio, Patrick Pacillo, John V. Donovan, Jr., and Isaac Pavlik.
"We really enjoy doing this because it keeps the energy high, promotes teamwork and keeps everyone competing," said head coach Rob Sheppard. "History and tradition is a huge part of our program's culture, and this is a nice way to teach that history to some of our younger guys."
The four squads will compete in a number of physical challenges, which includes the mile run, most pushups, most pull ups and the vaunted "Rock Run", among others. Fun challenges include contests of rock/paper/scissors, cornhole, tug-of-war and brain-benders like Jeopardy.
TEAM NAMESAKES
John V. Donovan, Jr. had a career record of 22-6 at Seton Hall. Starting in 26 games, he pitched 21 complete games, and in 223 innings, he had 201 strikeouts. He broke Seton Hall's record for the most shutouts in a single season (5). In 1969, he was second in the nation with a 0.62 ERA. Donovan was a Metropolitan Conference All-Star, an All-American in 1970 and an All-New Jersey University Division in 1969-71. Selected 11th overall by the California Angels in the first round of the 1971 MLB Amateur Draft, Donovan went on to pitch professionally for five seasons. Donovan was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Thaddeus S. Lepcio was considered one of the finest baseball players in Seton Hall history and was one of the first players to earn induction into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame. Brilliant at third base and shortstop during his time with the Pirates, he hit .388 in 1949 and .373 in 1950. After graduating Seton Hall, he spent 10 years playing in the Majors, mostly for the Boston Red Sox, and hit three career grand slam home runs. He was also named to the American League All-Rookie team in 1952. Lepcio was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973.
Patrick Pacillo was a two-way star for Seton Hall, helping the Pirates to a 106-41 record in three seasons and leading them to the 1984 ECAC New York-New Jersey Championship and the NCAA East Regional. A two-time New Jersey College Player of the Year, he hit .367 with six home runs and 50 RBI as a senior and was named third-team All-America and the ECAC Player of the Year. A member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1984, Pacillo was the fifth overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1984 MLB Amateur Draft and pitched two seasons in the big leagues. Pacillo was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Isaac Pavlik was one of the greatest relief pitchers in Seton Hall history. Named to the All-BIG EAST First Team in 2002, he is best known for his heroics in the 2001 BIG EAST Championship. Pavlik celebrated his 21st birthday by closing out a 5-2 victory over Virginia Tech in the championship game, his second save of the tournament. For his efforts, he was named the event's Most Outstanding Player. Pavlik completed his historic career at Seton Hall as the program's all-time leader in saves and relief appearances. Pavlik went on to enjoy 16 seasons in professional baseball, 13 of which for the New Jersey Jackals.
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