Pirates Head to Indianapolis for Series at Butler

PREVIEW:
Seton Hall will travel to Indianapolis this weekend for its first BIG EAST Conference road series of the year. The Pirates will face Butler for a trio of games. The first two games will be available via Facebook Live on the Butler Bulldogs Facebook site. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

Seton Hall opened BIG EAST play last week by winning two of three games against defending BIG EAST champion, Xavier, at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates got strong pitching from Shane McCarthy, Corey Sawyer and Matt Leon on Friday in route to a 4-3 victory. On Saturday, the teams split a doubleheader with the Musketeers winning, 5-3, in game one, but the Pirates bouncing back to win the series with a 9-6 victory in game two. Both Sebastiano Santorelli and Mike Alescio hit home runs in the series finale, while Ryan Ramiz went 4-for-4. Matt Leon pitched the final three innings of the game without allowing an earned run to pick up the save.

For their efforts, both Ramiz and Leon were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.

On Wednesday, the Pirates fell to Monmouth, 10-3.

SERIES INFORMATION:
This will be the fifth all-time series between Seton Hall and Butler. The Pirates swept the season series in 2016 in Indianapolis, but last year the Bulldogs won two of three games at Owen T. Carroll Field. To date, the all-time series is tied 6-6. The teams had never met prior to Butler joining the BIG EAST in 2014. This is the third time the Pirates will travel to Indy for a series. They are 4-2 all-time at Bulldog Park. Last year, Matt Leon had a 1.93 ERA during the series striking out six batters without a walk in 4.2 innings of relief.

Butler enters this weekend with an impressive record of 24-8. Winners of six in a row, the Bulldogs most recently defeated Eastern Illinois, 6-3, on Tuesday. Seton Hall and Butler have had two common opponents. Butler has defeated Saint Peter's twice, but was shut out by Pittsburgh. The Pirates have shutout victories over both the Peacocks and Panthers this year.

THINGS TO KNOW:
RECENT NEWS
Seniors Matt Leon and Ryan Ramiz were named to the BIG EAST Baseball Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. Leon earned two saves and didn't allow an earned run over five innings last week. Ramiz batted a team-best .571 and drove in seven runs. He went 4-for-4 against Xavier in the series finale.

MONMOUTH RECAP
Seton Hall is coming off a 10-3 loss to Monmouth on Wednesday at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates used a season-high eight pitchers, the last four of which didn't allow a run. Tyler Shedler-McAvoy was the lone Pirate with multiple hits. Mike Alescio, Connor Hood and Jerry Huntzinger all drove in runs.

LAST SERIES
Seton Hall opened BIG EAST play last weekend by defeating defending champion Xavier in two of three contests at Owen T. Carroll Field. Behind strong pitching, the Pirates edged the Musketeers on Friday, 4-3. On Saturday, Seton Hall split a doubleheader with Xavier, falling 5-3 in game one before bouncing back with a 9-6 game two victory.

400 WIN CLUB
With a victory over Xavier last Friday, Seton Hall head coach Rob Sheppard became only the second Pirate baseball coach to reach 400 career victories. Only his father, Hall of Famer Mike Sheppard, Sr., has more wins at Seton Hall, 998.

GOING DEEP
Owen T. Carroll Field has long had a reputation for being a pitcher-friendly ballpark, but Seton Hall and Xavier combined to hit six home runs last weekend. The Pirates' home runs couldn't have come at a better time. Trailing 4-3 in the fifth inning, Sebastiano Santorelli hit a two-run home run over the right field fence to give The Hall the lead. Two batters later, Mike Alescio sent an opposite field solo home run to right field as well.

HITTER TO WATCH
Rob Dadona has been one of the truly breakout players for the Pirates in 2018. After primarily playing a backup role for his first three seasons, he has erupted onto the scene as the team's everyday second baseman and leadoff hitter as a senior. He currently leads the team with a .323 batting average. Since March 23, he has six multiple-hit games, including a two-hit, two stolen bases performance against Xavier on April 14.

PITCHER TO WATCH
Senior Shane McCarthy will make his eighth start of the season on Friday, and despite having a 5.50 earned run average, he's in the midst of a fine senior season. The vast majority of the damage against McCarthy has been done in the first inning this year. In fact, if you exclude the first inning, McCarthy has a sparkling 1.86 ERA this season. In his last start, he allowed just two earned runs over six innings in a no decision.

LEAGUE LEADERS
Senior Matt Leon ranks second in the BIG EAST Conference with five saves and 10 games finished. Al Molina leads the conference with 82 defensive assists. Casey Dana is tied for the BIG EAST lead with four triples, while Shane McCarthy is tied for the conference lead with three pickoffs.

PIRATE SPORTS NETWORK
The Pirate Sports Network at SHUpirates.com will again provide free live video streaming of all Seton Hall home baseball games. Additionally, Sports Information Director Matt Sweeney will provide a free live audio stream of most road contests. Be sure to visit the PSN at SHUpirates.com!