AD Newsletter with Bryan Felt - October 2019 - Seton Hall University Athletics

October 2019

Hello Pirate Nation!

I'm excited for my first monthly AD Newsletter! As I mentioned in my introductory press conference, becoming the Director of Athletics at Seton Hall is a dream come true for me, and the opportunity to serve our tremendous student-athletes is a great privilege. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with kind words of support!

It's been five weeks since I officially started, and it's been a busy time meeting with student-athletes, coaches and administrators and connecting with our Pirate Blue members to see how we can get better. We are on an incredible trajectory and in order to continue this momentum, we need everyone on board!

Men's Basketball Ticket Sales Are Soaring!

Our men's basketball single-game tickets went on sale this past Tuesday after we gave current season ticket holders a one-week presale, and the response from Pirates fans was overwhelming! Demand was so high for four specific games that we made the decision to open the upper level immediately for more ticket sales. Those four games are Michigan State, Maryland, St. John's and Villanova. And we are trending pretty well in sales for a few more games.

This excitement and demand for tickets will be a huge boost for our men's basketball program. With All-America candidate Myles Powell leading the team, our Pirates are poised to do some special things, and nothing is more invigorating for these young men than to walk out of the tunnel and see Prudential Center packed with Pirate Blue.

If you haven't gotten your tickets yet to see this exciting squad, now's the time! Single-game tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, mini-plans are available by phone at (973) 275-4255 and season tickets are still available also at Ticketmaster.

Two Big Pirate Blue Events Coming Up!

The month of October has two huge Pirate Blue events on tap. Our annual Coach Mike Sheppard Golf Outing to support our baseball program takes place Monday, Oct. 14 at Maplewood Country Club, and obviously, this year's golf outing will have a different feeling to it after Coach Shep's passing last spring.

Coach Shep would never want us to lose our hustle, and so we hope that this year's golf outing will be bigger and better than ever. You can register for the Oct. 14 golf outing online at SHU.edu/ShepOuting.

Three days later, Thursday, Oct. 17, is our annual Beefsteak Tip-Off Dinner, when we come together to celebrate the start of basketball season! Hoops fans will come together at Walsh Gym to swap stories and meet the 2019-20 men's and women's basketball teams. It's an exciting night that also includes a silent auction, and we've packed the gym each of the last few years and hope to do so again this year! You can register today online at SHU.edu/Beefsteak.

Owen T. Carroll Field is Progressing Nicely

Our Owen T. Carroll Field renovation project has kicked into another gear in recent weeks as crews worked hard to get the soccer side of the field ready for the men's and women's teams to begin BIG EAST play while also putting up some steel and brick on the baseball side.

While we were able to play soccer at the field this past weekend, we are considering it a "soft" open as we look to officially complete the work there in October with new chairback seating in the middle sections of the bleachers. And we are on track to finish the baseball side in December. Once complete, we will have new chairback seating and press boxes on both sides of the field and restrooms and new dugouts on the baseball side.

Be sure to stay tuned to our social media channels for more construction photos as the work continues!

There Are Some Big Fall Sport Home Games This Month

Our men's and women's soccer and volleyball teams are all now in the midst of BIG EAST play, and there are some big home matches coming up! I hope to see you at Owen T. Carroll Field and Walsh Gymnasium, especially this weekend! Our men's soccer squad hosts Creighton Friday night, and our volleyball team battles Providence Friday night and Creighton Saturday night!

In total, the three teams have 14 home matches in the month of October and they need your support! Be sure to check SHUPirates.com or download the SHU Pirates Mobile App onto your smartphone for more information.

Golf Teams Are Off to A Tremendous Start

Both of our golf teams have started the fall with some outstanding performances that we hope will foreshadow what is to come this spring!

Congratulations to freshman Wenliang Xie on winning the individual championship at the Hartford Hawks Invitational, which featured some strong competition, with a score of 10 under par! That's a heck of a performance by a freshman in his first semester of college!

Our women's golf team has had back-to-back weeks of major success. Two weekends ago, senior Maddie Sager and sophomore Sarah Fouratt shared the Penn State Nittany Lion Invitational individual championship when they both shot two under par. Then this past weekend the team won the Princeton Invitational by seven strokes! Congratulations to Maddie, Sarah and the entire team for their achievements!

GET ON BOARD & GO PIRATES!