Pirates reveal 2020 baseball schedule
12/27/2019 11:35:00 AM | Baseball
The Hall will face five NCAA regional participants from last season and eight top-75 RPI teams
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall head baseball coach Rob Sheppard has announced the Pirates' schedule for the upcoming 2020 campaign. The Hall will go up against five teams that went to an NCAA Regional last year and eight programs that finished the 2019 season in the top 75 of the RPI.
The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a season-opening trip down south to Winston-Salem, N.C. and a three-game series against Liberty in consecutive weeks before travelling to the West Coast for a California road trip over spring break. The BIG EAST slate follows non-conference play as the Pirates look to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship for the 10th-consecutive season.
After playing all of their home games away from campus last season, the Pirates will debut the newly renovated Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field on Wednesday, March 11 against Fairleigh Dickinson.
"This schedule was designed to put our team up against top non-conference competition and to prepare them for the rigors of conference play and playing in the postseason," said Sheppard. "Everyone in our program is also excited to return to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field this season, which will be one of the top baseball facilities in the Northeast by the time it's completed early in 2020."
NON-CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
Right out of the gate, the Pirates will head to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face Milwaukee, Wake Forest – a quality ACC program that finished 53rd in the RPI last season – and an at-large NCAA Regional team from the Big Ten in Illinois. Following a three-game set against Liberty in Lynchburg, another 2019 NCAA participant, the Pirates will travel west and up the California coast to take on USC, Fresno State and Saint Mary's.
"The goal of the schedule is to try and play against as many of the top conferences as we can," said Sheppard. "Our attitude has always been to pay a tough schedule early in the season that will prepare us for conference play. That's what we've always done and I think we accomplished that this year."
After its home opener against FDU on March 11, the Hall will face local foes Sacred Heart, Wagner, Fairfield and NJIT before taking on UConn in a three-game series from March 28-31. The Huskies, who are set to rejoin the BIG EAST in 2020, finished 29th in the RPI after advancing to the final of the Oklahoma City regional against Oklahoma State. The Pirates will also go up against Monmouth, Princeton, LaSalle, St. Peter's, Penn, Rider and Lafayette in the midst of conference play.
Friday, 2/14 at Wake Forest 4 p.m.
Saturday, 2/15 vs. Illinois 10 a.m.
Sunday, 2/16 vs. Milwaukee 10 a.m.
Friday, 2/21 at Liberty University 4 p.m.
Saturday, 2/22 at Liberty University 2 p.m.
Sunday, 2/23 at Liberty University 1 p.m.
Friday, 2/28 at USC 9 p.m.
Saturday, 2/29 at USC 5 p.m.
Sunday, 3/1 at USC 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/3 at Fresno State 9:05 p.m.
Thursday, 3/5 at Saint Mary's 5 p.m.
Friday, 3/6 at Saint Mary's 5 p.m.
Saturday, 3/7 at Saint Mary's 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 3/11 Fairleigh Dickinson 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/13 Sacred Heart 4 p.m.
Saturday, 3/14 Sacred Heart 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/15 Sacred Heart 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/17 Wagner 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/20 Fairfield 4 p.m.
Saturday, 3/21 Fairfield 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/22 Fairfield 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/24 at Fairleigh Dickinson 3 p.m.
Wednesday, 3/25 NJIT 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/27 UConn 6 p.m.
Saturday, 3/28 UConn 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/29 at UConn 1 p.m.
Tuesday 3/31 at Monmouth 3 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/7 Princeton 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/14 Monmouth 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/15 at Wagner 3 p.m.
Friday, 4/17 LaSalle 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/18 LaSalle 1 p.m.
Sunday, 4/19 LaSalle 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/21 St. Peter's 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/22 Penn 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/28 Rider 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/29 at Lafayette 3:30 p.m.
BIG EAST BREAKDOWN
The depth of BIG EAST baseball has vastly improved over the last few years and many believe it will continue to trend upward. That includes Sheppard, who points out that six of the league's seven teams have all been jockeying for the four spots in the conference tournament over the last two seasons.
"The BIG EAST continues to get tougher and there's a lot more parity than there has been," said Sheppard. "I think it's going to continue to trend in that direction with the future addition of UConn, who we'll face this season in late March. Our younger players gained some valuable experience in conference play last season where they were put in a position to compete and they handled it pretty well. This season, I expect to see more growth."
Creighton earned the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since joining the league in 2014. The Pirates will open BIG EAST play against Bluejays in Omaha from April 4-7. The Hall will welcome Villanova (April 9-11), St. John's (April 24-26) and Xavier (May 8-9) to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field and will travel to Butler (May 1-3) and Georgetown (May 14-16) to wrap up the regular season.
Friday, 4/3 at Creighton TBD
Saturday, 4/4 at Creighton TBD
Sunday, 4/5 at Creighton TBD
Thursday, 4/9 Villanova (DH) 12 p.m.
Saturday, 4/11 Villanova 12 p.m.
Friday, 4/24 St. John's 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/25 St. John's 1 p.m.
Sunday, 4/26 St. John's 12 p.m.
Friday, 5/1 at Butler TBD
Saturday, 5/2 at Butler TBD
Sunday, 5/3 at Butler TBD
Friday, 5/8 Xavier 6 pm
Saturday, 5/9 Xavier (DH) 12 pm
Thursday, 5/14 at Georgetown 7 pm
Friday, 5/15 at Georgetown 5 pm
Saturday, 5/16 at Georgetown 2 pm
This preseason, Seton Hall was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST and earned three first-place votes, the most of any team in the conference. Additionally, four Pirates were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad; senior first baseman Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.), senior outfielder Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.), senior pitcher Noah Thompson (Frisco, Texas) and sophomore pitcher David Festa (Verona, N.J.). Both the preseason poll and preseason team were voted on by the league's head coaches.
A renovated facility awaits the Pirates in 2020; the newly dubbed Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field. The renovations, which started in March of this year, will drastically enhance the fan and student-athlete experience. New additions include revamped seating areas with chairback seating, permanent restrooms, an enclosed press box, new Field Turf and new, standardized dugouts that are like those seen at the professional level. Aesthetically, the facility will have a much greater "stadium" feel. A stone façade will enclose all seating areas, and Seton Hall's marks and branding will be highly visible.
The program's annual First Pitch Dinner will take place in Bethany Hall on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 at 6 p.m. Seton Hall baseball alum and Digmi CEO Ray Navarrette will be the evening's guest speaker. The cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, please visit www.shu.edu/firstpitch or call 973-275-6445.
The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a season-opening trip down south to Winston-Salem, N.C. and a three-game series against Liberty in consecutive weeks before travelling to the West Coast for a California road trip over spring break. The BIG EAST slate follows non-conference play as the Pirates look to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship for the 10th-consecutive season.
After playing all of their home games away from campus last season, the Pirates will debut the newly renovated Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field on Wednesday, March 11 against Fairleigh Dickinson.
"This schedule was designed to put our team up against top non-conference competition and to prepare them for the rigors of conference play and playing in the postseason," said Sheppard. "Everyone in our program is also excited to return to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field this season, which will be one of the top baseball facilities in the Northeast by the time it's completed early in 2020."
NON-CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN
Right out of the gate, the Pirates will head to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face Milwaukee, Wake Forest – a quality ACC program that finished 53rd in the RPI last season – and an at-large NCAA Regional team from the Big Ten in Illinois. Following a three-game set against Liberty in Lynchburg, another 2019 NCAA participant, the Pirates will travel west and up the California coast to take on USC, Fresno State and Saint Mary's.
"The goal of the schedule is to try and play against as many of the top conferences as we can," said Sheppard. "Our attitude has always been to pay a tough schedule early in the season that will prepare us for conference play. That's what we've always done and I think we accomplished that this year."
After its home opener against FDU on March 11, the Hall will face local foes Sacred Heart, Wagner, Fairfield and NJIT before taking on UConn in a three-game series from March 28-31. The Huskies, who are set to rejoin the BIG EAST in 2020, finished 29th in the RPI after advancing to the final of the Oklahoma City regional against Oklahoma State. The Pirates will also go up against Monmouth, Princeton, LaSalle, St. Peter's, Penn, Rider and Lafayette in the midst of conference play.
Friday, 2/14 at Wake Forest 4 p.m.
Saturday, 2/15 vs. Illinois 10 a.m.
Sunday, 2/16 vs. Milwaukee 10 a.m.
Friday, 2/21 at Liberty University 4 p.m.
Saturday, 2/22 at Liberty University 2 p.m.
Sunday, 2/23 at Liberty University 1 p.m.
Friday, 2/28 at USC 9 p.m.
Saturday, 2/29 at USC 5 p.m.
Sunday, 3/1 at USC 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/3 at Fresno State 9:05 p.m.
Thursday, 3/5 at Saint Mary's 5 p.m.
Friday, 3/6 at Saint Mary's 5 p.m.
Saturday, 3/7 at Saint Mary's 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 3/11 Fairleigh Dickinson 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/13 Sacred Heart 4 p.m.
Saturday, 3/14 Sacred Heart 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/15 Sacred Heart 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/17 Wagner 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/20 Fairfield 4 p.m.
Saturday, 3/21 Fairfield 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/22 Fairfield 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 3/24 at Fairleigh Dickinson 3 p.m.
Wednesday, 3/25 NJIT 4 p.m.
Friday, 3/27 UConn 6 p.m.
Saturday, 3/28 UConn 12 p.m.
Sunday, 3/29 at UConn 1 p.m.
Tuesday 3/31 at Monmouth 3 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/7 Princeton 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/14 Monmouth 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/15 at Wagner 3 p.m.
Friday, 4/17 LaSalle 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/18 LaSalle 1 p.m.
Sunday, 4/19 LaSalle 12 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/21 St. Peter's 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/22 Penn 4 p.m.
Tuesday, 4/28 Rider 4 p.m.
Wednesday, 4/29 at Lafayette 3:30 p.m.
BIG EAST BREAKDOWN
The depth of BIG EAST baseball has vastly improved over the last few years and many believe it will continue to trend upward. That includes Sheppard, who points out that six of the league's seven teams have all been jockeying for the four spots in the conference tournament over the last two seasons.
"The BIG EAST continues to get tougher and there's a lot more parity than there has been," said Sheppard. "I think it's going to continue to trend in that direction with the future addition of UConn, who we'll face this season in late March. Our younger players gained some valuable experience in conference play last season where they were put in a position to compete and they handled it pretty well. This season, I expect to see more growth."
Creighton earned the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since joining the league in 2014. The Pirates will open BIG EAST play against Bluejays in Omaha from April 4-7. The Hall will welcome Villanova (April 9-11), St. John's (April 24-26) and Xavier (May 8-9) to Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field and will travel to Butler (May 1-3) and Georgetown (May 14-16) to wrap up the regular season.
Friday, 4/3 at Creighton TBD
Saturday, 4/4 at Creighton TBD
Sunday, 4/5 at Creighton TBD
Thursday, 4/9 Villanova (DH) 12 p.m.
Saturday, 4/11 Villanova 12 p.m.
Friday, 4/24 St. John's 6 p.m.
Saturday, 4/25 St. John's 1 p.m.
Sunday, 4/26 St. John's 12 p.m.
Friday, 5/1 at Butler TBD
Saturday, 5/2 at Butler TBD
Sunday, 5/3 at Butler TBD
Friday, 5/8 Xavier 6 pm
Saturday, 5/9 Xavier (DH) 12 pm
Thursday, 5/14 at Georgetown 7 pm
Friday, 5/15 at Georgetown 5 pm
Saturday, 5/16 at Georgetown 2 pm
This preseason, Seton Hall was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST and earned three first-place votes, the most of any team in the conference. Additionally, four Pirates were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad; senior first baseman Matt Toke (Three Bridges, N.J.), senior outfielder Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Allendale, N.J.), senior pitcher Noah Thompson (Frisco, Texas) and sophomore pitcher David Festa (Verona, N.J.). Both the preseason poll and preseason team were voted on by the league's head coaches.
A renovated facility awaits the Pirates in 2020; the newly dubbed Mike Sheppard, Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field. The renovations, which started in March of this year, will drastically enhance the fan and student-athlete experience. New additions include revamped seating areas with chairback seating, permanent restrooms, an enclosed press box, new Field Turf and new, standardized dugouts that are like those seen at the professional level. Aesthetically, the facility will have a much greater "stadium" feel. A stone façade will enclose all seating areas, and Seton Hall's marks and branding will be highly visible.
The program's annual First Pitch Dinner will take place in Bethany Hall on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 at 6 p.m. Seton Hall baseball alum and Digmi CEO Ray Navarrette will be the evening's guest speaker. The cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, please visit www.shu.edu/firstpitch or call 973-275-6445.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballSeton Hall Softball vs. Iona (Game 2)
Wednesday, April 29
Seton Hall Softball vs. Iona (Game 1)
Wednesday, April 29
Seton Hall Pirates Live Stream
Thursday, April 23
2026 Seton Hall Giving Day is Here!
Tuesday, April 21
