Pirates Set for Showdown at Xavier

May 3 - 5, 2019
OXFORD, OHIO - McKie Field at Hayden Park
CINCINNATI, OHIO – Hayden Field

SETON HALL (20-22, 4-5) at XAVIER (20-25, 9-2)

Date

Seton Hall
Probable Starter

Xavier
Probable Starter

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Friday,
May 3
6:00 pm

RICKY
DEVITO
(1-4, 4.58 ERA)
RHP

Damien Richard
(1-1, 6.70 ERA)
RHP

None

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@SHUBaseball

Saturday,
May 4
1:00 pm

NOAH
THOMPSON
(3-2, 5.28 ERA)
RHP

Conor Grammes
(3-5, 4.93 ERA)
RHP

None

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Sunday,
May 5
Noon

DAVID
FESTA
(2-2, 3.95 ERA)
RHP

TBD

None

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PREVIEW:
Seton Hall returns to action this weekend for a three-game series in Cincinnati against first-base Xavier. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The game has been moved to the campus of Miami (Ohio).

The Pirates are coming off a strong week, having won four of their last five games. Last weekend, The Hall claimed their second BIG EAST Conference series, winning two of three games against Butler in Queens. On Saturday, both ends of a doubleheader went 10 innings with the Pirates winning, 9-8, in game one, and falling 5-4, in game two. Chris Villa had three hits and two RBIs in the opener, while Christian Del Castillo had a trio of hits and drove in two runs in the nightcap. On Sunday, The Hall won the series with a 9-4 victory. Tyler Shedler-McAvoy went 4-for-6, while Matt Toke drove in three runs.

The Hall also won a pair of midweek games this week. The Hall downed Saint Peter's, 8-1, on Tuesday. Sebastiano Santorelli drove in three runs and five pitchers held the Peacocks to just four hits. On Wednesday, Seton Hall defeated Lafayette, 7-1. Freshman Nick Payero took a perfect game into the seventh inning, while both Shedler-McAvoy and Steve Grober drove in three apiece.

SERIES INFORMATION:
Seton Hall owns a 9-7 all-time series lead against Xavier. Last season, the Pirates won the series, taking two of three games at Owen T. Caroll Field, although all three contests were decided by three or fewer runs. Both Sebastiano Santorelli and Tyler Shedler-McAvoy batted .300 or better against the Musketeers last year, with Nano belting a home run.

Xavier enters the weekend with a 20-25, and enters the weekend having won six of their last eight games. The Musketeers currently sit on top of the BIG EAST Conference with a 9-2 record, and last weekend won two of three contests against Creighton in Omaha. This week, Xavier split a pair of midweek contests, falling to Miami (Ohio), 7-4, on Tuesday, and defeating Northern Kentucky, 5-2, on Wednesday.

THINGS TO KNOW:
HALL DOWNS LAFAYETTE
Seton Hall won for the fourth time in its last five games with a 7-1 victory at Lafayette on Wednesday. Freshman Nick Payero tossed 6.2 hitless innings to pick up the victory. Both Tyler Shedler-McAvoy and Steve Grober drove in three runs to fuel the Pirates' offense.

PAYERO DOMINATES
Freshman Nick Payero turned in his best career start on Wednesday at Lafayette. The right-hander took a perfect game into the seventh inning, until allowing a leadoff walk. He was lifted with two outs, but still earned the victory. For the game, he tossed 6.2 hitless innings, allowing one unearned run with six strikeouts and one walk.

PIRATES POUND PEACOCKS
Five pitchers combined to limit Saint Peter's to just one run on four hits in Seton Hall's 8-1 victory on Tuesday. Freshman Brennan O'Neill got the start and allowed one run in four innings. Four relievers combined to allow just one hit thereafter. Sebastiano Santorelli went 2-for-4 with a team-best three RBIs.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Tyler Shedler-McAvoy was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday. The outfielder had a dominant effort last week, reaching base at least three times in all four contests. He batted a team-best .529 during the week, and had a four-hit game against Butler in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

LET'S GO STREAKING
No Pirate has been hotter at the plate lately than Tyler Shedler McAvoy. The junior has hit safely in 11 straight games, the longest streak of the season for any Pirate. In that stretch, he is batting .452 (19-for-42) and has an on-base percentage of .549. He has also stolen eight bases and driven in 11 runs in the last 11 games.

PIRATES WIN BUTLER SERIES
Seton Hall won a crucial BIG EAST series last weekend with wins in two of three contests against Butler. In one of the longer doubleheaders in recent memory, both contests went 10 innings on Saturday, with the teams splitting the games, a 9-8 Pirate win in game one, and a 5-4 Bulldogs win in game two. The Pirates took the series with a 9-4 victory on Sunday.

SHOWING RESILIANCE
Seton Hall won the series against Butler, but had to rally in all three games to do so. The Pirates trailed the Bulldogs in game one of the series, 6-2, before outlasting them for a 9-8 victory in 10 innings. In game two of the doubleheader, The Hall trailed 3-0, but rallied to tie the game at three, before falling behind 5-3 in the 10th. The Pirates rallied again for another run in the bottom of the inning, but ultimately succumbed, 5-4. In game three of the series, Seton Hall trailed 4-1 in the sixth inning before erupting for three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings in route to a 9-4 win.

A LEGEND PASSES AWAY
On April 6, former Seton Hall student-athlete, coach and administrator Mike Sheppard, Sr. passed away at the age of 82. The skipper was the head coach of the Pirate baseball program for 31 years compiling 998 victories and guiding The Hall to four College World Series appearances. He was a member of several Halls of Fame and leaves a significant legacy on all who were fortunate enough to have known him.