Pirates Open BIG EAST Play This Weekend at UConn

Storrs, Conn. – The Seton Hall softball team begins its trek through BIG EAST play this weekend against defending-regular season champion UConn. The three-game series will open on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m., followed by game two on Saturday at 11 a.m. and the finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall went 3-2 at the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic hosted by Texas Tech last weekend. The trip was highlighted by a doubleheader sweep on Saturday over North Dakota and the Red Raiders. In game one, the Pirates rallied from a five-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh to walk off the Fighting Hawks. Later in game two, Shelby Smith (Friendswood, Texas) pitched a gem and helped the Pirates earn their first win over a Big 12 school since 2008.

SCOUTING UCONN (10-6)

The Huskies played at the Liberty Invitational last weekend, winning three out of the four games they played.
UConn was the top seed in last year's BIG EAST Championship after going 20-4 during regular season play in the conference.
Grace Jenkins is the leader on the team in each of the major offensive categories including batting average (.388), hits (19), doubles (6), home runs (5), runs batted in (12), total bases (40), on base percentage (.816) and slugging percentage (.464).
In the circle, Payton Kinney leads the team with a 3.54 ERA through eight appearances, six of which have been starts.
UConn leads the all-time series 43-17, with the Pirates' last win over the Huskies coming on May 6, 2021.

NEWS & NOTES

Shelby Smith was named BIG EAST Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday after allowing just three earned runs and striking out 24 batters this past weekend. She matched her career-high with 12 K's in a two-hit shutout against North Dakota on Friday, followed by 10 more strikeouts in her complete game win over Texas Tech. Smith became the first Pirate hurler since at least 2016 with back-to-back double digit strikeout performances.
Seton Hall's pitching has been the story so far this season. The team's 1.48 ERA ranks best among BIG EAST staffs and is the 14^th-lowest in the nation.
Kyra Kreuscher (Great River, N.Y.) ranks seventh in the nation with a 0.40 ERA, while SHELBY SMITH is 36^th in the country at 0.99.
Abby Wingo (Portland, Ore.) was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for her efforts last weekend. She batted .533 over her five games, three of which were multi-hit efforts. Wingo tallied four doubles and scored six runs as well as she pushed her hitting streak to six. She also collected her 100th career hit over the weekend.
Taylor Hill (Little Falls, N.J.) hit her fourth home run of the season on Sunday in her 14^th game of the season. During Hill's freshman season it took her 31 games before she hit her fourth homer.
Hill has reached base in all 14 games so far this season.
Sunday was Seton Hall's third extra innings game so far this season, already nearly matching its total of four such games from the 2022 season.