Pirates Set to Face No. 13 Texas in NCAA Tournament Opener

Austin, Texas – Coming off its first BIG EAST Tournament title since 2005, the Seton Hall softball team will look to embark on another championship journey beginning on Friday. The Pirates will begin play in the Austin Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, facing No. 13 seed Texas on Friday at 5 p.m.

RETURN TO THE NATIONAL STAGE
The Pirates find themselves back in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2005. The double-elimination regional begins on Friday with the Pirates facing hosts Texas at 5 p.m. Seton Hall would face either Texas A&M or Texas State on Saturday at either 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. depending on the outcome of Friday's games.

Austin Regional Schedule

Friday, May 19
Game 1 – 5 p.m. (Texas vs. Seton Hall)
Game 2 – 7:30 p.m. (Texas State vs. Texas A&M)

Saturday, May 20
Game 3 – 3 p.m. (Winner GM1 vs. Winner GM2)
Game 4 – 5:30 p.m. (Loser GM1 vs. Loser GM2)
Game 5 – 8 p.m. (Winner GM4 vs. Loser GM3)

Sunday, May 21
Game 6 – 2 p.m. (Winner GM3 vs. Winner GM5)
Game 7 – 4:30 p.m. if necessary (Winner GM6 vs. Loser GM6)

All times Eastern.
NEWS & NOTES

This is the Pirates' fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history (2001, 2004, 2005).
The Pirates took home their third BIG EAST championship last Saturday, capping off a perfect 4-0 week in Storrs with a 6-1 win over No. 2 Villanova. Shelby Smith was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after going 8-for-13 with two home runs, three doubles and 11 RBI.
Smith knocked in seven runs in Thursday's victory over No. 2 Villanova, setting a BIG EAST Tournament single-game record and tying the Seton Hall single-game record.
The Pirates opened BIG EAST Tournament play in dramatic fashion, rallying to a 5-4 win over No. 6 DePaul last Wednesday. Seton Hall trailed, 4-0, with four outs remaining before Kelsey Carr's three-run homer cut it down to one. Olivia Gilbert led off the seventh with a home run off the foul pole in left field, and Carr later walked it off with a single to center.
Kelsey Carr and Abby Wingo both were named to the NFCA Mideast All-Region First Team on Thursday. Shelby Smith received an All-Region Third Team honor.
The Pirates earned several All-BIG EAST awards. Kelsey Carr was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, Abby Wingo was named Defensive Player of the Year, and the coaching staff led by Angie Churchill was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Carr, Wingo and Shelby Smith were all named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, with Carr being a unanimous selection.
Carr is the first Pirate pitcher to be named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year. The junior led the league in ERA (1.82), reaching that number after 61.2 innings of work. Carr only allowed more than two earned runs in a start just twice during BIG EAST play.
Wingo was the first Pirate recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. The senior had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 31 chances in center field. Wingo had the third-highest number of chances among BIG EAST outfielders and had the most chances among center fielders in the league.
Abby Wingo has set new single-season records in base hits (69) and longest hitting streak (19 games). Her .399 average leads the club, and she looks to become the third Pirate to ever bat .400 in a season. Wingo has only failed to collect a base-hit in consecutive games twice all year.
The Pirates have been outstanding with two out hitting all season. As a team, Seton Hall bats .295 with 125 RBI with two outs, accounting for 41 percent of their total RBI on the season.
Seton Hall's 18 BIG EAST victories this season are a new program record. The Pirates' 38 overall wins this season are their most since winning 46 games in 2004.
Seton Hall's win over Villanova on Day Two of the BIG EAST Tournament was its 40^th win of the season, reaching that plateau for just the second time in program history. The 2004 team is the only club in program history to win more games in a season (46). Enterting the year, Seton Hall had also not won 30 games in a season since 2005.
The Pirates will finish with an overall record above .500 for the first time since 2006, when they finished 29-27.
Shelby Smith's no-hitter on April 22 at Providence was the 21^st in program history and the first since Ashley Forsyth's perfect game at Saint Peter's on April 8, 2010. As a result of the no-hitter, Smith was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
Kelsey Carr was electric during the month of April. She batted .469 with seven home runs, 30 RBI, a 1.567 OPS, and a 2.29 ERA in 36.2 innings pitched. In just BIG EAST games during the month of April, Carr batted .500 (14-for-28) with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 innings.
Carr has had a resurgent year in the circle, owning a 1.94 ERA through 119.1 innings of work this season. No Seton Hall pitcher has posted an ERA under 2.00 since 2005. She has been named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week twice this season and has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll four times.
Smith picked up her 300^th career strikeout on April 1 during her 10-strikeout performance. Smith became the seventh Pirate to achieve the milestone and the first since Reganne Camp in 2020.
Smith was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on March 27 for her two-way prowess at Creighton. She went 6-for-11 (.545) with two RBI at the plate while also firing a complete game victory in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. This is Smith's second BIG EAST honor of the season, as she was named Co-Pitcher of the Week on March 6.
Erin Howard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on April 3 after a strong run producing weekend against St. John's. In four games, she batted a team-best .556 (5-for-9) with six RBI. In the 10 games she has started this season, she has RBI's in five of them.
Seton Hall's nine-run inning on March 15 against Manhattan was its most in one frame since a 10-run rally in the fifth inning against Army on March 6, 2020.
The Pirates' 3-2 win over Texas Tech on March 4 was the program's second ever win against a Big 12 opponent, and first since defeating Kansas, 3-2, on Feb. 17, 2008.