Pirates Host UConn in Pivotal Three-Game Series

South Orange, N.J. – The Pirates continue their 11-game homestand this weekend as they are set to host a three-game series against UConn. The opener gets underway at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon, with the middle game and finale slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All three games can be seen on the Pirate Sports Network on FloSoftball, while the series opener on Friday will be broadcast live on 89.5 FM WSOU.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates hosted former BIG EAST rival Syracuse last weekend, dropping the first two before taking the series finale on Sunday. The victory was highlighted by a dominant performance in the circle from Kyra Kreuscher (Great River, N.Y.), who tossed a complete game two-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Orange. Kreuscher, who was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week, picked up her second complete game shutout of the season the fourth of her career.

2004 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP REUNION
The Pirates will host their annual Alumni Tailgate this Sunday prior to the series finale with the Huskies. Along with welcoming back alumnae from all eras of Seton Hall softball, the team will be celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the 2004 BIG EAST Championship team. More than half of the team is expected to be in attendance on Sunday, where they will be honored pregame and some members will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The 2004 team still holds the program record for wins in a season with 46, and was the only 40-win team in program history until last year's team recorded 42 victories.

SCOUTING UCONN (24-19, 10-5 BIG EAST)

The Huskies enter the weekend with four players boasting a batting average of .300 or better.
Lexi Hastings leads that group with a .386 batting average as well as a team-best 21 stolen bases.
UConn's pitching staff is deep as well, with four hurlers posting an ERA of 3.37 or better. Meghan O'Neil has the top ERA on the staff at 2.08.
The Huskies improved to 10-5 in conference play last weekend by taking two out of three from Creighton at home.
UConn and Seton Hall last met during last season's BIG EAST Tournament, where the third-seeded Pirates took down the top-seeded Huskies to advance to the title game for the first time since 2015.

NEWS & NOTES

Kreuscher was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career. The sophomore worked nine scoreless innings last weekend against Syracuse and allowed just two hits.
Taylor Hill picked up her 150^th career hit earlier this season and also became just the fifth in program history to surpass the 40 double mark. Hill's .357 career batting average sits as the second-highest in program history.
After setting the single-season mark for runs scored last season, Hill is on pace to break the record again in 2024. Hill enters the weekend with 35 runs scored through 35 games this season. For context, during last season's record-breaking season, Hill had scored just 21 runs through her first 32 games of the season.
Katey Brennan has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year twice so far this season. Her .333 batting average and 23 RBI both rank second on the team. Over her last nine games, Brennan is hitting a team-best .455 with four doubles and four RBI.
Saturday's 12-9 loss to Syracuse snapped the Pirates' 44-game winning streak when scoring six or more runs. Their last loss in such a game came on April 9, 2022 in an 8-7 loss to DePaul.
Brennan hit her first career home run on March 10 at Villanova. Hitting in the middle of the order in all 20 games so far this season, the freshman sports a .317 batting average and 15 RBI, both of which rank in the top-three on the team.
Caye's walk-off home run against UIC on March 2 was the first non-run rule walk-off home run for the Pirates since Baylee Allender hit one against Georgetown on April 6, 2019.
For Caye, it was her first home run since April 16, 2022 against Georgetown.
Kyra Kreuscher was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 26 after her strong outing on Saturday against New Mexico State. The sophomore pitched all seven innings, allowing just five hits and two runs to pick up her second win of the season.
Taylor Hill was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Feb. 19 after going .500 (6-for-12) at the plate with three doubles, four runs scored and two RBI in the season's opening weekend at FAU.
The Pirates were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, behind second-place UConn and first-place Villanova. Seton Hall finished in third place in last year's standings.
Seton Hall will be tasked with replacing some key producers from last year's squad. Centerfielder and last year's team leader in batting average Abby Wingo, second baseman Ashly Colonnetta, and left fielder Marisa Pla have all graduated along with reserves Grace Dawson, Ally Taylor and Jordan Tressler. Pitcher Shelby Smith, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament, transferred to Houston. Catcher Regan Rand has also transferred to Division-II Indiana (Pa.).
The Hall welcome in a pair of freshmen to the 2024 squad. Outfielder Katey Brennan and pitcher Karissa Dupuis will both look to be key contributors in South Orange this upcoming season.
Seton Hall will face a tough non-conference slate in 2024, including matchups against three teams that won NCAA regional games last season an six opponents who won at least 34 games. Included in that bunch are dates with Grand Canyon, who pulled off a shocker last season against No. 2 UCLA, as well as a rematch of the Austin Regional elimination game against Texas State.
The Pirates will face off against opponents from three of the power conferences this season: ACC (Louisville, Syracuse), Big 10 (Michigan) and PAC-12 (Arizona State).
Head Coach Angie Churchill coached against her alma mater in Michigan last weekend for the first time in her career. Churchill was a four-year member of the Wolverines softball team from 2001-04, winning three Big Ten titles and reaching the College World Series three times.
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.
Carr was one of just two players in the country last season to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA, hit 10+ home runs and drive in 50+ runs (Valerie Cagle, Clemson).
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 set new single-season records in base hits (71) and longest hitting streak (19 games) last season. Her .397 average led the club, and she only failed to collect a base-hit in consecutive games twice all year.
Seton Hall's 18 BIG EAST victories last season were a new program record, and the team's 42 wins rank as the second-most in program history (46, 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. Entering the year, Seton Hall had not won 30 games in a season since 2005.
The Pirates finished with an overall record above .500 for the first time since 2006, when they finished 29-27.