Pirates Host Drexel, Travel to Army in Midweek Action

South Orange, N.J. – The Pirates kick off a busy week with a pair of non-conference doubleheaders beginning on Tuesday. Seton Hall will host Drexel for a pair beginning at 2 p.m. to wrap up an 11-game homestand. On Wednesday, The Hall will head to West Point for another doubleheader against Army which also gets underway at 2 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pirates are coming off a three-game series against UConn over the weekend which saw Seton Hall take game one before falling short on Saturday and Sunday. Kelsey Carr (Ridgewood, N.Y.) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Friday as part of a complete game three-hit shutout in a 5-0 win over the Huskies. Pitching duels ruled the weekend, as the Pirates were narrowly defeated on Saturday, 4-2, and Sunday, 2-0.

SCOUTING DREXEL (13-24, 8-12 CAA)
The Dragons enter the week with an overall record of 13-24 and an 8-12 mark in CAA action. They enter play Tuesday looking to snap a six-game losing streak, and are led offensively by Grace Abbonizio and her team-leading .387 batting average. Drexel's pitching staff is paced by Lindsay Nelson, who sports an ERA of 3.65 through 111.1 innings pitched in 2024.

SCOUTING ARMY (10-29, 6-6 Patriot League)
Army enters the week dropping its last two games, which came on the heels of a stretch which saw them go 6-2 over its previous eight contests. Kayla Edwards and Ashton White lead the team in batting at .382 and .371, respectively, while the pitching staff is led by Amanda Eaglin and her 3.76 ERA in a team-high 83.2 innings.

NEWS & NOTES

Olivia Gilbert was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday after batting .571 (4-for-7) with a home run and four RBI against UConn. Gilbert went a perfect 2-for-2 in each of the first two games of the series, including a three-RBI showing in the 5-0 win on Friday.
Carr was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after allowing just two earned runs over 14 innings of work over the weekend against the Huskies.
Kyra Kreuscher was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week for the first time in her career on April 15. 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 week with 37 runs scored through 38 games this season.
Katey Brennan has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year twice so far this season. Her .325 batting average leads the team and her 24 RBI ranks second. Over her last 12 games, Brennan is hitting a team-best .405 with four doubles and five RBI.
Last 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.