Pirates Open 2025 Season At MLB Desert Invitational

NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Seton Hall baseball team opens the 2025 season this weekend at the prestigious MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona from Feb. 14-16.
The Pirates' Friday and Sunday games will be streamed on MLB.com and their Saturday contest against Austin Peay will be broadcast live on MLB Network.
After a 2023 season where The Hall went 31-24 overall and 13-8 in the BIG EAST, qualified for the conference tournament and its staff was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, the Pirates had a down year in 2024 and will look to bounce back in 2025.
The Pirates return All-BIG EAST First Team pitcher Ryan Reich, who led the BIG EAST with 89 strikeouts and finished with the second-most strikeouts (51) and the third-lowest opponent's batting average (.194) in conference play.
His 89 strikeouts were the most for a Seton Hall pitcher since 2014.
Six of Reich's seven starts in league play went at least five innings, including a career-best outing against Georgetown on April 6 when he struck out a career-high 13 batters in seven innings of work.
Reich and the Pirates' Friday starter Dan Frontera (39 app., 24 GS, 6-12) appeared on D1Baseball.com's list of the top 150 starting pitchers in the country.
D1Baseball.com also tabbed freshman right-handed pitcher Stephen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year.
An America East All-Rookie Team selection at NJIT last season, sophomore outfielder AJ Soldra was named Best Transfer in the BIG EAST by Baseball America.
Seton Hall is 1-4 all-time against San Diego State and 1-0 against New Mexico.
Head coach Rob Sheppard enters his 22nd season at the helm of his alma mater with a record of 543-528 and 3.
His nephew, Ty Blankmeyer, is also in the field at the MLB Desert Invitational as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.