The official first day of practice was Saturday, Jan. 19, a mere 20 days before the first pitch will be thrown against St. Bonaventure at the Campbell University Hampton Inn Campbell Stampede Tournament in Buies Creek, N.C.
After a successful fall program and a restructured offseason training regimen with comprehensive individual training exercise and drills, the Pirates were able to get outside and train at Essex County Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field last Saturday and begin preparation for the new season in earnest.
The squad returns five positional starters, four pitchers and 17 total letterwinners from last season.
Three positional players that made more than 50 appearances last season in senior Brittany Hammer (Manheim, Pa.), sophomore Danielle DeStaso (Congers, N.Y.) and junior Maria DeLuca (Cedar Grove, N.J.) return for 2013.
Hammer started all 53 games last year for Seton Hall ranking second in the team with a .300 average while scoring a team-high 34 runs with eight doubles and 18 RBI.
DeStaso saw action in 51 games, making 50 starts, driving in 23 runs, which was good for the second-best mark on the team, in addition to belting six home runs. She is also one of the Pirates' top returning pitchers, logging a team-high 131 innings a year ago and striking out 105 batters.
DeLuca started 48 of her 50 games played and hit .218 with nine runs, four doubles and eight RBI, swiping four bases.
Joining DeStaso on the pitching staff will be senior Brooke Rickards (Greenwood, Del.) sophomore Casey Moses (Lower Burrell, Pa.) and junior Jen Metzger (Pine Hill, N.J.).
Metzger boasted a team-best 2.30 earned run average and a 5-2 record with 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched, but missed the second half of her 2012 campaign due to injury.
Moses went 6-9 with a 2.76 ERA and 36 strikeouts, making 14 starts. Rickards fanned 42 batters in 82.2 innings, ranking second on the team with 26 pitching appearances.
The returning contingent will be joined by four newcomers, Jackie DePietro (Horsham, Pa.), Yasmin Harrell (Cheektowaga, N.Y.), Faith Laudano (Islip, N.Y.) and Alex Rabbetts (Corona, Calif.) who are set for their first season in a Seton Hall uniform.
Seton Hall opens its 2013 season with four games at the Hampton Inn Campbell Stampede Tournament on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 8-9, in Buies Creek, N.C. The Pirates start tournament play on Friday with games against St. Bonaventure at 11:20 a.m., and George Washington at 1:40 p.m.
