SETON HALL Weekly Notes - St. John's (.pdf)
May 17 - 19, 2012
SETON HALL (31-21, 15-9) at
ST. JOHN'S (32-19, 17-7)
Jack Kaiser Stadium
Queens, N.Y.
Game 53: Thur., May 17 - 1:00 p.m. - Jack Kaiser Stadium
Jon Prosinski (RHP) vs. Matt Carasiti (RHP)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Game 54: Fri., May 18 - 1:00 p.m. - Jack Kaiser Stadium
Ryan Harvey (RHP) vs. Sean Hagan (LHP)
TV: CBS Sports Network
WSOU Radio: CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Game 55: Sat., May 19 - 1:00 p.m. - Jack Kaiser Stadium
Brian Gilbert (RHP) vs. Kyle Hansen (RHP)
TV: CBS Sports Network
WSOU Radio: CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall won its third straight BIG EAST series, two games to one, vs. Pittsburgh. On Friday, the Pirates trailed 7-0 after two innings, and despite attempting to comeback, lost 7-4. Seton Hall rebounded on Saturday however, with a double-header sweep of the Panthers on Senior Day. Behind the artful pitching of Ryan Harvey, Seton Hall defeated Pittsburgh, 4-1 in game one, and outlasted them 4-3 in game two. In the second game, Jose Lopez came on in relief of an ineffective Brian Gilbert and pitched seven innings, giving up just two runs, and striking out a career-high 12 batters. By winning the series, Seton Hall records its second straight 30+ win season and bests its BIG EAST win total of a year ago. The victories also clinched a berth in the 2012 BIG EAST Championship in Clearwater, Fla. Seton Hall's three games with St. John's will determine its seed in the tournament.
SETON HALL - ST. JOHN'S SERIES
Seton Hall and St. John's will meet for the final three-game series of the 2012 regular season beginning Thursday. It will be the 104th, 105th and 106th meetings all-time between the teams with the Red Storm holding a 56-47 advantage. Last season, St. John's won two out of three games at Owen T. Carroll Field, but the Pirates earned their revenge, defeating the Red Storm, 4-2, in the BIG EAST Championship Game. St. John's enters its final series at the top of the conference standings with a record of 17-7. The Pirates are just two games behind at 15-9, but would need a road sweep in order to pass St. John's. Seton Hall has played the most games in its history against St. John's. The Red Storm's head coach is Ed Blankmeyer, Rob Sheppard's brother-in-law.
PIRATES SWEEP DOUBLE-HEADER
Seton Hall won its third straight BIG EAST series with the help of a double-header sweep of Pittsburgh on May 12. After dropping the first game of the series, 7-4, on Friday, the Pirates responded with a 4-1 victory in game one and a 4-3 win in game two in Saturday's twinbill. Seton Hall is now 2-1-1 in double-headers this season.
CLINCHER
Seton Hall will get an opportunity to defend its BIG EAST Championship crown as it clinched a spot in the 2012 tournament with a victory in game one of the double-header with Pitt on May 12. The Pirates enter the final series of the regular season with a chance to still earn the #1 seed in the tournament. The lowest seed Seton Hall can fall to is #7. Last year, the Pirates won the event with a #5 seed.
THE QUAD SQUAD
It may just be a statistical anomaly, but the Pirates have scored exactly four runs in their last five games. In that stretch, Seton Hall has gone 3-2. Most recently, four runs were enough for a double-header sweep of Pittsburgh, 4-1 and 4-3 on May 12.
HARVEY NAMED TO THIRD STRAIGHT
Junior Ryan Harvey was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on May 14 for the third straight week. Harvey scattered seven hits and gave up just one earned run before leaving in the eighth inning against Pittsburgh in the first game of a double-header on Saturday. Harvey went 7.2 innings and matched his season-high of nine strikeouts against just two walks. The right-hander has now won his last three starts and has given up just two earned runs in his last 34.2 innings pitched.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Freshman Jose Lopez entered Saturday's second game with one out in the second inning, forced to replace an ineffective starter. He scattered just three hits over the next seven innings, giving up two runs in his final inning of work after tiring in the ninth. Lopez fanned a career-high 12 batters, the highest strikeout total of any Seton Hall, starter or reliever since Keith Cantwell struck out a dozen vs. Northwestern on March 14, 2009. Lopez walked none.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Whenever Seton Hall and St. John's meet the friendly rivalry is taken to another level. St. John's head coach Ed Blankmeyer is Seton Hall head coach Rob Sheppard's brother-in-law.
PIRATES SEND HOYAS TO THE POUND
Seton Hall won its second straight road BIG EAST series, defeating Georgetown two games to one last weekend in Bethesda. The Pirates defeated the Hoyas, 5-3, in game one on Friday behind the strong pitching of Jon Prosinski. On Saturday, Ryan Harvey went the distance on the first complete game of his career for a 2-1 victory. Sunday, the Pirates rallied, but came up short in a 5-4 loss.
HARVEY, ANNUNZIATA EARN RECOGNITION
Junior Ryan Harvey was named NJCBA Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Sal Annunziata earned NJCBA Rookie of the Week honors on May 7. Harvey won a pitchers' duel on Saturday, helping the Pirates to a 2-1 victory at Georgetown. The fireballer pitched the first complete game of his career and scattered just two hits, neither of which came after the fourth inning. Annunziata batted .400 for the week, but he hit .500 (6-for-12), including two home runs, in three starts at Georgetown.
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
Seton Hall has just 10 home runs this season, but two of them came of the back-to-back variety on May 6 at Georgetown. Trailing 5-1 in the eighth inning, senior Will Walsh connected on a two-run home run to left field, and freshman Sal Annunziata followed with a solo shot to right field. Both Walsh and Annunziata hit a pair of home runs in the series at Georgetown.
PILING UP WINS
At 15-9, Seton Hall has already surpassed its BIG EAST win total of a year ago. Last season, the Pirates went 14-13 in conference play before going to win the BIG EAST Championship. This year, the Pirates already have 15 wins with three games still to play.
THREE RECEIVE ACADEMIC MERIT AWARDS
At the Senior Awards Banquet, Dale Anderson, George Fernandez and Will Walsh received Academic Merit Awards. The prestigious awards go to senior student-athletes that have maintained at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average.
McBROOM, MOUNTAINEERS SWEPT
Seton Hall swept West Virginia and their top player Ryan McBroom in a three-game set, April 27-29. The Pirates now have a six-game cushion over the Mountaineers as teams continue their push to qualify for the BIG EAST Championship. Seton Hall overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat WVU, 11-9, on Friday. The Pirates won 3-1 in a pitcher's duel on Saturday and finished off the sweep with a 9-4 win on Sunday. It's the first sweep of West Virginia for Seton Hall since the 2000 season.
KALAMAR PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Scott Kalamar was named Player of the Week by the BIG EAST and the NJCBA on April 30. Kalamar helped the Pirates to a perfect 5-0 record, including a three-game sweep of BIG EAST rival West Virginia. The outfielder started all five games and batted .500 (11-for-22) while smashing his first career home run, a grand slam at Monmouth on Tuesday. Kalamar went 4-for-6 with six RBIs against the Hawks. Against West Virginia, he had two hits in each of the three contests.
PIRATES GIVE BACK
Members of the baseball team made a visit to the South Mountain YMCA on Tuesday, April 24, in Maplewood, N.J., to celebrate the Week of the Young Child with preschoolers in child care programs. The baseball team engaged in a number of outdoor activities with the kids, holding relay races and other outdoor games while offering up motivation and encouragement to all of the participants.
SHEPPARD MILESTONES
The Sheppard brothers have all achieved major coaching milestones this season. Seton Hall Head Coach Rob Sheppard won his 200th game on April. Mike Sheppard, Jr., head coach at Seton Hall Prep, won his 600th game on April 30. John Sheppard, head coach at Morristown-Beard High School won his 300th game on April 4. The three are sons of Hall of Famer Mike Sheppard, Sr., who won 998 games at Seton Hall University over 31 years.
HARVEY ADDED TO HONOR ROLL
Junior Ryan Harvey was named to the BIG EAST's Weekly Honor Roll on April 30. He won a pitcher's duel on April 28, helping the Pirates to a 3-1 victory over West Virginia. The fireballer went six innings and gave up just one unearned run, while walking three and striking out a season-high nine batters. With Seton Hall leading 2-0 in the second, Harvey loaded the bases with no outs. But the right-hander buckled down, struck out the next two batters and retired the side on a ground out to second base.
MIKE SHEPPARD FIELD DEDICATED
On April 26, the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders honored Seton Hall University Baseball Head Coach Emeritus Mike Sheppard by renaming the softball field at Ivy Hill Park, "Essex County Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field." The field, which has been the home to the Seton Hall softball team since it received a $1.1 million facelift in 2005, will honor one of Seton Hall and Essex County's greatest coaches and leaders.
GRANITE - SOLID AS A ROCK
Junior Zack Granite already holds the longest hit streak of the season (16 games) and is now working on another. The center fielder has hit safely in his last nine games and currently has his batting average up to .299 on the season.
DOUBLE DOZEN
Following Prosinski's eight-inning, 10-strikeout performance, junior George Fernandez came on and fanned two in the ninth to nail down the win. In game two against VU, Pirate pitchers again sent down 12 Wildcats as starter Ryan Harvey struck out seven in six innings and Jose Lopez combined with Benny Mejia to record five Ks in 5.1 innings out of the bullpen during the 12-inning affair.
TOP JUNIOR
Junior Jon Prosinski was named Seton Hall's Junior Male Athlete of the Year at the school's annual SAAC Awards Banquet on April 26. Prosinski leads the Pirates with seven wins this year and has a 3.22 ERA with 63 strikeouts and just 12 walks.
BOUNCE BACK
After dropping the final two games of the series to Villanova, the Pirates took full advantage of two midweek opportunities, posting wins over Monmouth and Iona. At Monmouth, SHU bashed its way to a 15-3 win behind four hits each from Scott Kalamar and Giuseppe Papaccio. Against Iona the following day, junior Greg Terhune combined with four relievers to stifle the Gaels' offense in a 4-1 victory. Terhune picked up his second win of the year and Mejia notched his fourth save.
SUPER STRING
Junior Jon Prosinski went eight innings against Villanova, giving up just two earned runs and struck out a career-high 10 batters. In a six start string, the Skillman native allowed just five earned runs, a total of 46.2 innings. In that span, his ERA was a miniscule 0.96. He struck out 36 batters and walked just three.
RAREFIED AIR
Four different Pirates knocked in multiple runs in the onslaught against Monmouth during a 15-3 win. The charge was led by six RBIs from Scott Kalamar and two apiece for Sal Annunziata, Giuseppe Papaccio and Ryan Sullivan. Kyle Grimm also added an RBI against the Hawks. The 15 runs was the most by an SHU team since the Pirates manhandled Georgetown, 18-2 on May 15, 2008 in the nation's capital.
SLAMMIN' SCOTTY
Junior Scott Kalamar erupted for a career day in SHU's 15-3 dismantling of Monmouth. He turned in a 4-for-6, six RBI performance that included a grand slam. It was the first long ball Kalamar has hit has a Pirate and the six runs-batted in are a single-game high by a SHU player this season. The junior had plated just five runs in 19 games prior to the contest.
HALL GROUNDS CARDS IN SERIES WIN
Seton Hall left the Bluegrass State tinted SHU blue after the Pirates invaded Louisville and handed the #19 Cardinals their first series loss of the season. In the opener, the Hall edged UL, 3-2, behind another stellar outing from Jon Prosinski and an impressive offensive display from Dillon Hamlin. After dropping game two, 12-7, Ryan Harvey came on in relief in the finale to once again subdue a high-powered Louisville offense in a 9-4 win. Mike Genovese fueled the offense in the series clincher, going 4-for-5 and knocking in two runs. Louisville entered the series winners of five of their last six, including a 12-0 drubbing of #1 Kentucky.
TAKING NOTICE
Junior Jon Prosinski is opening eyes as he continues to mow down opposing batters. Prosinski racked up two awards after limiting Louisville to two runs, one of them earned, in 6.2 innings on his way to his fifth win of the season in the series opener. The Cards entered the game with the most prolific offensive attack in the BIG EAST. One day after he earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, he was selected as the NJBCA Division I Pitcher of the Week. Prosinski has now appeared on the conference's weekly honor roll three times, and is the second SHU pitcher to be honored by the NJBCA in as many weeks after Brian Gilbert earned the award last week.
RUFFLING FEATHERS
By taking two out of three games at Louisville, the Cardinals lost their first home BIG EAST series since 2009. The Cardinals entered the series as the conference's top hitting team, but were out-hit in the three-game set by Seton Hall, 38-to-28. The Pirates increased their team batting average by nine points as a result of the impressive weekend.
SHU-PERLATIVE PERFORMANCES
Two other Pirates, junior Ryan Harvey and freshman Sal Annunziata, received weekly awards in recognition of their outstanding efforts in Seton Hall's series win at Louisville over the weekend. Harvey was named BIG EAST Player of the Week by College Sports Madness after rebounding from a rocky start in game two to deliver six innings of three-hit ball in relief in the series finale. Annunziata picked up a nod for the College Baseball 360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll after batting .455 against the Cardinals and smacking his first career home run.
BOMB SQUAD
Freshman Sal Annunziata erupted in the three-games against Louisville, batting .455 (5-for-11) and bringing in three runs, and led the team with 13 total bases and a .650 slugging percentage. His weekend exploits were highlighted by his first career round-tripper, a solo shot leading off the sixth inning in game three.
HAVIN' A PARTY, EVERYBODY SWINGIN'
Nine Pirates joined the hit column with five players recording multi-hit games in a 14-hit outburst during 16-7 midweek win over NYIT. Dale Anderson, Sal Annunziata, Mike Genovese and Will Walsh all started the game and knocked two hits while Chase Gray went 2-for-2 after pinch-hitting to lead-off the sixth inning. For Walsh, it was his team-leading 10th multi-hit game of the season. SHU's 16 runs came courtesy of RBIs from 10 different players, led by three each for Annunziata and Genovese.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
The Pirates improved to 5-4 in BIG EAST play with a three-game sweep of visiting Notre Dame. SHU staged late comebacks and came out on top in extras in each game of a Thursday doubleheader. Against the backdrop of the retirement of Pirate great Craig Biggio's #44 in the series finale, junior Brian Gilbert went the distance on the mound, blanking the Fighting Irish while allowing just four hits in a complete game shutout. It was only the second time in the 16-year history between the schools that Seton Hall has swept Notre Dame and the first since 1997.
GILBERT TOSSES A GEM
Brian Gilbert was named BIG EAST and NJBCA Division I Pitcher of the Week in recognition of his dominant outing against Notre Dame last week. The junior took the ball for the Pirates in the series finale and produced the best outing of his career. It was the first career complete-game and shutout for Gilbert who lowered his ERA by more than a full run.
200 WINS
With A victory in the first game of the Notre Dame series, Rob Sheppard won his 200th career game as a head coach. Sheppard ranks third all-time at Seton Hall in career victories trailing only Owen T. Carroll's 341 wins and his father, Mike Sheppard, who compiled a Hall of Fame career with 998 victories.
P-I-R-A-T-E-S SPELLS RELIEF
The Seton Hall bullpen rose to the task in a big way last week during Thursday's double-dip against Notre Dame. Both contests went to extra innings and six Pirate relievers combined to go nine innings while allowing just two runs and one earned run on the day. George Fernandez, Rick Mangione and Benny Mejia appeared in both games, combining for five scoreless in the nightcap. Mejia was credited with the win in both games, improving to 3-0 on the year after pitching a total of four scoreless innings, striking out a career-high six batters.
PIRATE OFFENSE COMES ALIVE IN MIDWEEK SPLIT
The Seton Hall bats awoke in two midweek games against local rivals Princeton and Wagner. Giuseppe Papaccio and Will Walsh each hit their second home run of the season in a 5-4 defeat at Princeton on Tuesday. Papaccio and Walsh have accounted for all four Pirate long balls this season. Against Wagner, seven different Pirates recorded RBIs including Papaccio, who led the way by going 4-for-4. Ryan Sullivan tripled and notched two RBIs.
NINE'S NOT ENOUGH
With an extra-inning loss vs. Villanova on April 21, Seton Hall has now played bonus baseball in eight contests this season. The Pirates are no stranger to playing double-digit innings, having played nine games that went past regulation last season. SHU is 3-5 in extra-inning games this season and went 6-3 in extras during the 2010-11 regular season, including a 1-0 victory over Louisville in 18 innings on 5/5.
POWER OUTAGE
The Seton Hall pitching staff ranks tops in the conference in home runs allowed, surrendering only 11 round-trippers to this point in the season. From the batter's box, SHU hitters have only deposited 11 balls in the seats all year. Senior Will Walsh leads the team with four of the 11 home runs.
ACE KEEPS PACE
Junior Jon Prosinski went 6.2 innings and gave up just one earned run against Louisville, possessing the top offense in the BIG EAST Conference. His strong performance led to a 3-2 Seton Hall victory and his fifth win of the season.
MR. VERSATILITY
Freshman Jose Lopez took the ball to start the seventh inning and turned in an impressive nine-out save to close the book on the Pirates' win at UConn. Lopez has made 17 appearances this season, four as a starter and 13 out of the Pirate 'pen.
HIT PARADE AGAINST HUSKIES
Seton Hall tallied 14 hits in a 10-6 victory over UConn in game two on Friday, March 30. It was the most hits for the Pirates in their last 13 regular season BIG EAST contests. The last time the Pirates knocked 14 hits in a regular season BIG EAST game came in an 18-inning, 1-0 victory over Louisville on May 5, 2011. The Hall belted a season high 19 hits in an 11-4 defeat of Wright State on March 2.
PLAYING HARD TO GET
Opposing offenses have had a hard time finding their way "home" against Seton Hall as SHU pitchers have been stingy from the bump in 2012, amassing a collective 3.68 ERA, the third-best mark in the conference. The Pirates rank third in the BIG EAST in both earned runs allowed (195) runs (239).
PATIENT PIRATES
The Seton Hall bats have been effectively selective this season, working 195 walks in 2012, fifth-most in the BIG EAST Mike Genovese's 25 walks lead the squad. Nine other Pirates have double-digit free passes to their credit.
COME HERE OFTEN?
Right-handed relievers George Fernandez and Benny Mejia have been frequenting the pitcher's mound this season, ranking among the top-five in the BIG EAST in appearances. Fernandez is tied for the conference lead with 27 appearances, while Mejia is fourth with 26.
YOU BETZ-YA
Senior Mike Betz delivered a walk-off RBI single, plating Ryan Sullivan in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Pirates to a 4-3 victory over visiting Lafayette on Wednesday. Sullivan was one of three other players to knock in a run for SHU, along with Giuseppe Papaccio and Will Walsh. Greg Terhune allowed only two hits and three base runners, tossing six scoreless innings in his second start of the season.
PHONE A FRIEND
Ten pitchers came out of the Pirate bullpen to contribute to two mid-week victories for SHU. At Rider, Frank Morris entered in the first inning and quelled a brewing stampede from the Broncs, lasting five innings and allowing only two runs. George Fernandez and Benny Mejia combined to close the game for The Hall, with Fernandez earning the win and Mejia the save. Seton Hall used five pitchers over the final half of their 12-inning affair with Lafayette, led by 2.2 innings of scoreless ball from Henry Warner who earned his second win of the season.
SM-HALL BALL
The Pirates have displayed their own brand of fundamental baseball thus far this season when it comes to manufacturing runs. SHU hitters have been picking up the bunt sign and laying it down with runners on, as three Pirates are among the top-11 in the conference in successful sacrifice bunts. Mike Genovese leads the BIG EAST with 16, while Mike Betz is tied for fifth with 11 and Dillon Hamlin is tied for 11th with nine.
THEIVERY
Sophomore Zack Granite now has a team-leading 18 steals on the season. He has already surpassed his team-leading total of 12 from 2011. Granite is 18-for-19 in steal attempts this season, sixth-most in the BIG EAST.
STRIKE OUT CANCER CLASSIC SUCCESS
Seton Hall swept its three games in the 2012 Strike Out Cancer Classic. The Pirates shut out Fordham, 5-0, behind the masterful pitching of Jon Prosinski. The right-hander pitched a complete game shutout. Seton Hall came from behind to defeat Maine, 6-4, on Saturday. On Sunday, Jose Lopez threw six inn. of one-hit ball in a 3-0 win over NJIT.
PROSINSKI MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Junior Jon Prosinski was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2012 Strike Out Cancer Classic for pitching nine innings of scoreless baseball in a 5-0 victory over Fordham on March 16. The right-hander also struck out five with no walks.
LOPEZ DOMINATES
Freshman Jose Lopez improved to 2-0 on the young season with a dominating performance over NJIT in the Strike Out Cancer Classic finale. Lopez gave up just one hit in six scoreless innings, while striking out seven and walking just one batter.
SULLIVAN, HARVEY HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ryan Sullivan and Ryan Harvey were named Honorable Mentions for their performances at the 2012 Strike Out Cancer Classic. Sullivan was 5-for-11 with two runs scored, three RBIs and one stolen base, while Harvey pitched four innings of scoreless ball in relief, giving up just one hit and striking out four.
HONOR ROLL FOR PROSINSKI
Junior Jon Prosinski was named to the BIG EAST's Weekly Honor Roll on March 19. The right-handed ace threw a complete-game, shutout while scattering just five hits in Seton Hall's 5-0 victory over Fordham, at Owen T. Carroll Field. Prosinski struck out five batters and didn't issue a single walk in improving to 3-2 on the young season. For his efforts, he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Strikeout Cancer Tournament this weekend.
WSOU ANNOUNCES BROADCASTS
89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall Pirate Radio, will be the broadcast home all season long for the 2011 BIG EAST Champion Seton Hall Baseball Team. WSOU's broadcasters will be calling 20 games this season over the air and on wsou.net. There will be a combination of home games from Owen T. Carroll Field and select away games, including contests on the road at St. John's, Connecticut, and Princeton. And as always, all the weekly baseball action will be broken down and analyzed every Sunday night on Pirate Primetime starting at 7p.m. WSOU broadcasters can also be heard on www.SHUpirates.com as part of Seton Hall's live video stream. Watch all of the action on the Pirate Sports Network while listening to the brightest young broadcasters in the business.
ACE DELIVERS
Junior Jon Prosinski threw seven strong innings, while giving up just two earned runs in an 11-4 Seton Hall victory over Wright State on March 2. Prosinski improved to 2-1 on the season. He struck out three batters while walking one.
WALSH GOES DEEP
Senior Will Walsh delivered Seton Hall's first home run of the season with a bomb to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning in a 10-8 loss to Wright State on March 4. Walsh is the career active leader for the Pirates with 11 home runs. He led the team last year with four long-balls.
FAMILIAR FACES
When Seton Hall welcomes Fordham to Owen T. Carroll Field this weekend, it'll welcome back Kevin Leighton, who played for Seton Hall from 1998-01. Leighton became Fordham's head coach in the offseason after six seasons as head coach at Manhattan. Earlier this season, Seton Hall welcomed Manhattan, who is currently led by former Pirate coach and player, Jim Duffy.
BONUS BASEBALL
Seton Hall battled Michigan State in a pitcher's duel that remained scoreless for 14 innings. Chase Gray and Mike Betz combined to help the Pirates break through, and SHU tallied three runs in the top of the 15th. MSU responded with a rally in the bottom of the frame, coming back to take a 4-3 victory. Seton Hall is no stranger to goose eggs on the board in extras, having defeated Louisville 1-0 on May 5, 2011 on the strength of an RBI single by Mike Genovese in the home half of the 18th.
"STRIKE OUT" SUCCESS
With three consecutive wins in the 2012 Strike Out Cancer Tournament, Seton Hall improved its all-time record to 14-2 at the event. Hosting the tournament for the fourth time, the Pirates have recorded wins over seven different schools in the tournament's brief history, including this year's participants NJIT (5-0) and Fordham (2-0).
MANGIONE LOVES THE GREAT LAKES STATE
Junior Rick Mangione has excelled in a pair of starts against teams from the State of Michigan this season. He has given up just two earned runs over 11.1 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk against Michigan and Michigan State. On Feb. 18, Mangione gave up two earned runs over five innings. Most recently, he shut out Michigan State over 6.1 innings and struck out eight Spartans.
PIRATES OPEN HOME SLATE WITH WIN
Five pitchers combined to throw nine innings of shutout ball as Seton Hall baseball blanked Manhattan, 3-0, in its 2012 home opener on March 7. Senior Henry Warner received the start for Seton Hall, giving up just a pair of hits with three strikeouts over four innings of work to pick up his first win of the year. Mike Genovese, Giuseppe Papaccio and Tyler Boyd all knocked in an RBI for the Pirates.
BENNY'S BRINGING IT
A major bright spot so far this season has been the pitching of senior Benny Mejia. The right-hander has made 26 appearances and has a miniscule 2.53 ERA. Mejia has pitched 42.2 innings, allowed 12 earned runs, while striking out 34 and walking eight.
OPENING DAY WIN
For the second straight year, Seton Hall opened the season with Penn State. Unlike last year, the Pirates opened with a victory. Behind the strong pitching of ace Jon Prosinski, the Seton Hall defeated Penn State, 6-3. Prosinski went six innings and gave up only two earned runs for the win. The Pirates improve to 11-28-1 on opening day dating back to 1973, including a 3-6 mark since 2004 when Rob Sheppard took over as head coach.
HALL CALLS FOR RAMOS
George Ramos Curvy, who starred on the diamond for Seton Hall during a historic career in the 1970's, will be the newest member of the baseball family to be inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame. Seton Hall's first African-American All-American, Ramos helped the Pirates advance to back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1974 and 1975, and saw the team post a 135-51-2 mark over his four seasons. Ramos earned American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Second-Team All-America honors in 1977, when he was also tabbed as the New Jersey Baseball Writer's Association Player of the Year.
PAPPAS PROMOTED
Mark Pappas, last year's volunteer assistant coach, was promoted to Assistant Coach after Jim Duffy left to take the Manhattan head coaching position. A player for the Pirates from 2005-08, he was a career .290 hitter with 101 runs scored, 92 RBIs, 34 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs. In his senior campaign, he led the team with 41 runs scored, nine doubles, and eight sacrifice flies.
BIGGIO'S NUMBER RETIRED
Seton Hall officially retired #44 formerly warn by future MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio from 1985-87. The ceremony took place on Saturday, April 7 prior to Seton Hall's 2-0 victory over Notre Dame. The former Pirates' catcher helped lead the team to its first BIG EAST Championship in 1987 and batted .342 with 27 home runs and 148 RBIs in his three seasons in South Orange. A two-time First Team All-BIG EAST selection, he was named a First Team All-American in 1987 and was inducted in to the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
"It's great to be back on campus again. There have been a lot of great memories that I have here at this school, at this campus," Biggio said. "I want to thank Seton Hall University for giving me the opportunity to be a student-athlete here. I learned a lot not just in the classroom, but also on the baseball field and from the friends and relationships that I had over the three years I was here. It's a huge honor to have your number retired, I am very humbled and grateful."
CUNDARI PITCHING COACH OF THE YEAR
Seton Hall's Phil Cundari has been named National Pitching Coach of the Year by the acclaimed college baseball newspaper, Collegiate Baseball. This prestigious award, now in its ninth year, is sponsored by EDGE charting software and web stats. Cundari was instrumental in guiding the pitching staff for last year's BIG EAST Champion squad that led the conference in earned run average and was second in strikeouts, opponent batting average, innings pitched and hits allowed. Seton Hall's ace, Joe DiRocco, was named an ABCA All-American and Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 BIG EAST Championship.
MORE COMPETITION
The BIG EAST Conference has announced the addition of Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Temple as future full members. Among these newcomers, only SMU is without a baseball program. With West Virginia and Pittsburgh leaving, the future BIG EAST Conference for baseball will have 14 members.
SHEPPARD COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Rob Sheppard was named 2011 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by FieldTurf. Award-winners were named in four categories, including two NCAA Coach of the Year winners, one NCAA Team of the Year winner, and the MLB Team of the Year. This year's winners are:
MLB Team of the Year - St. Louis Cardinals
NCAA Division I Coach of the Year - Rob Sheppard, Seton Hall
NCAA Division II Coach of the Year - Steve Lyon, Grand Valley St.
NCAA Team of the Year - University of Virginia Cavaliers
PIRATES WELCOME 10
The Pirates will welcome 10 new members to the team this season. Sal Annunziata, Tyler Boyd, Chris Carroll, Daniel Ditusa, Anthony Elia, Alex Falconi, Kyle Grimm, Conor Krauss, Jose Lopez and D.J. Ruhlman will all don Seton Hall uniforms for the first time this spring. All are true freshmen.
CUNDARI PROMOTED
Phil Cundari, Seton Hall's long-time Pirates' pitching coach, was promoted to Associate Head Coach this offseason. A Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famer and long-time assistant coach, Phil Cundari, has served on the Pirates' coaching staff for the last 11 years and has two BIG EAST Championship rings to show for it.
BLACKWELL JOINS STAFF
Jay Blackwell is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach for Seton Hall. He brings more than 15 years of collegiate coaching experience and joins the Pirate after spending last year as an assistant baseball coach at Kean University. Blackwell received his first head coaching experience at Bloomfield College, where he was the head coach for the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
OWEN T. CARROLL FIELD
Owen T. Carroll Field, named after the legendary Seton Hall head baseball coach, is located on campus and seats 1,800 fans. The facility underwent a 6.5 million dollar renovation in 2006 that included a new Field Turf surface and light stanchions. In June of 2010, the Field Turf surface was upgraded once again.
"HALL" OF A COACHING STAFF
On January 7, 2011 Mike Sheppard, Sr. was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame following a stellar career at the helm of the Seton Hall Pirates baseball team. He held the position from 1973-2003 posting 28 winning seasons and 27 postseason berths including 15 BIG EAST Championships and two College World Series appearances. Eleven months earlier, current pitching coach Phil Cundari was elected into Seton Hall University's Hall of Fame as a pitcher. Cundari pitched for Sheppard's 1983-85 squads and began his coaching career during Sheppard's reign. Cundari enters his 13th season tutoring the pitching staff, while Sheppard remains a big part of the program as the head coach emeritus.
FOR A TEAMMATE
For the third straight season, the Pirates baseball team will honor David Bachner, a 2009 in-coming freshman who passed away on August 11, 2009, by hanging a t-shirt with his name and high school number in the dugout each game.
BASEBALL GOING RETRO
In the 1980's, the Seton Hall Pirates wore a light blue and black horizontal striped jersey. Last season, the Pirates brought them back by wearing them throughout the 2011 season. With Seton Hall winning the BIG EAST Tournament last season, you'll certainly see the retro uniforms again in 2012.
STRIKE OUT CANCER
March 16-18 will mark the fourth annual Strike Out Cancer Tournament hosted by Seton Hall. Each season, the Pirates have teamed up with American Cancer Society to host the four-team tournament and have raised over $2,500 each year through donations and merchandise sales.
FRIENDS OF JACLYN
This season, the Pirates will once again welcome Connor Mackay to their squad through the "Friends of Jaclyn" Organization. FOJ is a non-profit organization that connects children struggling with brain tumors with an NCAA team. Throughout the year, the team provides support and encouragement to the child and their family.
