Baseball Closes Regular Season With G'Town

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Pirates control their own BIG EAST Tournament fate with three games starting Thursday vs. Georgetown.

May 13, 2015

SETON HALL WEEKEND NOTES

Game 45: Thursday, May 14 -- 3:00 p.m. ET
Matt Hollenbeck - L (GU) vs. Shane McCarthy - R (SHU)
Video Stream (PSN): CLICK HERE
Radio (WSOU): CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE

Game 46: Friday, May 15 -- 1:00 p.m. ET
Matt Smith - R (GU) vs. Anthony Elia - L (SHU)
Video Stream (BEDN): CLICK HERE
Radio (WSOU): CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE

Game 47: Friday, May 15 -- TBD
Kevin Superko - R (GU) vs. TBD (SHU)
Video Stream (PSN): CLICK HERE
Radio (WSOU): CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE

PREVIEW
Seton Hall dropped two of three games last weekend at Villanova. On Friday, Seton Hall dropped a 7-5 decision. Matt Leon pitched 4.2 inning of relief and gave up only two earned runs. Joe Poduslenko, Sal Annunziata and Chris Chiaradio all had two hits apiece for the Pirates. In game one of Saturday's double-header, the Pirates defeated Villanova behind the pitching of Anthony Elia and the hitting of Sal Annunziata. Elia pitched eight strong innings and gave up just two earned runs while striking out seven and not issuing a single walk to improve to 3-2 on the season. Annunziata reached base four times, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Joe DiBenedetto pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save of the season. In the second game of the double-header, Seton Hall built a 10-3 lead in the seventh inning, but the Wildcats scored six times in the seventh and three times in the eighth to edge the Pirates, 12-10. Derek Jenkins went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Chiaradio and Ryan Ramiz also had two hits for the Pirates. Only two teams have clinched a berth in the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament. Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown and Butler are all vying for two spots and are separated by just one game.

SERIES INFO.
(Seton Hall leads, 76-24)
Seton Hall and Georgetown will resume their long-running rivalry when they close the 2015 regular season with each other at Owen T. Carroll Field this weekend. The Pirates have dominated the all-time series, winning 76 of the 100 prior meetings. The Hall has won 12 of the last 15 games, including two of three games in Bethesda last year. Seton Hall hasn't lost a home series with the Hoyas since 2003. Last season, Derek Jenkins led the Pirates with a .417 batting average and four stolen bases in three games vs. the Hoyas. D.J. Ruhlman and Tyler Boyd both hit home runs in the series.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS
The BIG EAST Championship picture is far from settled entering the final week of the regular season. St. John's and Creighton have clinched two of the four spots in the tournament. Four teams are vying for the final two spots. Seton Hall, Georgetown and Villanova are all 7-8, while Butler is 6-9. The Pirates and Hoyas face each other this weekend, while Villanova is at Creighton and Butler is at last place Xavier.

WHAT IS KNOWN
Although several playoff possibilities remain, what is known is that if Seton Hall sweeps Georgetown, the Pirates clinch a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament. If Seton Hall gets swept, they will be eliminated from tournament contention.

ELIA'S HONOR ROLL
Senior Anthony Elia was named to the BIG EAST Baseball Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. Elia was instrumental in Seton Hall's 3-2 victory at Villanova on Saturday. The left-hander pitched eight innings and gave up just two earned runs, while striking out seven batters and not issuing a walk.

ANNUNZIATA MOVING UP CHARTS
As the final games of this season wind down, senior Sal Annunziata continues to move up the career hitting charts at Seton Hall. Annunziata is currently tied for fifth all-time with 225 hits, fourth in doubles with 49 and 10th with 139 RBIs. He is already Seton Hall's all-time leader in putouts and is third in at bats.

COMEBACK KIDS
Seton Hall scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday to defeat Creighton, 5-4. It was the first time this season that the Pirates won a game after trailing after seven innings in 2015. Seton Hall trailed 4-2, in the eighth inning, but scored three runs in the bottom of the inning and Sal Annunziata delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI single with one out to put the Pirates in front.

THE GIVER
Last Saturday vs. Creighton, junior Derek Jenkins went 2-for-2 with three sacrifice bunts. The speedster now has 10 sacrifice bunts on the season, which is second-most in the BIG EAST Conference.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP INFO
The 2015 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by New York Life is scheduled for May 21-24, as Creighton University is set to host alongside the Conference at TD Ameritrade Park, home of the NCAA College World Series.

All-session tickets for the Championship will be on sale starting April 14 through the BIG EAST Baseball Championship Central and through Creighton's ticket master site. All-session tickets are available for $45 and $35 in two different pricing levels.

The championship will be a four-team double-elimination tournament which will feature the top teams in the league. Preliminary rounds will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN). Sunday's Championship will air live on FOX Sports 2.BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN). Sunday's Championship will air live on FOX Sports 2.

http://www.shupirates.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/051315aaa.html

 

[Halldan1]

Seton Hall / Georgetown to Play Two on Friday
Due to inclement weather, Seton Hall will play one game on Thursday and a double-header on Friday.

May 13, 2015


SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Due to pending inclement weather forecasted for Saturday, Seton Hall and Georgetown will play a double-header on Friday beginning at 1:00 p.m. Thursday's originally scheduled game will now begin at 3:00 p.m.

Seton Hall's Senior Day ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday prior to the double-header.

With four teams separated by just one game in the BIG EAST Conference standings and only two of them able to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament, the need to play three games has never been greater.

Seton Hall, Georgetown and Villanova are all tied at 7-8, with Butler just one game behind at 6-9. Villanova travels to Creighton this weekend, while Butler is at Xavier.

 

[Halldan1]

John Fanta @John_Fanta · 7h 7 hours ago

Playoff baseball starts now for Seton Hall and Georgetown in South Orange. Make-or-break series for both. Can't wait to call it all!

 

[Zenigundam]

Pulling for the Pirates to win the Big East Tourney, but I think it might be better for the Big East if St. John's or Creighton represents. I can't fathom SHU being able to beat one of the Top 8 teams in college baseball this year.

 

[Zenigundam]

Has a Big East team ever won the College World Series? I really can't recall it ever happening.

 

[Pirate6711]

Pulling for the Pirates to win the Big East Tourney, but I think it might be better for the Big East if St. John's or Creighton represents. I can't fathom SHU being able to beat one of the Top 8 teams in college baseball this year.

Neither Creighton nor St. John's is making any noise in the tournament if they win the Big East championship. Of course Stony Brook and Kent State advanced a couple years ago so never say never and all that junk, but whichever team wins the Big East will likely get bounced very early.

 

[Zenigundam]

I always found it funny when Fresno State won the national championship how the uninformed the ESPN analysts were saying their winning it all as a 4 seed in the regional stage was the equivalent of a 16 seed winning the NCAA Basketball Tournament when it was really more like a Top 25 mid-major made up of solid 3 and 4 star players and having perfect chemistry winning it all (e.g. if Wichita State were to win it all). They really showed that they don't follow college baseball whatsoever.


I agree that neither team has a great shot, but I actually give St. John's a puncher's chance of winning a game or two given the hot streak they're on. Getting out of their regional does seem highly unlikely as you said though. They got lit up by GT, Oregon, and East Carolina in the non-conference after all.

 

[Pirate6711]

Yeah, the regions are nothing like what you see in the basketball tournament. I think the TV coverage it's a lot of what you said with a little bit of dumbing it down for the viewer to understand.

Like Xavier showed us last year, you just need to make the Big East tournament to have a shot. This wasn't a team that could have made it as an at-large, but even with the current roster they have probably struggled more than expected during the regular season.

 

[Zenigundam]

Yep. I think SH has as good a shot as anyone of winning the Big East Tourney because there's no dominant team in the conference, but I just don't want to see us down by 12 runs to Florida State or USC if we get in.