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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team (21-20-1, 6-9 BIG EAST) kicks off the final stretch of regular season action this weekend by hosting Butler (18-26, 6-8 BIG EAST) for a three-game set at Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field. The conference series will commence with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon before the series finale on Sunday, also at 12 p.m. All three contests will be available live and FREE on the Pirate Sports Network.
The Pirates are coming off a 2-2 week, picking up a win at Central Connecticut during the midweek before taking one-of-three in a series at Providence. The Bulldogs most recently visited Creighton for a conference series, dropping both ends of a Saturday doubleheader before salvaging the series with a win on Sunday. The Hall currently sits a half game behind BU for fifth in the BIG EAST standings and are two games out of the top-four to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament with six contests to go.
PIRATE POINTS
- The Hall leads the nation with 1.9 doubles per game and ranks among the top-50 nationally in home runs (37), slugging percentage (.479) and scoring (5.4 runs/game)
- Alexis Walkden (Cibolo, Texas) is at the top of the BIG EAST leaderboards in a slew of offensive categories with a .354/.488/.740 slash line along with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 32 RBI and 37 runs scored
- In addition, Walkden is a perfect 10-for-10 on the basepaths this year and just became the first player in program history to record double-digit home runs and stolen bases in the same season
- Lauren Fischer (Robbinsville, N.J.) ranks second in the BIG EAST with 10 home runs and is 15th in the nation with 36 walks drawn, tying a single-season program record
- Coming off a nod on the BIG EAST weekly honor roll, Valerie Suto (Mercerville, N.J.) has raised her average to .314 in recent weeks and is among the league leaders with 15 stolen bases
- In the circle Reganne Camp (Bloomington, Ill.) checks in at second in the BIG EAST with a 2.79 ERA and has struck out 64 batters over 85.1 innings during her freshman campaign
- The Bulldogs enter the weekend with an 18-26 overall record and a 6-8 mark in BIG EAST play
- Butler is 4-9 in true road games this season including an 2-4 record in road conference games
- Brandyce Sallee (.363) and Jenna Foreman (.362) boast two of the best averages in the BIG EAST, with Formean adding 24 stolen bases on the year
- Sarah Dixon is BU's top power threat with team-highs of five home runs and 23 RBIs
- In the circle, Mikeila Boroff has a team-best 3.83 ERA over 60.1 innings while Gabbi Schnaiter has tossed 100.2 frames to pace the squad, striking out 59 batters on the year
Following this weekend's home set, the Pirates continue a six-game homestand with a three-game series against rival St. John's to close the regular season next weekend
http://www.shupirates.com/news/2017...ost-butler-for-three-game-conference-set.aspx
