The Seton Hall softball team will head into their second tournament of the year this weekend in Jacksonville.
In the Jacksonville University Invitational, the Pirates will face Delaware, Jacksonville, South Alabama and Mount St. Mary's.
After going 2-2 in their first tournament of the year first year head coach Paige Smith said she thinks her team needs to focus on trying to play their best game at all times.
"We are inconsistently great," Smith said. "The team who is more consistent is going to win. Anyone can beat anybody on any given day, but you've got to do it repeatedly."
The Hall will open the tournament against Delaware on Friday at 2 p.m. and also end their stay in Florida against the BlueHens on Sunday.
Delaware, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, sits undefeated having won all four of their games in the Jimmy John's Lion Classic.
Host Jacksonville enters the tournament at 8-3, including a 6-4 win over FAMU on Wednesday evening. All three losses have come by the hands of ranked opponents; No. 24 Florida State, No. 5 Florida and No. 16 Louisville.
Last season, the Hall fell to the Dolphins, 10-2, also playing in a sunshine state tournament. The game was close after five innings with a 2-1 Jacksonville lead, but they broke out with five runs in the sixth.
"There are a lot of changes we have made (since last year,) moved outfielders to the infield, moved people who thought they were infielders and put them in the outfield," Smith said.
Southern Alabama has gone 8-1 so far this season while sweeping all of their games in the Mardi Gras Invitational last weekend. The team's one loss came in their second game of the season in a close 2-1 victory by Southern Illinois.
In their second game on Saturday, the Hall will match up with Mount St. Mary's for their first of two scheduled meetings on the year. This tournament will be the start to the Knights' season.
"After this weekend we will definitely have the notes on them to use in the future," sophomore pitcher Danielle DeStaso said.
It was a slugfest the last time these two teams played each other, during the 2008-09 season, where the Hall pulled out a 16-14 win
The Pirates are led by DeStaso who has posted a .692 batting average with two homeruns and eight RBIs in 13 at bats. DeStaso also notched a win on the mound for Pirates pitching seven innings and recording 10 strikeouts against St. Bonaventure.
"She's (DeStaso) just cool, she's got ice in her veins," Smith said. "So no situation intimidates her. She's one of the best athletes to deal with because she is definitely not going to think herself out of any situation."
Due to her play at the Hampton Inn Campbell Stampede Tournament, DeStaso earned a Big East Weekly Honor Roll spot for the second time in her career.
DeStaso said that she can't simply settle with getting this recognition and that she will continue to work hard to get even better.
"We need to make sure that our energy is up the entire game and that our offense doesn't come out in spurts," DeStaso said.
The tournament kicks off for the Pirates Friday at 2 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla.
Stephanie Vedral can be reached at stephanie.vedral@student.shu.edu.
