The Big East Championship is only a few days away for the Seton Hall men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, and for some, it will be their last time competing in it. With a combined nine seniors set to depart after this season, this year’s championship will be an emotional meet for the Pirates.
Last season, Seton Hall found itself one win away from winning a Big East title for the first time since 2011.The Pirates fell just short of accomplishing that feat, but the groundwork for the 2019 season was laid in a season-ending loss to St. John’s in the Big East Championship game. Expectations surrounding the program are at an all-time high and rightfully so, as Seton Hall has the foundation in place to not only win the conference but make some noise in the NCAA Tournament as well.
In 2018, Ricky DeVito took a leap bullpen piece to ace of the pitching staff and Big East Pitcher of the Year. Now, he is preparing himself to take an even bigger step in 2019.
It’s one thing to go on the road and win a series against a conference rival, but it’s a whole new ballgame when every game you play is on the road. That is what Seton Hall is forced to deal with in 2019, as Owen T. Carroll is out of commission for the season. With their home ballpark undergoing renovations, the Pirates will take their show on the road for the duration of the year as they try to build on a 2018 season that nearly culminated in the program’s first Big East title since 2011.
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Inja Butina is one-of-a-kind, cut from a chequy cloth. She does not strut around or stand out in those monotonous moments between her last and next time on the basketball court. Instead, she seems restless, as if the seconds tick away in her head with a faint echo. Tick, tick, tick.
With Big East Conference play winding down, Seton Hall will need to find a way to leverage it’s positioning before the Big East Tournament. The one and two seeds are heavily protected by Marquette and Villanova, respectively, but the team slotted in tenth place, can theoretically finish as high as third.The Pirates’ leverage point has to come from its go-to player, Myles Powell. Without a clear second option night in and night out, Powell’s production is heavily relied on. In games in which the junior guard scored less than 17 points, Seton Hall has lost four of seven such games.The scoring is a given from Powell, but what will push the Pirates over the hump is how well he scores. The Pirates are an undefeated 8-0 when Powell shoots 50 percent or better from the field.
The NBA Trade Deadline is now in the rear view mirror, the All Star break is set for this weekend and franchises have either bolstered their rosters for a playoff push or set their eyes on this upcoming offseason for the run coming up after.As always, not every general manager acquired “their guy” or positioned themselves for success. With that in mind, however, it is clear to see the winners and losers of the day, at least for the time being.The Toronto Raptors are one team that came out on top at the 2019 deadline. They acquired Marc Gasol but did also ship out a number of pieces in Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles, and Greg Monroe.
Earlier this month, the Major League Baseball Players Association released a proposal regarding players’ concerns about the current state of the game.Along with service-time and pace of play issues was a call for the universal designated hitter to be introduced to the game for the 2019 season. Among the four major sports’ leagues in the United States, the designated hitter, also known as the DH, is one of, if not the only, rule that is different between in separate conferences or leagues.The DH was established in the American League in 1973. Players like David Ortiz and newly-elected Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez made a career as primarily designated hitters. It has also helped to extend the careers of players like Frank Thomas and Harold Baines following injuries.
Intensity was the name of the game for Seton Hall on Wednesday night, as the Pirates outran, outhustle and outshot the Georgetown Hoyas en route to a 90-75 victory on Wednesday night.Seton Hall’s 90 points scored were the second most by the team this season in Big East play, second only to the 93 points scored in a loss to DePaul on Jan. 19. The Pirates came out of the gate arguably faster than at any other point this season. Led by Myles Powell’s electric start, which included 17 points in the first half, Seton Hall jumped out to an early lead.
On Feb. 10, the Seton Hall women’s tennis team came out victorious with a 7-0 sweep at LIU Brooklyn. They win completes a weekend sweep after beating Drexel the day before, and improves the team’s record to 4-1 on the season.
This past weekend, the Seton Hall softball team kicked off its season at the Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev.
NEWARK – The Seton Hall men’s basketball team won a seesaw contest inside a stirring Prudential Center on Saturday night, 63-58.
After a strong showing through the first half on Friday night against Providence, the Seton Hall women’s basketball team fell by a final of 82-75, dropping to 14-9 and 6-6 in Big East play.
Logic was tossed aside last weekend in the Big East – disregarded and downright teased.
During the frigid temperatures of December and early January, the Seton Hall men’s golf team was faced with the difficult task of finding where to play 18 holes under comfortable conditions.
The use of the three-point shot has become more common in Division I men’s basketball in recent years. The top 20 teams in the country with the most three-pointers attempted has gradually risen from 18,037 to 19,205 in only three seasons.
To kick off 2019, the men’s soccer program is beginning to bolster its roster for the upcoming season.
An air of excitement resonates throughout head coach Paige Smith’s office as the upcoming softball season approaches. Everyone in her office is working just as hard in the build up to the first game as the players and coaches are on the field. Even at 11:30 a.m. on a Friday, players were hard at work in the batting cages below Smith’s office with a trip to Las Vegas for the 2019 Marucci Desert Classic looming.
Seton Hall senior guard Kaity Healy was recently selected to the “So You Want To Be A Coach” program.
Kevin Willard has never been a fan of the way the Big East puts together its conference schedule.
Solutions by The State News
