Storrs, CT – The Seton Hall Pirates are the 2023 BIG EAST softball champions after downing the Villanova Wildcats, 6-1, in the final game of the BIG EAST Softball Championship Presented by JEEP. Led by the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, the third-seeded Pirates refused to drop a game at the Burrill Family Field at the University of Connecticut, winning four consecutive games for their first title since 2005.

With the victory, Seton Hall earns the BIG EAST automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Softball Championship for the fourth bid in Pirate program history.

Senior dual-threat pitcher Shelby Smith was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after astounding appearances both in the circle and at the plate. In Seton Hall’s four games, Smith batted .615 (8-for-13) with a tournament-best 11 RBI, two runs, two home runs and three doubles.

Her seven RBI against Villanova in Game 2 are a BIG EAST Championship record. Smith further bolstered her batting numbers with a grand slam against top-seeded UConn in the semifinals. Additionally, the right-handed pitcher tossed 15.1 innings accumulating three wins and ten strikeouts.

She was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Pirates Taylor Hill, Olivia Gilbert and Kelsey Carr. Hill hit .467 (7-for-15) over the week with five runs, two doubles and an RBI.  Gilbert went 4-for-13 with three runs, two RBI and a pair of home runs, including the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh against DePaul. Another dual-threat, Carr went 4-for-13 at the plate with five RBI, 4 runs, a double and a home run in addition in addition to 14.2 innings pitched with eight strikeouts and just two earned runs.

Villanova was represented on the All-Tournament squad by junior pitcher Caroline Pellicano and sophomore infielder Ava Franz. St. John’s London Jarrard, UConn’s Payton Kinney and DePaul’s Baylee Cosgrove rounded out the All-Tournament honorees.

Following a quiet first inning, Seton Hall’s bats came alive at the top of the second. Smith smacked a double to put the Pirates in scoring position with no outs. Senior Lauren Caye replaced Smith at second as the pinch runner. In the next at-bat, Wingo singled through the right side to advance Caye to third.

Still without an out, Gilbert singled to center field to score Caye. Junior infielder Hannah Alexander followed with a fly out to score Wingo for a 2-0 lead. The Pirates persisted through another out to score Gilbert on a single from senior Ashly Colonnetta.

 With the Wildcats on their heels, junior Lela Allen knocked a double down the right field line. The infielder went on to advance to third on a wild pitch while Colonetta registered her team’s fourth run.

The Hall stayed ahead through the bottom of the second courtesy of a 1-2-3 inning from Carr in the circle.
From the circle to the plate, Carr stepped up for the first at-bat of the third inning, hitting a single to right field. Senior Miranda Arruda came on as pinch runner. Wingo sent an RBI single to center field, scoring Arruda, and putting the Pirates up 4-0.

Carr faced her greatest threat in the bottom of the fifth. Following singles from Villanova’s Victoria Sebastian and Ally Jones, Carr walked Lilly St. Jean to fill the bases with two outs remaining. Undeterred, Carr struck out her next opponent, Sydney Hayes. Seton Hall’s defense snagged a fly out to end the inning unscathed.

The sixth inning was headline by Gilbert’s second home run of the tournament, a solo shot to right field that put Seton Hall up 6-0.

The Wildcats scored their lone run in the bottom of the sixth. Jones crossed home on an RBI single from pinch hitter Brooklyn Ostrowski. Villanova concludes its season at 37-22.

The win was the 43^rd of Seton Hall’s historic season. The Pirates pushed through a seventh-place pre-season ranking to take their third overall conference title (2004, 2005, 2023).

Seton Hall’s next opponent will be announced on Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m. ET during the 2023 NCAA Softball Tournament selection show airing on ESPN2.
 
Most Outstanding Player
Shelby Smith, Seton Hall, Sr., Pitcher
 
BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
Shelby Smith, Seton Hall, Sr., Pitcher
Taylor Hill, Seton Hall, So., INF
Olivia Gilbert, Seton Hall, So. 1B
Kelsey Carr, Seton Hall, Jr., P
Caroline Pellicano, Villanova, Jr., Pitcher
Ava Franz, Villanova, So., INF
London Jarrard, St. John’s, So. UT
Payton Kinney, UConn, Jr., Pitcher
Baylee Cosgrove, DePaul, So., INF