On Monday afternoon, the BIG EAST named Seton Hall baseball’s Mason Christopher its Pitcher of the Week, the first player to earn the honor this season.
Originally scheduled to play three games in the second annual Puerto Rico Challenge, the Pirates instead played two, dropping their season opener to Boston College (2-1) on Feb. 13 but winning their second game over Manhattan (0-3) the next day behind a pitching gem from Christopher.
Taking the mound during the third inning of a 1-1 game to relieve starting pitcher Ryan Reich, Christopher absolutely shoved. Over the next five innings, the left-handed sophomore recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts, all while allowing just four hits and one run.
In his second season at The Hall, Christopher found success against the Jaspers by locating his fastball early on in the pitch count: the Middletown, NJ native threw a first-pitch strike against 13 of the 20 batters he faced.
While Christopher’s dominance from the mound kept Manhattan at bay, the Pirates' offense couldn’t stop scoring, ultimately earning a 7-2 win, their first of the season.
Christopher’s previous career-highs in strikeouts and innings pitched came during a 5-3 loss at home to Iona on March 23, 2025. In four innings pitched at Mike Sheppard Sr. Stadium at Owen T. Carroll Field, Christopher struck out six of the 14 batters he faced, allowing just one hit and run in the process.
As a freshman last season, Christopher appeared in 13 games, starting in three of them. He posted a 7.52 ERA in over 20.1 innings pitched and struck out 25 total batters, while walking 14.
Before SHU, Christopher attended Middletown South High School, where he was ranked as the 57th overall player and the fifth-best left-handed pitcher in NJ during his senior year. He was also ranked the 171st-best left-handed pitcher in the nation as well.
On Feb. 20, 2023, as a junior, Christopher announced his commitment to play for the Pirates in South Orange, about 35 miles north of his hometown. He was one of 11 players in the class of 2024 to commit to the Hall, according to Perfect Game.
Christopher and the Pirates will return on Feb. 20 when they face George Mason University (0-4) in the first of four games in another early-season tournament, this time in South Carolina.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
