Staten Island, NY – Wagner begins year two of the Jim Carone era on Grymes Hill with post-season aspirations after falling painfully short a year ago. The Seahawks return 22 letterwinners from last year's squad that won 22 games, including 15 during Northeast Conference (NEC) play.

This is the third in a three-part series that will analyze the team's pitching, infield and outfield units. Click HERE for the second part of the preview, which took a look at the infield, and HERE for the pitching preview.

The Outfield
The Seahawks bring back the bulk of their outfield as Nick Alfano (Sr.), Jayson Keel (Sr.), Ian Miller (Jr.) and Chris Smith (Jr.) all drew starts a year ago.

Alfano played in 54 games, making 51 starts, as the Green & White's primary right fielder. The Sunshine state native batted .276, including .317 during league play, with 12 extra base hits and 19 RBI. Alfano, who owns one of the strongest outfield arms in the league, picked it up at the end of the season, hitting .378 over the final 23 games of the year.

In his first year on Grymes Hill, Keel garnered the bulk of the starting assignments in left field, seeing action in 52 games, with 50 starts. The Mississippi native hit .273, including .320 during league play, with a team-best 10 multi-RBI games while showing a propensity to come up clutch in big situations. Keel also scored 27 runs with eight stolen bases and ended the season on a tear, batting .390 over the final 13 games.

Rounding out the primary outfield starters from a year ago is Miller, who garnered 2012 All-NEC Second Team accolades a year ago. The fleet-footed Miller played in all 55 games a year ago, with 54 starts in center field, and paced the circuit with a NEC-leading 34 stolen bases. Equally adept at the plate, the Keystone State native hit .312, including a team-best .336 during league play, while also pacing the team and ranking among the conference leaders with 64 hits, 39 runs, 27 walks and a .400 on-base percentage.

Smith played in 44 games, making 36 starts, while garnering starting assignments in the outfield and at designated hitter. In his first year on Grymes Hill, Smith hit .262 while recording 19 runs, 11 RBI and four stolen bases. Smith, like the rest of the aforementioned players, finished up strong, batting a team-best .414 over the final 14 games, with five multi-hit games while reaching base at a .514 clip.

Looking to crack the outfield unit are freshmen Trey Nicosia and Vito Gadaleta. Nicosia played in two games, before being sidelined due to injury and will have four years of eligibility remaining after earning a medical redshirt. Gadaleta joins the squad after prepping at Manalapan High School.

The Schedule
To read about Wagner's challenging 55-game schedule click HERE. Additionally, it has been announced that the Seahawks' non-conference game at St. John's slated for Wednesday, April 3 at 3:00 pm will be streamed online through ESPN3.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @WagBaseball for news and updates on the baseball program.

Photography by Dave Saffran