Emmitsburg, MD - After opening conference play with a four-game sweep,  Wagner (7-9; 4-0 NEC) will look to add to its five-game winning streak when it heads to Mount St. Mary's (7-12; 3-1 NEC) for a four-game Northeast Conference series. The teams have developed a nice rivalry with 10 of the last 13 games since 2007 being decided by four runs or less.

Last year, the Seahawks rallied from seven down to post an 11-9 victory in the first meeting against the Mount, en route to taking three-of-four. In an ultra-competitive NEC, that game kept the Mountaineers out of the playoff race while a win would have secured a three-way tie for first place.

The Mount offense enters this weekend red-hot and winners of three straight, having scored 31 runs over the final three games last weekend at Quinnipiac, capped off by an 18-0 thrashing of the Bobcats in the series finale. Prior to the offensive outburst, the Mountaineers had been held in check during a seven-game losing streak scoring just nine runs.

Sophomore Josh Winter has been the top offensive threat, batting .340 (16-47) with six runs,  one home run and 10 RBI. Junior Tommy Flynn is second at .305 (18-59) with three doubles, one home run and six RBI. Senior Jacob Darr and junior Kyle Kane round out the top hitters, as both players are hitting .302 (19-63). Darr has scored a team-best 10 runs with four extra base hits while Kane paces the squad with two home runs and 15 RBI. Last year's NEC MVP, Shane Eyler has struggled out of the gates, batting just .254 (16-63) with two doubles, no home runs and five RBI.

Through the Mount's first 19 games, just 10 players have seen action on the mound. Leading the way is senior RHP Mike Matta, who has posted a 1-1 record with a 1.86 ERA, three saves and 13 strikeouts over 19.1 innings while holding the opposition to a .227 average.

Kent Worthington has been the top starter, going 1-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 22 strikeouts, against 14 walks, over a team-best 28.1 innings while holding the opposition to a .229 average. In the series-finale against the Bobcats, the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Week hurled his first career no-hitter in the Mountaineers 18-0 victory, striking out nine over 9.0 innings. Worthington is slated to pitch in game four on Saturday. Last year, Wagner got to the senior righty for nine runs on six hits and two walks while knocking him out after just 1.1 innings.

Sophomore Brady Feigl is arguably the most feared pitcher in the league and will start the first game of Friday's doubleheader. The hard-throwing lefthander is just 1-4 with a 7.56 ERA but has struck out 22 while walking nine over 25.0 innings. He picked up the lone Mount St. Mary's win against the Green & White a year ago, striking out nine while allowing just two earned runs over 7.0 innings.

Freshman RHP Vincent Molesky will start second game of Friday's doubleheader and has posted a team-best three victories against two losses while notching a 5.48 ERA with 18 strikeouts, against 11 walks, over 21.1 innings.

Getting the start in game one is senior RHP Costa Kapothanasis, who is 0-3 with a 8.49 ERA while striking out 15 and walking 10 over 23.1 innings. He fanned six over 4.1 innings while allowing four runs, two earned, in a no-decision last year at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Eyler had a big weekend a year ago on offense, batting .438 (7-16) with five runs, two home runs, one double and four RBI.

For Wagner, its much maligned pitching staff came up big a week ago, allowing just four earned runs in last weekend's sweep of Long Island while posting back-to-back shutouts.

Thursday starter sophomore Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontario / Assumption College) yielded just one unearned run while striking out five over 8.0 solid innings in a 6-1 game-one victory over the Blackbirds. After allowing an unearned run in the top of the first inning, he scattered four hits while not allowing a runner past second base over his last 7.0 innings of work. On the year, Van Spronsen (1-2) has a team-best 7.36 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 22.0 innings. He collected his first career NEC win a year ago in a wild 11-9 victory over the Mount, striking out four while allowing just two runs over 4.1 innings of relief.

Friday's game-one starter Matt Watson (R-Sr., Howell, NJ / Howell) won his eighth-straight NEC game against LIU, striking out three while yielding four earned runs on seven hits and a walk. The victory gave him 16 for his career, placing him in a tie for fifth place on the all-time Seahawks' win list while also moving into 10th place on the all-time innings list (197.2). On the year, Watson (1-2) has struck out 14 with 10 walks and a 7.67 ERA over 27.0 innings.

Junior RHP Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) has been the most pleasant surprise this season. The hard-throwing Lucas, who was unable to play the field much of the last two years due to arm trouble is now 100 percent healthy. Lucas put to rest any doubts about his arm strength, striking out 10 Blackbirds over 7.0 shutout innings in the Seahawks' 2-0 game-three victory. Lucas (1-2), who will start the second game of Friday's doubleheader, scattered four singles and retired 13-straight at one point. On the year, he is 1-2 with a 7.20 ERA and a team-best 20 strikeouts, against six walks, over 15.0 innings.

Junior RHP Dale Hering (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery) will be the Saturday starter after firing a career-best 7.0 scoreless innings against LIU for his first career Wagner win, a 3-0 victory over the Blackbirds in the series finale. The Rutgers transfer struck out five, against no walks, while not walking a batter and allowing just five hits. On the year, Hering has posted a 3.18 ERA while striking out seven, against three walks, over 11.1 innings.

On offense much has been made about the combination of seniors Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) and senior Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) and the NEC has taken notice, award three of its five weekly awards to the duo. According to the league's annual release, “When a team boasts a leadoff hitter who leads the league in on-base percentage and a clean-up hitter who ranks first in slugging percentage, it's no wonder why they are winning games. Such is the case with Wagner. The preseason favorite Seahawks took a perfect first step toward defending their 2009 NEC regular season crown by sweeping Long Island this past weekend with the help of Csakai and Avella. Csakai, a speedy centerfielder, is tops amongst NEC leaders in OBP (.542). A two-time All-NEC outfielder, Csakai has successfully stolen 12 bases in 14 attempts to lead the league. Meanwhile, Avella, a big-bopping first baseman, owns the conference's highest slugging percentage (.754), but his list of credentials does not stop there. He also leads the nine-team conference in in runs (18), home runs (6), RBI (26), and total bases (46).”

Quietly having a big weekend for the Green & White against LIU was Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon). The junior shortstop hit .444 (4-9) while reaching at a .545-clip. Since starting the year out in a 2-for-28 funk (.071) over the first eight games, Martutartus is 9-for-22 (.409) in the seven games since.

Due to the Easter weekend the series was moved up to Thursday and will commence on Saturday.

Pitchng Match-Ups
Game 1 – Sophomore RHP Ryan Van Spronsen vs. senior RHP Costa Kapothanasis
Game 2 – Senior RHP Matt Watson vs. sophomore LHP Brady Feigl
Game 3 – Junior RHP Jon Lucas vs. freshman RHP Vincent Molesky
Game 4 – Junior RHP Dale Hering vs. senior Kent Worthington

NOTES:
Head Coach Joe Litterio is 19-15 all-time against the Mount, including just 6-7 in Emmitsburg.

Since 2000, 28 of the 34 games have been decided by four runs or less with each team winning 14 times. Additionally Wagner is 13-11 in games decided by three runs or less and 6-5 in one-run games.
The Green & White hold a 35-25 lead in the all-time series.

2007 NEC Coach of the Year Mount St. Mary's head coach Scott Thompson is in his 13th season at the Mount. The former Minor Leaguer was recently inducted into the Old Dominion Athletics Hall of Fame and is 19-21 against the Green & White since taking over in 1998.

Mount St. Mary's assistant coach Eric Smith was a four-year standout in Emmitsburg, finishing with a then school-record 198 hits. However in his last four games against Wagner in 2007, he was just 2-for-17 (.188).

The senior class has struggled against the Mountaineers, posting a 5-8 record. In 2007, Mount St. Mary's won all four games at Bill Willetts Field by three runs or less, including two by one run. In 2008, the teams split a four game series in Maryland before the Mount knocked Wagner out of the NEC Tournament with a 5-1 victory.

Last year, the Seahawks won three of four, highlighted by a come-from-behind 11-9 victory over the Mountaineers in the first of four games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. Down seven runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning the Green & White rattled off nine unanswered runs, including six unearned in the bottom of the ninth, capped by an Avella walk-off three-run blast.

For his career, Avella is hitting .280 (14-50) with four home runs and nine RBI over 13 games against the Mount while Csakai checks in at .283, including .387 over the last two years, with seven RBI and seven stolen bases. Last year, Avella smoked two home runs and seven RBI while hitting at a .333 clip.

Junior Matt Logan (Wall, NJ / Wall) had a big weekend a year ago too, going 5-for-11(.455) with five runs, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI while slugging 1.182.

Lucas has the top lifetime batting average (min. 2.0 PA/GM) against the Mountaineers, hitting .407 (11-27) over the last two years with six RBI.

On the mound, Watson is 2-0 with a miniscule 1.62 ERA over 16.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and just three walks all-time against the Mount.

Matta, the Mountainners closer, is 2-1 with three saves and an equally impressive 1.08 ERA over 16.2 innings. The sidearm pitcher has 11 strikeouts and three walks against the Green & White. However last year, the Seahawks hit .429 against him.

The teams have had 10 players sign with affiliated teams over the last five years. Andrew Bailey (Oakland, 2006), Joey DiGeronimo (Baltimore, 2007), Mike McTamney (Philadelphia, 2007), Joe Testa (Minnesota, 2008), Kyle Morrison (Washington, 2009) and Andrew Huebner (Baltimore, 2009) represent the Green & White. Ivor Hodgson (Kansas City, 2007), Mike Gioioso (Baltimore, 2007), Dustin Pease (Kansas City, 2008) and Josh Vittek (Kansas City, 2008) all came from Mount St. Mary's.

Bailey recently returned to action after being sidelined due to “Tennis Elbow.” Upon return, Franklin Gutierrez hit a walk-off home run. While the final result was not impressive the fact that the 2006 Wagner graduate was healthy was. "I was just trying to establish my fastball and get my feel back on the mound," Bailey told the Associated Press. "That's my fifth appearance and we can go from that. There's still some time to get used to game action again, but definitely I'll be ready for opening day."

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