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Staten Island, NY - First place and preseason Northeast Conference (NEC) favorite Wagner hosts defending conference champion Monmouth in a key four-game tilt at Richmond County Bank Ballpark this weekend. The two teams have been involved in numerous big games over the last four years and have had 11 of their last 16 games decided by three runs or less with the Green & White going 8-3 during that time.

The last time the teams met was in last year's NEC First Round when No. 4 Monmouth bested No. 1 Wagner 14-8 in a game that will be remembered for a series of oddities. NEC Pitcher of the Year Matt Watson (Howell, NJ / Howell), who went 7-0 during the season vs. league opponents, was roughed up for six runs in the top of the second inning. With the Hawks leading 6-1 the bottom of the fifth inning, Wagner loaded up the bases with no outs. Senior Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) then crushed a 1-0 offering from his former high school teammate and current Cleveland Indian farmhand Brett Brach to deep right center. The first base umpire called the ball safe and the Seahawks cleared the bases, but right fielder David Jacob caught the ball and threw into the infield where Monmouth promptly tagged second and first. So instead of a 6-4 ballgame with Csakai at third, the Green & White got only one run.

The Hawks got one run back before the Seahawks put up a four-spot in the bottom of the sixth inning, pulling to within one at 7-6. Wagner would keep it close until a five-run Monmouth ninth inning gave the Hawks a 14-8 win en route to their second NEC title in three years.

A year ago, the four regular season match-ups were split with the Green & White winning a pair of two-run games and Monmouth taking the other two games by a combined 15 runs.

The Hawks (12-14; 6-6 NEC), who were picked to finish second behind the Seahawks (13-13; 8-4 NEC) currently sit in a three-way tie for fourth place in the NEC and have won five-of-six.

Fifth-year senior Mike Casale leads Monmouth with a .358 average (29-81), scoring a team-best 23 runs with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI. Sophomore Jamie Rosenkranz, who went 6-for-10 against Wagner pitching a year ago, is next at .354 (34-96) with six doubles, two triples, four home runs and 15 RBI. Fifth-year senior Bobby Dombrowksi is third on the squad with a .348 average (31-89) with 14 runs, five doubles , one home run and 20 RBI while throwing out 10-of-36 (27.8 %) runners. Rounding out the .300 hitters is junior Cal Costanzo, who is batting an even .300 (21-70) with 13 runs, two doubles, one home run and 14 RBI

2008 NEC Rookie of the Year Ryan Terry is batting just below .300 at .295 (31-105), but has been red-hot of late, going 7-for-11 with two home runs, seven RBI and six runs over two mid-week games while raising his average 40 points during that time. He also leads the squad with 25 runs, 10 doubles and five home runs. The Hawks other top power threat is freshman Danny Avella, younger brother of Seahawk slugger Vin Avella (Sr., Matawan, NJ / CBA). The rookie third baseman has committed just three errors at the hot corner while hitting four home runs. Despite batting just .217, he leads the team with 15 walks and has posted a .333 on-base percentage. Last weekend against the Mount, the younger Avella hit .400 (6-15) with two doubles, one home run and three RBI over four games. Earlier this year, Vin torched Mountaineer pitching for two home runs and two doubles while batting .308 (4-13) over four games.

The Monmouth pitching staff, like Wagner, lost two key pitchers to the professional ranks in the aforementioned Brach and Ryan Buch, both of whom were drafted among the top-10 rounds a year ago. After riding a bevy of powerful arms to last year's title, this year's version of the Hawks are a more finesse oriented staff led by a pair of crafty senior lefties. Leading the way is probable game-two starter senior Kyle Breese, who is 3-2 with two complete games and 20 strikeouts, against two walks, over a team-best 39.2 innings while limiting batters to a .245 average. In three NEC games, Breese is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA over 21.0 innings of work while striking out 10 and allowing just 18 hits and four walks.

Joining Breese at the top of the rotation is likely game-one starter and fifth-year senior Nick Meyers, who is 2-1 with a 3.93 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 34.1 innings of work while allowing batters to hit just .244. Meyers, who picked up the win at No. 16 East Carolina, is still looking for his first win during conference play despite the Hawks going 2-1 in his three starts. The second of Monmouth's three weekend lefty starters is 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA with 15 strikeouts and a six walks during conference play.

Rounding out the rotation is a pair of freshmen in RHP Pat Light and LHP Dan Smith. Light, a 26th round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins last year, is just 1-3 with a 7.22 ERA over 28.2 innings but has struck out 16 and walked just seven. Last weekend, Light collected his first collegiate victory in a 6-4 come-from-behind victory against Mount St. Mary's, hurling all 7.0 innings while allowing two earned runs. Smith, a freshman lefty, is 1-2 with two saves and 21 strikeouts, against nine walks, over 39.1 innings. Smith who started last weekend's game four also saved game four.

The Hawks employ a six-member bullpen that consists of a junior, four sophomores and one freshman. The Green & White will have to do a better job against the Monmouth pen then they did a year ago, as the Hawks relievers allowed just four earned runs while striking out 14 and walking one over 14.2 innings of work.

After being led by the trio of Avella, Csakai and junior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) for the first third of the season, other players have stepped up of late led by Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic). The sophomore infielder is hitting a team-best .356 (26-73) with 14 RBI, eight runs and five doubles. In helping Wagner go 5-1 over its last six games, he is 11-for-21 (.524) with six RBI while posting a .615 OBP and raising his average 68 points.

Reigning Akadema NEC Player of the Year Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) has also been on fire of late, going 12-for-23 (.522) over the last six games with two doubles, two home runs, 10 RBI and eight runs while posting a .870 slugging. Boyd is also in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak in which his average has risen from .190 to .315.

Also standing out during the last six games has been junior Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) and freshman Gaby Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)). Martuartus, who is hitting .289, has taken an unconventional route to the precipice of .300. He started out just 2-for-28 before batting a team-best .400 (22-55) over the next 17 games with 14 runs, eight stolen bases and eight extra-base hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR). Over the last six games, he is 11-for-24 (.458) with nine runs and six stolen bases while posting a .519 on-base percentage. He has also committed just one error in his last 16 games. Ramirez recently collected his second Akadema NEC Rookie of the Week accolade and is 9-for-22 (.409) with six runs, five RBI and three doubles in the most recent six-game sample while throwing out 5-of-10 runners on the bases.

Standing out on the mound last weekend was sophomore Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontario / Assumption College), who collected the win at Fairleigh Dickinson in game one, hurling 7.0 innings of one-run ball while striking out four and scattering just five hits. On the year, he is 2-3 with 21 strikeouts and a 7.09 ERA over 33.0 innings of work. Also standing out during the mid-week games is freshman Christian Rautenstrauch (Charlotte, NC / Providence Day), who is 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 10.2 innings of work while collecting wins over Big East members St. John's and Seton Hall. Against the latter, he fanned a career-best eight while not walking a batter over 5.2 innings.

Friday's game will start at 3:00 pm with Saturday's doubleheader slated for 12:00 pm and Sunday's single game also tabbed for 12:00 pm at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

NOTES:
• Wagner head coach Joe Litterio, a former Monmouth assistant coach, is 15-24 all-time in 10 years against the Hawks and former mentor Dean Ehehalt, who is in his 17th year at the helm.

• Together the two helped Monmouth to the 1998 NEC Championship before Litterio left for Winthrop where he was a part of the Eagles' victorious 1999 Big South Championship team.

• The teams have also met in the postseason six times since 2000, with each team winning three games.

• Since 2004, the Seahawks are 10-3 in games decided by three runs or less against the Hawks.

• The last time the teams met in Staten Island, Monmouth went 3-1 while winning three games against Wagner via shutout. Six pitchers from that series are currently playing in the professional ranks. Joe Testa (Minnesota Twins), Kyle Morrison (Washington Nationals) and Andrew Huebner (Baltimore Orioles) from Wagner and Brad Brach (San Diego Padres), Brett Brach (Cleveland Indians) and Ryan Buch (Chicago White Sox) from Monmouth are all now collecting paychecks to play America's Pastime.

• Watson is 2-2, all-time, against the Hawks, allowing just two earned runs over 13.1 innings in two victories.

• Junior Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) hit .417 (5-12) against Monmouth a year ago and is a lifetime .333 (7-21) hitter against the Hawks. Classmate Jared Gruccio (Landisville, NJ / Buena Regional) also had a solid series in 2009, batting .412 (7-17).

• Vin Avella has feasted on Monmouth pitching over the last two years, going 11-for-30 (.367) with two home runs and six RBI. Csakai had a solid weekend a year ago, hitting .353 (6-17), highlighted by his first collegiate home run.

• According to the most recent NCAA rankings, Csakai is 16th with 20 stolen bases.

• Meyers has struck out eight and not walked a batter while posting a 3.37 ERA over 10.2 innings in three career appearances against the Seahawks.

• Breese has also had sustained success against Wagner, going 1-0 with eight strikeouts, two walks and a 4.50 ERA in two games, spanning 10.0 innings.

• Terry is a lifetime .324 hitter against the Green & White, highlighted by a .381 showing a year ago.

• Junior Nick Pulsonetti, who has been hindered by injuries this year, has hit .433 against Wagner pitching with 13 runs and six extra-base hits (3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR).

• Casale is just 6-for-22 (.273) for his career against the Seahawks, but went 4-for-4 with two home runs, eight RBI and four runs in Monmouth's 15-6 series-finale victory over Wagner a year ago.

• After taking three-of-four from FDU last weekend and all four in the season's NEC-opening weekend against LIU, the Seahawks are now 32-5 over the last five years against the two schools.

• With Boyd and Ramirez collected NEC hardware, the Seahawks have now won seven of the 21 weekly league accolades, including four NEC Player of the Week awards (Avella x2, Boyd x1, Csakai x1). Previously, Wagner had just three NEC Player of the Week selections from 2005-2009.

• Boyd's selection was also the first of his career while Troy Scribner of Sacred Heart was named Akadema NEC Pitcher of the week. Both players' siblings are former NEC standouts Evan Scribner (CCSU) was a five-time NEC Pitcher of the Week and earned 2006 First accolades. Jared Boyd (UMBC), a one-time NEC Player of the Week, was the 2002 NEC MVP and a two-time First Team selection as a shortstop.

• Wagner's game originally slated at NJIT on May 5 has been switched to a home game and will start at 7:00 pm. The game at Rutgers, scheduled for May 4 has been postponed due to the annual Wagner Senior Awards dinner. No make-up date has been announced as of yet.

• The Seahawks have won 11-straight games at home, dating back to last year ... That streak is tied for the sixth-best mark in the nation.

• Wagner heads to scenic San Diego State next weekend for a four-game series.