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Smithfield, RI - After defeating Iona by an 18-6 score Wagner returns to Northeast Conference (NEC) action for the first time in two weeks with first place on the line when the Seahawks travel to Bryant for a crucial four-game series between the NEC co-leaders.

The Green & White enter with a 17-19 record and an 11-5 NEC mark while the Bulldogs are 19-19 and 11-5 in the NEC following a four-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson a week ago. Bryant specializes in winning close games, having won eight-straight NEC games decided by three runs or less (8-2 overall) while Wagner has proved its prowess in close games as well, going 9-3 in league games decided by three runs or less.

This will be the first meeting between the two squads as the Bulldogs are currently a transitioning Division I member and are not eligible for post-season play until the 2013 season. Last season, their first since moving up from Division II, Bryant went 32-22 in 2009 and have beaten the likes of Boston College, Virginia Tech and VMI over the last two seasons.

The Bulldogs possess as good of a rotation that Wagner has faced all season in the NEC. In game one senior RHP Brent Almeida (2-0; 2.53 ERA; 13 K; 16 BB; 32.0 IP) will take the ball. Despite a poor strikeout-to-walk ratio, Almeida has proven his mettle during conference play, surrendering just three runs in 20.2 innings as Bryant has gone 3-0 in his three NEC starts (CCSU, @ MSM, FDU).

In Saturday's doubleheader senior RHP Eric Polvani (3-5; 3.54 ERA; 60 K; 18 BB; 68.2 IP) and freshman RHP Peter Kelich (6-1; 5.13 ERA; 36 K; 11 BB; 47.1 IP) will draw the starting assignments. Polvani leads a pitching-starved NEC with 60 strikeouts in a league-best 68.2 innings of work and has given up three earned runs or less in three of his four NEC-starts. Over two-straight starts against CCSU and Monmouth, he combined to strike out 25 while walking just one over 14.2 innings. Kelich leads the NEC in victories with six, including one over nationally-ranked Virginia Tech. During league-play, he has been touched up for 16 runs in 21.0 innings (6.86 ERA) but has gone 3-1 in four games.

Closing out the series for Bryant will be freshman RHP Salvatore Lisanti (1-4; 8.01 ERA; 24 K; 15 BB; 39.1 IP). Lisanti picked up his first collegiate win a week ago against Fairleigh Dickinson, fanning six while yielding three runs on six hits and a walk over 5.2 innings.

The Bulldogs boast a balanced offense that features an interesting mix. Bryant has employed the same No. 1 – No. 8 batters over the last 10 games while rotating left and right hitters throughout the order. Freshman leftfielder Kevin Brown sets the table, having produced a .333 average while pacing the team with 27 runs and a league-best 19 doubles. Junior rightfielder Jordan English bats second and is hitting .313 with a team-best .412 on-base percentage and seven stolen bases.

The heart of the order consists of the senior trio of Jeff Vigurs, Nick Campbell and Dylan Stone. Vigurs, who is regarded as one of the top prospects in the NEC, played in the prestigious Cape Cod League last summer and is batting .290 with 11 extra-base hits while matching Brown with a team-best 25 RBI. However, his greatest value might be his prowess behind the plate as he has committed just two errors and allowed five passed balls while throwing out 45.5 percent (15-33) of runners trying to steal. Campbell is batting .340 with nine extra-base hits and has struck out just 11 times in 164 plate appearances while patrolling centerfield. Stone is hitting .286 and has started all 38 games at second base.

Hitting sixth is junior shortstop Zakary Cianciolo, who leads the team with a .346 average while adding 14 doubles and committing just three errors. In the seventh spot is Jamie Skagerlind, who is batting .268 with 12 doubles, three home runs and 23 RBI. Two of his three home runs have been of the game-winning variety in back-to-back games against CCSU. The sophomore also has played a good first base, committing just one error. Rounding out the regulars is junior third baseman Tim Norton, who checks in with a .252 average with 11 extra-base hits and 19 RBI. In the ninth spot, junior Colin Dougherty (.345) or sophomore David Soltis (.167) will be the designated hitter. For most of the year, Vigurs will DH in the third game of the series with freshman Ryan Granat (.294) getting the start behind the plate.

Wagner enters the weekend series with a 16-5 victory over Iona in which all nine regular recorded at least two hits while contributing to a 22-hit attack, the highest in head coach Joe Litterio's 11 years at the helm on Grymes Hill. Senior Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) led the onslaught, going 4-for-6 with a career-high five RBI while moving into a tie with former Chicago Cubs farmhand Mike Cerminaro for second place on the all-time Seahawks' hit list with 214 and is now just five shy of former teammate and Baltimore Orioles farmhand Joey DiGeronimo for the top spot. Csakai is batting .331 on the year with team-highs in hits (41), stolen bases (28), walks (23), hit-by-pitches (12) and OBP (.475). Junior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) matched Csakai, going 4-for-6 with a home run and three runs scored. His long ball was the first of the season at home for the Green & White. Thanks to his second four-hit game of the year, Boyd raised his average to .327 and has seven doubles and four home runs .

Senior Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) joined Csakai in the 200-hit club, going 2-for-5 and now has 201, matching Matt Mastrianni and Nick Papa for fifth place on the all-time Seahawk hit-list. Avella is batting .303 and blasted his NEC-leading 10th home run at SDSU, a monster shot to deep left field. He also has a team-high 38 RBI and a .614 slugging percentage.

Picking it up on offense over the last five games are juniors Matt Logan (Wall, NJ / Wall) and Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms). Logan hit safely in all four games at San Diego State and is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak, going 7-for-15(.467) with three doubles, four runs and three walks while raising his average 66 points to .214. McDonnell has been on a tear over the last four games, going 8-for-15 (.533) with four runs and four RBI and is now hitting .311 on the year.

Rounding out the .300 hitters is sophomore Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic), junior Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) and classmate Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon). Higgins has hit safely in 14-of-16 games, going 23-for-60 (.383) during that time with 17 RBI and is batting a team-best .339. Martutartus batted safely in three games against the Aztecs and is 5-for-9 with four runs and four RBI over his last two games while raising his average to a season-high .308 and matching Avella for the team-lead with 11 doubles. Lucas checks in at .311 with eight extra-base hits and 19 RBI.

The pitching staff rebounded with a solid outing against Iona following a five-game losing streak, as seven different pitchers combined to record nine strikeouts against the Gaels. Fifth-year senior Andy Wells (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) picked up his first victory since March 7, 2009 against UMBC, retiring two of the three batters he faced in the top of the fourth inning. Junior RHP Ian Karlsson (Brooklyn, NY / Xaverian) struck out the side in the top of the ninth, closing out the Seahawks most lopsided victory of the year.

NOTES:
• Litterio has never faced Bryant but is 14-9 in all-time in first-time meetings with NEC-schools (including UMBC & St. Francis (NY).

• Former Seahawk Andrew Bailey has two saves and has not allowed a run in eight games, striking out four while yielding just six hits and two walks over 7.0 innings. Yesterday, against the Blue Jays he induced in John Buck, who had three home runs in the game, into a routine fly out.

• Bailey is one of four former Seahawks in the minor leagues. The Bulldogs have had three MLB Draft picks with the most recent being Pat McKenna, who was drafted last year in the 27th round by the Detroit Tigers.

• Former Boston Red Sox Keith MacWhorter is the only Bryant student to appear in the Major Leagues, doing so in 1980.

• The Bulldogs have not lost a NEC series all year, sweeping FDU, taking three-of-four from CCSU and earning splits at Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth.

• Bryant is 8-3 at home, including going 7-1 during NEC games and have won six-straight at the Bryant Baseball Complex.

• Csakai ranks among all-time leaders in runs (1st), stolen bases (1st), hit-by-pitches (1st), hits (2nd), at-bats (2nd), games (t-2nd) and walks (3rd) at Wagner. He also ranks ninth in the NCAA ranks this year with 28 stolen bases.

• Avella also ranks at the top of the Seahawk lists in home runs (1st), doubles (t-2nd), runs (3rd), RBI (3rd), at-bats (3rd), hits (t-4th), games (4th) and walks (5th).

• Campbell recently became the first Bulldogs baseball player to record 300 hits in his career.

• Friday's game starts at 3:00 pm with Saturday and Sunday's first pitch slated for 1:00 pm.