New Britain, CT - Following a 6-2 victory over NYIT on Wednesday night Wagner returns to action with a four-game Northeast Conference (NEC) series at Central Connecticut State (CCSU). The Seahawks (20-26) and the Blue Devils (23-18) have identical 12-12 NEC ledgers and are currently tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The teams play contrasting styles as Wagner likes to hit-and-run and terrorize the base-paths where as CCSU is a station-to-station squad that relies on their powerful offense. The Blue Devils are ranked fifth in the nation with a .357 average and are also ninth with a .562 slugging percentage as the top seven hitters are all batting .331 or better, including five that check in with averages of at least .389.

Leading the way is the probable NEC Player of the Year and reigning National Player of the Week Sean Allaire. The fifth-year senior is batting a NEC-best .448 with 77 hits (1st NEC), 51 runs (2nd NEC), 62 RBI (1st NEC), 20 doubles (2nd NEC), 11 homes runs (4th NEC), 140 total bases (1st NEC) and a .814 slugging percentage (1st NEC) while striking out just 13 times in 204 plate appearances. Second on the squad with a .405 average is CCSU's top power threat junior Pat Epps. He is tied with senior Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) with a NEC-leading 14 home runs, eight doubles and four triples while slugging .750.

Fifth-year senior Richie Tri is next at .394 with 11 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 28 RBI while typically batting out of the seventh spot in the line-up. Sophomore Mitch Wells checks in with a .392 average while producing 16 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and reaches base at a .466 clip. The third fifth-year senior in the line-up is Tommy Meade, who is batting .389 with 11 doubles, three triples and eight home runs while driving in 47 and slugging .635.

Sean Miller Jones is sixth on the team in hitting at .350 while 2009 First Team All-NEC selection Anthony Scialdone is seventh at .331 while notching 17 doubles and 36 RBI.

The projected game one starter for CCSU is sophomore LHP Jason Foster (1-2; 6.19 ERA; 23 K; 18 BB), who has struggled of late with the Blue Devils losing each one of his last four NEC starts. Saturday's doubleheader will showcase junior LHP Dave Krasnowiecki (5-2; 5.54 ERA; 38 K; 19 BB) and sophomore LHP Jack Greenhouse (4-1; 3.44 ERA; 19 K; 5 BB). The Blue Devils have won seven of the last 10 NEC games in which the duo has pitched. The game-four starter will be Meade (RHP; 3-1; 7.41 ERA; 22 K; 7 BB), who is pitching for the first time after seeing action exclusively as a position player during his first three years in New Britain. CCSU has gone 4-2 in his six NEC starts as the offense is averaging 13.3 runs per game when he toes the mound.

Wagner has specialized in winning close games during NEC-play in recent years and that trend is no different this season, as the Seahawks have gone 10-8 in games decided by three runs or less. However, of late the Green & White have been struggling in close games, losing five-straight games decided by three runs or less before snapping the skid with a 5-3 game-two win over Sacred Heart. CCSU, meanwhile, has struggled in close games going 4-10 in NEC games decided by three runs or less.

The major hurdle Wagner will need to get over this weekend is the location of the games as the Seahawks have gone just 4-12 in New Britain since the 2000 season, including dropping two of three at last year's NEC Tournament at New Britain Stadium.

Nutmeg State native Junior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) led the Seahawk attack in a 6-1 win over NYIT, rapping out three hits for the second time this year and now leads the team with 17 multi-hit games. He has batted safely in 12 of his last 14 games, batting a team-best .438 (21-48) during that time with seven doubles, two home runs and a mammoth .708 slugging percentage while raising his average 55 points to a team-best .327. After missing all of last year, he has started all 46 games in right field and leads the NCAA ranks with 11 outfield assists.

Also picking it up of late has been freshman Gaby Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)), who is in the midst of a career-best six game hitting streak. The first-year backstop is batting .421 (8-19) during that time while raising his average to .288.

Seniors Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) and Avella are also picking it up of late as the duo heads into the final stretch of their collegiate careers. Csakai set his 10th school record against NYIT, with his 38th and 39th stolen bases, besting his previous single-season record of 37 set a year ago. He is batting .319 with 51 hits, 33 runs, 25 walks and has been hit 16 times for a team-best .455 on-base percentage. Csakai has also recorded five outfield assists while posting a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Avella is on the precipice of breaking his own single-season home run record of 16 and is tied with Epps for the NEC-lead at 14 while rapping out 49 RBI, which are just seven shy of the school-record. He is one of four Seahawk regulars batting above .300, checking in at .313 while also notching 12 doubles and a .637 slugging percentage. The school's all-time home run and RBI leader, he also ranks among the top-five in games, at-bats, hits, runs and walks.

On the mound, freshman RHP Christian Rautenstrauch (Charlotte, NC / Providence Day) has been the surprise of the season, having won a team-best four games, including going a perfect 2-0 in NEC-play with a microscopic 1.20 ERA while holding batters to a .214 average over 15.0 innings. The North Carolina native has victories over Seton Hall, St. John's, Monmouth and Sacred Heart.

Leading the bullpen again is junior David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier). The crafty lefty has struck out 29 in 29.0 innings of work while posting three saves and a 2.79 ERA over 29.0 innings while holding batters to a .267 average. He capped Wagner's lone win last week with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief and is tied for second in the NEC with 23 appearances, just three off the school-record of 26.

The teams will play today at 3:00 pm before playing a doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 pm and a single game on Sunday also at 1:00 pm.

Notes:
• Litterio is 12-24 all-time against CCSU, including 3-10 in New Britain.

• The Seahawks' senior class became the winningest class in school history with their 95th victory over NYIT, besting last year's senior class that won 94 games.

• Wagner's seniors are just 5-9 against the Blue Devils.

• Last year the teams split a four-game series at Richmond County Bank Ballpark before the Green & White defeated CCSU 6-5 in an elimination game in the NEC Tournament.

• Avella provided the power going 3-for-5 with two runs and the eventual game-winning home run in the top of the 10th inning. Last year, he hit .444 with four doubles, two home runs and four RBI against Blue Devil pitching. For his career he is batting .365 with four home runs, nine doubles and nine RBI against CCSU.

• Csakai has also had weekends against the Blue Devils over the last two years, hitting .476 with four runs, three stolen bases and two RBI in 2009 and .478 with six stolen bases and four runs in 2008. In 14 career games against CCSU, he is batting .421 with 12 stolen bases and four RBI.

• Junior Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) is hitting .424 for his career against the Blue Devils while classmate Jared Gruccio (Landisville, NJ / Buena Regional) hit .474 against CCSU a year ago.

• Fifth-year senior RHP Matt Watson (Howell, NJ / Howell) has a 3.38 ERA over 16.0 innings against CCSU.

• Senior Kyle Zarotney is hitting .406 against Wagner pitching for his career while Scialdone checks in at .341 and Tri .340.

• The teams will be playing at the renovated Balf Savin Field, which now includes field turf. The last time the teams played there was in 2006 and four of the six starting pitchers are now in the professional ranks. Andrew Bailey play for the Oakland Athletics while former Seahawk hurlers Joe Testa (Minnesota Twins) and Andrew Huebner (Baltimore Orioles) are in the minor leagues. Evan Scribner, who started and beat Bailey, is pitching for the San Diego Padres organization.