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Staten Island, NY - Following a four-game split last weekend, Wagner (3-12; 2-2 NEC) will look to turn in a better effort against the defending NEC Champion Central Connecticut State (5-6-1; 3-1 NEC). The teams will start their four game series on Friday at 3:00 pm.

The Green & White finally saw its bats wake up a week ago, batting .341 against the Mount while recording 24 runs, 23 RBI, nine doubles and 10 stolen bases after notching just 27 runs, 21 RBI, 11 doubles and nine stolen bases over the first 11 games.

Six different Seahawks hit above .300 for the week, led by Gaby Ramirez's (San Juan, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)) .462 (6-13) average from a week ago as the sophomore backstop has now hit safely in five-straight games and is batting .357 (10-28) on the year. Also batting above .400 was junior Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic), who checked in at an even .400 (6-15) with three RBI, two runs and two RBI.

Breaking out for Wagner on offense was freshman Ian Vazquez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)). The rookie shortstop, who entered the weekend just 3-for-33 at the plate on the year, hit .375 (6-16) with four RBI, including the game-winner in Friday's 9-8, 10-inning win over the Mount. For the 45th round pick of the Houston Astros a year ago, it capped a 3-for-5, two RBI day at the plate.

Senior stalwarts Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) and Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) also turned in good performances at the plate, batting .364 (4-11) and .333 (6-18), respectively, with a combined eight RBI, four runs and two RBI. McDonnell also stole three bases while drawing four walks for a .500 OBP. Boyd, who leads the team in hitting at .321, notched a pair of hits in three of the four games and now has a team-best seven multi-hit games.

For the year, McDonnell is second on the team with a .294 average (15-54) and is leading the team with five extra-base hits (3-1-1) and 10 RBI while posting a Seahawk-best .362 OBP. He also is second on the team and fourth in the NEC with five stolen bases and has recorded three outfield assists, highlighted by one big out at the plate that allowed Wagner to defeat the Mount 9-8 on Friday.

Pacing the pitching staff is reigning Second Team All-NEC reliever senior LHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier). Rees escaped a bases loaded, no out, situation on Friday, hurling 3.0 innings of one-run ball while garnering his first victory of the year. He then fired a perfect inning of relief in Saturday's 8-5 game-one victory for his first save of the year. Rees capped his fine weekend with 1.2 perfect frames on Sunday and has now retired the last nine batters he has faced. On the year, Rees has made a team-best six appearances with seven strikeouts, against just two walks, over 7.2 innings.

CCSU graduated five offensive starters from last year's NEC Championship squad that helped the squad bat a blistering .341 en route to the NCAA Regionals. While this year's team is only hitting .260, the Blue Devils still possess many dangerous weapons as showcased by taking three-of-four from Bryant a week ago.

CCSU has had early-season success thanks to a never-say-die attitude as the Blue Devils rallied from a five-run deficit en route to a one-run win in the first game against the Bulldogs before plating two in their final at-bat in Saturday's second game for another one-run victory.

Leading the way on offense has been 2010 First Team All-NEC selection junior third Mitch Wells, who ranks second in the league in batting at .423 (22-52) and OBP (.492) to go along with a NEC-best 17 RBI. Reigning NEC Rookie of the Week Dylan De La Cruz is next up at .324 (11-34) while adding seven RBI and four runs. Senior Sean Miller-Jones rounds out the .300-hitters, checking in at .320 ( 16-50).

The one ominous omission from the top CCSU hitters this year has been senior Pat Epps. The two-time First Team All-NEC selection is batting just .195 (8-41), but has a team-best 11 runs and a league-leading 16 walks en route to an outstanding .431 OBP. Epps has feasted on Wagner pitching over his career, batting .382 (21-55), including .550 (11-20) a year ago, with 11 runs, 10 RBI, four doubles, two home runs and nine walks in 16 career games against the Seahawks. The one good piece of news for the Green & White is that Epps batted just .231 (3-13) with three strikeouts in his previous four games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

On defense, the Blue Devils have posted a NEC-leading .974 fielding percentage with just nine errors from its position players. Wells (3B), Freshman Anthony Turgeon (SS) and Miller-Jones (2B) have committed just five miscues while giving CCSU a reliable infield combination as the trio has started all 12 games at their respective positions.

The Blue Devil pitching staff, which has posted a 5.17 ERA with 65 strikeouts, against just 31 walks, is led by senior LHP Dave Krasnowiecki. The crafty lefthander and probabe game two starter is 1-1 with a 4.96 ERA and 11 strikeouts, against six walks, over 16.1 innings. Last weekend, he struck out four while yielding just two runs in hurling a 7.0 inning complete game. Over two career games against the Green & White, the Junior College transfer is 2-0 with 11 strikeouts, against three walks, and two complete games over 16.0 innings.

CCSU's game one starter from a week ago, junior LHP Jason Foster got pounded for eight runs in just 2.1 innings and has an 11.88 ERA over 8.1 innings this season. Last year, he turned in arguably his finest performance to date against the Seahawks in the NEC Tournament. Foster led the Blue Devils to a 7-2 victory, striking out seven with just one walk in a complete-game effort.

Sophomore RHP Todd Savatsky, who did not pitch in 2010, is the projected game three starter and enters with a 2-0 record while striking out five, against no walks, and posting a 1.50 ERA over 12.0 innings. In his only match-up with the Seahawks back in 2009, Savatsky got rocked to the tune of nine runs and 14 hits over 4.1 innings of work.

Rounding out the projected weekend starters for CCSU is freshman RHP Tom Coughlin, who yielded five runs over 3.0 innings of work and has a 6.43 ERA over 7.0 innings, spanning two games.

NOTES:

• Wagner head coach Joe Litterio and CCSU head coach Charlie Hickey are each in their 12th season at their respective schools. Litterio's squad has won the season-series just three times (2009, 2005, 2000).
  
• The last time the teams played at Richmond County Bank Ballpark was way back in the 2009 NEC season-opening series. Wagner took games one and four by scores of 10-1 and 11-4 while CCSU was victorious in both ends of the doubleheader by scores of 6-1 and 10-9.
  
  
• The teams have met in the NEC Tournament eight times over five NEC Tournaments (2004, 2006, 2008-2010) with the Blue Devils going 6-2 during that time.
  
  
• CCSU went 5-1 against the Green & White a year ago, including 2-0 during the playoffs, while knocking Wagner out of the NEC Tournament. In 2009, Wagner eliminated the Blue Devils 6-5 in 10 innings thanks to a Vin Avella home run. In 2008, the Blue Devils defeated NEC Pitcher of the Year Joe Testa in the first round en route to a Championship Game appearance.
  
  
• Freshman Ian Miller (Downington, PA / Bishop Shanahan) went 3-for-5 with three runs and two stolen bases in the first game against Mount St. Mary's before missing the Saturday doubleheader after being hit by an errant throw during warm-ups. Thus far, he is batting .245 with a NEC-best seven stolen bases and a team-best eight runs in 13 games.
  
  
• For his career against CCSU, Boyd is batting .272 (15-55) with eight runs, seven RBI, two home runs and a double. Higgins has also been productive against the Blue Devils, hitting at a .316 clip (12-38) with five RBI, four runs and three doubles.
  
  
• On the mound, Rees has one save and a 1.80 ERA with three strikeouts over 5.0 career innings against CCSU.
  
  
• Both bullpens were outstanding over the first weekend with the Blue Devils posting a 3.77 ERA over 14.1 innings while allowing just one walk and striking out seven en route to going 2-0 with a save. Wagner, meanwhile, recorded a 1.17 ERA over 15.1 innings while striking out nine and walking just three. Leading the way was sophomore RHP Dakota Dvorak (Pompano Beach, FL / North Broward Prep) and Rees, who allowed just seven runners to reach over 9.2 innings while striking out eight, against just one walk.
  
  
• The teams have helped to represent the NEC in the higher levels of the professional ranks. Andrew Bailey is currently the closer for the Oakland A's while CCSU alumni Evan Scribner is slated start for the Padres AAA affiliate in Portland (OR). Both are Arizona Fall League alums. Additionally Joe Testa and Kyle Morrison are currently slated to start between the High A and Double A levels for the Washington Nationals.
  
  
• DID YOU KNOW? That Andrew Bailey made his first post-Tommy John start against CCSU back on April 22, 2006 … That day Bailey struck out two and yielded one run over 3.0 innings as the two-time AL All Star was on a strict pitch count … Scribner ended up being the pitcher of record, striking out four over seven innings of the Blue Devils' 8-1 victory.