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West Long Branch, NJ - Wagner returns to action this weekend with four big games against Northeast Conference (NEC) leading Monmouth at the MU Baseball Field. The teams have developed a nice little rivalry over the last seven years, splitting the last 28 meetings dating back to the 2004 season. A year ago, the Seahawks took four-of-five from the Hawks while knocking the defending NEC Champions out of the conference tournament.

Since head coach Joe Litterio took over the Green & White before the 2000 season his troops have gone just 5-13 in West Long Branch, but are an impressive 4-4 in their last two trips to the shore.

A QUICK LOOK AT WAGNER

Wagner is sixth in the NEC in batting (.269), eighth in ERA (6.15) and eighth in fielding (.952). However, the Seahawks' totals are much more impressive during league play as the Green & White are batting a NEC-best .309 during conference play while posting a 3.81 ERA (3rd NEC).

Wagner has been led of late by Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic). The junior third baseman recorded a career-best four hits against Seton Hall while raising his average to .307. Higgins has hit safely in 10-of-12 en route to batting a team-best .404 during that time while raising his average 85 points during the 12 game sample.

Senior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) leads the team in hitting at .324 with eight doubles and 12 RBI while classmate Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) checks in next at .320 with a team-best 20 runs, eight doubles, three home runs, 19 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .505 slugging percentage.

The Seahawks will again employ the same four-man weekend rotation. Junior RHP Mark Holmes (Manalapan, NJ / Manalapan) will take the ball in game one and is 3-3 with 17 strikeouts, against 20 walks, with a 4.40 ERA over 43.0 innings of work. Holmes captured his first career complete-game victory with 9.0 solid frames in a 4-3 win over Bryant last Friday and is now 2-1 during NEC-play.

In the seven-inning games, senior right-handed pitchers Dale Hering (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery) and Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown). Lucas earned his first win of the year against Bryant with a season-best seven strikeouts over 6.2 scoreless frames and has now allowed just two runs over his last three starts while striking out 17 over 18.2 innings and has a 0.96 ERA during that time. A year ago, Lucas knocked the Hawks out of the NEC Tournament, with 7.0 dominating innings of one-run ball in an elimination game.

Hering, meanwhile, saw his three-game NEC winning streak snapped against the Bulldogs despite allowing just one earned run over 7.0 innings while accruing his second-straight complete game. He has now allowed just one earned run over the last 15.2 innings while striking out 15 during that time and posting a 0.57 ERA.

Looking for his first win of the year will be junior RHP Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontario / Assumption College). The Canadian native is a tough 0-3 on the year despite striking out 20, against just 10 walks, over 31.0 innings of work.

SCOUTING MONMOUTH

Monmouth has a balanced team that leads the NEC with a stellar 3.27 ERA and is fourth in fielding (.962) and fifth in batting (.279).

The Hawks have solid team, led by four-year stalwart and 2008 NEC Rookie of the Year Ryan Terry. The 2010 All-NEC second baseman is batting a team-best .350 with team-highs in hits (43), runs (22) and doubles (9). Junior Jamie Rosenkranz is second on the team in hitting (.337) with a team-best .418 OBP and seven steals.

Monmouth also features the league's premier power threat in reigning Akadema NEC Player of the Week sophomore Danny Avella, the younger brother of former Wagner great and NEC all-time home run king Vin. In 2011, the younger Avella has crushed a NEC-best seven home runs, including six during league play, with 20 RBI while posting a solid .274 average. During league-play, he is hitting a blistering .358 with six home runs and 18 RBI and was at his best last weekend at Quinnipiac, blasting four home runs with 10 RBI and seven runs en route to leading the Hawks to three victories.

On the mound, Monmouth has arguably the finest rotation in the league. Sixth-year senior LHP Nick Meyers will get the ball in game one and is 5-1 with a team-best 2.95 ERA while posting 29 strikeouts over 42.2 innings of work.

In Saturday's doubleheader former Minnesota Twins' draft pick sophomore RHP Pat Light (1-5; 4.97 ERA; 38.0 IP; 28 K; 10 BB) will take the ball in game one while classmate LHP Dan Smith (1-2; 4.76 ERA; 39.2 IP; 25 K; 11 BB) will toe the mound in game two.

Rounding out the weekend starters is fifth-year senior RHP Andy McDonnell (2-0; 3.68 ERA; 29.1 IP; 12 K; 11 BB). The Hawks bullpen is anchored by freshman LHP Andrew McGee, who is 4-1 with four saves and a league-best 1.21 ERA over 29.2 innings of work with 17 strikeouts, against just five walks over 16 games.

COACH LIT NOTES:
Head coach Joe Litterio served under Monmouth mentor Dean Ehehalt for two seasons, helping the Hawks to the 1998 NEC Championship.

After losing the first meeting to the Hawks a year ago, Litterio guided Wagner to four-straight wins over Monmouth a year ago.

“Coach Lit” is 19-25, all-time, against Monmouth and has won four-straight against the Hawks, matching his longest winning streak against his former employer.

NOTES
Monmouth's game one starter Meyers is believed to be the last current collegiate player to play with or against 2009 American League Rookie of the Year and two-time AL All Star Andrew Bailey. In Bailey's last game at Willets Field on May 20, 2006. Meyers hurled 4.2 innings of one-run relief but Bailey was too strong, striking out eight over 6.2 innings in leading the Seahawks to a 3-1 win.

Wagner has split all four of its conference series' after doing just five times over the last three years.

Monmouth has won three weekend sets and split one other.

Monmouth is a perfect 4-0 in series' openers while The Seahawks are 0-4 in NEC series finales.

Wagner leads the NEC with 49 stolen bases and is second with 51 doubles while grounding into just 16 double plays, which is the third fewest in the league.

During NEC play, the Seahawks are 5-1 when scoring at least six runs and 6-2 when allowing four runs or less.

PLAYER NOTES
Danny Avella's brother Vin crushed a NEC-best 50 home runs and 161 RBI over four years on Grymes Hill and ranks second in Wagner history with 229 hits.

Boyd is a career .333 (15-45) hitter against Monmouth pitching and has notched eight runs and six RBI over 14 games. Lucas has also had a solid career against the Hawks, batting .353 (12-34) with seven runs.

In 14 career games against Wagner, senior Nick Pulsonetti is hitting .404 (19-47) with 14 runs, four doubles, four home runs and nine RBI while hitting safely in 13-of-14 games.

Terry is hitting .315 (17-54) over the same 14-game sample while Rosenbranz is hitting .407 (11-27) over the last two years against the Seahawks.

PRO UPDATES
The teams have been churning out closers for the professional ranks of late. The aforementioned Bailey is the closer for the Oakland A's while Kyle Morrison is the closer for the High-A Potomac Nationals (Nationals). For Monmouth, Brad Brach is the closer for the Double-A San Antonio Missions (Padres) while his brother Brett was recently converted into a reliever for the High-A Kingston Indians (Indians).

Bailey recently began throwing at 75 percent and just completed his first bullpen session. He is expected to return by the end of April. Click HERE to take a look at Bailey in an Oakland A's commercial and HERE to read the press release concerning his rebab.

Morrison struck out one in a scoreless frame against Lynchburg in his season debut

MOVING UP THE RECORD LISTS
Boyd's two hits against Seton Hall vaulted him into eighth place on the Wagner all-time hits list at 189 … He is now just nine away from becoming the eighth member of the vaunted 200-hit club.

Boyd also ranks fourth (40) on the all-time doubles list, ninth (111) on the all-time runs list and ninth (32) on all the all-time stolen bases list.

McDonnell is eighth in stolen bases (34), 10th in hits (186) and 10th in runs (110). This season he also has a team and NEC-leading 11 stolen bases.

Senior LHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier) is just one appearance away from Chris Pariseau's school-record total of 79 and is third in school-history with 10 saves.

THE SCHEDULE
The teams will play a single nine-inning game on Friday at 3:00 pm before playing a doubleheader consisting of two seven-inning games on Saturday with first pitch slated for 1:00 pm. The series will conclude with a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 1:00 pm.