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Staten Island, NY - Wagner (14-26) hosts Saint Joseph's (14-26) in a rare mid-season non-conference weekend doubleheader at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Saturday, April 30 at 4:00 pm. Each team has a bye weekend in its respective conference and will do battle in a pair of games. Prior to the first contest, a nine-inning affair, the Seahawks' starters will be announced along with members of the Beauvais-Hudson team out of the South Shore Little League as part of the program's inaugural little league days. Next Saturday will be the second and final little league day of the season. Click HERE for the entire release.

The Green & White have been playing solid baseball of late, having won three-straight and four-of-five after Thursday's 10-3 victory over Iona. Fifth-year senior RHP Dale Hering (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery) hurled 6.0 innings of two-run ball while collecting his team-best fourth win of the year while snapping a personal three-game losing streak. Hering paces the team in complete games (4), strikeouts (41) and opposing average (.282) while ranking second with 55.1 innings among pitchers that have at thrown at least one inning per game.

Senior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) cracked two doubles, including his 200th career hit in the victory over Iona and now ranks in a tie for sixth place in the Wagner record book with 201. Boyd continues to lead the team in hitting (.327) and now also paces the squad in doubles (13), walks (20), OBP (.401) and stolen bases (11). Boyd also ranks among the career leaders in runs 118 (5th), doubles (45) (4th), RBI (102) (8th), stolen bases (36) (t-7th), games (194) (4th) and at-bats (678) (4th).

Joining Boyd with multiple hits the last time out was sophomore Nick Alfano (Coral Springs, FL / North Broward Prep) and freshman Ian Vazquez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)). Alfano was 2-for-3 with two runs and is now hitting a blistering .483 (14-for-29) over his last 10 games with three doubles, five RBI, three stolen bases and a .559 OBP while batting safely in nine of those contests. Vazquez, meanwhile, was 2-for-4 with a career-best three RBI while recording his fifth multiple-hit game of the year.

Junior RHP Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontario / Assumption College) and senior RHP Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) will draw the starting assignments for the games against Saint Joseph's. Van Spronsen picked up his first win of the year at Quinnipiac, hurling 6.0 innings while yielding just two unearned runs on two hits with three strikeouts in an easy 14-3 win over the Bobcats. Lucas then secured the doubleheader sweep with a career-high 8.0 innings, striking out four while yielding just one earned run on five hits. Lucas has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last five games, posting a 1.71 ERA despite collecting just two victories during that time.

The Hawks enter the doubleheader with a record of 14-26 and 5-10 in the Atlantic 10 and have lost six of seven. Saint Joseph's, which is batting a paltry .241, is led by sophomore Greg Kumpel and his team-leading .376 batting average. Kumpel also leads the team in runs (19) and doubles (11) while ranking second in RBI (20). Freshman Kevin Kratochwill is second on the team in hitting at .261 and has taken advantage of increased playing time of late, batting a blistering .409 in six A-10 games. Sophomore Eddie Palmer is hitting just .219 on the year, but during conference play checks in with a .358 average. Junior Kevin Taylor is the top power threat, notching team-bests in home runs (2) and RBI (21).

Despite struggling at the plate, Saint Joseph's boasts an impressive rotation. Sophomore RHP Kyle Mullen is the team's top pitcher, recording a 4-4 record with 49 strikeouts, two complete game shutouts and a 3.11 ERA over 66.2 innings of work – all of which pace the squad. Mullen is slated to toe the mound in game two with fifth-year senior RHP Chad Simendinger expected to get the ball in game one. After making eight starts and pitching in just 63.0 innings over his first three collegiate seasons, Simendinger has established himself as an integral member of the weekend rotation. Thus far he is 2-5 with 33 strikeouts and a 4.25 ERA in 48.2 innings of action.

The duo has posted four of the Hawks' five league wins while striking out 52 in just 62.2 innings of work with a 3.88 ERA during A-10 play.

Saint Joseph's also has a solid bullpen with senior righties Dominic Favazza (15 games; 2-1; 2.28 ERA; 23.2 IP; 16 K; 7 BB) and Bryan Penalo (14 games; 0-1; 2.81 ERA; 25.2 IP; 26 K; 21 BB) spearheading the middle innings. The pair has been even better during conference play, striking out 18 while posting a 0.98 ERA over 18.1 frames. Junior RHP Ryan Kemp is the Hawks closer, posting two saves with 29 strikeouts, against just nine walks, and a 3.60 ERA over 20.0 innings. Additionally, 15 of his strikeouts have come in just 8.2 innings of conference play.

Pitching Match-Ups
Game 1
Van Spronsen (1-3; 5.74 ERA; 42.1 IP; 24 K; 14 BB; 52 H) vs. Simendinger (2-5; 4.25 ERA; 48.2 IP; 33 K; 17 BB; 47 H)

Game 2
Lucas (2-5; 4.35 ERA; 49.2 IP; 30 K; 17 BB; 56 H) vs. Mullen (4-4; 3.11 ERA; 66.2 IP; 49 K; 17 BB; 63 H)

NOTES:
Head coach Joe Litterio is 5-11, all-time against the Atlantic 10 but has never coached against Saint Joseph's. As a player, his Rutgers' teams went 11-1 over four years against the Hawks.

Three members of the Saint Joseph's team were teammates of current Washington Nationals farmhand and former Wagner standout Kyle Morrison. Mike Coleman, Joe Cook and Simendinger all played with Morrison during the 2007 fall semester on Hawk Hill before Morrison transferred to Grymes Hill.

2007 CCSU graduate Evan Scribner joined Andrew Bailey as the only two Northeast Conference (NEC) players currently on a Major League roster when he was called up by the San Diego Padres on April 25. Ironically enough, the two opposed each other in Bailey's first post Tommy John start on April 22, 2006. That day Bailey, who was on a strict pitch count, lasted just 3.0 innings, yielding one run with a pair of strikeouts. Scribner, meanwhile, earned the win while surrendering just one run on four hits with four strikeouts in a complete game seven-inning effort. Click HERE for the box score

Bailey and Scribner opposed each other on the mound three times with Scribner winning twice – including besting the hard-throwing Wagner righthander in the 2004 NEC Championship Game. However, the Seahawks won their last battle with the San Diego reliever in 2007 as former Baltimore Oriole farmhand Joey DiGeronimo hit a walk-off home run off of Scribner in the series finale at Bill Willetts Field. Scribner, who got the save in the third game, also yielded a hit to fifth-year senior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms). Scribner hurled a shutout inning in his Major League debut against the Atlanta Braves, highlighted by inducing future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones into a double-play grounder.

Speaking of Bailey, the two-time American League All-Star and 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, threw a solid bullpen session this week and is expected to return sometime in May. Click HERE for the article.

McDonnell enters this weekend with 194 hits, needing just six more to join Boyd as the ninth member of the Wagner 200-hit club – all of whom have been coached by Litterio. He also ranks in the school records in runs (118) t-5th), doubles (32) (t-10th), walks (69) (7th), stolen bases (34) (9th), games (199) (3rd) and at-bats (677) (5th).

Senior Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell), who is hitting a team-best .358 during NEC-play, was honored at the Wagner College 27th annual Senior Awards dinner as the inaugural recipient of the Hilton Garden Inn Community Service Award. Conforti volunteers his time at a local soup kitchen as well as the pediatric unit of a local hospital.