Wagner Twitter / Wagner Baseball Twitter / Live Stats / Tweet #WAGIONA/ Listen Live (Free) (Friday Only) / Downloadable Wallpaper

Staten Island, NY - Winners of four-of-five, Wagner (16-23) will look to end its season-high eight-game homestand at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in style against Iona this weekend. Seahawks fans can receive live updates through the Wagner Twitter Page. Both ends of Friday's doubleheader will be broadcast live via Iona radio and can be accessed for free by clicking HERE

Wagner Baseball Capsule:
Roster / Schedule / Notes

Iona Baseball Capsule:
Roster / Schedule

Schedule and Probable Starters
4/20 - Iona - 4:00 pm
Sr. RHP Ryan Van Spronsen (5-1) / Iona: So. LHP Eddie Macaluso (3-4)
4/20 - Iona - 7:00 pm (approximate)
So. RHP Ryan Casey (3-2) / Iona: Sr. LHP Justin Wiley (0-1)
4/21 - Iona - 1:00 pm
Fr. RHP Dan Watson (1-3) / Iona: Jr. RHP Matt Marley (2-0)

2012 Media Guide
The 2012 Wagner Baseball Media Guide is available for viewing by clicking HERE

Series Breakdown
The teams will begin their series with on Friday, April 20 with a doubleheader, consisting of two seven-inning games, before wrapping up the three-game set with a single nine-inning game on Saturday, April 21 at 1:00 pm.

Bye Week Information
This weekend marks the Seahawks' annual bye week. Due to the fact that an odd number of Northeast Conference (NEC) schools (9) sponsor baseball, each team gets one weekend off from league play. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) also has an odd number of teams, thus allowing the Gaels and the Green & White the opportunity to square off. Last season, Wagner played host to Saint Joseph's, after traveling to San Diego State for four-games back in 2010.

Red Hot & Rolling
Wagner enters this weekend having won four-of-five, including three-of-four by just one run in taking last weekend's series from LIU Brooklyn (4/13-4/15).

Last Time Out
The Seahawks exploded for a NEC-best matching 19 runs on 21 hits, in blasting Saint Peter's 19-2 on Tuesday, April 17 at the Stadium. The 19 runs are also the most scored by the Green & White since defeating Coppin State 21-0 back on March 18, 2009, while the 21 hits are the most since Wagner notched 22 in an 18-6 victory over Iona on April 28, 2010.

Did You Know ?
Staff ace Van Spronsen earned his first career win in shutout fashion in the aforementioned win over Coppin State.

Lucky # 100
The victory over the Peacocks (4/17) also came in the Seahawks' 100th game played at the Stadium since the Green & White began sharing R.C.B.B. with the S.I. Yankees in 2008.

Home Cooking
Since moving the stadium in 2008, Wagner has posted a 67-33 record en route to a stellar 67.0 winning percentage. This year, the Seahawks are an impressive 9-5 at home this year while posting a 3.85 ERA at R.C.B.B.

Come Back Anytime
Wagner took three-of-four from LIU Brooklyn and Quinnipiac this season and is now 11-1 against each team, all-time, at R.C.B.B. The Seahawks previously swept the season series against each team at the Stadium in both 2008 and 2010.

This Season
At home, Van Spronsen is 2-1 with three complete games, 21 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA over 27.0 innings.

Did You Know Part 2 ? ...
Ten different players hit safely in Tuesday's win over the Peacocks while Wagner scored in seven of their eight innings at the plate.

Worth Nothing
Prior to scoring 19 runs in its win over Saint Peter's (4/17), the Seahawks had notched just 18 runs over their previous eight games combined.

Notes ...
With a win on Friday, the Green & White would win three-straight games for the first time this season and with two victories this weekend would match last year's total of 18 wins.

Finally
After scoring zero combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings of their eight previous scheduled nine-inning NEC games, Wagner notched five runs in the eighth and ninth innings of its two nine-inning games against LIU Brooklyn. The Seahawks broke a 1-1 tie with an eighth-inning tally en route to a 2-1 win over the Blackbirds on Friday, April 13, before scoring three in the eighth and one in the ninth for a 5-4 come-from-behind win over the visitors on Sunday, April 15.

Walk-Off Fun
Freshman Jason Gordon was the walk-off hero in Wagner's 3-2, 10-inning in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, before graduate student Bill Murphy provided a walk-off hit of his own in the Seahawks' 5-4 victory on Sunday. Both hits came with no outs and the bases loaded.

Close Games
Wagner won three games last weekend by one run and is now 6-2 in one-run games on the year, including 5-1 during NEC play. Two major reasons for the one-run success has been the pitching of Van Spronsen and freshman RHP Anthony Battaglia. Van Spronsen is 2-0 in one-run games while Battaglia is 2-1 with two saves during that time.

No You Lock It Down
Battaglia has established himself as one of the premier relievers in the NEC this season thanks going 3-1 with three saves and a 0.83 ERA over 21.2 innings of action. Last weekend, he collected two of the three Seahawk wins over LIU Brooklyn (4/13-4/15) after earning a win and a save at the Mount (3/30-3/31).

Dini Keeps Hitting
After seeing his hitting streak snapped at 16 in a 16-1 loss to LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, April 14, freshman Nick Dini went 2-for-4 in the series finale against the Blackbirds. He then posted a career-high four hits and five RBI in Wagner's 19-2 win over Saint Peter's (4/17). All told, Dini has hit safely in 24-of-26 and leads the team in hitting at .319 and has a team-best 44 hits.

Dini's 16-Game Hitting Streak ...
Was the longest since by a Seahawk since former Baltimore Oriole farmhand Joey DiGeronimo opened the 2007 season with a 20-game tear.

Alfano En Fuego
To say junior Nick Alfano has been on fire of late is an understatement. The Sunshine State native is hitting .565 (13-for-23) with five doubles and five RBI over his last seven games - capped by a 4-for-6, four RBI performance in the win over Saint Peter's (4/17). During that time, his average has jumped 79 points to its current .261 average.

No Relief Needed
Van Spronsen is now second nationally with five complete games, just one off of Jackson State's Quintavious Drains. This weekend, the Canadian native has a chance to match Drains with his sixth complete game of the year but will have another impressive streak come to an end. Van Spronsen has spun at least eight innings in each of his last seven starts, but will see that streak come to an end, barring extra innings in Friday's opener as the game is slated to go seven innings. On the year, Van Spronsen is 5-1 with 43 strikeouts and a 1.91 over 66.0 innings.

Learning From The Best
Wagner's other starter during conference play in the nine-inning games, Watson has taken a page from Van Spronsen's book of late. The Garden State native has gone at least seven innings in three-straight games while working into the eighth inning in each of the last two.

No Free Passes
Sophomore RHP Ryan Casey ranks 18th nationally with a 1.01 walks allowed per nine innings ratio and is also 68th with a 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Casey, who is 3-2 with three complete games, 24 strikeouts, five walks and a 5.64 ERA, has not yielded a free pass in five of his eight appearances.

Brown Beating Up The Ball
Senior Eddie Brown is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak that has pushed his average up to .312, but it is his prowess on the bases that is providing a spark to the Seahawks. In a 2-1 win over LIU Brooklyn (4/13), Brown stole third in the bottom of the eighth inning, before scoring the eventual winning run on an errant throw by the catcher. The Seton Hall transfer is second in the NEC with 16 stolen bases and has been outstanding on defense in his first full year at shortstop.

The Only Player To Steal More Bases Than Brown In The NEC ...
Has been sophomore Ian Miller, who has swiped 20 bases. Miller has also been a terror at the plate of late in his last 10 games, recording multiple hits in seven of those contests. On the year, Miller has a team-best 14 multi-hit games with 10 of those coming during conference play as the Seahawks have gone 8-2 during that time.

Wagner-Iona Notes
On the hardwood, Wagner and Iona tied for the most wins by Metropolitan Teams this season with 25 ... The Seahawks and Gaels are also conference rivals in the pool as the Green & White is an Associate member of the MAAC for Water Polo. Last year, the teams met in the MAAC Finals with Iona pulling out a one-goal victory. The 2012 MAAC Championship will take place next week at Marist with each team as one of the prohibitive favorites.

High Five
Wagner is a perfect 7-0 when scoring at least five runs during NEC play.

The Seahawks Have Scored ...
Four runs or less in 13 of its 20 conference games.

Series Notes
Wagner is 6-2 against Iona since the 2001 season and has won three-of-four between the teams since 2008 with all four games coming at R.C.B.B. In those four games, the Seahawks have outscored the Gaels by a 47-22 count.

MAAC Opposition
This season, the Green & White is 1-0 vs. the MAAC and 6-4 against the league since the 2008 season. All-time at the Stadium, Wagner is 6-3 against the MAAC.

Iona Coach Pat Carey ...
Played for current CCSU skipper Charlie Hickey at Providence and is 2-5, all-time, against the Seahawks as a head coach.

Jim Carone Against Iona
Carone is 6-2, all-time, against Iona as an assistant coach, but lost his most recent meeting by a 13-3 count while serving as the pitching coach for Villanova on March 12, 2011.

Coach Carone Clutch On His Birthday
Carone turned 31 on the opener of Wagner's four game series with LIU Brooklyn on Friday, April 13. With the Seahawks' 2-1 win, he is now 10-1 when playing or coaching on his birthday at the Division I level.

Sunday Schedule
The Green & White scheduled will not play on Sunday for the fourth time in five weeks due to the threat of rain. Wagner has altered its weekend schedules against Monmouth, the Mount and now Iona due to threat of inclement weather, with the FDU series starting on the Thursday before Easter.

Last Year Against Iona
Wagner overcame a 2-0 deficit with six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, before adding four in the eighth inning en route to a 10-3 victory. Alfano helped pace a nine-hit attack, finishing up 2-for-3 with a pair of runs.

Seahawks In The Pros Update
Two-time American League (AL) All Star and current Boston Red Sox reliever Andrew Bailey will most likely be out until after the All-Star break while Washington National farmhand Joe Testa has appeared in four games for Double A Harrisburg.

Second Little League Day On The Horizon
The Green & White second Little League day will be held on Saturday, May 5 against Sacred Heart. The Great Kills U-11 All-Star Team that won the 2011 Staten Island and City Championship was recognized prior to the game vs. St. Peter's (4/17). Take a look at THIS PHOTO of the Little Leaguers with the 2012 Wagner baseball team.

Gordon Delivers
After starting his collegiate career 2-for-20 at the plate, freshman Gordon collected a career-high three hits in four at-bats in the series-finale at Mount St. Mary's (3/31). Playing in his home state, Gordon singled in each of his last three at-bats before starting the Green & White's ninth-inning rally against St. John's (4/3) with a walk. He continued his hot streak with a pair of hits, including the game-winning knock in the first game of the Wagner's doubleheader against LIU Brooklyn (4/14).

Picture Me Rollin
Van Spronsen has gone at least eight innings in his last seeven starts while collecting wins over Charlotte (3/3), Jacksonville (3/10), Quinnipiac (3/16), FDU (4/5) and LIU Brooklyn (4/13). With a win against Iona, the Canadian native would post the most victories by a Seahawk pitcher since Matt Watson won nine and Kyle Morrison eight in the 2009 season.

Higgins, Van Spronsen Ascend All-Time Seahawk Record Books
Senior Tommy Higgins has 157 career hits and is tied with Pete DiStefano for 15th place on the all-time Green & White hit list. With one more base knock, he will match former teammate and current Toronto Blue Jay farmhand Jon Lucas for 14th place. Van Spronsen, who recently passed Bailey on the all-time innings list, is seventh with 228.2 innings and is just five behind Joe Doyle for sixth place. His 152 strikeouts rank 10th and are just two off Mark Nugent's total of 154 strikeouts while his next win will place in a tie for 10th place.

Van Spronsen Lauded In Eric Sorenson's National Blog ... Again
Van Spronsen was cited by National College Baseball Writer Eric Sorenson in his College Baseball Today blog, which encompasses all of NCAA Division I baseball, for the second time this season. Here is the excerpt:

“For the second straight week Wagner's Friday ace threw a complete game, this time collecting a career-high nine Ks as the Seahawks beat LIU 2-1. The most impressive part was that he got stronger as the game went on, going three-up, three-down in the final three innings and struck out the side in the 9th inning.”

Long Time Coming
Casey, Van Spronsen and Monmouth RHP Pat Light became the first NEC pitchers in the last five years to spin back-to-back complete games to open up league play.

Richmond County Bank Ballpark
The Seahawks are 67-33 (46-24 NEC) at Richmond County Bank Ballpark since calling the stadium home in 2008.

Professional Update
2006 graduate Andrew Bailey was traded to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason by the Oakland A's will start the season on the disabled list and will most likely see his first game action after the All-Star break. 2008 graduate Joe Testa is with Double A Harrisburg (Washington Nationals) in the Eastern League, while 2011 graduate Jon Lucas is at extended spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Trial By Fire
Eight of the 13 pitchers used by Carone this season are freshmen with just two remaining from the team's last postseason appearance in 2010. The eight freshmen have accounted 48.1 percent (153.1/318.2) of Wagner's innings and 41.8 percent (66/158) of the strikeouts.

Follow On Twitter
For those looking for updates or wanting to chime in on this weekend's action may do so using the twitter hash tag (#WAGIONA).

Up Next
The Green & White travel to Saint Peter's for a midweek tilt on Tuesday, April 24 at 3:30 pm before heading to Central Connecticut State for a four-game series.