Game Notes

Staten Island, NY - Wagner (3-12) opens up Northeast Conference (NEC) play against 2x defending league champion Sacred Heart (3-8) this weekend. Due to inclement weather in the Connecticut region over the last few weeks, the Seahawks and the Pioneers will now play the first three games of the series at Richmond County Bank Ballpark (R.C.B.B.), before finishing up the four-game set at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT.

Schedule
* Friday, March 22 - Sacred Heart at Wagner (3:00 pm)
* Live Stats Link / Live Audio Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Jr. Ryan Casey (0-2, 7.43 ERA; 23.0 IP / 11 K / 4BB) vs. Sr. RHP Troy Scribner (0-1, 7.11 ERA; 1 Save / 12.2 IP / 17 K / 4 BB)

* Saturday, March 23 - Sacred Heart at Wagner (1:00 pm)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Fr. LHP Paul Mammino (1-0, 2.89 ERA; 18.2 IP / 10 K / 8 BB) vs. Jr. LHP Nick Leiningen (2-1, 3.60 ERA; 20.0 IP / 11 K / 9 BB)

* Saturday, March 23 - Sacred Heart at Wagner (3:30 pm)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Fr. RHP Mike Adams (0-2, 8.59 ERA; 14.2 IP / 10 K / 17 BB) vs. So. LHP Jeff Stoddard (0-1, 2.84 ERA; 12.2 IP / 11 K / 2 BB)

* Sunday, March 24 - Wagner at Sacred Heart (1:00 pm)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: TBA vs. Jr. RHP Kody Kerski (1-0, 1.00 ERA; 18.0 IP / 15 K / 7 BB)

Notes:
Series Breakdown
The teams will begin their series with on Friday, March 22 with a single nine-inning at 3:00 pm, before playing a doubleheader consisting of two seven-inning games on Saturday, March 23 at 1:00 pm. The series will conclude with a single nine-inning affair on Sunday, May 24 at 1:00 pm.

A Trip Down Memory Lane
This is not the first time that the teams have had to change their weekend venue. In 2008, Wagner and Sacred Heart were forced to play a doubleheader at Rutgers' Bainton Field as R.C.B.B. was being used by the city.

Not The Only One
Monmouth will also welcome Quinnipiac to West Long Branch, NJ in a series that was originally slated for Hamden, CT.

Streak Snapped
The Seahawks snapped a five-game losing streak with a decisive 6-0 victory over Lafayette on Wednesday, March 20. The nine-inning shutout was also the first by Green & White pitching since a 1-0 victory over Quinnipiac in last year's home opener on March 16, 2012.

Home Openers
Wagner also was victorious in its home opener for the sixth-straight year and is perfect 6-0, all-time, in openers at the stadium. During that time, the Seahawks have outscored the opposition by a 35-15 count.

At The Ballpark
The Green & White holds an all-time record of 72-37 (.661) at R.C.B.B. since the program began calling the stadium home for the 2008 campaign. Additionally, Wagner is 48-26 (.649) during NEC games and 24-11 (.686) in non-conference match-ups.

No Free Passes
In the Seahawks' aforementioned win over Lafayette no walks were issued by either team, marking the first time since May 13, 2006 that the Green & White participated in a game that featured no free passes. That afternoon Boston Red Sox reliever Andrew Bailey led Wagner to a 5-1 win over LIU Brooklyn on May 13, 2006, striking out seven in a complete game two-hitter.

(Connor) Smith Steps Up
While junior Chris Smith has been a revelation on offense this season, batting a team-best .313 with a stellar .476 OBP, it was sophomore Connor Smith that was the story of the Seahawks' impressive victory over Lafayette. Smith retired 13-straight at one point and struck out six over 7.0 shutout innings while surrendering just three hits and no walks in picking up the second win by a Green & White starter this season.

Did You Know?
That entering the game on Wednesday, Smith had just seven strikeouts in his career.

NEC Openers
Wagner has won eight-straight NEC Openers and nine-of-10 since the 2002 season. The lone loss was against Quinnipiac on March 22, 2004. In that game, current Baltimore Oriole farmhand Pat Egan defeated Boston Red Sox reliever Andrew Bailey.

Last Eight
In the aforementioned eight-game winning streak in conference openers, the Seahawks have outscored their opposition by a 61-20 count. Four of the wins were captured by student-athletes, who would go on to play affiliated ball: Bailey (2004), Kyle Morrison (2007, 2009) and Joe Testa (2008). Additionally, Wagner is 5-0 all-time in NEC-openers at Richmond County Bank Ballpark since moving to the stadium in 2008 while outscoring the opposition by a 42-15 margin.

Additionally
The Seahawks are 23-7 in their first NEC series of the year over the last eight years.

Series History
Wagner is just 19-27, all-time, against Sacred Heart, including 17-27 since the Pioneers moved up to the Division I ranks for the 2000 season.

SHU Blues
Since taking three-of-four from the Pioneers in 2008, the Seahawks have dropped 12 of 16 to the 2x defending NEC Champions. All-time, the Green & White is 12-12 against the visitors in Staten Island, but just 7-13 when playing in Connecticut.

Last Year
The teams split their four match-ups with three of the four games being decided by three runs or less.

Outfield Domination
Last year, all three members of the Wagner outfield hit .400 or better against SHU pitching, paced by senior Jayson Keel, who recorded a blistering .583 clip (7-of-12) with seven RBI, five runs, four walks and two stolen bases. Additionally, junior Ian Miller hit .471 (8-of-17) with five runs, three RBI and four stolen bases while senior Nick Alfano batted .400 (6-of-15) with three runs and two RBI.

For His Career ...
Alfano is a .435 hitter against Pioneer pitching ... He is also just six hits away from becoming the 48th member of the school's 100-hit club.

Scribner Domination
SHU senior RHP Troy Scribner is a perfect 3-0 in his career against the Seahawks while posting a 2.74 ERA over 23.0 innings. The younger brother of current Oakland A's reliever and former Central Connecticut standout Evan Scribner, has also posted complete game victories in each of his games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Career-High Performances
Sophomore Nick Dini crushed a career-best matching four hits at VCU while junior RHP Ryan Casey fired a career-high 8.0 innings in a no-decision at Norfolk State.

Also ...
Against the Rams, Wagner notched a season-high eight runs and 12 hits on offense.

OBP Machine
Junior Chris Smith has reached base safely in 14 of his 15 games en route to posting a team-best .476 OBP, which is 143 points better then the next best regular for the Seahawks.

Grand Larceny
For the second-straight year, the Green & White has been a force to reckoned with on the bases, recording 28 steals in 29 attempts and is led by Miller, who ranks third nationally with 1.0 steals per game and 10th with 15 total steals. At his current pace, the Keystone state native with shatter Damian Csakai's school-record of 41 set in 2010. Miller, who has 62 career stolen bases, is 11 behind Joey DiGeronimo for third place in school history.

Ruta, Mammino Earn NEC Accolades
Freshmen Ben Ruta and Paul Mammino has each been recognized by the NEC with Rookie of the Week citations. Ruta notched award No. 1 after going 2-for-2 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI in a 5-4 victory over Villanova. Mammino was then recognized after spinning 6.2 innings of five-hit ball in a 4-3 win at Norfolk State.

2012 NEC Poll
Bryant was tabbed first with CCSU second, Monmouth third, Sacred Heart fourth, LIU Brooklyn fifth, Wagner sixth, FDU seventh, Quinnipiac eighth and the Mount ninth.

Miller, Adams Garner Preseason Accolades
Miller was listed as the second-best professional prospect in the NEC and freshman LHP Mike Adams the third-best newcomer according to Baseball America in its annual preview.

Carone In The Pros
Carone has helped 15 of his former players, including 12 pitchers, sign contracts with Major League teams since 2006. Last year, Kyle McMyne became the Seahawk skipper's highest draft choice when he was taken by the by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round.

NEC In The Major Leagues
Joining Andrew Bailey in the Major Leagues from the Northeast Conference last season were former CCSU hurler Evan Scribner and former Monmouth pitcher Brad Brach as both saw time with the San Diego Padres out of the bullpen.

Up Next 
Wagner will host Saint Peter's in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 28 starting at 2:00 pm, before concluding the teams' bye weekend series with a single game on Saturday, March 30 at 1:00 pm.

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