Game Notes / Coach Carone Interview / Live Stats

Staten Island, NY - Winners of three of its last five games, Wagner (5-14) will be aiming for its first series victory of the season against a stout Saint Peter's (7-12) squad that took two of three from MAAC power Canisius last weekend. Click HERE to listen to Carone's thoughts on last weekend's performance while also looking ahead to this weekend's series.

Schedule
* Thursday, March 28 - Saint Peter's at Wagner (2:00 pm)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Jr. LHP Matt Morris (0-1, 10.38 ERA; 4.1 IP / 3 K / 4 BB) vs. Jr. RHP Zack Hopf (1-3, 4.50 ERA; 32.0 IP / 23 K / 10 BB)

* Thursday, March 28 - Saint Peter's at Wagner (5:00 pm) (7 innings)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Jr. RHP Ryan Casey (0-3, 6.83 ERA; 29.0 IP / 17 K / 6 BB) vs. TBA

* Saturday, March 30 - Saint Peter's at Wagner (1:00 pm)
* Live Stats Link
* Pitching Match-Up: Fr. LHP Paul Mammino (2-0, 2.28 ERA; 23.2 IP / 13 K / 13 BB) vs. Fr. RHP John Leiter (1-2, 3.68 ERA; 22.0 IP / 14 K / 17 BB)

Notes:
Series Breakdown
The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday, March 28 starting at 2:00 pm, before capping their three-game series on Saturday, March 30 with a single game at 1:00 pm.

SHU Recap
The Seahawks split last weekend's series with 2x defending NEC Champion Sacred Heart, winning games two and four, and were led by juniors Chris Smith (.400, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB) and Ian Miller (.357, 2 R, 2 SB).

Rookies Take Charge
Both Green & White wins last weekend came from freshmen Mammino and Nathan Hunt, while the duo along with fellow newcomer freshman Mike Adams combined to allow just three hits over 12.0 innings of action (3.00 ERA). Mammino struck out three over 5.0 innings of two-hit ball in collecting the first Wagner victory, while Hunt struck out two over 1.2 frames in the series-finale against the Pioneers.

Streak Snapped
The Seahawks' 6-4 series-ending victory over SHU snapped a six-game road losing streak to SHU, while giving the Green & White just its second win in the last 11 games at the 2x defending league champion.

Additionally
Wagner picked up just its second victory in the final game of a conference series in its last eight tries against the Pioneers on Sunday. The Seahawks went 2-6 in such games a year ago.

On The Road
Prior to last weekend's series-ending victory over the Pioneers, the Green & White had gone just 5-18 in road series finales since the 2007 season.

Last Time Against Saint Peter's
Wagner posted a decisive 19-2 victory in the teams' lone match-up a year ago. In that game, the Seahawks scored 19 runs on 21 hits while seeing 10 different student-athletes hit safely. Freshman Evon Previte collected his first career win on the mound, surrendering one run over 3.0 innings.

The Most Since ...
The Green & White's 19 runs were the most since scoring 21 against Coppin State on March 18, 2009 while its 21 hits were the most since notching 22 against Iona on April 28, 2010. Additionally, senior Nick Alfano matched his career-high with four hits while notching a personal-best four RBI. Sophomore Nick Dini also set highs with three runs and five RBI.

The Series With Saint Peter's
Wagner has claimed three of the last five match-ups with Saint Peter's, including going 3-1 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Since 2000 ...
The Seahawks are 8-6 against the Peacocks, including 6-3 when playing on Staten Island. The Green & White is also 16-16 during that time against teams from the MAAC.

Did You Know???
Wagner defeated Saint Peter's 8-3 in the Seahawks' first-ever game at Richmond County Bank Ballpark (R.C.B.B.) back on March 13, 2008. In that game former Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals farmhand Joe Testa struck out 10 over 6.0 scoreless innings while Brian Martutartus clouted the ballpark's first home run, a grand slam to left field.

At The Ballpark
Wagner holds an all-time record of 73-39 (.652) at R.C.B.B. since the program began calling the stadium home for the 2008 campaign. Additionally, the Seahawks are 49-28 (.636) during NEC games and 24-11 (.686) in non-conference match-ups - including going 8-4 (.667) against MAAC opposition.

Carone Against Saint Peter's
Jim Carone holds an all-time record of 8-2 against the Peacocks, going 3-0 as a player, 0-1 as an assistant for the Green & White, 4-1 as an assistant with Rider and 1-0 as a head coach.

Gordon Comes Up Clutch
Sophomore Jason Gordon went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in the Green & White's 5-2 victory in game one of a doubleheader with Sacred Heart.

Prior To That Game ...
Gordon was hitting .042 (1-for-24) ... The Maryland native went 3-for-5 with  four RBI and two runs on the weekend while raising his average 96 points to .138.

Mad Max
Despite not getting the win against Sacred Heart in the series finale, sophomore Max Schmardel has been impressive during his career against the Pioneers. Schmardel has allowed just five hits and one earned run over 8.0 career innings against the 2x defending NEC Champions.

Miller Mashing
Miller is in the midst of a team-best eight-game hitting streak, batting .355 (11-of-31) with six stolen bases, six runs and five RBI while posting a .429 OBP. On the year, the Keystone State native is second on the team in hitting (.282) with a team-best 22 hits, 10 runs and 17 stolen bases (8th NCAA).

Smith's Success
Smith, like Miller, is off to a fantastic start this season. The Sunshine State native has now reached base safely in 18 of his 19 games on the year and leads Wagner in hitting (.333), runs (10), home runs (1), RBI (10), walks (13), HBP (4), OBP (.475) and slugging (.444).

Steal City
The Seahawks have 358 stolen bases over the last four years while leading the conference each season and this year has been no different. The Green & White is again at the top of the league rankings with 39 stolen bases (33rd NCAA) in just 19 games. At its current rate of 2.05 steals per game (25th NCAA), Wagner would finish with 113 steals while bettering the previous record of 98 set in 2010. All told, since the start of the 2009 campaign the Seahawks are 397-for-504 on stolen base attempts.

On The Year
Wagner ranks 25th nationally with 2.05 steals per game and are 33rd with 39 thefts.

Eight Is Great
In the Seahawks' 6-4 series-finale win over the Pioneers, the Green & White was a perfect 8-for-8 on the bases while notching the most stolen bases by a NEC team since the 2010 season.

Closing It Out
Sophomore RHP Anthony Battaglia picked up his first save of the year with 2.0 innings of one-run ball in Wagner's 5-2 game-one victory over Sacred Heart on Saturday. In Sunday's 6-4 win, senior RHP Nick Alfano closed out the game with 2.2 innings of relief while pitching in just his third career game.

At The Plate
Alfano has also been a solid offensive force this season, batting .266 with seven runs and seven RBI while manning a spot in the middle of the order. He enters this weekend's play just two hits shy of becoming the 47th member of the Seahawk 100-hit club.

Ascending The Charts
With four more stolen bases, Miller will crack the Green & White top-10 list and is nine back of former Baltimore Oriole farmhand Joey DiGeronimo (73) for third on the school's career stolen base list.

Did You Know??? 
Miller has been successful on the bases 64 times in 74 career attempts, but is just 1-for-3 against Saint Peter's catcher James Smith.

Nice
Junior RHP Ryan Casey struck out a career-high six batters in the series opener against Sacred Heart.

Ruta, Mammino Earn NEC Accolades
Freshmen Ben Ruta and Mammino have 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.

2013 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 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 2006 graduate Andrew Bailey in the Major Leagues from the Northeast Conference (NEC) last season were former CCSU hurler Evan Scribner (Oakland A's) and former Monmouth pitcher Brad Brach (San Diego Padres).

Bailey vs. Carone
Bailey and Carone squared off during the 2003 season and it was Bailey that got the better of Carone, leading Wagner to an 8-3 victory over Monmouth (4/23/03). The Red Sox reliever struck out six over 5.2 innings of one-run ball while the Seahawk coach was tagged for four earned runs over four frames.

Up Next
Wagner will travel to St. John's on Wednesday, April 3 at 3:00 pm in a game that will be broadcast live over the internet through ESPN3.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @WagBaseball for news and updates on the baseball program.