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Plymouth Meeting, PA – Wagner (2-15) will look to snap a seven-game losing streak when it takes to the road for three games against Villanova (7-15) starting on Friday, March 28 at 3:15 pm. The teams will then play a single game on Saturday, March 29 at 1:15 pm before concluding their series with another single game on Sunday, March 30 at 1:15 pm.
Schedule
* Friday, March 28 - Wagner vs. Villanova - 3:15 pm - Live Stats
* Pitching Match-Up: Sr. RHP Ryan Casey (0-3, 4.88 ERA; 27.2 IP | 7 K | 5 BB) vs. Jr. LHP Josh Harris (2-4, 4.59 ERA; 33.1 IP | 20 K | 13 BB)
* Saturday, March 29 - Wagner vs. Villanova - 1:15 pm - Live Stats
* Pitching Match-Up: Sr. LHP Matt Morris (1-4, 5.96 ERA; 25.2 IP | 16 K | 11 BB) vs. TBA
* Saturday, March 30 - Wagner vs. Villanova - 1:15 pm - Live Stats
* Pitching Match-Up: Fr. RHP Danny Marsh (0-1, 4.91 ERA; 14.2 IP | 5 K | 3 BB) vs. Fr. LHP Hunter Schryver (0-3, 3.86 ERA; 21.0 IP | 17 K | 9 BB)
Playing The Best
The Seahawks have the fourth toughest schedule to date according to
Boyd's World, including playing seven-straight games against teams ranked in the Top 15.
The Rest ...
Of the NEC has combined to play six games against ranked opposition.
Impressive
The five teams (Elon, Texas State, Army, No. 8 Cal Poly, No. 15 UC Santa Barbara) that the Green & White has squared off on the weekends this season have an 81-32 (.717) record.
The Last Time ...
That Wagner and Villanova met, the Seahawks posted a thrilling 5-4 extra-inning victory against the Wildcats on February 22, 2013. In the Green & White's season-opening victory, sophomore
Ben Ruta scored the tying run in the ninth before driving in the eventual winning run in the 10th. Senior
Chris Smith also recorded a pair of hits to lead the way for Wagner while junior RHP
Anthony Battaglia struck out four over 2.0 hitless innings of relief in earning the victory.
City Of Brotherly Love
The Seahawks dropped all three games they played in Philadelphia area last season and have lost five-of-seven since in the nation's former capital since the 2000 season.
Homecoming Of Sorts
This weekend's series marks a homecoming of sorts for Wagner head coach
Jim Carone, who served as the pitching coach/recruiting coordinator at Villanova under Joe Godri for three seasons from 2009-2011. During his stint with the Wildcats, Carone helped developed nine players that were either drafted or signed with Major League organizations, including six pitchers.
High Five
The Seahawks have scored five runs or more twice this season while the Wildcats have done so 10 times.
Not Bad
Despite sporting a 2-15 record, the Green & White has been in the majority of its games while limiting opposing offense to less than five runs in six of its 17 games despite playing against the third toughest schedule in the nation.
UC Santa Barbara Recap
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara took all four games from Wagner despite the fact that junior
Nick Dini and freshman
Nick Mascelli each hit .333. Mascelli reached base safely in all four games and scored four runs while recording a team-best .412 OBP. Dini, meanwhile, notched a triple, home run, four RBI and two runs while having a hand in six (4 RBI | 2 runs) of the Seahawks' 10 runs. In the opener, the Green & White took a 4-2 lead into the seventh inning after senior RHP
Ryan Casey struck out two and didn't walk a batter over 6.0 solid innings of two-run ball. After being swept in Saturday's doubleheader, the visitors trailed by just three runs after 7.5 innings before yielding four runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Mascelli Mashing
Whoever said freshmen should sit and wait their turn obviously don't know
Nick Mascelli. The rookie shortstop leads Wagner in hitting (.290), runs (7), hits (18), walks (10) and OBP (.405). The Garden State native is also batting a team-best .385 with runners in scoring position while also pacing the squad with six multi-hit games and has reached base safely in 14-of-17 games.
Californication
Mascelli reached base safely in all seven of the Seahawks' games in California while posting an impressive .467 OBP (14-of-30).
Dini Domination
At No. 15 UCSB, Dini matched Mascelli with a supurb .333 average while clouting his first triple of the season and his second home run. Since starting the season 8-for-42 (.190), the Garden State native is 7-for-21 (.333) with five RBI and three walks while posting a six-game hitting streak. Despite batting just .238 this season, the Johnny Bench Award candidate has a team-best eight RBI while reaching base safely in 14-of-17 games.
Man Of Many Positions
Dini saw time at catcher, third base and second base against No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.
Smith Supurb
Senior
Chris Smith has reached base in 14 straight games and 16-of-17 this season. The Sunshine State native also has a team-best six doubles and six stolen bases and is batting .375 with runners in scoring position.
100-Hit Club
Smith became the 50th member of the Wagner 100-hit club in the UCSB series finale.
Casey On The Bump
Casey leads the Seahawks with a 4.88 ERA while striking out and walking just five over a team-best 27.2 innings of work. His 1.63 walks per nine innings also ranks fourth in the NEC and 142nd nationally.
Streak Snapped
In Wagner's game-three loss against No. 15 UCSB, the Seahawk pitching staff limited Joey Epperson to a 0-for-3 showing at the plate while snapping the .493 batter's 24-game hitting streak.
On The Road Again
After this weekend, the Seahawks will have played all 20 of its games away from the friendly confines of Staten Island. Additionally, Wagner was forced to play its home opener at MCU Park in Brooklyn. The Seahawks are currently slated to host St. John's on Wednesday, April 2 at 3:30 pm at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
Flynn Flying High
Senior
Shaun Flynn has reached base in 11 straight games and 12-of-13 on the season en route to posting a team-best .313 batting average and a .417 slugging percentage while ranking second with a .400 OBP. Since starting the season just 1-for-13 at the plate, he is hitting a team-best .327 (16-for-49).
The Trio ...
Of Mascelli (6), Flynn (4), and Smith (3) have accounted for 13 of the Seahawks' 19 multi-hit games.
Sacrificing For The Team
Junior
Jason Gordon delivered a successful safety squeeze against No. 8 Cal Poly and leads the NEC with three sacrifice hits.
Happy Returns
Senior
Nick Pavia and junior
Evon Previte each hurled scoreless innings of relief against No. 15 UCSB in their first appearances since the 2012 season. Both righties missed all of last season due to injury.
Morris Named NEC Pitcher Of The Week
Morris earned the victory against the Black Knights and was named NEC Pitcher of the Week after allowing just one unearned run on four hits over 7.1 dominating innings. The Garden State native also struck out three while limiting Army to a .160 average and surrendered just one hit over his final three-plus innings of work. For Morris, it is his second career NEC weekly accolade.
Dini Named To Johnny Bench Award List
Dini was one of 72 backstops to be named to the official watch list for the 2014 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com. Dini, who has hit safely in five of six games this season, earned First Team All-Northeast Conference (NEC) honors as a catcher last season, batting .312 with a team-best 20 extra-base hits, including 14 doubles, two triples and four home runs with a team-leading 46 RBI. Additionally, the two-year starter threw out 29.4 percent (10-of-34) of runners trying to steal.
2014 NEC Poll
Bryant was tabbed first with Sacred Heart second, CCSU third, Sacred Heart, LIU Brooklyn fourth, Wagner fifth, the Mount sixth and Fairleigh Dickinson seventh.
NEC Play Set To Start
Wagner opens up NEC play next weekend at LIU Brooklyn with four games starting on April 4.
Early Start
The April 4th start to the NEC schedule is the latest start to a conference slate for the Seahawks since opening against LIU Brooklyn on April 5, 2008.
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