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Smithfield, RI – Wagner (17-31; 9-11 NEC) will conclude its regular season against defending NEC Champion and 2014 Regular Season Winner Bryant (37-12; 17-3 NEC) at Conaty Park. The teams will open their series with a 1:00 pm doubleheader on Thursday, May 15 before locking horns on Friday, May 16 with a 12:00 pm doubleheader.
Schedule* Thursday, May 15 - Wagner at Bryant - 1:00 pm
* Scheduled Starters: Sr. RHP Ryan Casey (4-4, 3.06 ERA; 70.2 IP | 27 K | 17 BB) vs. Jr. RHP Kevin McAvoy (7-1; 3.17 ERA; 76.2 IP | 76 K | 21 BB)
* Thursday, May 15 - Wagner at Bryant - 4:00 pm
* Scheduled Starters: Sr. LHP Matt Morris (3-5, 3.66 ERA; 66.1 IP | 29 K | 18 BB) vs. Sr. RHP Craig Schlitter (8-1; 2.39 ERA; 71.2 IP | 54 K | 17 BB)
* Friday, May 16 - Wagner at Bryant - 12:00 pm
* Scheduled Starters: Fr. RHP Nolan Long (2-3, 3.38 ERA; 37.1 IP | 28 K | 18 BB) vs. Sr. RHP Vaughn Hayward (9-2; 2.52 ERA; 60.2 IP | 42 K | 19 BB)* Friday, May 16 - Wagner at Bryant - 2:30 pm
* Scheduled Starters: Fr. RHP Danny Marsh (4-3, 4.50 ERA; 50.0 IP | 27 K | 11 BB) vs. So. RHP Kyle Wilcox (3-1; 3.21 ERA; 53.1 IP | 40 K | 31 BB)PlayoffsThe Seahawks would clinch a spot in next week's NEC Tournament in Norwich, CT with three victories this week but could qualify with two if Mount St. Mary's splits with FDU or if the Mount wins three and Sacred Heart gets swept.
Magic NumbersWagner is a perfect 8-0 during league play when scoring four runs or more and 8-2 when limiting the opposition to two runs or less.
Last Time OutLast weekend, the Seahawks defeated Sacred Heart in the first two games of the series by scores of 4-1 and 6-2 before dropping the final two by counts of 4-3 and 3-1.
Chris Keeps On CrushingSenior
Chris Smith batted a team-leading .444 (4-for-9) with two solo home runs, a walk and two sacrifice hits to lead the way for the Green & White against SHU while extending his hitting streak to seven games. During the seven-game skeen, Smith is batting .522 (12-for-23) with seven runs, four doubles, two home runs and seven RBI while slugging at a .957 clip. Smith has now hit safely in 14-of-19 NEC games with nine multi-hit performances en route to batting a team-best .369 in NEC-only action.
Leading The WaySmith paces Wagner and ranks among the NEC leaders in batting average (.320-10th), doubles (14-2nd), home runs (5-3rd), slugging (.531-2nd), total bases (78-6th), OBP (.416-7th) and stolen bases (10-9th). Additionally, his 0.33 doubles per game rate is 77th nationally.
Five-SpotSmith's first career multi-homer game in Saturday's 6-2 win over Sacred Heart gives him five for the season, marking the most by a Seahawk since Vin Avella clouted a school-record 17 in 2010.
Yesko Goes YardJunior
Zack Yesko preceded Smith's second blast against the Pioneers with his first career home run, a three-run shot. Yesko finished up 2-for-3 with a double, home run and a career-high four RBI.
Back-To-BackYesko and Smith became the first Green & White teammates to hit back-to-back home runs in a game since Avella and Jon Lucas did so against Bethune Cookman on March 13, 2010. Yesko is now hitting a team-best .429 (9-for-21) with runners in scoring position during league play.
(Not So) Homer HappyThe three Wagner home runs hit on Saturday against Sacred Heart were the only Seahawk long balls recorded in 18 home games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in 2014.
Starting Pitching Comes Up BigFor the second-straight weekend, all four Wagner starting pitchers allowed two earned runs or less over at least 6.0 innings of work en route to recording a 1.29 team ERA. For the season, the Seahawk starters have allowed two earned runs or less in 15 of their 20 conference starts en route to posting a 3.32 team ERA (3rd NEC) during that time.
Long DayThe Green & White resumed Saturday's halted game with Sacred Heart at 12:04 pm before playing a doubleheader that ended at 6:42 pm. All told, the teams played 20 innings.
Senior DayPrior to Sunday's games with the Pioneers, the program honored seniors
Ryan Casey,
Shaun Flynn,
Matt Morris,
Nick Pavia and Smith.
Battle Of The AcesCasey improved to 4-4 on the season while lowering his ERA to 3.06 (8th NEC) after allowing just one run over 8.0 innings of Wagner's 4-1 series-opening win against Sacred Heart. The Garden State native outdueled projected MLB Draft Pick Kody Kerski while improving to a perfect 4-0 during league play with 12 strikeouts and a 0.91 ERA over 29.2 innings.
At The BallparkCasey is now 12-5, all-time, against league opposition, including going 8-1 with a 2.63 ERA over 11 career NEC starts at home.
Matty Mo No SlouchMorris also improved to 2-0 with a 1.59 ERA over 34.0 innings during NEC play in 2014 by virtue of pitching the Seahawks to a 6-2 win on Saturday. For the season, he is 3-5 with a 3.66 ERA (13th NEC) over 66.1 innings of action.
Long Fans Career-High SevenFreshman RHP
Nolan Long struck out a career-high seven over 6.0 innings in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader with Sacred Heart. For the season, he is 2-3 with 28 strikeouts over 37.1 innings of action while limiting opposing hitters to a .187 average.
Tough-Luck LongLong lost for the third-straight start against the Pioneers and has received just three runs of support during that stretch while striking out 15 and recording a 2.00 ERA over 18.0 innings of work.
At The TopDuring league play, Casey (.192), Long (.196) and Morris (.206) are all ranked among the top-four of the league in opposing batting average with Sacred Heart's James Cooksey (.160) the only one better.
Flynn Celebrates Final Home WeekendFlynn hit .308 (4-for-13) with three runs, two walks and two stolen bases in his final career series at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. On the season, he is hitting .279 with a team-best 23 RBI and seven multi-RBI games.
Record Breaking MazJunior
Tommy Mazurkiewicz was hit by a pitch for the 18th time this season on Saturday, breaking Damian Csakai's previous single-season school-record set in 2010. He has now been hit 19 times this season after being plunked once more on Sunday and ranks 16th nationally.
Home CookingWagner completed its longest homestand since the 2009 season with a 5-4 record while hitting .277 while pitching to a miniscule 1.54 ERA. Additionally, the bullpen recorded an impressive 1.06 ERA with 14 strikeouts, against just one walk, with three saves over 17.0 innings.
Bloody Paces The PenJunior RHP
Steven Bloodworth stepped to the forefront during the recent surge by the Seahawk bullpen, recording three saves with five strikeouts and a 1.35 ERA during that time. On the year, he has a team-best matching four saves with a 3.16 ERA and 17 strikeouts, against just two walks, over 25.2 innings spanning a team-best 21 appearances.
Adams Dominating Out Of The PenSophomore RHP
Mike Adams struck out five over 4.1 innings of relief last weekend against Sacred Heart, yielding just a pair of unearned runs.
The NicksFreshman
Nick Mascelli and junior
Nick Dini each also hit above .300 last weekend against the Pioneers, rounding out the top performers for the Green & White. For Mascelli, it continues his solid season that has seen the rookie shortstop bat .311 (13th) with a team-best 57 hits (7th NEC), 16 multi-hit games and 22 walks (4th NEC) to go along with 24 runs and a .404 OBP (9th NEC). Dini, meanwhile, has hit in six-straight games and for the season is hitting .256 with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 20 RBI and 18 stolen bases (2nd NEC).
Scouting BryantDefending NEC Champion Bryant enters with a RPI of 36 and with three wins would notch its second-straight 40-victory season. The Bulldogs are the most balanced league team in recent memory, hitting .305 with six regulars batting above .300, while posting a 3.18 ERA that ranks second in the circuit.
Road Trippin'While it is typically tougher to play a team on its home terrain, that may not be the case this weekend as Bryant recently became first NEC team to a record a perfect conference road slate at 12-0. The Bulldogs, who have 28 road/neutral victories, are a stout 9-3 at home this season.
The Bulldog AttackJunior outfielder Carl Anderson is hitting .318 with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 38 RBI and a NEC-best 27 stolen bases to lead arguably the top outfield in the league. Freshman Matt Albanese is batting .346 with a NEC-leading 15 doubles, four triples, two home runs and 35 RBI while sophomore AJ Zarozney is hitting .397 with six doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI despite missing 31 games due to injury. Junior John Mullen (.325, 10 doubles, 4 HR, 33 RBI), sophomore Robby Rinn (.316, 11 doubles, two home runs, 32 RBI) and senior Tom Gavitt (.310, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 5 HR, 24 RBI) round out the top BU regulars on offense.
The RotationBryant has arguably the top rotation in the Northeast with junior Kevin McAvoy (7-1, 3.17 ERA), senior Craig Schlitter (8-1, 2.39 ERA) and classmate Vaughn Hayward (9-2, 2.52 ERA) leading the way. The right-handed trio also a combined 172 strikeouts, against just 57 walks, over 199.0 innings. Sophomore RHP Kyle Wilcox, the fourth Bulldog starter, is 3-1 with 40 strikeouts and a respectable 3.21 ERA over 53.1 innings.
Last YearBryant took all four games while limiting the Seahawks to just nine runs and a .211 average. Sophomore
Ben Ruta led all players, batting .538 (7-for-13) with two RBI and two walks. Smith also posted a .533 OBP to lead the way on offense for Wagner.
The SeriesThe Bulldogs leads the all-time series by a 13-3 margin, including going 7-1 in Smithfield, RI.
Now That's TightAll 16 games between the teams have been decided by four runs or less, including eight by just one run.
That Was QuickWagner needed just 1 hour and 51 minutes to defeat Hofstra, marking the quickest nine-inning game since defeating Sacred Heart 8-0 on May 17, 2008.
Gordon Heating UpOver his last 18 games, junior
Jason Gordon is hitting .333 (25-of-75) with 13 RBI, six runs, four doubles and a triple while raising his average 79 points to its current .275 mark.
The Art Of The Stolen BaseDini is second in the NEC with 18 stolen bases in an efficient 21 attempts. On defense, the Seahawk catcher has thrown out 40.7 percent (11-of-27) of runners on the bases.
Dini During NEC Play ...The Garden State native has reached base safely in 17-of-20 conference games and batting .311 with 23 hits, seven runs, six RBI and 11 stolen bases.
For His Career ...Dini is hitting .297 (91-for-306) with 15 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 52 RBI over 84 NEC games.
Jersey State Of MindWagner, which has 19 players from the Garden State, has played 13 games against teams from New Jersey, going 9-4.
Adams AssaultAdams has 24 strikeouts over 22.2 innings of action and is averaging 9.5 Ks per nine innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .253 average.
In The Pros2013 Seattle Mariner 14th round selection
Ian Miller recently started his second pro season with the Clinton LumberKings of the Low A Midwest League and is hitting .286 (28-for-98) with 23 runs, seven walks, six extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases over 26 games.
Miller On ESPNMiller also was featured on
ESPN's SportsCenter after going 4-for-8 with three runs and a pair of RBI as Clinton rallied from a 16-run deficit to defeat Burlington 20-17 on Wednesday, May 7.
What A Difference A Year MakesLast season, Wagner posted a 22-16 win over St. John's with the teams combining for 38 runs on 39 hits in a game that took 4 hours and 12 minutes. This year, the teams recorded a combined three runs on nine hits and needed just 2 hours and 21 minutes to complete the non-conference tilt.
Marsh/Long Notch College FirstsIn the victory at Monmouth, Marsh collected his first collegiate win with two strikeouts over 2.2 scoreless innings of work. Long also earned his first career save by getting the final five outs.
At The BallparkWagner holds an all-time record of 95-55 (.613) at Richmond County Bank Ballpark since the program began calling the stadium home for the 2008 campaign. Additionally, the Seahawks are 64-41 (.610) during NEC games and 31-14 (.689) in non-conference match-ups.
Bailey On The BumpFormer Wagner standout and 2006 graduate
Andrew Bailey earned his first World Series Championship as a member of the Boston Red Sox a year ago and recently signed a contract with the New York Yankees.
2014 NEC PollBryant was tabbed first with Sacred Heart second, CCSU third, LIU Brooklyn fourth, Wagner fifth, the Mount sixth and Fairleigh Dickinson seventh.
Carone In The ProsCarone has helped 16 of his former players, including 12 pitchers, sign contracts with Major League teams since 2006. Last year, Miller was taken in the 14th round of the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
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