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The Bronx, NY - Wagner baseball (2-8-1) returns to action today as they travel to The Bronx to tangle with Atlantic-10 member, Fordham University, this afternoon.

INSIDE THE SERIES:

• This will be the 29th meeting between the two schools with Fordham holding a 20-7-1 edge in the head-to-head series.
• The Seahawks took the first meeting back in 1967, 5-3, and secured the victory in the next four outings. 

HITS KEEP COMING FOR RUTA:

• Junior Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) carries a 13-game hitting streak into today's contest with Fordham. The streak dates back to last season as Ruta went consecutive games with at least one hit against Elon before suffering an injury.
• This year, through the first 11 games, the New Jersey native is hitting a team leading .378 which includes a team-high 17 hits on the season. 

IRON MAN DINI:

• Senior Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) has started in 175 consecutive games.
• Among seniors in entire the NCAA, Dini ranks fourth, trailing Alex Perez of Virginia Tech (194), Dylan Bosheers of Tennessee Tech (183) and Keaton Jones of TCU (181). 

8th INNING BARRAGE:

• The Seahawks are hitting .417 in the eighth inning this season, their highest batting average in any inning played this year.

PAVING THE WAY:

• Fifth-year senior right-hander Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) will be making his second start of the 2015 campaign when he takes the hill for the Green & White against Fordham this afternoon.
• In his first outing of the season, the Staten Island native pitched 4.0 innings while giving up just three hits and two earned runs while striking out two batters back on March 10th against Fresno State University.

LAST TIME AGAINST FORDHAM:

• The Seahawks were limited to just one run on four hits as the Rams defeated Wagner, 8-1, back on March 5, 2013.  
• The only member of this year's squad that is left that got a hit in that contest was Dan Wasilick (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East), who singled in the top half of the ninth inning. 

SCOUTING FORDHAM:

• Fordham enters today's contest on a four-game winning streak as they swept Sunday's doubleheader against NYIT, 3-2 and 11-5.
• The Rams are hitting .276 with a balanced line-up that features six regulars hitting above .260 with Matthew Kozuch leading the way with a .417 average and a team-high 18 RBI.

GOOD SPOT:

• Freshman outfielder Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) currently leads the team in OB% at .556 which is currently good for 10th in the nation.
• Eric Hsieh of Yale is the nation's leader in on-base percentage with .614
• When the first year outfielder bats fifth in the Wagner order, the team is 2-0 this season.  

TOUGHEST TO STRIKE OUT:

• Senior Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) ranks among the top-100 players in the nation (75th overall) in toughest to strikeout as he has only struck-out three times in 40 at-bats.

DINI NAMED TO 2015 JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST: 

• The Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission has announced that Wagner senior catcher Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) is one of 75 backstops to be named to the official watch list for the 2015 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com, given annually to the top Division I collegiate catcher.
• For Dini, it marks the second straight season in which the Garden State native was selected as a nominee for the award. In 2014, the fourth-year catcher batted .303 during Northeast Conference (NEC) play, with 24 runs, eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, 23 RBI and 18 stolen bases, tied for the second-most in the circuit while his four home runs were tied for seventh. Additionally, Dini threw out 39.4 percent (13-of-39) of runners trying to steal and currently is one of five Division I players to have started in every contest for his team (171 straight games) 

GOEKE AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION

• Sophomore Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) is among the top pitchers in the nation in a Hits Per 9 innings, allowing just 3.46 which is good for fifth in the nation and trails overall leader, Jordan Sheffield of Vanderbilt (2.81). 
• The second-year righty ranks just outside the top-50 in WHIP at 0.85.
• Goeke leads the Wagner pitching staff in ERA (2.08), tied for wins (1); fourth on the team in strikeouts (12); and has held opponents to just a .122 batting average.

WAGNER'S TOP 40:

• The Seahawks recorded a season-high 40 at-bats against American Athletic Conference member, South Florida, back on February 22.

SWEET 16 

• Wagner smashed a season-high 16 hits in the victory over Northeastern back on March 14th. 

NEXT UP FOR WAGNER:

• Pending any schedule additions, the Seahawks will travel to Old Westbury as they take on NYIT on Saturday, March 28 for a doubleheader. 

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