Live Stats

Piscataway, NJ – The Wagner baseball team will make the short trek to Big Ten member Rutgers for the second time in a two-week span today with first pitch at Bainton Field set for 3:30 p.m. When these teams met on April 7 in Piscataway, the Seahawks erupted for 10 runs on eight hits in the top of the eighth inning in overcoming a 4-1 deficit en route to an 11-4 victory.

This marked the second straight season that the Seahawks have knocked off the Scarlet Knights and head coach Joe Litterio, who served as Wagner's head coach from 2001-2012. On April 23, 2014, the Seahawks earned a 10-7 win over Rutgers at Richmond County Park. Wagner has now beaten Rutgers twice in the last five years as the Seahawks, with Litterio at the helm, earned an 11-5 road victory over the Scarlet Knights on March 30, 2011.

The Green & White, who split their four-game series with the NJIT Highlanders this past weekend , enter today's play with a record of 16-14-1. Senior C/INF Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) continues to lead the Seahawks with a .366 batting average while junior INF/OF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) has registered a team-high 26 RBIs.
 
Scouting The Scarlet Knights:

• Rutgers (12-26-1; 5-10 Big Ten) has dropped its last three contests after being swept by Big Ten foe Michigan State at home over the weekend. 
• On the year, Tom Marcinczyk leads the Scarlet Knights with a .317 batting average, a .507 slugging percentage and a .407 on-base percentage.
• Chris Suseck, along with Marcinczyk, leads the Scarlet Knights with 24 RBIs, while Joe D'Annunzio has scored 28 runs and has 12 stolen bases.

 
Say, Don't You Look Familiar?:

• Wagner will be squaring off against former head coach Joe Litterio, who spent 12 seasons as the head coach of the Green & White. He left the program as the winningest coach in school history (240) in 2012, guiding eight players to contracts with Major League teams, including 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and All-Star, Andrew Bailey. 
• In his 12 seasons, Litterio guided the Seahawks to seven postseason appearances, including the program's lone trip to the 2000 NCAA Regional where Wagner faced the University of Miami (FL) and Florida Atlantic University. 
• The Seahawks are 2-0 against their former skipper.

Deja Vu:

• When the Seahawks and Scarlet Knights meet, Wagner will face freshman right-hander John O'Reilly for the second time this season he was the starting pitcher in the April 7 matchup, allowing one run and three hits over seven innings.On the year, the 6'5" O'Reilly has posted a 3.16 ERA in 37 innings pitched. 

All-Time Series:

• Wagner trails Rutgers in the all-time head-to-head matchup, 4-19-2 but enters today's contest winners of two straight against the Big Ten school. 
• The Seahawks have outscored Rutgers 21-11 over the two previous meetings. 

 Quick Hitters:

• Senior CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) is batting .458 over his last six games. 
• Since taking over the lead-off duties back on April 4, Nicosia is batting .316 in those 14 games, going 18-for-57 while notching four doubles, five RBIs, and slugging close to .400.
• Freshman OF Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) has posted a batting average of .421 over his last six games. In the last 10 games, in which Wagner is 7-3, Godino has batted .414 (12-for-29) while driving in seven runs and has swiped 4-of-5 bases.

Up Next:

• Wagner will return home to Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Friday, April 24 to begin a four-game series vs. Northeast Conference (NEC) foe Central Connecticut with first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m. The Seahawks are tied for third place in NEC play at 5-3 while the Blue Devils are tied for fourth, entering the series with a league mark of 5-7.

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