Staten Island, NY - After earning its second sweep of the 2017 season over Rider, the Wagner College softball team now turns to its Northeast Conference (NEC) schedule, starting with a two-game series against Central Connecticut on Monday, April 3.
Second Sweep: The Seahawks exploded for a season-high 20 runs on 26 hits across both games last Wednesday at Rider, which, combined with dominant pitching performances by junior
Morgan Brown (Buckeye, AZ / Verrado), freshman
Amelia Van Orman (Orange, CA / Lutheran High School of Orange County) and senior
Gina Massaro (Levittown, PA / Conwell-Egan Catholic), carried the Seahawks to wins of 10-2 and 10-0. The Seahawks outscored the Broncs by a combined 20-2, while recording 13 hits in each game.
Last Time Out: After dropping a 4-1 decision to Central Connecticut in game one of last year's NEC doubleheader on April 17, the Green and White picked up their first conference win of the season with a 4-2 victory in game two. Senior centerfielder
Brianna Tredway (Downingtown, PA/Downingtown West) launched a three-run shot over the left field fence to lift Wagner over the Blue Devils and improve the Seahawks' record to 14-21 overall and 1-7 in NEC play.
Scouting The Blue Devils: CCSU enters the series at 4-14 overall after recently sweeping Albany and losing two to Robert Morris. The Blue Devils' other two victories came against the University of Pennsylvania and LaSalle. In 2016, CCSU finished with a 7-9 NEC record. Offensively, Brittany Camara leads the team with a .359 batting average, while Brittany McNulla has a team-high 12 RBIs on the year.
Rookie Power: Freshman
Kaila Smith (Millville, NJ / Millville) hit her fourth home run of the season in the sweep over Rider, which is tops on the Seahawk roster. Overall, freshmen have accounted for 75% of Wagner's home runs this season.
Gilbert Finding Her Groove: After extending her hit streak to six in game one against Rider, senior
Hana Gilbert (Valley Center, CA / Valley Center) was unable to record a base hit in game two. However, the senior continues to find her rhythm at the plate. Over the last seven games, Gilbert has collected eight hits, six RBIs, and four doubles.
First Collegiate Win: Freshman
Amelia Van Orman (Orange, CA / Lutheran High School of Orange County) recorded her first collegiate victory in game two over Rider. The first-year Seahawk threw three innings, allowing just one hit while keeping the opposition off the scoreboard. Apart from her work in the circle, Van Orman has accumulated 10 hits along with two RBIs at the plate.
Milestone Watch: Senior
Brianna Tredway (Downingtown, PA / Downingtown West) recorded her 30th career double in Wagner's loss to Utah State on March 10 and is up to 33 for her career after collecting another extra base hit against Manhattan. The fourth-year Seahawk needs six more doubles to tie Victoria Bastistelli for fifth place on the all-time list and currently leads the team with a .535 average. Former Wagner great Andrea Lazzari currently leads the category with 50 doubles throughout her career.
Next Up For Wagner: The Seahawks will travel to Monmouth on Wednesday, before embarking on a seven-game home stint, which will include four more NEC games.
