Staten Island, NY – Sitting at 4-2 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play and looking for a spot in May's postseason tournament; the Wagner College softball team will make the short trip across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to face off with LIU Brooklyn tomorrow, before traveling to Sacred Heart on Saturday.
 
Another Sweep: The Seahawks team picked up a non-conference sweep over Saint Peter's with a tightrope 1-0 victory in game one followed by an 11-1 offensive outburst in the nightcap. Freshman Amelia Van Orman (Orange, CA / Lutheran High School of Orange County) picked up the game-winning RBI in game one before recording two doubles and earning the win in the nightcap, lasting five innings and striking out two.
 
Prihoda Named Player Of The Week: Sophomore  Karen Prihoda (Hamilton Square, NJ / The Lawrenceville School) was named College Sports Madness NEC Player of the Week following her performance last week. Prihoda was a crucial part of Wagner's 4-2 start in NEC play, as the sophomore collected 16 hits in eight games. Prihoda is currently first among all Northeast Conference players and 31st in the country in batting average (.430). The sophomore also recorded the 100th hit of her career against Saint Peter's on Tuesday while stealing the 26th base of her two-year Seahawk career to break into the top five all-time.
 
Recapping The Last Season's Contest: In 2016, the Seahawks came away with a 2-2 record against the upcoming two opponents, sweeping Sacred Heart at home by a score of 2-1 in the first game and 4-2 in the nightcap. Morgan Brown (Buckeye, AZ / Verrado) picked up the victory in game one, while Lauren Serrato (Litchfield, AZ/Verrado), Jessica Carlucci (Manalapan, NJ/Saint John Vianney), and Maddie Marable (Reno, NV/Earl Wooster) all homered in game two.
 
Rookie Power: Freshman Kaila Smith (Millville, NJ / Millville) is up to seven home runs on the year, which is tops on the Seahawk roster and just three away from fifth place on the single-season record list in Wagner history. Overall, Smith has accounted for 58% of Wagner's long balls this season.
 
Saving The Day: Senior McKaleigh Goodale (Bradenton, FL / Lakewood Ranch) pitched a perfect two innings in relief against Bryant on Sunday to earn her NEC-leading third save of the season and ninth of her career. Earlier this year, Goodale became Wagner's all-time saves leader in Wagner's victory, as the Sunshine State native moved past former Wagner greats Morgan Miller and Krystle Petty on the all-time saves list.
 
Brown's Career Day: Junior Morgan Brown (Buckeye, AZ / Verrado) earned victories in both of her starts last week, striking out a career-high 10 batters against Fairleigh Dickinson. Overall, the junior fanned 15 batters in two games, going 12 innings while only allowing two earned runs. Brown is Wagner's leader with seven wins on the season while picking up her first save of the season against Saint Peter's on Tuesday.
 
Scouting The Blackbirds: LIU Brooklyn is currently at 2-4 in NEC play, splitting with Mount Saint Mary's and Robert Morris while falling to Saint Francis U. On the season, the Blackbirds are 16-25.
 
Scouting the Pioneers: Sacred Heart enters the weekend at 9-18 overall, having lost its last three games. The Pioneers are 1-1 in the conference after splitting with Central Connecticut earlier this month and face off with Bryant today.
 
Next Up For Wagner: The Seahawks will play a doubleheader at Fairleigh Dickinson next Sunday, April 30, for another crucial conference matchup.