NEC STANDINGS (Through Games Played 5/3/17)

Teaneck, NJ - The Wagner College baseball team resumes Northeast Conference (NEC) play this weekend as the Seahawks travel to Teaneck, NJ to square off against the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights in a pivotal conference series. The Seahawks enter play at 14-22 overall and 6-8 in league play, currently occupying the fifth spot. The Knights, who are 11-24, are 7-8, are a game ahead of Wagner for the final NEC-playoff spot, as the top four teams at season's end qualify for the postseason. 
 
Scouting The Seahawks: Despite dropping its final non-conference game of the 2017 season, a wild 12-10 setback at Rutgers on Tuesday, Wagner is 5-5 in its last ten games while going 4-3 in their last seven NEC contests. At Rutgers, seven of the nine Seahawk starters had a hit on the afternoon. Sophomore CF Joe Silvestrone (Manalapan, NJ/Freehold Township) went 2-for-5 with a career-best four RBIs. Junior LF Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) drove in three of the team's ten runs on the afternoon while going 3-for-5 and two runs. Freshman designated hitter, Freddy Sabido (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner [Saint Louis Univ]), had three hits with a run scored while junior RF Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) contributed two RBIs.
 
We Meet Again:  Wagner and FDU will be meeting for the second time this season as the schools opened NEC play back on March 24 and 25 when the Knights took two-of-three from the Green & White at MCU Park in Brooklyn. In the series opener, Wagner fell 7-5 in 12 innings as the Knights scored twice in the top of the 12th. Owen Vonesslinger singled to shortstop in what turned out to be the game-winner as Jorge Iza scored the winning run. Wagner had a chance in the bottom of the frame as junior 2B Kyle Brey walked and moved into scoring position on a single from Sabido to the right. A wild pitch moved the runners up but the Seahawks couldn't plate either runs as the game ended. In Wagner's 3-0 win on March 25, senior co-captain Danny Marsh notched his first career complete game shutout, highlighted by a then career-high nine strikeouts. Sophomore C/INF Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) delivered the big blow for the Seahawks, as his three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning accounted for the lone runs of the contest. 

Series History:  The Seahawks and Knights will be meeting for the 144th time, with FDU leading the all-time series, 78-65. Since 2013, Wagner is 12-7 against the Knights and dating back to the 2010 season, the Green & White is 17-14 against FDU. 
 
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson: The Knights come into the weekend series with Wagner looking for back-to-back wins after snapping a six-game losing streak. FDU defeated Saint Peter's, 25-10, in the team's final non-conference contest of the season on Wednesday afternoon. The 25 runs are a season-high for the Knights, who produced 19 hits in the game.  Matt McCann is the team's leading hitter, batting .409 on the season while a threat to run on the base paths, swiping 19 stolen bases this year in 25 chances. Bobby Romano is the team's leading home run hitter with eight while Ryan Brennan has driven in a team-best 39 RBIs so far this year.  On the mound, Danny Demetrops leads the staff with three wins in seven starts while sporting a 5.06 ERA. Evan Layne has recorded the most strikeouts, with 40. Collectively, the Knights pitching staff sports a 7.55 ERA while opposing batters are hitting .321. 
 
Marsh Doubles Up On NEC Pitcher Of The Week Award: For the second time this season, Wagner senior co-captain RHP Danny Marsh (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) was named Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Week, the conference announced on Monday afternoon. Before Monday's, Marsh garnered the weekly honors back on March 27. Additionally, Marsh joins teammate, senior RHP Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) as two-time recipients of the award this season as Goeke was named NEC Pitcher of the Week on April 17 and March 6.  Marsh lowered his league-leading earned run average by spinning eight shutout innings in a win over local rival, LIU Brooklyn, on Sunday afternoon. Claiming his fifth win of the season in Wagner's 12-0 victory in the series finale over the Blackbirds, the senior right-hander scattered six hits (all singles) and one walk while registering a career-best 11 strikeouts during the 115-pitch outing. During his outing, Marsh fanned at least one batter in every inning.
 
Pocket Aces: Wagner is just one of three programs to feature two starting pitchers among the top-20 NCAA Earned Run Average leaderboard as Danny Marsh ranks fifth nationally at 1.10 while teammate Austin Goeke is 16th at 1.57. Oregon State, the nation's No. 1 ranked program, has two pitchers ranked inside the top-five (Luke Heimlich, 1st, 0.78 ERA & Jake Thompson, 4th, 1.07 ERA) as does Louisiana (Wyatt Marks, 7th, 1.29 ERA & Gunner Leger, 18th, 1.63 ERA). 
 
Seahawks Over The Last Ten Games: Wagner is 5-5 over its last ten games, in which the team has compiled a .295 batting average and outscored its opponents, 60-49. During this ten-game span, the Seahawks connected for eight home runs and drove in 58 runs while slugging a collecting .429. Sophomore C/INF Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) is hitting .447 (17-for-38) with nine runs scored, a home run and nine RBIs over his last ten games. Capra has posted a total OPS (on-base + slugging) of 1.075. Four other Seahawks are all hitting above .300 over their last ten games, including sophomore INF Anthony Pecora (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck), who is batting .361 (13-for-36) with eight runs scored, three doubles a home run and seven RBIs while slugging .528.  Sophomore CF Joe Silvestrone (Manalapan, NJ/Freehold Township), junior LF Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) and junior 2B Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) are all batting .333 with Silvestrone leading the way during this ten-game stretch with 13 RBIs while Godino and Capra each have four stolen bases. 

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