Brooklyn, NY – The Wagner baseball team, currently riding a seven-game win streak and atop of the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings, start a four-game series in Brooklyn on Friday, as the Seahawks take on the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds.
All-Time Series: The Seahawks and the Blackbirds renew one of the longest documented series in program history, having played 120 games against each other with LIU Brooklyn holding a slim 60-59-1 edge in the head-to-head series.
Last Time Out For Wagner: The Seahawks scored five runs over the first two innings before adding a score in the sixth in winning its seventh straight contest, defeating
Fairleigh Dickinson, 6-1, in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, it marked the first time that Green & White have reached the 30-win plateau under seventh-year head coach, Jim
Carone. Additionally, this is the first time since 2009 that a
Seahawk baseball program recorded at least 30 wins, as that year Wagner set a program record with 31 wins (31-21; 17-9 NEC) under then head coach, Joe
Litterio. Sophomore 1B Freddy
Sabido continued his hot hitting, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs while senior Nick
Mascelli also added three hits in the contest. Sophomore right-hander Nick
Zuppe earned his first collegiate win (1-0), firing four scoreless innings, while giving up two hits.
Scouting The LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds: LIU Brooklyn, currently in third-place in the NEC Standings, enters play with a 22-19 overall record and 10-7 in league play. The Blackbirds have won back-to-back contests, after defeating La Salle, 12-6, on Wednesday afternoon. Four LIU hitters had multi-hit performances, led by Alex Briggs, who belted two home runs and drove in five RBIs. Andrew Turner had three doubles. Turner leads the program in batting average (.313), slugging percentage (.536), on-base percentage (.431), doubles (13), while being tied for the team-lead in home runs (4). As a team, the Blackbirds are hitting .261 while slugging .402 (third in the NEC) and reaching base at a .358 clip (fourth in the league). On the bases, the Blackbirds have swiped 54, one behind the Seahawks, who pace the conference at 55. On the mound, the LIU hurlers have pitched to a 4.79 combined ERA, while striking out 333 batters. Zach Pederson leads the staff with five wins and has two complete games under his belt this season. Mike Kreiger has posted a 4-1 overall record with a 1.34 ERA while leading the club with four saves on the season.
30 For 30: The 2018 Wagner baseball team picked up its 30th overall win of the season in its 6-1 victory in the series finale against
Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks will look to tie the single-season wins record of 31 starting on Friday afternoon.
Gallagher Named NEC Co-Rookie Of The Week: Freshman right-hander
Pat Gallagher was named
NEC Co-Rookie of the Week on Monday afternoon, the league office announced. For Gallagher, it marked the first time in his young
Seahawk career that he has garnered a weekly award from the NEC and becomes the second Wagner first-year player to receive a weekly accolade, joining teammate, RHP
Mike Pirrotta, who earned the NEC Pitcher of the Week honors back on April 9. For the season, Wagner has now collected six weekly award. Additionally, the Seahawks have secured the weekly accolades in back-to-back weeks three times, the last occurring on April 2 and April 9 when sophomore designated hitter, Freddy
Sabido, was tabbed Player of the Week on April 2 and Pirrotta collected Pitcher of the Week honors on April 9.
Seahawks Soaring Over The Last Ten Games: Wagner is 9-1 over its last ten games, batting a collective .311 while outscoring its opponents, 61-34, over this span. Of the 98 hits during the last ten games, 15 have gone for doubles, eight for triples and have blasted eight home runs. Junior
Phil Capra and senior
Anthony Godino have each batted over .400 over this stretch, with Capra connecting for a .441 average over this time, with four home runs and 15 RBIs while slugging .941 and reaching base at a .523 clip. On the mound, the Seahawks hurlers have limited the opposition to a .250 batting average. The
Seahawk arms have struck out 73 batters and walked just 26 (2.81: 1 strikeout-to-walk ratio) in 81.1 innings pitched. Junior southpaw,
Neil Abbatiello, has posted three wins over the last ten games, striking out a team-best 21 and walking just two in 19.0 innings of work. Sophomore
Nick Robino has earned three saves over the last ten games, posting a 1.35 ERA in five appearances while striking out 12 batters.
Lucky Seven: Wagner enters play this weekend with riding a seven-game win streak. As a whole, the Seahawks have batted .326 (73-for-224) with 44 runs scored, 12 doubles, seven triples and six home runs while driving in 40 RBIs. The team's slugging percentage over this stretch is .522 while posting a total OPS of .920. Capra paces the club with a .522 batting average to go along with three home runs and 12 RBIs. The North Salem and two-time NEC Player of the Week honoree, has produced a total OPS of 1.743, slugging 1.130 over the last seven games. On the hill, the
Seahawk arms has pitched to a 3.20 ERA while striking out 51 batters in 59.0 innings of work and limiting opposing hitters to a .235 average.
BASEBALL ALUMS IN PROFESSIONAL BALL (through May 2, 2018): Here's a look on how our alums are doing in among the professional ranks.
Ian Miller – Tacoma Rainiers (Triple A | Seattle Mariners)
- In 22 games so far this season for the Rainiers, Miller is batting .329 with a home run, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored, two doubles, and five stolen bases.
- Over his last ten contests, Miller is batting .343, a home run, seven RBIS with three steals.
- He connected on his first home run of the season back on April 23 against the Sacramento River Rats (San Francisco Giants Triple A affiliate).
- Miller led off the third inning with a solo shot to right field, giving Tacoma a 3-0 lead before the Rainiers went on to win, 4-1.
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- On May 1st at home against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies Triple A affiliate), Miller made a spectacular catch, traveling a far distance in doing so.
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Nick Dini – Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A | Kansas City Royals)
- Dini was assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from the Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A) on April 26.
- In 14 games at the Triple A level, Dini batted .333 (13-for-39), with three home runs and six RBIs while slugging .667 and posting an OPS of 1.017.
- This is Dini's second stint with the Naturals, as he appeared in 64 games with the squad last season, batting .310 with two home runs, 25 RBI and an OPS of .761.
Nolan Long – Tulsa Drillers (Double A | Los Angeles Dodgers)
- Long was called up to Double A on April 24 from the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- The 6-10 right-hander appeared in six games for the Quakes, going 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and picking up a save in 14.2 innings of work.
- The former 2015 All-NEC First Teamer struck out 20 batters while walking just eight men and limiting the opposition to a .146 batting average.
- He made his Drillers debut on April 28, relieving Dennis Santana in the bottom of the sixth inning in Tulsa's 6-2 defeat at Northwest Arkansas. Long walked the first man he faced. He got Elier Hernandez to ground into a force out before striking out Anderson Miller, his first punchout at the Double A level. He ended the frame getting Alex Liddi to fly out to center.
- In the bottom of the seventh, Long fanned Donnie Dewees before retiring Jecksson Flores on a ground out to third. Long gave up a single to Nicky Lopez before ending the frame on his third induced ground out.
- It would have been a Wagner reunion of sorts as Nick Dini was leading off the bottom of the eighth for the Naturals, but, Long was replaced by Michael Johnson.
Ben Ruta – Trenton Thunder (Double A | New York Yankees
- Ruta has excelled for the Trenton Thunder in the early part of the 2018 season.
- In 18 games, the West Windsor, NJ native is batting .371 (23-for-62) while scoring eight runs, and driving in four RBIs to go along with six steals.
- His splits of .420/.468/.888 are all current career-bests.
- Over his last ten games at the Double A level, Ruta is 13-for-34 (.382) with three RBI, and four stolen bases.
- He had a season-high nine-game hitting streak, starting back on April 10 against New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays affiliate) and continued through April 22 against the Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox affiliate).
- Ruta has been chronicle in several online stories:
