Official Release
Somerset, NJ – After clinching a share of the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championship, setting a new program record for overall wins (38) and conference victories (21), as well as advancing to the the finals, the Wagner baseball program was predicted to finish third in the annual preseason coaches' poll, released by the league office on Friday. Also, CollegeBaseballDaily.com and D1Baseball.com previewed the Seahawks and the conference.
Bryant was tabbed the preseason favorite to finish first by the seven head baseball coaches. Defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn was tabbed second followed by the Green & White rounding out the top-three. Rounding out the seven-team poll was Mount St. Mary's in fourth, Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson.
2018 was a special season for Carone, who embarks on his eighth season as bench boss of the program. After beginning the season at 3-8 over the first eleven games, the team rattled off the first of two, nine-game win streaks, outscoring their opponents, 83-to-34, from March 10 through March 25. Carone's squad embarked on its second nine-game winning streak, this one stretching from March 29 through April 11, in which Wagner produced 68 runs and allowed 32.
On the heels of a seven-game win streak, Wagner concluded the 2018 regular season winning 13 of its final 17 contests, finishing the season with a program record of 38 wins and a new program-best for conference victories (21). Wagner was crowned co-NEC regular season champions at the conclusion of the season, the first time the program has won a regular season crown since 2009, after winning six of its final ten games to secure the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament.
The 2018 Seahawks went 13-1 in home games and a perfect 7-0 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark while leading the entire NCAA with 23 road triumphs. Additionally, the program finished among the top-30 in win percentage (.679) and ranked 75
th out of 297 Division I programs in the final RPI. In the NEC, Wagner led the league in team ERA (4.15) while finishing the regular season with a league-best fielding percentage of .974. At the plate, the Seahawks ranked among the top-three in eight statistical categories, highlighted by a finishing second in hits (505), total bases (751) and stolen bases (61). The Seahawks had a program-high six All-NEC selections, four of which being named to the First Team. Coach Carone earned his second Coach of the Year award, becoming the first coach in the history of the program to win the honor multiple times.
Jake Mastroianni of CollegeBaseballDaily.com (CB Daily) previewed the Northeast Conference for the website (
full article: Click Here) and here is what CBDaily.com has to say about Wagner in 2019:
Wagner (2018 Record: 38-18, 21-7)
It was an exceptional 2018 season for Wagner as they nearly won 40 games and finished tied for the best record in the NEC. However, they came up short in the championship game of the NEC Tournament.
Returning Players:
First baseman and DH
Freddy Sabido will be back after hitting .300 in 2018 with 28 runs scored, 16 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs, and 44 RBI. Center fielder
Joe Silvestrone hit .294 a year ago and is expected to have a bigger role in the offense. Shortstop
Anthony Pecora, first baseman
Tyler Sanfillippo, and third baseman
Will Johnson will all need to step up in 2019.
Neil Abbatiello will be back to lead the weekend rotation after going 8-0 last year with a 3.30 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched with 79 strikeouts.
Eric Ligda had a 3.89 ERA in 88 innings pitched with 60 strikeouts in 2018.
Nick Robino was great out of the bullpen last year with a 3.09 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched with 56 strikeouts and 7 saves.
Newcomers:
Infielder
Shamus Connolly and catcher John Kampes will try to fill some holes in the lineup. JUCO Transfers
McCae Allen and
Justin Beyer will add some depth to the pitching staff, as will freshman pitchers Josh Casado (up to 93 on scout day) and
John LaPointe.
Outlook for 2019:
"We need the pitching staff to perform the way they did in 2018 (Lead the NEC in Team ERA in 2018). We return every pitcher except one. We return 445 out of 481 innings from 2018. The everyday veteran players (Silvestrone, Pecora, Sabido) need to perform at a high level and replace five seniors in the everyday lineup who graduated from the 2018 team." – Head Coach
Jim Carone
2019 All-NEC Preseason Team
C: Evan McDonald (Farleigh Dickinson)
1B: Christ Wright (Bryant):
2B: Alex Kriss (Mount St. Mary's)
SS: Patrick Causa (Mount St. Mary's)
3B: Alex Briggs (LIU Brooklyn)
OF: Ryan Ward (Bryant)
OF: Andrew Smith (LIU Brooklyn)
OF: James Ciliento (Bryant)
DH: Freddy Sabido (Wagner)
SP: Zach Pederson (LIU Brooklyn)
SP: Neil Abbatiello (Wagner)
SP: Steve Theetge (Bryant)
SP: Eric Ligda (Wagner)
SP: Vito Morgese (Bryant)
RP: Mike Kreiger (LIU Brooklyn)
RP: Nick Robino (Wagner)
RP: Jared Gallagher (CCSU)
Honorable Mention:
C – Edward Modica (LIU Brooklyn)
SS – Jimmy Titus (Bryant)
3B – Vaughn Parker II (Mount St. Mary's)
SP – Mike Appel (CCSU)
SP – Patrick Clyne (LIU Brooklyn)
Josh Conner of D1Baseball.com previewed the Northeast Conference for the website (
full article: Click Here) and here is what D1Baseball.com has to say about the Seahawks in 2019:
Pitcher of the Year: Neil Abbatiello, LHP, Wagner
Top Prospects/Impact Freshmen
Top Prospects, 2019 Draft:
4.
Freddy Sabido 1B Wagner
9.
Anthony Pecora SS Wagner
Top Prospects, 2020 Draft:
3.
Pat Gallagher RHP Wagner
5
Nick Zuppe RHP Wagner
Impact Freshmen
3.
Joshua Casado RHP Wagner
4.
Johnny Kampes C Wagner
