Photo Credit: David Cohen
 

Games 4-6 February 23-24, 2019 Wagner College Seahawks (0-3) @  East Tennessee State University Buccaneer (3-1) Johnson City, TN | Thomas Stadium
Gameday Info	February 23, 2019 | 12:00 PM (Game 1) Live Stats  February 23, 2019 | (Game 2 - 45 minutes after the completion of Game 1) Live Stats  February 24, 2019 | 1:00 PM Live Stats
Series History	East Tennessee State leads 4-0
Wagner Links	Roster | Schedule I Stats | News
East Tennessee State Links	Roster | Schedule I Stats | News

Johnson City, TN – The Wagner baseball team heads to Johnson City, TN to square off against SoCon members, East Tennessee State University (ETSU) at Thomas Stadium. These two schools are squaring off for the first time since the 1998 season. 
 

Date	Team	Pitcher	W-L	ERA	G-GS	IP	SO	BB
Feb. 23, 2019	Wagner	LHP Neil Abbatiello	0-1	6.75	1-1	4.0	2	2
Game 1	East Tennessee	RHP Micah Kaczor	0-0	0.00	1-1	5.0	4	0
Feb. 23, 2019	Wagner	RHP Eric Ligda	0-1	9.00	1-1	4.0	5	1
Game 2	East Tennessee	RHP Landon Knack	0-0	6.75	1-1	4.0	5	3
Feb. 24, 2019	Wagner	RHP Nick Zuppe	0-1	5.40	1-1	5.0	4	0
	East Tennessee	RHP Daniel Sweeney	1-0	0.00	1-1	5.0	4	0

 

---

SCHEDULE UPDATE (2/23/2019 - 08:21 AM) - Due to inclement weather in the area, additional changes have been made. Today's doubleheader, with first-pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. will now be a single-game, with first-pitch set for 3:00 p.m.   Furthermore, a decision on tomorrow's start time and whether or not Wagner and ETSU will play a twin bill will be made after the conclusion of the opener. 

SCHEDULE UPDATE (2/22/2019 - 12:11 PM) - Due to inclement weather in the area, there has been changes to the three-game series at East Tennessee State. The series opener, which was scheduled for this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. has been cancelled. Wagner and East Tennessee State will now start its weekend series on Saturday, February 23 as part of a doubleheader, with game one slated to start at 12:00 p.m.  Game two of the twinbill will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one.  The series finale, set for Sunday, February 24, is still scheduled for a 1:00 p..m. start from Thomas Stadium. 

---

Opening Weekend Recap:

• In the season opener last Friday, Wagner was blanked by USD, 14-0. With inclement weather expected for Sunday's series finale, the Seahawks and Toreros moved up the timetable to play on Saturday.
• In game one, Wagner claimed an early two-run lead before USD rallied to scored a total of 14 runs in four of the next five frames while withstanding a late Seahawk surge in posting a 15-9 win. 
• Senior CF Joe Silvestrone went 4-of-5 at the plate with a run scored and a RBI. Pinch-hitter, Ben Montenegro went 2-for-2 with a triple and drove in three runs. Sophomore Mike Ruggiero and Brandon Hall also had two hits in the contest while Ruggiero and senior 3B Will Johnson scored twice in the doubleheader lidlifter. On the mound, senior RHP Eric Ligda took the loss (0-1) after giving up seven runs (four earned) on eight hits while walking one and striking out five. Newcomers John LaPointe and Justin Beyer made their Wagner debuts, combing to toss the final four frames. Junior LF Freddy Sabido connected for his first home run of the season, the 16th round-tripper of his Seahawk career, tying him for 11th on the all-time Wagner career home run list with former Seahawk backstop, 2015 Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year and current Kansas City Royals prospect, Nick Dini. 
• In game two (the series finale), the Green & White trailed 3-0 heading into the final inning before the visitors pushed across a run and had a chance to tie the game with runners on the corners but USD was able to stifle the comeback attempt, holding off the Seahawks, 3-1.
• Sophomore 2B Mike Ruggiero led Wagner (0-3) at the plate, going 3-for-4 while driving in the only run in the contest for the visitors. Seniors Anthony Pecora and Will Johnson each had two hits in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Junior RHP Nick Zuppe (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season after lasting five inning in which he gave up three runs on six hits without walking a batter and striking out four batters. Classmate RHP Ryan Lauk made his first appearance since March 24, 2017, throwing a scoreless sixth inning despite surrendering two walks but the Mullica Hill, NJ native did record his first strikeout of the season.Sophomore reliever Kevin Wiseman, a native of Fallbrook, CA, made his season debut in his return to his home state, striking out one and walking in facing four batters. Junior transfer McCae Allen made his Wagner debut in the series finale, throwing a scoreless eighth inning.

About The Seahawks:

• Last weekend's opening series at USD was the furthest location that the Seahawks have opened a year since 2012, when they had a five-game set against the University of Hawai'i. 
• Over the three-game series at USD, a total of seven Seahawks made their Wagner debuts: Johnny Kampes, Shamus Connolly, Griffin Schnedier, Alex Cimaroli, McCae Allen, Justin Beyer and John LaPointe. 
• Senior outfielder Joe Silvestrone became the 61st member of the Wagner baseball 100-hit club, as he now stands with 101 career hits after going 4-for-13 over the three-game series at USD. Silvestrone, Sabido and senior Anthony Pecora are the only three active Seahawks among the all-time career hits list. Former Seahawk standout, Nick Mascelli, became the all-time career hits leader last season, finishing with 252 career hits. 
• Sophomore infielder Mike Ruggiero went 5-for-9 during opening weekend, scoring two runs and driving in his first career RBI. Fellow teammate, Ben Montenegro, came on as pinch-hitter on Saturday, going 2-for-3 combined and driving in three RBIs, all coming in game one of last Saturday's twinbill. 

---

Wagner in 2018:

• The Green & White are coming off a magical season, in which the ball club rewrote several records, including setting the new benchmark for wins in a single-season (38) and conference victories (21). 
• Wagner rattled off two separate, nine-game winning streaks (March 10-25 & March 29-April 11), outscoring its opponents by a combined 151-to-66. 
• The Seahawks concluded the 2018 season winning 13 of its final 17 contests to claim a share of the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championship, the first time program has done so since 2009. 
• Wagner went 13-1 in home contests (7-0 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George) while leading the entire NCAA with 23 road triumphs a season ago. 
• In the NEC, Wagner led the circuit in ERA (4.15) while finishing the regular season with a league-best .974 fielding percentage. The club ranked second in hits (505), total bases (751) and stolen bases (61). 
• Individually, Wagner had a program-high six all-league selections, four of which being named to the First Team, which includes rising senior left-hander, Neil Abbatiello, junior reliever, Nick Robino and classmate, Freddy Sabido, who returns as the team's leader in most offensive categories. 
• Head Coach Jim Carone, who embarks on his eighth season, was named NEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, becoming the first Wagner baseball head coach to win the award multiple times
• Robino was named 2019 Collegiate Baseball Pre-Season All-American, powered by Diamond Sports and announced by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper back on December 18, 2018
• Wagner was picked third in the preseason coaches' poll that was announced back on February 1. 

About East Tennessee State:

• ETSU enters the weekend with a 3-1 overall record, after recording a opening weekend sweep of Iona before falling to Virginia Tech, 9-3, on Tuesday afternoon in Blacksburg, VA. 
• The Bucs have 25 newcomers for 2019. 
• Jackson Greer was named SoCon Player of the Week after batting .417 with two home runs, a triple and driving in nine RBIs. Greer also posted a 1.038 slugging percentage. 
• Cullen Smith and Jake Lyle lead ETSU with seven hits on the young season. 

 
The Series:

• ETSU leads the head-to-head series, 4-0, after taking all four games back in 1998.  
• All time, Wagner is looking for its first win against a SoCon member, as they are 0-10 in program history. 
• The last time the Seahawks faced a SoCon team was back in 2011, when the Green & White squared off against Western Carolina. 

 
On Deck: 

• The Seahawks make a quick return to the Northeast, as they are slated to take on Big Ten members, Rutgers, on Tuesday, February 26 with first-pitch slated for 2:00 p.m. in Piscataway, NJ