2019 NEC Championship Headquarters
Norwich, CT – For the 14th time in program history, the Wagner College baseball team has qualified for the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship. The Seahawks, who earned the final tournament spot, will be the No. 3 seed as they will square off against the No. 2 seed, Central Connecticut, on Thursday May 23 at 4:00 p.m. at Dodd Stadium.
Final 2019 NEC Baseball Standings
| SCHOOL |
NEC RECORD |
PCT |
OVERALL |
PCT |
STREAK |
| 1. Bryant *^ |
19-5 |
.792 |
38-18 |
.679 |
Won, 1 |
| 2. Central Connecticut * |
16-8 |
.667 |
26-20 |
.565 |
Won, 1 |
| 3. WAGNER * |
11-13 |
.458 |
18-30 |
.375 |
Won, 3 |
| Sacred Heart * |
11-13 |
.458 |
19-32-1 |
.375 |
Lost, 1 |
| 5. LIU Brooklyn |
10-14 |
.417 |
20-33 |
.377 |
Lost, 1 |
| 6. Fairleigh Dickinson |
9-15 |
.375 |
15-37-1 |
.292 |
Lost, 7 |
| 7. Mount St. Mary's |
8-16 |
.333 |
15-35 |
.300 |
Lost, 2 |
* Clinched NEC Tournament Berth | ^- Clinched NEC Regular Season title
2019 NEC Baseball Championship: Tickets may be purchased at Dodd Stadium on the day of the event. Ticket prices are $10 per day for General Admission and $5 for Seniors and children 12 and under. NEC students with a valid ID will be admitted free. The championship is a double-elimination tournament over three days. Dodd Stadium is home of the Connecticut Tigers, the Class-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
// Wagner In The Tournament:
» Wagner (18-30; 11-13 NEC) makes its 14th appearance at the Northeast Conference Championship May 23-26 as the tournament commences from Dodd Stadium - the home of the Connecticut Tigers of the New York-Penn League.
» This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Seahawks, under head coach
Jim Carone, have qualified for the postseason.
» Wagner is 11-25 all-time in NEC Tournament play, after going 2-2 in last season's tournament, in which the Green & White made it to the championship game before falling to LIU Brooklyn, 8-5.
» The Green & White won its only NEC title back in 2000, when they went 3-1 in tournament play, defeating then conference members, UMBC, 16-1, before taking two of three from Monmouth.
» Wagner went on to the Coral Gables region of the NCAA Tournament, falling to the University of Miami (FL), 19-5, and Florida International University, 10-1.
// Previewing The Tournament...
» Earlier in the week, head coach
Jim Carone along with senior
Will Johnson and junior
Tyler Sanfillippo spoke about the upcoming tournament.
// Last Time Out For Wagner...
» On the final day of the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season, the Wagner College baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson, with a 10-3 win on Saturday afternoon, as the Seahawks punch a ticket to the league tournament for the third straight season and fifth time in the last six years.
» Wagner's win, combined with losses by Sacred Heart (13-0 to Bryant) and LIU Brooklyn (7-2 to Central Connecticut), allowed the Green & White to earn the No. 3 seed in the NEC Championship.
// No. 3 Wagner vs. No. 2 Central Connecticut...
» Wagner and Central Connecticut have met 94 times with the Blue Devils holding a 61-33 edge in the all-time series.
» In NEC Tournament play, the Seahawks and CCSU will be meeting for the tenth time as Central holds a 7-2 edge in the head-to-head matchup.
» These two squads last met in the tournament back in 2017, in which CCSU edged Wagner, 5-4, en route to capturing the title that season.
» Wagner is looking to halt a three-game losing streak to CCSU in the NEC postseason, with the Seahawks last win coming back in 2009, a 6-5, extra-inning triumph.
» During the 2019 regular season, these two teams met six times with the Blue Devils taking five of six from the Green & White.
» Senior 3B
Will Johnson is the lone Seahawk this season to bat over .300 against CCSU, as he enters with a .318 batting average this year against CCSU.
» On the mound, senior
Eric Ligda has 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work against CCSU this year, which includes a career-best 11 strikeouts he set back on March 29.
// No. 3 Wagner vs. No. 1 Bryant...
» The Seahawks and the Bulldogs have squared off a total of 45 times, with Bryant leading the all-time head-to-head series, 32-13.
» After finishing co-NEC Regular Season champions a year ago, the Bulldogs swept the season series from Wagner this year.
» Over the last 13 meetings between the two schools, in which the Bulldogs are 9-4, the score has been decided by two runs or less in each of those contests.
» In NEC Tournament play, Wagner is 2-2 against the Bulldogs, having eliminated Bryant from the tournament in each of the last two seasons.
// No. 3 Wagner vs. No. 4 Sacred Heart...
» The Seahawks and the Pioneers have squared off 77 times in the program history with the Seahawks holding a slim 39-38 edge in the series.
» This season, the Seahawks took two of three from Sacred Heart in Bridgeport.
» Junior DH
Freddy Sabido is a career .407 hitter against the Pioneers, collecting 24 hits (four doubles) while driving in eight RBIs.
» On the mound, senior LHP
Neil Abbatiello has made five career appearances against SHU, with three starts, as he has 21 strikeouts to just eight walks.
// Johnson Five Hits Away From 100...
» Senior
Will Johnson enters the NEC Tournament with 95 career hits, needing just five more base knocks to become the 62nd member of the 100-hit club.
»Johnson would become the fourth active Seahawk to join the list, joining fellow teammates
Freddy Sabido (171 career hits, good for 17th place),
Anthony Pecora (164 career hits, good for 21st place),
Joe Silvestrone (157 career hits, good for 24th place),
// Abbatiello Reaches Milestone...
» Senior lefthander,
Neil Abbatiello, who made his final home start in game two of last Saturday's doubleheader against Stony Brook, continues to move up the all-time career list in a few categories.
» The North Salem, NY native enters the final weekend of the 2019 regular season with 196 career strikeouts, needing just four more punchouts to become just the fifth Wagner hurler to amass 200 career strikeouts.
Wagner All-Time Career Strikeout List
| Rank |
Player |
Years Played At Wagner |
Strikeout Total |
| 1 |
Joe Testa |
2005-08 |
308 |
| 2 |
Andrew Bailey |
2003-06 |
237 |
| 3 |
Mike McTamney |
2002-05 |
229 |
| 4 |
Don Finley |
1950-53 |
207 |
| 5 |
Neil Abbatiello |
2016-Pres |
206 |
| 6 |
Austin Goeke |
2014-17 |
189 |
| 7 |
Bruce Wilson |
1960-62 |
182 |
| 8 |
Ryan Van Spronsen |
2009-12 |
174 |
|
Jim Moris |
1960-63 |
174 |
| 10 |
Mike D'Angelis |
2003-06 |
167 |
// Freddy 100...
» In the bottom of the fourth inning in game two of Saturday's doubleheader against Stony Brook, junior
Freddy Sabido became the 14th member of the 100 career RBI club.
» Additionally, Sabido becomes the fourth Seahawk under the direction of head coach
Jim Carone to reach 100 RBI.
Wagner All-Time Career RBI List
| Rank |
Player |
Years Played At Wagner |
RBI Total |
| 1 |
Vin Avella |
2007-10 |
165 |
| 2 |
Mike Cerminaro |
1998-01 |
147 |
| 3 |
Gil Barkman |
1997-00 |
146 |
| 4 |
Nick Dini |
2012-15 |
143 |
| 5 |
Phil Capra |
2016-18 |
138 |
| 6 |
Chris Dick |
2000-04 |
125 |
| 7 |
Anthony Godino |
2015-18 |
121 |
| 8 |
John Von Ahnen |
1982-85 |
118 |
| 9 |
Dean Esposito |
1989-92 |
110 |
| 10 |
Seth Boyd |
2008-11 |
109 |
| 11 |
Freddy Sabido |
2017-PRES |
108 |
| 11 |
Matt Mastrianni |
2004-07 |
105 |
| 12 |
Kevin McDonnell |
2007-11 |
102 |
| 13 |
John Spinelli |
1997-00 |
101 |
| 15 |
Jon Lucas |
2008-11 |
97 |
Wagner All-Time Career Home Run List
| Rank |
Player |
Years Played At Wagner |
Home Run Total |
| 1 |
Vin Avella |
2007-10 |
50 |
| 2 |
Chris Dick |
2000-04 |
32 |
| 3 |
Gil Barkman |
1997-00 |
31 |
| 4 |
John Von Ahren |
1982-85 |
30 |
| 5 |
Joe Murphy |
1983-85 |
28 |
| 6 |
Mike Cerminaro |
1998-01 |
26 |
| 7 |
Dean Esposito |
1989-92 |
24 |
| 8 |
Phil Capra |
2016-18 |
22 |
|
John Spinelli |
1997-00 |
22 |
| 10 |
Freddy Sabido |
2017-Pres |
21 |
