Wagner College Baseball Information
Games 1-3	Wagner College Seahawks (0-0; 0-0 NEC) at Norfolk State University Spartans (0-0; 0-0 MEAC)
Date | Time | Where To Watch | Live Stats	Friday, February 14, 2020 | 3:00 PM | Live Video ($$) | Live Stats Saturday, February 15, 2020 | 2:00 PM | Live Video ($$) | Live Stats Sunday, February 16, 2020 | 12:00 PM | Live Video ($$) | Live Stats
Location	Marty L. Miller Field | Norfolk, VA
Social Media	Twitter: @WagnerAthletics; @WagBaseball | Instagram: @wagnerbaseball

Norfolk, VA – The Wagner College baseball team opens the 2020 season this afternoon against Norfolk State. The three-game series with the Spartans continues on Saturday and Sunday. 

The Teams:

• Wagner finished third in the Northeast Conference (NEC) a season ago, qualifying for the postseason for the 14th time and fifth in the last six seasons.
• The Seahawks, who finished 19-32 overall and 11-13 in league play, were picked third by the league coaches in the preseason poll. 
• Norfolk State is coming off a 24-26 season that included a MEAC Northern Division title and runner-ups finish in the conference tournament. The Spartans were also picked to finish third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). 
• They return 23 members from last season's squad, which includes Preseason MEAC Player of the Year Alsander Womack, along with All-MEAC Second Team selections in Stephen Baughan and Caleb Ward. 

All-Time Against Norfolk State: 

• Wagner is 3-2 all-time against Norfolk State, as these two teams met back in 2016, with the Seahawks sweeping the March 6 doubleheader, 8-1 and 6-1. 

Probable Pitching Matchup: (stats as of completion of 2019 season)

Date	Team	Wins	Loss	ERA	App-GS	Innings	Strikeouts	Walks
Feb. 14, 2020	Wagner - RHP Ryan Lauk	4	4	4.46	20-2	40.1	36	34
	Norfolk State - Alex Wright	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Feb. 15, 2020	Wagner - RHP Pat Gallagher (stats as of 2018)	4	3	5.67	16-12	60.1	37	34
	Norfolk State - LHP Ridge Walker	4	6	4.37	15-13	68.0	40	35
Feb. 16, 2020	Wagner - RHP McCae Allen	4	6	4.53	13-10	51.2	52	35
	Norfolk State - RHP Justin Walton	1	0	5.40	20-0	28.0	25	19

Seahawk Season Outlook:

• This will be the ninth season under the direction of head coach Jim Carone. Carone is just ten wins away from becoming only the second bench boss in school to amass 200 career victories, joining former Seahawk skipper, Joe Litterio (240). 
• Overall, Wagner returns 23 players from a season ago, led by multiple time All-NEC selection Freddy Sabido, who garnered Second Team honors a season ago. Joining Sabido, classmate Tyler Sanfilippo will look to continue his hot hitting from a season ago, as he batted .400 in conference-only games last year. 
• Also, the Green & White will feature 12 newcomers for the slate of 51 games, including 20 games at Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George, the home of the Staten Island Yankees of the New York Penn League.

Call To Arms:

• The Wagner pitching staff includes 11 right-handers and two lefties. The projected Opening Weekend starters for the Seahawks (Lauk, Gallagher, Allen) have combined to strike out 130 batters as Lauk and Allen each posted four wins last year. Also in the mix will be senior Justin Beyer, who appeared in 17 games while making five starts and logged 51.0 innings while striking out 44 batters.
• In the bullpen, Coach Carone will have a plethora of options, with the likes of senior Nick Zuppe, juniors Kevin Wiseman, Mike Pirrotta, and Nick LePre. Sophomore lefty John LaPointe will look to add to his save total from a season ago, as the Staten Island native made three saves while striking out 26 batters in 2019. Josh Casado, who missed the 2019 campaign due to injury, will look to leave his mark on the hill, as well as left-hander, Brandon Demma.
• Wagner added two newcomers in Nick DeCarlo, who was recently ranked 109th on the Top-150 Impact Freshman according to D1Baseball.com, and Dallen Turner, a 6-2 right-hander from St. George, Utah. 

Behind-The-Plate:

• Wagner has five catchers on the 2020 roster.
• Junior Brandon Hall and sophomore Johnny Kampes return and are joined by newcomers David Melfi, John Castiglione, and AJ Donofrio.
• Hall batted .258 in 33 games last year while Kampes threw out a team-high 14 runners. 

Around The Horn:

• Sanfilippo, who played 48 games at first base, and junior Mike Ruggiero, who served primarily as the team's second baseman in 2019, will provide the experience around the diamond for the Seahawks.
• Alex Cimaroli, Ben Montenegro, and Shamus Connolly have seen action at different parts of the infield.
• New to the mix are freshmen Cody Bey, Ethan Valdez and Wyatt Duncan, who also join Quinn Mimnaugh as depth options for Coach Carone. 

Patrolling The Outfield:

• The Seahawks have a good mix of veterans at its disposal to patrol the outfield grass, with the likes of senior Griffin Schneider, junior Emil Matti, and Sabido. Senior Eric Lauk can provide a spark off the bench.
• Coach Carone added three players in freshmen Sam Daggers, DiMaggio Cazares, and Henry Martinez. 

Up Next:

• After completing its opening weekend series in Norfolk, VA, the Seahawks will remain on the road as they will head to Cary, NC to tangle with Big Ten members Penn State at the USA Baseball Complex. 
• That three-game series is set to commence Friday, February 21 and concludes on Sunday, February 23. 

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