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Wappingers Falls, NY - The Wagner College baseball team will be seeking its first Northeast Conference (NEC) title since 2000 this week at Dutchess Stadium at Heritage Financial Park.

The Seahawks will take on #3 Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round of the tournament.

The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.

Back In The Field
The Seahawks return to the NEC Tournament for the first time since 2019. It is the team's first appearance under second-year head coach Craig Noto.

A 13-win improvement from 2022 earned Wagner the two-seed and a first round bye in the tournament. The Seahawks' 21 wins in conference play were the most since 2018. The team won eight conference series, including five on the road.

The last and only time the Seahawks won the NEC Tournament was in 2000. They will look to become the third different winner over the past three years. LIU won last season and CCSU won in 2021.

Four Seahawks Earn All-NEC Honors
All four All-NEC recipients for the Seahawks became first time honorees as senior David Melfi and junior Chris Conniff earned First Team honors. Sophomore Connor Hayden and senior DiMaggio Cazares were named to the Second Team.

A four-year member of the Seahawks, Melfi had a career year at the plate as he led the team in home runs (10), RBIs (52) and slugging percentage (.587). He also caught 23 runners stealing, helping him become a semifinalist for the 2023 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award.

Conniff transferred from St. John's ahead of the 2023 season and made an immediate impact on Grymes Hill. After not reaching base in the first game of the season against NC State, the Edmond, OK native got on-base for 43 consecutive games. He also led the team in batting average (.369), OPS (1.029) and hits (75).

Second-year pitcher Hayden compiled an 8-1 record with five quality starts. He finished with a 3.95 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 70.2 innings. Cazares reached career-highs across the board during his senior season. The San Diego, CA native drove in 40 runs while maintaining a .310 average and .920 OPS.

Last Time Against FDU
Wagner won its three-game series against the Knights from March 17-19. Wagner won game one in extra innings, 13-11, lost game two the following day, 6-7. The Seahawks took the rubber match 6-4 in Teaneck, NJ.

The series consisted of 18 home runs. Game one on March 17 saw the team's combine for 12 home runs.

Sophomore Mateo Matthews and Melfi were named NEC Prime Performers for their performances in Teaneck, NJ.

About The NEC Tournament
The format of the tournament is double elimination.

Tabbed as the preseason favorites, CCSU will enter the tournament as the top overall seed. Wagner joins the Blue Devils in receiving a first round bye.

CCSU will play the lowest remaining seed in the winners bracket, either #4 seed Sacred Heart or #5 seed LIU. Wednesday's first winner from the losers bracket, which is to be played at 7:00 pm between #6 seed UMES and Sacred Heart/LIU, will play the lowest remaining seed out of the losers from the CCSU-Sacred Heart/LIU and Wagner-FDU games.

What's Next
The winner of the two second round matchups in the winners bracket will square off on Friday, May 26 at noon. 

The winner of the game between #6 seed UMES and Sacred Heart/LIU on Wednesday will meet the lower seeded loser from the second round winners bracket. The winner of that game will face the highest seeded loser from Thursday at 4:00 pm to conclude Friday's games.