MADISON, N.J. — Wagner is closing out the regular season with a home series against Mercyhurst, its final three games before an appearance in the 2026 NEC Tournament.
The Seahawks are 26-21 heading into the weekend, now 21-9 in NEC play and currently sitting third in the conference standings. The Lakers are 14-30, 13-17 in NEC play and eighth in conference.
Last Week Out
Wagner clinched its NEC Tournament berth last weekend. The Seahawks opened with a 7-6 win over Coppin State on May 8, then secured a spot in the postseason with a 10-9 win over the Eagles the next day.
Graduate Lukas Torres walked off the game with an RBI single in the ninth, Wagner's first walk-off win since April 11 and its second walk-off win of the season.
Coppin State took game three of the series, a 12-11 battle where the Seahawks came within a run on multiple occasions but could not generate the offense to take the lead.
Mercyhurst has been at home for its last three weekends of NEC play, most recently going 1-2 against CCSU with a 7-2 win in game three. The Lakers were 1-8 in the nine-game home stretch, getting swept by both LIU and FDU. The Lakers' most recent game was Tuesday, May 12, a 7-5 loss on the road at Niagara.
NEC Nod
Wagner catcher Brendan McLoughlin is the reigning NEC Rookie of the Week, the second time he has earned the award in 2026.
McLoughlin started two of three games over the weekend against Coppin State, appearing in all three to finish with a 3-for-8 series. The freshman added three RBIs and three runs scored, pushing in two of those runs on a two-RBI single in the eighth that tied the game at 4-4 before redshirt junior Evan McRae hit the go-ahead home run. Wagner won the opener 7-6.
In game two, McLoughlin scored in the sixth to bring Wagner within one, kicking off a four-inning scoring stretch that ultimately saw Wagner win 10-9 in walk-off fashion. He added a sacrifice fly in game three off the bench to shrink Coppin State's lead to just one, pushing in a run in the seventh as the Seahawks looked to make a late comeback.
Scouting the Lakers
Senior Zachary Kourous currently leads the Lakers with a .365 batting average, the only Mercyhurst hitter batting above .300 in 2026. He leads the team in hits (54), triples (3) and RBIs (38). His six home runs are tied for the team lead, joined by freshman Dana Williams. Freshman Mike Samarin leads the team in walks with 30, batting .234 this season.
Junior Andrew Malec leads the Mercyhurst pitching staff with a 4.35 ERA, logging 51.2 innings of work across 11 appearances and 10 starts. Opponents are batting .222 against the righty and he has struck out 43 opposing batters.
The 2025 Series
Wagner traveled to Mercyhurst to end April 2025, falling in what was a tightly-contested series.
The Seahawks took game one 6-5 on Friday, scoring a solo run in the top of the ninth to take a two-run lead and allowing just one from Mercyhurst on a solo homer in the bottom of the frame before recording the final out.
The teams went to extras in game two, with Wagner falling 3-2 in ten innings. A pair of singles and a passed ball allowed the winning run to score from third. Neither team scored more than a single run in any innings.
Mercyhurst took a 7-5 win on Sunday to take the series, putting up four runs in the eighth to secure the win.
