March 24, 2008

Somerset, NJ - Freshman Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) was named Akadema Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Week following his dominating performances at No. 16 UCF and Big South power Winthrop.

Rice joins senior Joe Testa (Brick, NJ / Brick) as the second Seahawk lefty in as many weeks to win the weekly NEC pitching citation. The Wagner rookie yielded only two earned runs during 11.0 innings of work. Following three full frames of effective relief against the nationally-ranked UCF Knights, Rice found himself on the winning side of Wagner's 5-2 decision at Winthrop. The southpaw scattered six hits and yielded only two runs while striking out three, against zero walks, over 8.0 effective innings against the Eagles. In addition to his team-leading 0.98 ERA, Rice's control has been noteworthy. The rookie allowed only two bases on balls while striking out five this past week, bringing his season totals to three walks and 11 K's over 18.0 innings.

This marks the second NEC accolade for Rice, who was named NEC Rookie of the Week after defeating Florida International in his first collegiate game. He also has a save against Big East member Villanova while establishing himself as a vital cog in the Wagner pitching rotation.

Wagner has now won five NEC weekly awards, including one in each of the season's first four weekends.

The Green & White will conclude their four-game this afternoon at 3:30 pm before traveling back home to Staten Island. Today's game can be followed via the Gametracker feature on the Wagner Athletics website.