May 7, 2008

Staten Island, NY - Last weekend, Wagner was trying to separate itself from the rest of the pack in a race for one of the four Northeast Conference (NEC) playoff-berths. Mission Accomplished. Five games up on the fifth place Sacred Heart Pioneers with eight to play the third place Green & White (22-22; 13-7 NEC) head to second place Central Connecticut (20-19; 14-6 NEC) for four games. While neither team has clinched a spot in the post-season, both appear to be in solid shape as the stretch-run nears.

Just like their last series, the Seahawks enter this weekend looking for a measure of revenge against the Blue Devils. CCSU has won six of the last eight meetings between the squads since 2006. Last year, CCSU won game one 2-1 before claiming the next two games by scores of 13-0 and 3-1. Wagner would rebound to win game-four on the strength of Joseph DiGeronimo's walk-off home run off of Evan Scribner in a face-off of two players that would eventually be selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.

This weekend will most likely be decided by the arms as both teams boast stellar staffs. CCSU is paced by seniors John Tessyman, Matt Gianini and junior Ken Kerski. Tessyman has been outstanding during NEC-play, going 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA, 18 strikeouts and four complete games while walking just four in a conference-best 42.0 innings of work. Gianini is 4-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 20 strikeouts while walking five over 33.0 NEC-innings. Kerski enters with a 2-2 record despite posting a 3.34 ERA with 27 strikeouts against five walks in 32.1 NEC-innings. Last year against Wagner, the three pitchers went a combined 3-0 with 22 strikeouts over 20.2 innings while issuing just one earned run (0.44 ERA).

While CCSU has been good a case can be made that Wagner has been dominant. The squad boasts a 2.19 ERA during conference games and a 3.93 overall ERA. In the Seahawks' 20 conference-games the starters have combined to go at least six innings in 17-of-20 starts. Senior LHP Joe Testa (Brick, NJ / Brick) and sophomore RHP Kyle Morrison (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) have gone at least six frames in all 10 of their combined starts while sophomore RHP Matt Watson (Howell, NJ / Howell) has hit the magic-number in four-of-five.

Testa has been utterly dominating during league-play, going 4-1 with a NEC-best 0.82 ERA 33 strikeouts, three complete games and has held hitters to a .167 average while walking just six batters. The hard-throwing lefty has also yielded one or fewer earned runs in four-of-five starts and just three total earned runs on the year. Morrison is also 4-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 31.0 NEC-innings. Watson is 2-2 with 21 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA over 31.1 NEC-innings. Junior Andy Wells (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) has emerged recently as the No. 4 option for the starting-unit and has yielded just one earned run while striking out eight over 11.0 NEC-innings. He picked up his first win at Wagner with a solid six-inning, one run performance against Quinnipiac.

Testa also has the opportunity to hit a number of milestones with a strong showing this weekend. With one more win he will tie the school-mark for career wins and needs just five more innings to set a Wagner-record. Already the school record-holder in strikeouts, Testa needs just seven to become the first Wagner-hurler to record 300 punch-outs.

Also shattering school-records this season is junior closer Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn). The powerful righty saved three of Wagner's four wins against Quinnipiac on his way to earning his first career Akadema NEC Pitcher of the Week accolade. Huebner has now struck out 11 NEC batters, against no walks, during a 9.1 innings sample while saving six of Wagner's 13 conference-wins. Successfully converting 9-of-10 save opportunities this season, Huebner sits atop Wagner's all-time single-season save list and is just three off the career-record while striking out 21 with a 2.28 ERA over 23.2 innings of work.

While Wagner has used many different line-ups CCSU is as predictable as it comes when filling out a line-up card as the Blue Devils have penciled in the same nine position players in all 20 conference games. Six players are hitting about .300 in conference play, led by junior Casey Walko, who is third in the NEC in hitting (.375). Sophomore Sean Allaire is seventh in the league with a .362 NEC-average with 21 runs. Freshman Pat Epps is batting .338 with three home runs and 12 RBI during conference-contests while sophomore Tommy Meade has a team-best 24 RBI go along with a .333 average.

The teams will play a single nine-inning game on Friday at 7:00 pm before playing a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 pm. A single nine-inning game on Sunday at 11:00 am will conclude the four-game set. Live stats for all four games will be available via the GameWatcher feature on the CCSU Athletics website.

Probable Pitching Match-Ups
Game 1 Jr. LHP Ken Kerski (2-5; 6.08 ERA; 36 K; 53.1 IP) vs. So. RHP Kyle Morrison (4-3; 4.19 ERA; 43 K; 53.2 IP)
Game 2 Sr. LHP Matt Gianini (6-3; 4.37 ERA; 32 K; 57.2 IP) vs. Sr. LHP Joe Testa (6-4; 1.71 ERA; 65 K; 68.1 IP)
Game 3 Sr. RHP John Tessyman (6-3; 2.71 ERA; 29 K; 69.2 IP) vs. So. RHP Matt Watson (4-5; 3.61 ERA; 26 K; 52.1 IP)
Game 4 Jr. LHP Derek Roberts (0-2; 5.23 ERA; 25 K; 41.1 IP) vs. Jr. RHP Andy Wells (1-4; 5.92 ERA; 28 K; 38.0 IP)

Notes
• Head coach Joe Litterio is just 8-18 all-time against the Blue Devils, including 2-8 in New Britain.

• The two teams have met four times in the NEC Tournament with CCSU going 3-1.

• Wagner has never been at .500 this late in the year during Litterio's nine-year tenure.

• The Seahawks are 9-2 in games decided by three runs or less during NEC-play after going 6-12 a year ago.

• When the Green & White score at least three runs during NEC-play they are 11-1.

• Wagner ranks 31st in the nation with a 3.93 ERA. The Seahawks have also posted a NEC-best 2.19 ERA during conference-play.

• Junior catcher Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) recorded his 100th career hit against Quinnipiac. Sophomores Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) (90 hits), Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) (88 hits) and Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) (85 hits) are all on the cusp of the Wagner century-club.

• Testa is 1-1, all-time vs. CCSU with a 1.20 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 15.0 career innings. Two years ago in New Britain he struck out seven in a two-hit shutout while collecting his first career NEC Pitcher of the Week citation.

• Avella sports a lifetime .308 average against the Blue Devils.

• Wagner's 22 wins are tied with the 2004 club for the second-most victories in a season in school-history. The 2000 NEC Championship team won a school-record 24 games.

• Wagner hosts Sacred Heart next weekend in its final NEC series of the year.