Somerset, NJ - The Wagner College baseball team was predicted to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Coaches' Preseason Poll as released by the league office on Friday. 

Bryant, winners of three of the last five NEC championships, was predicted to finish first by the seven head baseball coaches, as the Bulldogs garnered four first-place votes. Defending NEC champion Central Connecticut was tabbed second, claiming the remaining three first-place votes. Sacred Heart, the 2017 NEC runners-up a season ago, rounded out the top-three schools.
 
Wagner, which earned its first NEC Tournament victory a season ago under now seventh-year head coach Jim Carone, was predicted to finish ahead of nearby rivals, LIU Brooklyn & Fairleigh Dickinson, who claimed the fifth and six spots. Mount St. Mary's rounded out the seven-team preseason coaches' poll.

The NEC will once again host its four-team postseason event at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT, marking the seventh time in eight years that the league awards its automatic NCAA Tournament at the home of the Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers' Single-A affiliate). The top-four finishers in the NEC regular season standing will earn a berth into the double-elimination championship bracket and compete for a ticket to the NCAA Regionals. The NEC Tournament games will unfold May 24-27 with an "if necessary" contest slated for May 27. 

The 2018 Seahawks returns a total of 17 upperclassmen, highlighted by a quintet of All-NEC selections in senior outfielder Anthony Godino, senior pitcher Danny Marsh, senior infielder Nick Mascelli, junior catcher Phil Capra and sophomore designated hitter, Freddy Sabido.
 
For third-year Seahawk, Capra, he repeated as an All-NEC Second Team performer a season ago, as he finished 2017 with a team-high batting average of .351 while ranking among the top-five in slugging percentage (.541), and among the top-three in on-base percentage (.453).  Capra was also named to the 2017 Northeast ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team. The North Salem, NY native belted seven home runs on the year while producing 17 multi-hit games and ten multi-RBI contests, which was highlighted by a five-RBI game against LIU Brooklyn back on April 28. Capra was one of three Seahawks to start in all 50 games as he enters his third season with 117 career-hits.
 
Godino, now a two-time All-NEC First Team honoree, concluded 2017 with a .328 batting average while posting team-bests in runs scored (45), doubles (13), triples (4) and slugging percentage (.569), which was the second-highest in the NEC last season. The Thornwood, NY native tied Capra with seven round-trippers, stole 17 bases last year. The 2015 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American accounted for 16 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games, both second on the team while making 46 starts in left field.
 
Marsh, who along with Capra, was named to the 2017 Northeast ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team, added to his trophy mantle with his this most recent accolade, as he was tabbed to the All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Team on May 30. An All-NEC First Team performer this season, the Central, NJ native was the starter in Wagner's 6-5 walk-off victory that ended top-seeded Bryant's chance at repeating as league champions. Though not factoring in the decision, Marsh pitched seven strong innings while striking out seven Bulldogs. The Monroe Township, NJ native finished the 2017 regular season with a 6-2 record, highlighted by a minuscule 1.52 ERA, which topped the NEC and ranked No. 7 in the entire nation. Marsh closed out the year with a 1.96 ERA, which was among the top-20 nationally and was also the 13th-best single-season ERA mark ever by a Seahawk pitcher. A 2017 co-captain, Marsh was the nation's ERA leader back on April 10, when he sported a 0.40 ERA. In addition, Marsh earned two NEC Pitcher of the Week citations while pitching two complete games. His best start of the season came back on April 30 when he struck out a career-best 11 batters over eight innings in a 12-0 victory over LIU Brooklyn.
 
Mascelli, who was tabbed to the NEC Second Team squad back in 2016, missed the entire 2017 campaign and is set to regain his form from his all-conference selection. Serving as the Seahawks' primary leadoff hitter, Mascelli was a consistent table-setter at the dish in spearheading the Green & White's offense. In 2016, he ranked among the NEC's top-ten in six statistical categories as the North Jersey native finished the year with a .374 batting average, which ranked second in the league while his splits were quite astonishing, connecting for a .418 batting average against left-handers, and hitting close to .500 with runners on base. He also ranked 17th out of 150 Division I players as a tough batter to strike out, only striking out an average of one time per 17.7 at-bats. 
 
Sabido had a tremendous rookie campaign, finishing third on the squad with a .297 batting average while clubbing a team-best nine home runs. The nine homers in 2017 were the tenth-best single-season total in Wagner history, surpassing Peter Delleani's eight homers, set back in 2007. The Staten Island native had back-to-back two-home run games, both coming against Fairleigh Dickinson back on May 6. The 6-7 left-handed hitter also saw time as a relief pitcher, tossing 15.0 innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out eleven batters.

Wagner opens the 2018 season in Durham, NC with a three-game series vs. the North Carolina Central University Eagles on February 16-18.


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