PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – The start of a long road grind begins for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team as they begin 11-straight away from home, starting with Northeast Conference opponent Wagner College on Friday, April 14.
 
The Hawks sit at 9-22 on the season and 7-8 in the conference, good for sixth place in the standings a bit over the midway point in the season.
 
Following a three-game series with Wagner, the Hawks will play at UMBC for a midweek, three at Mount St. Mary's, another solo shot at Navy and wrap things up in Norfolk against the Spartans before playing at home in May.
 
This will be the first time the Hawks and Seahawks have meet on the diamond.
 
Honing on the Hawks
 
It was a tough loss for the Hawks on Wednesday (April 12) against the United States Naval Academy, falling 18-11 after jumping out to a six-run lead early. Dillon Oxyer hit his first collegiate home run in his 200^th career start and Riley Horner went two-for-three with a walk and three RBIs.
 
On the season Brantley Cutler leads the team at .330/.373/.527 with 37 hits, 31 RBIs and five home runs at the plate. Alex McCoy is reaching base at a .358 clip and has been successful in stealing 12-of-14 bags.
 
Second baseman Luke Myers extended his on-base streak to eight games against Navy, notching two hits and a walk. He is ranked 122^nd in the nation in toughest-to-strike-out.
 
Nationally as a team, the Hawks are eighth in the nation in sacrifice bunts at 29, putting them top in the conference, while also ranking fourth in doubles with 48. Horner (7), Myers (6), Derrick Mayes II (5), Kyle Cincinnati (4) and Oxyer (4) all rank in the top-100 with Horner at 11^th.
 
Outfielder Jason Brown picked up a NEC Prime Performer nod for his efforts this past week, hitting .538 with a home run, two doubles, four RBIs and two stolen bases. He posted a 1.532 OPS over four games.
 
Starting pitching continues to be a strength for the Hawks, spearheaded by the one-two punch of Seaford, Delaware natives Noah Covington and Evan Nibblett.
 
Covington picked up the NEC Pitcher of the Week Award for his complete game victory against Coppin State under the lights this past Friday (April 7). The senior did not allow a complete run in the win, allowing just his second walk of the season for a NCAA Division 1 leading .33 walks-allowed-per-nine inning. He also leads the nation with a 21.00 strikeout-to-walk ration.
 
During his starts Nibblett has been nothing but steady as well, picking up NEC Pitcher of the Week during Week Two. He is second in the conference with a 3.28 ERA and has been even better with a 2.37 ERA through five starts against Conference opponents which would put him first among starters.
 
Kyle Speas has picked up the last three Friday starts for the Hawks, giving 15.1 strong innings over the starts to help the bullpen stay fresh.
 
In the pen Caden Parker has been has solid as they come with 2.41 ERA over 18.2 innings pitched and 15 appearances. With six saves, the sophomore has tied the single season record for the Hawks since 1992.
 
Alongside Parker, the pen has seen large amounts of action from Porter Braddy, Blake Rebstock and Gary Hallmen Jr.
 
Behind the dish Kyle Cincinnati continues to be one of the top catchers in the country, throwing out his 14^th runner of the season – tied for first in the conference.
 
The defense has been prone to turning two this season, ranking ninth in the nation with 31 turned.
 
Scouting the Seahawks
 
Wagner has turned into a title contender in the conference after being chosen to finish fifth in preseason voting. The Seahawks are currently sitting at third with a 17-13 overall record and a 10-5 against NEC opponents.
 
The Seahawks are coming off a 9-0 home win over Iona in which they scored eight runs over the first three innings, aided by two home runs. Wagner added a late run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch.
 
A solid hitting team, Wagner is .289/.378/.438 and are second in doubles (61) and fourth in home runs (29). In conference play alone the Seahawks have hit 19 home runs.
 
Five different Seahawks will enter the series with batting averages over .300, led by David Melfi's .369/.450/.631 senior campaign behind the dish. He has seven home runs but can be a threat to steal, going six-for-six on the bases.
 
Beware of his arm as well, Melfi is tied for first with Cincinnati in runners thrown out this season.
 
Behind Melfi are Chris Conniff, Dimaggio Cazares, Griffin Selby and Cody Bey all batting over .300 and bringing well-rounded approaches.
 
Wagner sits in the middle of the pack for pitching at a team ERA of 6.78 on the season but in eighth for NEC play at 5.97 with a propensity to rely on strong defense. The Seahawks have the top fielding percentage in the conference at .976, 52^nd in the nation.
 
Two very solid starters in Frankie Wright and Connor Hayden will be expected to take the mound over the weekend for Wagner. Wright holds a 3.83 ERA, fourth in the NEC, and Hayden a 4.22 ERA – both keep opponents under .250 at the plate.
 
Nicholas Hanson has been called up in save situations for the Seahawks, picking up four this season, although four other relievers have picked up saves as well.
 
How to Follow
 
Game one of the series is set for Friday (April 14) at 3:00 p.m., game two at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday (April 15) and the getaway game on Sunday (April 16) at noon. All three games are to be played at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.
 
The series will be aired on NEC Front Row with links available on both the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics website and the Northeast Conference website.
 
Live Stats will be provided by Wagner College and updates will also be available on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.