| Tournament Central | LIU Brooklyn Tournament Notes | Live Video | Live Stats |MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - LIU Brooklyn returns to the Northeast Conference Softball Tournament for the 28th time in the 29-year existence of the event this weekend in Moon Township, Pa. The Blackbirds will take on top-seeded Robert Morris on Thursday, May 7 at 11:30 a.m. All of the contests will be seen live on the NEC Front Row Digital Network (www.necfrontrow.com). Live twitter updates will also be available by following @LIUSoftball and @NECSoftball.
NEWS & NOTES•The only season that the Blackbirds did not make an appearance at the event was in 2011.
•LIU has won the title 13 times, the most of any one team in any sport in Northeast Conference history. The last time the Blackbirds were crowned the champions came three seasons ago in 2012.
•The Blackbirds, who advanced to the final round each of the last two years, are 63-29 all-time in NEC Tournament play. Here's a breakdown of how they have fared against the current field:
-Robert Morris: 11-2 in NEC Tournament play; 34-23 all-time
-Central Connecticut: 1-2 in NEC Tournament play; 36-7 all-time
-Fairleigh Dickinson: 1-0 in NEC Tournament play; 29-4 all-time
•LIU Brooklyn finished the season with a 10-6 record in the NEC, and was a combined 3-3 against the Tournament field in 2015.
•The Blackbirds swept Central Connecticut, lost twice to Robert Morris and split a doubleheader with Fairleigh Dickinson.
•The Colonials have a 4-2 record against the field, Central Connecticut is 3-3 and Fairleigh Dickinson is 2-4.
BLACKBIRDS BOMB SQUAD•LIU Brooklyn used a power surge over the last two weeks of the regular season to earn a berth into the NEC Tournament.
•Over their last six games, the Blackbirds have hit 14 doubles, 14 home runs, have a team slugging percentage of .740 and have scored 52 runs over that span.
•Graduate student
Lauren Morizi has a .529 batting average over that stretch and an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 1.697.
KORTMANN'S NEC TOURNAMENT SUCCESS•Head coach
Roy Kortmann is now in his 21st season with LIU Brooklyn, and has taken his team to the conference tournament 20 times during his career.
•Kortmann has compiled 578 victories during his two-plus decades with the program, and is 287-91-1 during regular season NEC competition (.759 winning percentage).
•Under Kortmann's leadership, LIU Brooklyn has won or shared 10 regular-season titles, has been victorious nine times in NEC Tournament competition and has gone to the NCAA Tournament on nine occasions.
STREAKING!•LIU Brooklyn won its last five Northeast Conference contests during the regular season, including doubleheader sweeps of Mount St. Mary's.
•The Blackbirds belted 10 home runs over that stretch and averaged over six runs per game (6.4).