NORWICH, Conn. – The LIU Brooklyn Baseball team (28-24, 16-12 NEC) will head to the 2018 Northeast Conference Baseball Championship for the first time since 2013. The four-team double-elimination tournament will be played at Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium from Thursday, May 24 to Sunday, May 27 in Norwich, Connecticut. The winner will earn the NEC's automatic berth on the Road to Omaha, the NCAA Baseball Championship.
Winners of their last four in a row, the Blackbirds earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will play the second game on day one, versus Co-Champions, No. 2 Wagner (36-16, 21-7 NEC) at 4:00 p.m., following the conclusion of No.1 Bryant (31-21-1, 21-7 NEC) against No. 4 Mount St. Mary's (21-31, 15-13 NEC). The losers of each game will face off on Friday in game three at 12:00 p.m., followed by the winners of the first two games at 4:00 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE BIRDS' NEST
• On the final day of the regular season, the LIU Brooklyn Baseball team (28-24, 16-12 NEC) accomplished a significant program milestone with each victory in a doubleheader sweep. With the win in game one, the Blackbirds under the leadership of second-year head coach Dan Pirillo, earned the school's first NEC Championship Tournament berth since 2013. With the second win on Friday, the team tied the LIU Brooklyn school record for wins in a season with 28. The record was previously set in 2011 (28-23). Coincidentally, Pirillo notched a personal milestone as well, winning his 50th career game as head coach, following 22 wins in 2017.
• Pitching Coach Tom Carty's staff has been the backbone to this year's success. The Blackbirds have already crushed the program record for strikeouts in a season with 410 this year, going into the NEC Tournament, well over the 345 mark previously set in 2013. The team also tied the school mark for K's in a game with 17 set last month in a 2-1 win at CCSU. The starter in that game, sophomore Patrick Clyne holds the NEC season-high 14 strikeouts, set in a start at FDU on March 29.
• The back end of the bullpen also has been tremendous for the Blackbirds this season, especially with the addition of infielder Rob Griswold (1.21 ERA, 15 appearances) to the relief staff. Led by junior closer Mike Kreiger (1.62 ERA, 5 saves, NEC leading 25 appearances), sophomore Jackson Svete (2.63 ERA, 18 app.) and senior Baylor LaPointe (4.43 ERA, 24 app.) - the Blackbirds have an ERA two full points lower than last year. Holding a 4.80 ERA, LIU stands third in the NEC.
• Offensively, senior Andrew Turner, hitting in the three-hole has been on base so much lately, he now stands 14th in the Nation in on base percentage, at .492. Last week, he went 5-for-9 at the plate with an amazing seven free passes (four walks, three hit-by-pitches), for a .750 (12-16) series. Turner is also closing in on the school's all-time doubles record of 44. So far this season, the righty first baseman hit a career-high 15 two-baggers, to put his career total at 42 with at least two games remaining.
• The team's other corner infielder Alex Briggs has been on a power tear lately with a pair of grand slams last week, and a third one a few weeks ago, also at LIU field. In his last 10 games, Briggs has five home runs and 21 runs batted in, which is half of his season total of 42. Meanwhile, the Blackbirds' other senior fielder, RF Dom Paiotti hit .583 with a home run and seven RBIs the weekend to earn his first-ever NEC Player of the Week nod.
LIU BROOKLYN'S NEC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
• LIU Brooklyn qualified for the first four NEC Baseball Championships, with the inaugural tournament held in 1993. In eight appearances in the NEC Tournament, LIU holds an 8-15 record, making appearances in: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2011 and 2013. The Blackbirds won two games each year in the tourney between 1994-1996 and went 1-2 in the school's last appearance in 2013. LIU won a NEC Baseball title back in 1990, prior to the first NEC Tournament and before the NEC Champion earned an automatic NCAA berth.
• LIU Records in the NEC Tournament v. 2018 Participating Schools:
• Bryant: 1-1 (both in 2013) • Mount St. Mary's: 0-0 • Wagner: 1-0 (1994)
• Head Coach Dan Pirillo was an assistant coach on the 2011 NEC Tournament team, also, current Assistant Coach John Ziznewski was a junior infielder on the 2013 entry.?
SERIES HISTORIES VS. 2018 TOURNAMENT TEAMS
LIU vs. BRYANT
Overall: Bulldogs lead all-time series 31-12 record against LIU Brooklyn, which includes 41 regular season matchups.
This year: Bryant beat the Blackbirds, 3-1, in a four game series at LIU Field in April, with the win coming in a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh on a single by junior Brock Hallum.
NEC Championship: The teams are 1-1 all-time, both in 2013. The teams met twice in LIU's last NEC Tournament appearance (and Bryant's first) in 2013. In the first game of the entire tournament, the Blackbirds beat the Bulldogs, 7-2, to send Bryant to the loser's bracket - but Bryant came back to eliminate LIU 16-1 in game five, on their way to the school's first NEC title.
LIU vs. MOUNT
Overall: Blackbirds lead Mountaineers all-time, 62-34
This year: The two teams split the four game series in Emmitsburg back in mid-April.
NEC Championship: The two foes have never met in the Tournament.
LIU vs. WAGNER
Overall: Blackbirds hold a slim one game lead all-time with Wagner, 62-61-1, with one LIU win coming in the NEC Tournament.
This year: The two teams split the four game set in Brooklyn. LIU won the middle two games. It was the second straight season with the exact series results. The Blackbirds won the first game of the series on a walk-off-walk by shortstop
Luis Arias de los Santos with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning.
NEC Championship: LIU won 2-1 in an elimination game in 1994.
LIU Brooklyn Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
News
Bryant Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
News
Mount Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
News
Wagner Links: Roster |
Schedule |
Stats |
News
THE BLACKBIRDS BY THE NUMBERS
- TEAM BATTING: .269 (4th/NEC)
- Leading Hitters
- BATTING: Andrew Turner (.336, 4th/NEC), Andrew Smith (.297)
- RUNS: Smith (39, 9th/NEC), Gregory Vaughn Jr. (38)
- HOME RUNS: Alex Briggs (8, 4th/NEC), three tied at (5)
- RBIs: Briggs (42, 6th/NEC), Dom Paiotti (36)
- STOLEN BASES: Luis Arias de los Santos, Vaughn (14, T-6th/NEC)
- OPS (On Base + Slugging): Turner (1.037)
- TEAM PITCHING - ERA: 4.80 (3rd/NEC)
- Leading Pitchers
- WINS: Zach Pederson (5, T-5th/NEC), four tied at (4)
- ERA: Jackson Svete (2.63), Pederson (3.76, 4th/NEC)
- INNINGS: Patrick Clyne (74.2), Pederson (69.1)
- APPEARANCES: Mike Kreiger (25, 1st/NEC), Baylor LaPointe (24, 2nd/NEC)
- STRIKEOUTS: Clyne (79, 2nd/NEC), Hart (59)
- SAVES: Kreiger (5, 3rd/NEC)
NEC ACCOLADES & STATS
- LIU players have won seven NEC weekly awards this season, as senior Dom Paiotti was named Player of the Week after batting .583 with seven RBIs in his final home series, as the Blackbirds swept a three-game series with FDU. Previously, the only other senior hitter Andrew Turner got the nod from the NEC for Player of the Week back on February 19.
- On the mound, three Blackbirds have earned NEC Pitcher of the Weeks, led by Patrick Clyne (3/5, 4/2, 4/23) - who won the award three times, while Zach Pederson (3/12) and reliever Rob Griswold (5/7), have been bestowed the honor once.
- Additional NEC Leaders: Andrew Smith is tied for the NEC lead with five triples, while Andrew Turner stands second with 15 doubles.
- The 2018 NEC All-Stars will be revealed on Wednesday evening, a day prior to the first pitch of the tournament, as is customary with all NEC Championships. Last season, the Blackbirds had three players on the All-NEC second team with Turner, Paiotti and then freshman Joe Curcio getting recognized.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, MAY 24
12:00 pm • Game 1: #4 Mount St. Mary's (21-31, 15-13) vs. #1 Bryant (31-21-1, 21-7)
4:00 pm • Game 2: #3 LIU BROOKLYN (28-24, 16-12) vs. #2 Wagner (36-16, 21-7)
FRIDAY, MAY 25
12:00 pm • Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser | elimination game
4:00 pm • Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
SATURDAY, MAY 26
12:00 pm • Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser | elimination game
4:00 pm • Game 6: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner | Championship Round
SUNDAY, MAY 27
12:00 pm • Game 7: If Necessary | Championship Game