ALL-NEC RELEASE
NORWICH, Conn. -- Five LIU Brooklyn baseball players were recognized by the Northeast Conference on Thursday evening at the annual banquet preceding the 2018 NEC Tournament. The five all-conference selections are the most by the Blackbirds since the 1990 championship team.
Senior Andrew Turner and junior Alex Briggs were named All-NEC first team, while juniors Mike Kreiger and Andrew Smith, along with sophomore Patrick Clyne were all named second team All-NEC in a vote of the league's coaches. It marks the first honor for Briggs, Clyne, Kreiger and Smith, and the second consecutive nod for Turner, who earned a second team selection in 2017.
Turner, a senior first baseman, has become one of the finest players in recent LIU history. He was drafted in the 40th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins, but elected to come back to LIU for his senior season. Ths year, hitting in the three-hole, he stands 14th in the Nation (leading the NEC as well) in on base percentage at .492. He leads the Blackbirds in batting at .336, which is fourth in the NEC. Last week, he had a .750 on base clip for the final three game series of the regular season, he was on base 12 times in 16 plate appearances. Turner, who hails from King of Prussia, Pa., is also closing in on the school's all-time doubles record (44) with a career-high 15 two-baggers this year, to put his career total at 42 and at least two games remaining. He also has five home runs on the year, which is tied for second on the team.
Briggs, from Glendora, Calif., is a transfer this season from Pasadena City College, who really come on, late in the season. He has had 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. On the year, Briggs is hitting .276 and leads the Blackbirds with 8 home runs, which puts him fourth in the NEC in the latter.
Kreiger, the Blackbirds' junior closer has been stellar all season at the very back end of the bullpen. In 39.0 innings this year, Kreiger has a 4-2 record with 52 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA, which equates to 12 strikeouts per nine innings. He has five saves on the season and 16 for his career, which is only two behind the program record of 18 saves. The hard-throwing righty from Derby, Conn., leads the NEC in appearances (25) and is currently third with his five saves.
Smith, a junior center fielder has really had a breakout season for the Blackbirds, hitting with power this season to add to his already impressive defensive play in the middle of the outfield. This season, Smith, a native of Wayne, Pa. is the co-leader in the NEC in triples with 5, while placing second on the Blackbirds in batting at .297. He also is second on the team (behind Turner's .545) in slugging percentage at .520 with eight doubles and five home runs to date.
Clyne, a sophomore from Massapequa, LI, backed up his impressive freshman season (when he led NEC rookies in ERA) with a super sophomore campaign. He was named NEC Pitcher of the Week three times this season and stands second in the league in strikeouts. The hard-throwing lefty holds a 4-4 record with a 4.82 ERA in 74.2 innings with 79 punchouts. Back in late March he had a 14-strikeout performance against NEC rival Fairleigh Dickinson, which stands as the single game season-high in the league.