LIU's NEC TOURNAMENT GUIDE
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The LIU Brooklyn softball team (33-16, 14-2 NEC) will host the 2019 Northeast Conference Championship in Brooklyn for the 11th time in program history beginning on Thursday, May 9. The double-elimination tournament will conclude on Saturday, May 11 with the postseason champion earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
On day one, LIU will face No. 4 Mount St. Mary's (25-26, 9-7 NEC) with first pitch set for 12:00 p.m., with No. 2 Sacred Heart (28-25, 11-5 NEC) taking on No. 3 Saint Francis U. (26-28, 10-6 NEC) in game two at 3:30 p.m. Day two action is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 10; follow here to link to the Northeast Conference Tournament Central page.
BLACKBIRD BITS
- The Blackbirds earned NEC Player of the Week honors for the fourth straight week with sophomore shortstop Kiana Cisneros earning her first ever honor. Previously, her classmates Alina Castillo (twice) and Ryleigh Bermea were selected for the award.
- Freshman Elena Valenzuela earned the NEC Pitcher of the Week nod for the fifth time this season. Junior Haley Irvis also won the honor in week one, making it six times a Blackbird was named pitcher or co-pitcher of the week.
- Freshman Camryn Lyman was named NEC Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week, joining Valenzuela (4) and Samantha Garcia who have jointly earned seven weekly nods from the league this season.
- In total, LIU won 17 weekly awards from the NEC this season
- Besides wins, the Blackbirds led the NEC this season in ERA (3.12), complete games (24), shutouts (9) in the circle. LIU led all year in fielding percentage (.973), and ranked third at the plate with a .291 average.
- Individually, Castillo tops the team in batting average (.369), total bases (76) and slugging (.510), senior Schae Dickson leads runs scored (38), junior Patricia Griffin tops in hits (57) and doubles (12), Cisneros in triples (3), Garcia in home runs (5) and Bermea in RBIs (32).
- On the mound, sophomore Victoria Lowe went 3-2 with a 3.47 ERA during conference play, while junior Tallie Woodson has been coming on strong lately with a 4-0 mark and a 2.67 ERA against NEC competition.
- This year's team is comprised of 19 players: two seniors, four juniors, five sophomores and a freshman class of eight.
- LIU was picked for second place in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, behind coaches' pick Sacred Heart. Two-time defending champion Saint Francis U. was picked for third, while Mount St. Mary's was selected seventh in a field of nine schools.
- The Blackbirds are undefeated at 11-0 at home so far this year, with non-conference wins over Columbia, Hofstra and St. John's and two league wins over Bryant, CCSU, Mount and Wagner. The last time the Blackbirds were undefeated in Brooklyn was 1982 at 6-0. The team has gone 15-2 (2008, 2010) and 14-1 (2001, 2003) twice each under Kortmann's tenure.
- LIU will be hosting the NECs for the 11th time in school history and are 34-5 in those tournaments (1987-90, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2008, 2016).
- Tickets will be available each day of the event at the host site. Tickets are $6 for adults, $3 for those under 18/senior citizens. All NEC students with an institutional I.D. will be admitted free.
- Every game of the championship will have live stats and video on NEC Front Row.