LIU is the regular season champion with a 16-5 NEC record and finished the season 24-21 overall, hosting the tournament as the top seed.
Alyssa Polemeni leads LIU with a .352 batting average and a .790 slugging percentage. She also leads the team with 41 RBIs and 11 home runs. Devon Medina leads the Sharks with 143 putouts, with Jen Rodriguez just behind her at 135. Sophia Mariottini leads LIU's bullpen with a 4.46 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched.
SCOUTING FDU
The Knights finished the conference in third at 13-8 and 24-24 overall.
Freshman Madison Rishel leads FDU with a .414 batting average, 38 runs scored and 70 hits. Kailee O'Sullivan has 188 putouts to lead the Knights. Brooklyn Shroyer and Julia Swan lead FDU's pitching staff with 2.34 and 2.79 ERAs. Shroyer has 157 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched, and Swan has struck out 116 batters in 120.1 innings.
SCOUTING CCSU
First in the Preseason Coaches Poll, the Blue Devils are the fourth seed of the tournament, with a 13-8 conference record and a 19-28 overall record.
Grace Lawton leads CCSU with a .301 batting average. Reagan Vunak leads the team with 203 putouts.
LAST TIME AT THE NEC CHAMPIONSHIPS
After a perfect 24-0 conference record, Saint Francis hosted and won the 2024 Northeast Conference Championships. The Red Flash opened the tournament with a 6-4 comeback win over CCSU, winning game three 11-0 in five innings over Sacred Heart to advance to the championship game. In the rematch over CCSU, Saint Francis won 12-0 in five innings.
Lexi Hernandez was the Tournament MVP and was joined by Rachel Marsden, Ashley Orischak and Grace Vesco on the All-Tournament Team.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis won a non-conference doubleheader against Bucknell on April 29 to conclude the regular season, defeating the Bison 7-6 and 3-1.
Hannah Bendle went 3-for-6 with one triple, a home run, one RBI and three runs scored. Olivia Ulam led the Red Flash with 17 putouts. Olivia Kolowitz pitched game one, allowing six earned runs with seven walks and one strikeout. Madelynn Bates pitched the second game, allowing one earned run with three walks and one strikeout.
The tournament will continue through May 10, with the winner receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
