BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — Ahead of this week's NEC Tournament, four Long Island University Sharks earned 2024 All-NEC honors as the team enjoys its first-round bye at Heritage Financial Park in Wappinger Falls, N.Y.

Outfielder Jake Mastillo and starting pitcher Garrett Yawn earned first team All-NEC honors while shortstop Benjamin Fierenzi and catcher Jack Power were named to the second team.

Mastillo, who earned second team All-NEC honors last year, finished atop the NEC with 63 RBI making him the first LIU player to accomplish the feat in NEC play since 2019. The senior tied for the team-lead in homers with JC Navarro with 14 blasts and also hit an impressive .301 (62-for-206) while earning NEC Prime Performer honors four times this season. 

Right-handed starter Yawn's 2023-24 season was critical in helping the Sharks earn their bye in the conference tournament. He finished fifth in the NEC in ERA (4.07), sixth in innings pitched (79.2) and second in strikeouts (92). In 2023, he earned All-NEC Tournament honors after throwing a complete-game, yielding no earned runs and striking out eight in the Sharks' first round win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. 

Picking up their first All-NEC honors, juniors Fierenzi and Power were invaluable in powering one of the NEC's top offenses. An Australian-native, Fierenzi hit .317 (59-for-186), good for second on the team among qualified batters, and stole 10 bases while manning the middle of the infield.

Power, LIU's backstop, added to his accomplished resume by launching 11 homers and slugging .577. The versatile defender behind the plate helped guide LIU's pitching staff throughout the season and was named NEC's prime performer three times this year. 

The Sharks await their NEC Tournament matchup as the number two seed and they will face the highest remaining seed after the first round of play. First pitch for the double-elimination semifinals is set for Thursday, May 23 at 3 p.m. on NEC Front Row.