BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — LIU baseball has earned the top spot in the 2025 NEC Preseason Poll, coming off a 2024 season that featured an NEC Championship win and an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Sharks won a program-record 24 NEC games and finished with a .727 NEC winning percentage. LIU also won a program-high 20 games at home last season.

"I'm proud of the program and the recognition of my peers who have picked us to finish first," said head coach Dan Pirillo, who enters his ninth season in 2025. "Our goals and expectations in this program do not change regardless of the preseason poll. Each year is a new team with new challenges and I am excited to watch this team compete."

Jack Power, who emerged as an NEC Tournament hero last season after driving in the go-ahead run during a 7-run ninth inning to give the Sharks an exhilarating championship victory, returns for his senior season. Power earned All-NEC honors last season, making the All-NEC Second Team alongside fellow returning seniors Garrett Yawn (First Team) and Benjamin Fierenzi (Second Team), respectively.
 
NEC Preseason Poll

1. LIU (4)
2. Wagner (4)
3. (tie) CCSU (1)
    FDU
5. Le Moyne (1)
6. Stonehill (1)
7. Mercyhurst
8. Norfolk St.
9. Delaware State
10. Coppin St.
11. UMES
 
LIU will open its season on February 14, playing against both Marist and Wake Forest in Winston Salem, North Carolina.