Baseball Picked Eighth in Preseason NEC Poll

2/27/06 -- The Long Island University baseball team was tabbed to finish eighth in the Northeast Conference in 2006, according to a poll of league head coaches.

Monmouth, which has made eight straight NEC Tournament berths, was voted the favorite to win the conference and received four first-place votes. Quinnipiac, the 2005 NEC Tournament champion, also received four first-place votes while Sacred Heart garnered the final first-place tally.

The Blackbirds return seven starting position players from a year ago. Senior Trey Bell (Georgetown, Del.) finished second last season in the NEC in batting with a .374 average. The infielder led the team in hits (49), doubles (9), total bases (60) and batting average.

Also returning for LIU is junior righthander Rich Moran. The 6'6" Carmel, N.Y. native ranked second in the NEC in ERA (2.21) and led the Blackbirds with four victories on the mound.

Long Island finished 13-25 last season and 8-12 in the NEC. The Blackbirds begin their 2006 campaign on Mar. 4-5 with a series against Maryland-Eastern Shore.