2025 NEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll          1. CCSU (6)          2. LIU (5)          3. Wagner          4. Le Moyne          5. FDU (1)          6. Stonehill          7. Mercyhurst          8. New Haven          9. Coppin State          10. Norfolk State          11. Delaware State          12. UMES          First place votes in parentheses

Bridgewater, NJ -- After combining to capture the last eight NEC baseball titles, the last two teams standing a year ago appear to be the frontrunners once again, according to a vote from the league’s head coaches.

Defending conference champion Central Connecticut landed in the pole position after taking home six first-place votes.

Tournament runner-up LIU earned five tallies for the top spot to come in second in the preseason rankings.

Wagner, Le Moyne and FDU closed out the top-five in that order with the Knights claiming the final first-place vote.

Fresh off its first-ever NEC Tournament appearance, Stonehill was picked to finish sixth with Mercyhurst coming in seventh. League newcomer New Haven was projcted to place eighth in its inaugural DI season.

Rounding out the preseason poll were Coppin State (ninth), Norfolk State (10th), Delaware State (11th) and Maryland Eastern Shore (12th).

While the Blue Devils will be without reigning NEC Player of the Year and NCAA batting champion Aidan Redahan along with several All-Conference first team picks from a year ago, CCSU returns a strong core in pursuit of its sixth title in nine seasons. The Blue Devils have won a league-best nine NEC Tournament crowns, along under head coach Charlie Hickey, who has helmed the program since 2000.

CCSU returns a proven outfield tandem in 2025 All-NEC second team and All-Tournament team honoree Antonio Ducatelli (Levittown, NY/Island Trees), a junior, along with senior Gianno Merlonghi (Monroe, CT/Masuk), an All-Conference Second Team selection in 2024. Ducatelli ranked sixth in the conference with a .348 batting average and drove in 48 runs, tied for seventh-most in the NEC last season. Merlonghi added pop to the lineup, cracking four triples to rank third in the league with four triples.

CCSU added more offensive firepower during the offseason through the addition senior transfer Frankie Ferrentino (East Longmeadow, MA/Suffield Academy (Merrimack)), who was a two-time All-NEC pick in 2023 and 2024 while at Merrimack. The 6-0 catcher led the NEC with 19 home runs in 2024.

LIU brings back a plethora talent from last season’s squad that advanced to the conference championship round for the third time in the last four years. The Sharks, who captured NEC titles in 2019, 2022 and 2024, return a pair of All-NEC standouts in senior shortstop Ryan Rivera (San Diego, CA/San Marcos) and senior pitcher Justin DeCastro (Howard Beach, NY/Monsignor McClancy). Rivera was also tabbed to the NEC All-Tournament squad last season, while finishing the year with the second-most hits (79), third-most RBIs (51) and fourth-best batting average (.357) on the conference circuit. 

Although the Sharks’ bullpen will miss NEC Pitcher of the Year Garrett Yawn, LIU head coach Dan Pirillo has a pair of aces up his sleeve to fill Yawn’s shoes. Joining DeCastro is redshirt junior Nicholas Finarelli (Hunlock Creek, PA/Lake-Lehman), who is coming off a strong NEC Tournament performance that landed him All-Tournament team honors. DeCastro and Finarelli combined for 17 wins on the mound a season ago. Finarelli's nine wins ranked third in the league, while DeCastro's eight tied for fourth.

Stonehill and Mercyhurst have more at stake when they hit the diamond in 2026. The Skyhawks have completed the reclassification process and are now eligible for the NEC’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, while the Lakers are eligible for NEC postseason play for the first time but remain ineligible for NCAA championship participation during their reclassification.

New Haven, which begins its first-ever season as an NCAA Division I and NEC member with a three-game series against Mizzou in Fort Myers, FL in mid-February, is not eligible for the NEC Tournament this season and the NCAA Tournament until 2029.
 
The NEC Tournament, which features a four-team, double-elimination format, will be played on May 21-24 at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, NJ, marking the first time the championship will be played at the Sussex County venue since 1997.
 
About The NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.