NEC Player of the Week: Ryan Rivera, LIU
NEC Pitcher of the Week: Ethan Blakeney, NSU
NEC Rookie of the Week: Kacin Robinson, STO
Previous NEC Releases: Preseason Poll Release
NEC BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Rivera, LIU
Sr., SS
San Diego, CA/San Marcos High School
On a west coast road trip to San Diego State, Rivera did it all at the plate as LIU battled with the Aztecs during opening weekend. The senior shortstop went an efficient 5-of-12 (.417) at the plate as he batted in five runs and scored an additional three for the Sharks last week. In a narrow 12-11 setback last Friday, Rivera cracked a homer and a double off 4-of-5 batting. Over the weekend, the San Diego, CA native registered a 1.212 OPS off .750 slugging and .462 on-base percentage. This marks Rivera’s second career NEC Player of the Week honor.
NEC BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ethan Blakeney, Norfolk State
Jr., RHP
Virginia Beach, VA
Blakeney threw 5.0 innings of four-hit ball while allowing no runs to lead Norfolk State to a 2-0 win at Towson on Friday. In his season sebut, the junior righty rifled off four strikeouts while combining for a shutout of the Tigers. Blakeney limited the 19 batters he faced to just a .211 batting average in the victory. The Virginia Beach, VA native is the first Spartan pitcher to earn NEC Pitcher of the Week accolades since April 18, 2023 when Dalton Barham won the award.
NEC BASEBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Kacin Robinson, Stonehill
Fr, OF
East Hartford, CT/Avon Old Farms
Robinson impressed in the first three games of his collegiate career as he went 2-for-5 for a .400 average in the box. Visiting Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, the freshman outfielder drew a walk and scored one run over the weekend. Robinson slugged. 400 and had a .500 on-base percentage to put together a .900 OPS against the Islanders. Defensively, he added three putouts and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Stonehill, now, has had a NEC Rookie of the Week winner in three of the past four seasons and its first since the 2024 campaign.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Nicholas Matson, R-Jr., OF/LHP, LIU
.400 BA, 6-for-15, 4 runs, 1 2B, 3 RBIs, .467 slug%, .400 OBP, .867 OPS
Ryan Rivera, Sr., SS, LIU
Tabbed NEC Player of the Week.
.417 BA, 5-for-12, 3 runs, 5 RBIs, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, .750 slug%, .462 OBP, 1.212 OPS
Ethan Blakeney, Jr., RHP, NSU
Selected as NEC Pitcher of the Week.
5.0 IP, 4 hits, 0 BBs, 1 CBO, 4 Ks, 0 runs allowed, 1 win, .800 WHIP
Diego Aponte, Sr., 1B, UMES
.500 BA, 5-for-10, 1 run, 3 RBIs, 1 2B, 1 BB, .600 slug%, .500 OBP, 1.100 OPS
Jonathan Gonzalez Perez, Sr., C, UMES
.333 BA, 3-for-9, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 HRs, 1 BB, 1.000 slug%, .455 OBP, 1.455 OPS
Eisig Chin, Jr., OF, STO
.300 BA, 3-for-10, 1 run, 4 RBIs, 1 2B, 2 BBs, 1 SB, .400 slug%, .417 OBP, .817 OPS
Leo Doyle, Jr., OF, WAG
.333 BA, 3-for-9, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 2B, 2 HRs, 1.111 slug%, .333 OBP, 1.444 OPS
Dylan Immel, Jr., INF, WAG
.500 BA, 4-for-8, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 2Bs, 2 BBs, .750 slug%, .600 OBP, 1.350 OPS
Lukas Torres, Gr., OF, WAG
.429 BA, 3-for-7, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 3 BBs, .571 slug%, .600 OBP, 1.171 OPS
2026 NEC BASEBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 17: Ryan Rivera, LIU
Feb. 24:
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Feb. 17: Ethan Blakeney, NSU
Feb. 24:
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Feb. 17: Kacin Robinson, STO
Feb. 24: