BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Feb. 27, 2017) - The LIU Post baseball team has been slotted at No. 3 in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II East Region Poll, released Monday afternoon.

The Pioneers, who have opened the 2017 campaign at 6-3 overall, are appearing in the tally for the first time in two years. It is also the green and gold's highest ranking in the NCBWA Top-10 Poll since 2007.

Last week, the Pioneers posted a flawless 5-0 record at the Northeast Challenge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Those wins included upsets of then-No. 6 Southern New Hampshire and No. 12 Franklin Pierce.

Sophomore catcher/first baseman Anthony Vaglica (Franklin Square, N.Y.) batted .571 on the trip with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Additionally, he boasted an impressive 1.143 slugging and .625 on-base percentage.

Meanwhile, on the hill, senior pitcher Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) tossed seven innings of four-hit, three-run (two earned), five-walk, 10-strikeout ball in a 4-3 come-from-behind win over SNHU.

Freshman southpaw Noah Lorenzo (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) impressed in his second collegiate start. He scattered just six hits, two runs and one walk with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort against Franklin Pierce.

Head Coach Mike Gaffney and his LIU Post squad return to action Saturday (Mar. 4), when they host Bloomfield College in a doubleheader at the LIU Post Baseball Field in Brookville, N.Y. First pitch is set for noon.

2017 NCBWA East Region Poll - Feb. 27, 2017
1. Southern New Hampshire (Eight First-Place Votes) - 89 Points
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (One First-Place Vote) - 79 Points
3. LIU Post - 60 Points
4. Felician - 58 Points
5. New Haven - 49 Points
6. Franklin Pierce - 47 Points
7. Le Moyne - 39 Points
8. Bridgeport - 31 Points
9. Chestnut Hill - 15 Points
10. Dominican (N.Y.) - 10 Points

Others Receiving Votes: Adelphi, Southern Conn. St., Bloomfield, Merrimack, Stonehill, Wilmington (Del.)