Conference

Nick Leiningen, Sacred Heart
Milwood, NY / Horace-Greely
LHP
Sophomore
6-1
175

Leiningen, an all-NEC selection as a rookie, enjoyed the best start of his sophomore season when he took the ball for Sacred Heart’s series opener at LIU Brooklyn. The crafty left-hander threw a complete-game 4-1 victory while scattering three hits over 9.0 innings. Leiningen, who saw his defense make two errors behind him, allowed only seven base runners while pitching to a 0.56 WHIP (Walks-Hit-IP) to notch his third win of the year. The 6-foot-1 sophomore southpaw held the host Blackbirds to two hits and one walk over the first 7.0 innings. An infield single in the second inning followed by a leadoff hit in the third were all the LIU offense could muster up early on. It wasn’t until the eighth inning when a RBI groundout allowed LIU to end Leiningen’s shutout bid. Leiningen, whose high 5.49 ERA is a product of two tough starts at New Mexico State and Kansas State, finally escaped the tough luck that plagued him in his prior two NEC games. He found out what it feels like to be a winning pitcher again following a 1-0 loss to Bryant and a 2-0 setback to Fairleigh Dickinson. He is 1-2 with a 1.71 ERA over his last three starts in NEC play.