BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – Tomorrow, six teams will arrive in Wappingers Falls for the NEC Baseball Championship at Heritage Financial Park. Today, the NEC kicked off championship week by announcing their major award winners and all-conference honors for the 2024 season. After winning 10 of their last 11 games and surging into a playoff spot, the Knights had a trio of players voted to the All-NEC teams.
 
Hunter D'Amato and Patrick Gardner graced the first team, while Justin Sierra landed on the second team. All three players have played a major part in one of the best eras of FDU baseball. 
 
D'Amato, who already has one of the most accomplished resumes in both FDU and NEC history, was named to the conference's first team for the third straight year. It was another memorable year for the Knights third baseman in Teaneck. Whether it was collecting his 200^th hit by way of a homerun against Georgetown or becoming the all-time FDU hits leader against Hofstra, or even setting the program's career RBI record in his final home series of the year, reaching milestones continued to the be the norm for D'Amato. In 2024, the Florida native led the Knights in hits (76), RBIs (50), and batting average (.362). D'Amato also ranked in the top-ten in the NEC in all three of these departments. Perhaps, the most important hit of D'Amato's career came on 3/30 when he launched a two-run go-ahead walk off homerun against UMES with FDU down to their final out. This win would prove to be crucial for the Knights as they secured the final playoff spot by a margin of one game.
 
Gardner arrived in Teaneck in 2023 and had a very strong debut season as a reliever. When the spring of 2024 came around, Manny Roman called upon the lefthander to join the starting rotation and the junior quickly became of the best pitchers in the NEC. Gardner posted a 7-2 record with a 3.30 era. Both marks led FDU and ranked second in the NEC. Opponents hit just .203 against Gardner, which was the lowest opposing batting average in the conference. The hard throwing southpaw generated plenty of swings and misses to the tune of 87 strikeouts. In almost every start, Gardner had his stuff working. This was especially true when he fired a complete game two-hit shutout against Delaware State. Most telling of Gardner's dominance is his consistency. The Staten Island native has made eight straight starts of five innings or more.
 
Speed has been an identity of the Knights under second year head coach Manny Roman. Leading that "need for speed" was centerfielder Justin Sierra. The FDU all-time stolen base leader broke his own single-season record and has swiped more bags than anyone in the country with 44. He currently sits at 131 career stolen bases, which is the most among active DI players. Sierra's speed helped his command of center field as well, where he made 52 starts. The graduate student is not only producing with his legs, but his bat has also resurged. He has seen his average rise to over .300 and driven in the second-most runs on the team. A Bronx native, Sierra will depart Teaneck as another member of this Knights team with his name all over the record book.
 
The Knights begin their run at the NEC Championship tomorrow at 11 a.m. when they face #3 Merrimack. The entire tournament can be seen live on NEC Front Row.