As winners of five in a row and eight of its last nine conference games, the Stony Brook baseball team has a chance to keep the good times rolling this weekend.
The Seawolves (21-17, 9-6 CAA) will be in New Jersey to take on the Monmouth Hawks (11-23, 5-10 CAA) in a three-game series. The series will open at 3 p.m. on Friday, followed by a pair of 1 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday. The last time these two teams met was in the second-to-last weekend of the 2023 regular season, where Stony Brook swept Monmouth to stay alive in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) playoff race.
Much of the Seawolves’ success has been predicated on their pitching staff, as their 5.12 earned run average (ERA) is the fourth-best in the CAA. Opponents have hit .260 against the staff, which is the fifth-lowest mark in the conference.
Starting pitcher Eddie Smink leads the staff as their game-one starter. Smink’s 3.19 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 53 ⅔ innings pitched are the seventh-best marks in the CAA. The righty does not allow many hits, as opponents are hitting just .219 against him — the sixth-lowest mark in the conference.
After Smink in the rotation is left-handed starting pitcher Nick Rizzo, who has a 4.93 ERA in 49 ⅓ innings pitched. He is coming off back-to-back rough starts where he has allowed seven earned runs in just 4 ⅔ innings, which has skewed his ERA upwards by 87 points. He will look to get right this week against one of the worst lineups in the CAA.
Rounding out the starting rotation is right-handed pitcher J.T. Raab, who owns the 10th-best ERA (3.44) and eighth-best batting average against (.232) in the league over 52 ⅓ innings. He has also walked just 11 batters, which is only more than four other qualified pitchers in the CAA. Raab is coming off his first career complete game.
In the bullpen, Stony Brook’s top option is left-handed relief pitcher Erik Paulsen: a two-way player who also plays first base and is its regular designated hitter. As a reliever, Paulsen boasts a 2.23 ERA in 32 ⅓ innings pitched. He has not been overpowering — evidenced by his .258 opponent’s batting average — but it has not stalled him from saving the second-most games (five) in the CAA.
Another arm in the Seawolves bullpen that has heated up as of late is right-handed relief pitcher Colin Rhein, who owns just a 5.63 ERA in 32 innings pitched. However, his last four outings have seen him pitch to a 1.96 ERA and a 0.83 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) across 23 frames. Last Saturday, he allowed just two runs (one earned) in eight innings of relief against Towson.
Another long reliever who gets a lot of usage is right-handed pitcher Ty Saunders, who has pitched 34 ⅔ innings this year and has tossed 4 ⅔ scoreless innings over his last two outings. Rounding out the top bullpen options is relief pitcher Brendan Pattermann, who owns a 1.86 ERA and a 0.72 WHIP in just 9 ⅔ innings.
Stony Brook’s pitching staff will hope to keep getting the job done against the Hawks’ lineup. They have struggled to the tune of the third-worst batting average (.265) and the second-worst on-base percentage (.358) and slugging percentage (.366) in the CAA.
At the top of Monmouth’s batting order is second baseman Casey Caufield, who is slashing .309/.406/.338 with 10 runs batted in (RBI) and 22 runs scored. Caufield is a singles hitter, as just four of his team-leading 43 hits have gone for extra bases. Behind him in the order is center fielder Harry Padden, who is hitting .316 with five doubles, three home runs, and 14 RBIs. Padden has struggled in his last five games, going just 4-for-21 over the small stretch.
Shortstop Austin Denlinger has done the most damage for the Hawks. Though he is hitting just .265, his .463 slugging percentage is second on the team behind Padden’s .480. Denlinger makes the most of his hits, as he leads the team with 12 doubles and three triples, and is tied for second on the team with three home runs. He is also tied for the team lead alongside first baseman James Harmstead with 24 RBIs. Harmstead leads the team with five home runs and has slashed .258/.381/.438.
Catcher Phil Stahl leads the team and is eighth in the CAA with a .355 batting average as the primary option at designated hitter. Stahl has also driven in 24 runs, but he has just three in his last eight games. Right fielder Eric Sabato is batting .286 with a .357 on-base percentage, five doubles, a triple, a home run and 11 RBIs. Left fielder Chris Andrews is similar to Caufield, as he is batting .316 with just two doubles, one home run and seven RBIs.
Third baseman Wyatt Hunt along with catchers Mason Wolf and Joey DeMucci will likely see the field from the bottom of the order in this series. Andrews is batting .316 this year, but only has two doubles, one home run and seven RBIs. Hunt is batting .255 with three doubles and seven RBIs. Wolf is batting .220 and DeMucci is hitting .160.
Monmouth does not run often, as its 38 stolen bases are tied for the fourth-lowest tally in the conference. Sabato leads the team with 10 steals on 13 attempts. Padden has stolen eight bases on nine attempts and Denlinger has been perfect in five tries.
Despite the Hawks’ struggles offensively, they are matched up with a team that has struggled just as much. The Seawolves own the second-worst batting average (.264) and the third-worst on-base percentage (.369) and slugging percentage (.371) in the CAA. However, they have heated up, as they are averaging 7.2 runs per game over the last 14 games.
Left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring has been their best hitter, as he leads them with a .340 batting average, a .544 slugging percentage, five home runs, 13 doubles and 34 RBIs. He is looking to bounce back from a rough series last weekend in which he went 1-for-13 at the plate.
Center fielder Cam Santerre leads the team with a .495 on-base percentage while hitting .309. Santerre has driven in 12 runs and has totaled six doubles, two triples, and a home run. The left-handed bat of Erik Paulsen has been impressive all year, as he has flourished to a .315/.407/.496 slash line while slugging 11 doubles, four homers and 19 RBIs.
Right fielder Matty Wright will be getting the bulk of the playing time at his position moving forward now that Rob Taylor is out with a head injury. Wright is batting .293 and has scored 15 runs while also playing stellar defense. Taylor’s hot bat will be missed, as he was 4-for-his-last-5 and had raised his average to .271 and his on-base plus slugging percentage to .746.
However, catcher Ryan Micheli and shortstop Matt Miceli have been hot of late, as well. Over the last three weeks, Micheli is hitting .414 with a .571 on-base percentage. He has raised his batting average to .281 and his on-base to .420. He has set up the top of the order well this year, leading to 17 runs scored. Miceli is batting .276 this year and is second on the team with 24 RBIs.
First baseman Brett Paulsen provides a veteran right-handed bat that has been up and down this year. Paulsen is batting just .256 this year, but he has grown more patient at the plate, culminating in 22 walks and a .366 on-base percentage. He also has driven in 16 runs this year. Another productive bat is second baseman Johnny Pilla, who is batting .263 with eight doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs.
Third baseman Evan Fox will lead off for Stony Brook. Though he is experiencing a down year with a .267/.370/.350 clip and one home run, his return coincided with the current hot stretch the offense is on. He has also built on his legend as the program’s all-time steals king and has swiped 13 bags without being caught.
After Fox, Santerre has stolen 12 bases in 14 attempts. Pilla has gone 9-for-11 on steal attempts. Brown-Eiring and Miceli have both stolen eight bags in 11 tries.
The Seawolves’ offense will try to break through a pitching staff that has been in the top half of the conference. Monmouth has a 5.77 ERA, which is the sixth-best mark in the CAA.
The Hawks’ weekend rotation begins with left-handed starting pitcher Drew Helmstetter, who has 43 strikeouts in 57 ⅓ innings pitched to the tune of a 3.92 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .237 off Helmstetter, and he is coming off a strong start last Friday where he surrendered just a run on six hits over six innings.
Following Helmstetter in the Hawks’ rotation is right-handed starting pitcher Alec Couture, who has posted a 4.45 ERA in 56 ⅔ innings pitched. He has tallied 46 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .265 against him. Right-handed pitcher Kevin Opanel will get the ball in the final game of the series. He has struggled this year to a 5.59 ERA across 48 ⅓ innings pitched this season.
Relief pitcher Derek Benzinger is the top guy out of the bullpen, as he has a 4.19 ERA in 19 ⅓ innings pitched and leads the team with three saves. Left-handed relief pitcher Tommy Kent is worth looking out for, as he threw 3 ⅓ hitless innings against Elon in his last outing, fanning two and walking one. Kent has only appeared three times this year and has allowed four runs in 4 ⅔ innings, but the rest of his teammates in the relievers’ stable own ERAs over 5.00.
The only other reliever who is likely to get innings is right-handed pitcher Colin Ruddy, who owns a 7.08 ERA over 20 ⅓ innings pitched. Right-handed starting pitcher Nick Tamburro has struggled to a 5.66 ERA over 20 ⅔ frames, but he has been removed from the rotation and did not pitch last week. He may be used to eat innings if he is healthy.
With the hard part of Stony Brook’s schedule approaching, this may be its last great chance to stack up conference wins before things get difficult and it may need help from other teams. Monmouth is second-to-last place in the CAA, while the Seawolves currently sit in fourth place, just a game ahead of William & Mary and Delaware.
