Following a disappointing end to last season, the Stony Brook softball team will look to replicate its Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) success in the face of a significant roster turnover.
During the 2024 season, everything seemed to be working for the Seawolves. Unlike its prior campaign, Stony Brook remained relatively healthy throughout the year and enjoyed more highs than lows, headlined by head coach Megan Bryant crossing 1,000 collegiate wins and the team putting together a program-record 18-game win streak. Its 35-17 overall record and 19-8 mark in conference play earned it the third seed in the 2024 CAA softball tournament.
However, the Seawolves’ rough patch arrived at the worst possible time. Stony Brook’s bats went dormant during the postseason en route to elimination from the CAA softball tournament by Hofstra for a second consecutive season.
“We put ourselves in a good position at the end and didn’t have to fight to get into the playoffs,” Bryant said in an interview with The Statesman. “I think that hurt us during the [North Carolina] A&T weekend and we maybe lost a little bit of motivation. We recouped and went into the conference tournament with a good mindset, but we just didn’t get enough done offensively.”
Contrasting the 2024 season, the Seawolves will attempt to win the CAA with a relatively new cast of characters. As the playoffs came to a close, Stony Brook graduated eight key contributors.
“We lost a lot of offensive numbers,” Bryant said. “I tried not to look at it honestly, but that’s okay. People have to step up and I’m sure they were on the bench saying, ‘Hey, give me a chance.’ Well, here’s your chance. People will be asked to do more.”
Offensively, the aforementioned numbers lost will be tough to duplicate. Last season, the Seawolves were tied for a CAA-best 34 home runs. Additionally, their .364 on-base percentage (OBP) and .416 slugging percentage (SLG) ranked second while their .285 team batting average placed third.
Before diving into who has moved on from the program, it is important to note which starters are returning. Most notably, shortstop Kyra McFarland, outfielder Alyssa Costello and second baseman Naiah Ackerman are all poised to make a big impact this season.
McFarland is back for her fifth and final season at Stony Brook and is set to continue as the team’s primary leadoff hitter. After missing most of the 2023 season, McFarland returned to the field last year and picked up right where she left off. She started in all 52 of the Seawolves’ games, during which she slashed .389 to secure the CAA batting title and delivered an .879 on-base plus slugging (OPS).
With her strong statistics, McFarland earned a spot on the 2024 2024 All-CAA First Team and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Northeast All-Region Third Team. She also etched her name in Stony Brook’s record book, as her 60 singles were the most ever in a single season while her 68 hits rank fourth. This year, she was placed on the 2025 Preseason All-CAA Team.
As a slap hitter, McFarland has always prided herself on getting on base and setting the table for her teammates, which was apparent by her .416 OBP and team-leading 13 steals last season. McFarland also scored the fifth-most runs (37) in the conference. Nonetheless, after hitting a pair of homers last year, she is looking to further improve her power stroke.
“Last season was my best so far and I’m looking to build off that,” McFarland said. “I’ve been working with our new hitting coach Nicole Bowman on developing my swing more. I’ve been primarily a soft slapper and hard slapper, but now I’m trying to really develop my swing into being that triple threat.”
As she has been since arriving at Stony Brook, Costello will be a major piece of the puzzle once again. Across 50 starts last season, Costello batted .313 with an .842 OPS, two home runs, three triples and 24 runs batted in (RBIs). She was also a threat on the bases, as she went 11-for-11 when swiping bags. Additionally, she earned a 2024 All-CAA Second Team nod for her efforts. Looking further back, Costello won her conference’s batting title in both 2022 and 2023.
Costello’s track record earned her a 2025 Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention. On a larger scale, D1Softball named her as the 2025 CAA Preseason Player of the Year.
Since Alicia Orosco — who consistently delivered at the plate and manned center field for the past three seasons — graduated, Costello and her plus glove will be sliding over from right field into center for her senior year.
“I’m pretty excited to move to center,” Costello said. “It’s something new for me, obviously. I haven’t played the position much during my college career, but it’s exciting to be able to cover a lot of space.”
Like Costello, Ackerman also earned a 2025 Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention. After immediately jumping into a starting role during her freshman season two years ago and being selected to the 2023 All-CAA Rookie Team, Ackerman warded off a sophomore slump and enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024. She drove in 28 runs, batted .288 to go with an .839 OPS and clobbered five homers, which were tied for the 10th most in the conference.
Despite dealing with a hip labrum injury, Ackerman expects to be ready to go for opening day.
“I’ve been doing [physical therapy], I got a [platelet-rich plasma] shot, I’ve been fully practicing and feeling good,” Ackerman said. “I’m definitely going to be ready by February 7.”
Another player who will be returning from last year is catcher Emily Reinstein. The defense-first backstop chipped in occasionally at the plate, as she hit a pair of homers, racked up 12 RBIs and slashed .233. Two seasons ago, she showed more of an offensive flare, batting .294 with two home runs, six RBIs and an .831 OPS. Behind the plate, Reinstein caught the joint-third-most runners stealing (10) in the CAA.
Regarding new starters in the Seawolves’ lineup, there are quite a few. Starting off with the void Corinne Badger — who finished her Stony Brook career ranked fifth all-time in homers (38) and eighth in RBIs (114) — left at first base, Chloe Montalvo figures to see most of the playing time there.
In limited at-bats last season, Montalvo made her presence felt by batting .318 with three doubles, five RBIs and an .830 OPS. She also projects to be the team’s backup catcher.
First baseman Malorie Hill, who missed all of last season with a broken ankle, can also see time at the position. Two-way player Crimson Rice will be utilized at first base in addition to being deployed in the circle.
Rounding out the Seawolves’ outfield will be Emma Scheitinger and Marissa Thalassinos. Thalassinos is currently projected to be the team’s opening-day left fielder, replacing Catherine Anne Kupinski — who produced eight home runs and a CAA-leading 1.026 OPS and 43 RBIs last season.
Thalassinos is a junior college transfer student that has potential to deliver major offensive numbers. Across 53 games at Monroe last season, the Ontario native batted .442 with seven home runs, seven triples, 10 doubles, 48 RBIs and a staggering 1.231 OPS.
In Scheitinger’s case, a breakout season may be in store. The sophomore was supposed to play an increased role with the team during her freshman campaign but endured a shoulder labrum injury that limited her to just 11 games and seven at-bats.
During her senior year at Ichabod Crane High School in 2023, Scheitinger batted .495 with six doubles, six triples, six homers and 46 RBIs. She is also a speed demon, as she notched the program’s fastest home-to-home sprint time ever.
Now that Scheitinger is healthy, Bryant expects big things from her right fielder.
“[Scheitinger] just needs experience,” Bryant said. “She has a great arm. She’s one of the best athletes on the team in terms of metrics and she’s a smart player. She’s going to do good things for us offensively and defensively.”
With defensive whiz Brooke Dye gone, third baseman Madelyn Stepski is set to fill her shoes. The junior recorded a hit in just seven at-bats last season but stole a base and scored five runs, as she was primarily used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement across her 17 appearances.
“[Stepski] got some at-bats last year and did a nice job for us,” Bryant said. “She’s one of our most improved players. She’s really dedicated to getting better and I’ve been really happy with her progress.”
Finally, with Julianna Sanzone and her powerful bat transferring to Adelphi for her graduate season, an open competition for designated player at-bats rounds out Stony Brook’s position-player group. A top candidate for the role is left-handed-hitting outfielder Nicole Allen, who is a freshman that Bryant described as an “outstanding hitter.”
Infielder/catcher Mia Vannelli is another freshman with a big bat that may receive designated player at-bats. Rice can also slot in there depending on whether or not she is in the circle or at first base.
Daniella Sofia and Sophia Naese will complete the team’s infield depth following utility infielder Sofia Chambers’ graduation. Kaiya Simpkins will serve as outfield depth while June McGrath provides another catching and infield option.
With the young group, the team’s veterans realize that they will need to step up as leaders both on and off the field to help foster chemistry. However, they believe that they already have a cohesive group where everyone has a voice, no matter what year the player is in.
“There’s a lot of trust on this team and we don’t think leadership is secluded to just one class,” McFarland said. “Sure, we’re the role models of the team and we set the standard for the most part but from top to bottom, every single person on this team is a leader.”
Similar to their lineup, the Seawolves’ pitching staff will look very different from last year. In 2024, Stony Brook posted the fifth-best team earned run average (ERA) in the CAA (3.09) while also racking up the sixth-most strikeouts (274) and issuing the fourth-fewest walks (122). However, ace starting pitcher Mia Haynes — who is back with the program as a student assistant coach — and the team’s top relief option in Ashton Melaas both graduated at last season’s end. The duo each delivered sub-three ERAs to rank within the conference’s top 10 in that category.
Though the tandem is no longer with the program, starting pitcher Gabrielle Maday will be back to lead the rotation for her final collegiate season. Despite sporting an inflated 4.17 ERA across 87 ⅓ innings pitched due to allowing the fourth-most homers (13) in the conference, the southpaw was solid as the team’s number two starter last season. As a contact pitcher, Maday recorded just 32 strikeouts but her 21 free passes allowed were the fewest in the CAA amongst qualified pitchers.
As the team’s opening-day starter, Maday tried to home in on her craft throughout the offseason.
“I didn’t try to reinvent anything I’ve been doing, but I’ve been trying to take some of my pitches to the next level,” Maday said. “I was thinking about how I can give different looks with the same pitch and my approach to different counts. Just trying to work on whatever strengths were there to really trust what has worked and then improve any areas that weren’t as strong.”
Behind Maday is a trio of relative unknowns. Rice, who throws right-handed, expects to see her fair share of time in the circle as a freshman. Rounding out the staff will be left-handed pitcher Maddie Male and right-hander Jordyn Fray.
Fray made three appearances as a freshman last season, with all of them coming in relief. Across six innings of work, she pitched to a 3.50 ERA and allowed six hits, three walks and a home run. Additionally, Fray registered two punch outs.
In regards to Male, she is entering her senior year with hopes of finally staying healthy. After missing her entire freshman year with a back injury, Male posted a 4.80 ERA across eight appearances (four starts) in 2023 before suffering another injury. In her return last season, she pitched just ⅔ of an inning, during which she allowed three runs (two earned), three hits, a walk and a homer.
“It’s really going to be a pitching staff by committee,” Bryant said. “People will have to embrace roles and contribute. We may not see as many strikeouts as we’ve seen the last few years and that’s okay. They just need to go in, be effective and get outs. We have a good team defense, so we just have to pitch well in front of them. We’re going to get creative as a staff, but it’s an exciting way to roll.”
When looking at Stony Brook’s defensive set up, it is poised to remain a strength and must when considering that the pitching staff’s strikeout numbers may diminish. Last season, the team posted a 0.964 fielding percentage, which was the fifth-best mark in the CAA. Though a number of key players were lost, the Seawolves still sport an athletic and versatile team.
Even with all of their departures, the Seawolves appear to have what it takes to be a contender in the CAA and one of the six teams to make it to the postseason, as a number of their conference rivals also underwent roster makeovers. The 2025 CAA Preseason Coaches Poll reflects as much, as Stony Brook is picked to finish fourth in the league.
For players like Costello that are entering their final season, the goal is to go out with the ultimate bang by winning a CAA title.
“We want a ring,” Costello said. “It’s just leaving it all out there. This is it for some of us. We have to show up every day and give it 100% so whatever the outcome is, we can end our career and have no regrets about the effort and work that we put in.”
The Seawolves will begin their chase for a conference championship at the Felsburg Invitational in Miami on Friday. First pitch for the new season is set for 12:30 p.m. against the Iowa State Cyclones. Stony Brook will also play later in the day against the Indiana Hoosiers, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
Alex D’Amaro also contributed reporting.
