Having not made the playoffs in its first two seasons in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), the Stony Brook baseball team has its work cut out if it wants to crack the six-team field in 2025.
After 26 games — the exact midpoint of the Seawolves 52-game slate — Stony Brook is 12-14 and has dropped five of its first six CAA games, capped off by a weekend sweep at home at the hands of Northeastern. Moreover, the Seawolves have struggled mightily against teams at or above their weight class, going a combined 2-13 against Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Seton Hall University, University of Delaware and Northeastern University.
Stony Brook’s season got off to its best start since 2012 — the same year that head coach Matt Senk’s group reached the College World Series — as it swept Bethune-Cookman on the road. Since then, the Seawolves have come out on the wrong side of every weekend series, outside of a home-opening series win over Niagara.
Senk’s club is in familiar territory. Last season, Stony Brook also started its conference schedule 1-5, as it was swept by Charleston at home, who eventually took the CAA regular-season crown. However, this year’s club is a stark difference from last season.
A year ago, the Seawolves boasted a 5.54 team earned run average (ERA), which placed them fifth-best in the CAA. This year, on the other hand, Stony Brook’s pitching staff has struggled with consistency and injuries, as it is fourth worst at limiting runs in the 12-team league with a 6.94 ERA.
To get wins, Senk has relied on a high-powered offense, an idea foreign to the Seawolves of last year. Stony Brook’s 34 team home runs are second to just Northeastern, while it has struck out the fewest times in the CAA. The 34 big flies are already more than last year’s total of 26, which was at the bottom of the conference.
As the narrative around this team has changed over the past 12 months, here are some key takeaways as the Seawolves enter the back-half of their 2025 schedule.
Pitching Struggles
After what was considered a strong suit a year ago, Senk’s pitching staff has become a key spot of vulnerability over the first 26 games.
Stony Brook displayed a fearsome top-four arms last season, as starters Eddie Smink, J.T. Raab, Nicholas Rizzo and Colin Rhein all found success at various points throughout the year. Out of the bullpen, Erik Paulsen established himself as one of the premier back-end options in the league.
Thanks to the transfer portal, Raab (Georgetown), Rhein (Binghamton), starter Colton Book (St. Joseph’s) and relief pitcher Jerek Hobb (Gardner-Webb) all left town, leaving Senk to fill those voids.
The solution was a large freshman class and a few key returns from injury.
After sitting out in 2024 while rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery, John Rizzo has been back in the fold this year and has been a mainstay in the Seawolves’ weekend rotation. He has thrown the second-most innings on the team with 28 and held a walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP) of 1.39. Due to a few blow-up starts and some bad luck, John Rizzo’s ERA is 6.75 after seven appearances (five starts).
Hunter Colagrande — a prized recruit from Kings Park High School — showed signs of promise early in the season. In his season debut, he tossed two shutout innings out of the bullpen, striking out four Bethune-Cookman hitters. However, he struggled against UNC and Niagara before suffering an ankle injury, which has more than likely ended his season.
Otherwise, Smink, Nicholas Rizzo and Paulsen have struggled to replicate their respective 2024 seasons, which garnered each of them recognition on the conference level. Nicholas Rizzo has found a home in Senk’s bullpen, throwing 6 ⅓ innings while allowing three runs. Two of his four relief outings have been scoreless.
In relief, Jacob Pedersen and Vincent Mariella have been Senk’s two most reliable high-leverage options, but a difficult Northeastern series for both relief pitchers inflated their season numbers.
George Adams is another freshman that Senk has used a lot as both a starter and reliever. In two starts, the southpaw has struggled, allowing 13 earned runs in 5 ⅓ innings while serving up five long balls. However, Adams has looked good in relief, throwing 18 innings and allowing nine runs. Even more, five of Adam’s nine runs allowed as a reliever came in one game against FGCU.
The staff was dealt another blow on the injury front on March 15, when relief pitcher Micah Worley collided with catcher Nicholas Solorzano. It was later revealed that Worley needed surgery on his ankle, ending his season.
On a team level, walks and home runs have been the most concerning statistics. Stony Brook has allowed the second-most roundtrippers of any CAA club this season and its 5.03 walks per game has ensured that there is constant traffic on the bases.
If the Seawolves want to make noise and go deep into their season, it is clear that Senk’s main concern will be the pitching staff.
Offensive Juggernaut
In a stark contrast from last year, the Seawolves are launching the baseball. Along with the aforementioned home run production, Stony Brook is slashing .282/.381/.461, giving it a team on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .842.
Heading the charge is Paulsen, who has established himself as one of the best hitters in the conference as a sophomore. The first baseman is hitting .386 with an OPS of 1.114 — both of which are top-five figures in the CAA. Doing most of his work from the second spot in the batting order, he leads the Seawolves in on-base percentage (.500), doubles (eight) and hits (34) while also slugging four home runs. Despite missing Stony Brook’s most recent series while in concussion protocol, Paulsen returned to the starting nine on Tuesday and figures to be on the short list of candidates for CAA Player of the Year by season’s end.
After losing second baseman Evan Fox, left fielder Matt Brown-Eiring, first baseman Brett Paulsen and catcher Ryan Micheli — four mainstays in the Seawolves’ recent lineups — to graduation, Senk recruited outside talent to replace the four.
Arguably the biggest addition was designated hitter Nico Azpilcueta, who played first base in Paulsen’s absence last weekend. Having played at Ohlone College — a junior college (JUCO) — last year, Azpilcueta was a wild card coming into the season. He has been a force in the middle of the lineup, hitting .333 with a 1.105 OPS and a team leading eight home runs — tied for the fourth-most in the league. Additionally, he has reached base in every game this season and driven in the most runs of any Stony Brook player with 26, just edging out right fielder Chanz Doughty.
As for Doughty, he was another JUCO recruit by Senk that has paid massive dividends. On the season, Doughty is hitting at a .322 clip with five home runs and 22 runs batted in (RBI). Doughty was not in the lineup for the Seawolves’ first game of the season, but after launching a three-run homer in their third contest, he has been penned into Senk’s lineup card ever since.
Second baseman Johnny Pilla has also had a breakout season. After hitting .273 a season ago, Pilla’s play has gone to a new level. He is slashing .338/.438/.538, already tying his mark from last year with three long balls. Pilla tweaked his oblique while turning a double play on March 25 and missed the three games against Northeastern over the weekend, as well as Tuesday’s midweek tilt against Manhattan. His health will be imperative to Stony Brook’s success down the stretch. This Wednesday, Pilla returned to practice, serving as a welcomed sign for the Seawolves.
The final major breakout is left fielder Matthew Jackson — who spent the offseason transitioning from the infield to the outfielder. Jackson did not travel with the club for each of its first two weekends but since getting an opportunity at UNC, he has mashed. Jackson is hitting .328 with a .443 on-base percentage and a .977 OPS. Additionally, he has chipped in a pair of home runs and 14 RBIs.
Senk’s lineup has gotten longer, as catcher Scott Gell, third baseman Evan Goforth and center fielder Chris Carson have each improved on their stats from last season. Catcher Luke Szepek — who transferred from West Virginia — has provided thunder at the bottom of the batting order, owning a .792 OPS while slugging four home runs.
Hitting the ball out of the park is the name of the game for the Seawolves. Of their 26 games, nine have seen them not leave the yard. Of those nine, Stony Brook won just one: a 4-2 win over Rider on March 19.
Strong defense and baserunning
A pillar of Senk’s rosters has long been clean defense. This year is no different. Stony Brook’s .982 fielding percentage is the top figure in the conference while its 17 errors committed are by far the fewest. Specifically, the infield has been flawless, turning 27 double plays. As a unit, its 1.08 double plays per game rank fifth nationally.
Seawolves catchers have also gunned down 16 would-be base stealers. Their 27.3% caught stealing percentage trails only Campbell in the conference. Szepek has nabbed 11 of those runners, as his clip is 32.4%.
Headlining the defensive excellence, shortstop Matt Miceli has improved on a strong season with the glove in 2024. Miceli has the highest fielding percentage (0.992) in the CAA amongst shortstops with at least 50 chances.
On the bases, Stony Brook has stolen the second-most bases in the conference. However, Northeastern — who leads the Seawolves — has attempted significantly more steals. The Seawolves are 71-for-78 in stolen base attempts, with Pilla leading the charge with 11 swipes. Jackson is also into double digits with 10 while Miceli and Doughty each have eight.
Much of this may be attributed to Fox, who despite graduating, has been added to the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. In his four years as a Seawolf, Fox stole the most bases in school history, topping current MLB-outfielder Travis Jankowski’s 79 steals with 108 bags.
Success in close games
In games decided by three or fewer runs, Stony Brook is 6-4. In all other games, the Seawolves are 6-10.
Simply put, if Stony Brook is not getting blown out, it is giving itself a good chance to win. Historically, teams with strong defense and late-inning pitching have success in close games. With Pedersen’s 3.86 ERA, relief pitcher Ty Panariello’s recent success and Nicholas Rizzo’s newfound ability to come out of relief, the back end of the bullpen should be fine.
The question mark will be getting the first 18 or so outs and getting the ball into the hands of Senk’s high-leverage arms.
