Coming off a 2009 campaign that saw an early elimination from the championship tournament, Stony Brook’s baseball team is poised to recapture the glory achieved after a 2008 America East Championship season.
Finishing 29-23 overall and tying for third in the America East with a 14-10 conference record, Stony Brook was eliminated by Vermont on the second day of the 2009 America East Tournament.
“Last season was mostly successful, but also disappointing,” Head Coach Matt Senk said. “Coming off a championship in 2008, and then going 0-2 in the tournament, was disappointing for us because that’s not something we traditionally do.”
The Seawolves are returning 13 letter-winners, including four all-conference selections. While last year’s team had a majority of upperclassmen, this year’s team contains a mix of youth and veteran leadership, as 12 freshmen have spots on the 26-man roster.
Returning Seawolves
Senior first baseman Robert Dyer (Selden, N.Y.) returns after recording his best season in a Seawolves uniform in 2009. He was named to the All-America East first team after ranking second in the conference in homeruns (15), third in RBI (80) and eighth in slugging percentage (.610). Dyer also hit .325 with 10 homeruns and 31 RBI during conference play.
Junior infielder Chad Marshall (Ontario, Canada) started all 50 games he appeared in last season. He led the team with 68 hits and ranked second with a .354 batting average. He was named to the All-America East second team.
Sophomore pitchers Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.) and Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, CA.) are back after being named to the America East All-Rookie team a year ago. Tropeano went 5-1 in 14 appearances, striking out 50 batters in 58.0 innings of work. He threw a team-high four complete games and ranked third in the conference with 7.76 strikeouts per game. Johnson went 5-3 in 13 appearances, including 10 starts. He struck out 58 batters in 64 innings and ranked second in the conference, with 8.11 strikeouts per game. Johnson was also named to the All-America East second team.
Fresh Faces
Outfielder Travis Jankowski (Lancaster, PA.) comes to Stony Brook after leading Lancaster Catholic H.S. to a District 3 Double-A Championship as a senior. A two-time All-State selection, Jankowski hit .471 with 20 RBI and scored 25 runs in his senior season.
Pitcher Thor Miller (Miller Place, NY.) was a 2009 All-State, All-League and All-County selection, and was named League V Pitcher of the Year. Miller recorded a 1.10 ERA while striking out 95 batters in 73 innings.
Infielder John Adornetto (Commack, NY.) led Commack H.S. to a 22-10 record, hitting .500 with 25 RBI and 15 stolen bases as a senior. He was a 2009 All-State, All-League All-Long Island, and All-County selection.
Coach Senk anticipates a lot of work for the new guys.
“The freshmen will be used quite a bit,” Senk said. “The pitchers will be utilized and we brought position guys in to fill immediate needs, so they will be playing right away.”
The Schedule
The Seawolves will begin their season with a long road trip. First, they travel to Wilmington, N.C. for a neutral site game against Akron on March 5. The next day they will face UNC-Wilmington before playing both Akron and UNCW on March 7. They will then travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a series against the University of Alabama, who was ranked in the top-25 for the majority of last season. The Seawolves will then face Seton Hall before returning to Stony Brook for the home opener on March 17 against Iona.
“We always play a tough non-conference schedule to begin the season,” Coach Senk said. “But we’ve been doing that for quite a few years, so it’s something we embrace and look forward to because it’s a great experience.”
This year’s conference schedule will feature a new six-team format with two divisions. Stony Brook will play a pair of three-game series against division rivals Binghamton and UMBC. They will play one four-game series each against the three teams in the other division, Hartford, Albany and Maine.
The four teams with the best overall win percentage will advance to the America East Championship, taking place May 26-28.
