In a fitting end to a legendary career for its head coach, the Stony Brook baseball team ended its season with a perfect weekend.
Entering the weekend on a nine-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) losing streak, the Seawolves (25-27, 11-16 CAA) hosted the Monmouth Hawks (24-30, 10-17 CAA) at Joe Nathan Field. Stony Brook took the opener on Thursday afternoon, winning 8-7 on a walk-off single by first baseman Erik Paulsen, before taking Friday’s middle game 8-5. In the season finale on Saturday, the Seawolves won 12-5.
With both teams out of postseason contention, the story of the series was the retirement of head coach Matt Senk. After 35 seasons at the helm, Senk announced his retirement last week, and after the sweep, finished with 970 career victories.
“Obviously, we all knew what was going to be happening at the end of this series so the guys came out and were just wonderful about being prepared and ready to play,” Senk said in a postgame interview with The Statesman. “I appreciate that so much … Yesterday, after winning the second game, we talked about a sweep and that’s a great thing, for our seniors to go out and win on Senior Day and it’d be great for the end of my career to go out that way.”
Prior to first pitch on Thursday, Senk was honored in a pregame ceremony, allowing fans to reminisce on the past three and a half decades of Stony Brook baseball. Among the highlights were six appearances in the NCAA tournament, the move from Division III to Division I and an appearance in the 2012 College World Series.
“It’s humbling to hear all the things that are being said,” Senk said. “I had some former players come back today, and honestly, what was said about me is about the players. It’s all about the players so when I hear that kind of stuff, it just speaks to the program.”
The Seawolves took an instant lead in the opener, scoring three times in the first two innings. In the first, designated hitter Nico Azpilcueta lined a two-run home run to right field — his 19th big fly of the season.
Leading off the top of the third, Monmouth first baseman Chris Walsh singled off starter Eddie Smink. During the ensuing at bat, Smink tweaked his groin, which led to his exit from the game. Immediately after, reliever Jacob Pedersen served up a double to designated hitter Jay Bant to get the Hawks on the board.
Stony Brook tacked on two runs in the fourth, before Paulsen singled home third baseman James Schaffer in the sixth, extending the Seawolves’ lead to 6-1.
From there, things went downhill for the Seawolves. Monmouth laced three consecutive singles off Pedersen to open the seventh, knocking him out of the game and cutting the deficit to 6-2. Bant singled to greet relief pitcher George Adams, before left fielder Chris Andrews ripped a two-run double down the left-field line.
After a run-scoring ground ball trimmed the Stony Brook lead to just a run, pinch hitter Jake Howlett delivered a game-tying double to knot the score at six all. Adams finally put the inning to bed by getting a ground ball, before throwing a scoreless eighth inning.
The Seawolves grabbed a brief lead in the bottom of the eighth, as Monmouth relief pitcher Joey Ciancimino handed out consecutive two-out walks, before hitting right fielder Chanz Doughty to load the bases. Then, he threw ball four to catcher Luke Szepek, forcing in the go-ahead run.
Trying to put the game away, Adams faltered again in the top of the ninth by walking the first two batters of the frame, before Senk pulled him in favor of reliever Matthew Canizares. Canizares got two fly ball outs and a groundout, but allowed a game-tying sacrifice fly to Monmouth catcher Shane Dux.
Upon entering the game, Canizares allowed a walk in the ninth, but retired the next eight batters he faced, giving the Seawolf offense a chance to win the game in the bottom of the eleventh.
Leading off the frame, center fielder Chris Carson reached base on an infield hit, tallying his fourth hit of the ballgame.
“I’m just trying to simplify things,” Carson said. “Last weekend I was trying to do too much at times and getting frustrated and it ended up being a domino effect. This week, I just tried to put the ball in play, hit the ball hard and get on base.”
Following Carson’s leadoff knock, Monmouth reliever Derek Benzinger walked shortstop Matt Miceli before Schaffer dropped down a perfect bunt which netted him an infield hit. With the bases juiced and nobody out, Paulsen took a fastball from Benzinger the other way, dropping it in for the walk-off single.
“My swing clicked,” Paulsen said. “I felt pretty good at the plate and I always try to put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. When you put the ball in play, good things happen and it’s nice to win for Coach Senk before his retirement.”
A pillar of Senk’s career has been the continued resiliency of his rosters. Thursday’s win was no different, as Stony Brook found a way to win despite blowing a 6-1 advantage.
“We’ve struggled holding opposing teams down all year and much of that is because of the big inning,” Senk said. “We obviously gave up another big inning there, but we hung in there. Canizares came in and did a great job and we finally pushed that run across. Great job by the guys to hang in and show some toughness.”
While the Seawolves scored first again in game two — as catcher Scott Gell knocked in a run with a single in the first inning — the story quickly became starting pitcher Nicholas Rizzo, who cruised through the first seven innings on the mound.
“I’ve just been trying to fine-tune my mechanics and get strike one,” Rizzo said. “I don’t strike many guys out, so it’s just a matter of having the confidence to throw the ball over the plate and trust my defense.”
From the fifth to the eighth, Stony Brook scored in every inning. In the sixth, left fielder Matthew Jackson blasted a home run, before Azpilcueta belted a two-run shot over Circle Road for his 20th homer of the season in the seventh.
With the home run, Azpilcueta picked up the third-most runs batted in (RBI) in a single season in Stony Brook history, and became just the second player in program history to eclipse 20 home runs.
“It means a lot to get all those records, but at the end of the day, it’s just nice to get back in the win column,” Azpilcueta said. “No. 20 means a lot actually, I told one of my friends before the season that I’m going for that number. Feels good to get it.”
Rizzo hit a roadblock in the eighth, as he allowed a pair of base runners with two outs. Then, Monmouth second baseman Casey Caufield singled through the middle to get the Hawks on the board and knock Rizzo out of the game.
Relief pitcher Ty Panariello immediately struggled in relief, allowing a run-scoring single and two-run double to cut Stony Brook’s lead to 6-4. Andrews then grounded a ball past Schaffer — who moved from second to third in the sixth inning — to score the fifth run of the inning.
Once again, the Seawolves were not fazed by the comeback attempt, as Schaffer tacked on a pair of insurance runs with a single in the home half of the eighth.
In the ninth, Senk turned to reliever Vincent Mariella, who tossed a 1-2-3 frame with a pair of strikeouts to wrap up the game and secure a series victory.
“When we brought [Mariella] in, we planned for him to be able to do exactly that,” Senk said. “We’ve always had the confidence in him to be able to do things like that. It was good to see, he did a great job.”
Capping off a rocky second season of collegiate baseball, Rizzo turned in arguably his best outing of the season, going 7 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs on six hits, no walks and four strikeouts.
“No walks from [Rizzo],” Senk said. “That’s been his biggest issue has been the inconsistency in the strike zone. He had a good mix going and was in the zone with both his fastball and his breaking ball. It’s great to see that kind of result.”
Sunday marked both Senk’s final game and senior day, making for an emotional afternoon. Families of both the six seniors and Senk were on hand, giving them an emotional sendoff.
“Senior Day is always special,” Senk said. “It was an awesome day not only to be able to honor those guys and celebrate what they have done, but also with my announcement, it has just been overwhelming with the number of people that have reached out. I don’t know if they’re just being nice … but some of the things that people have written just leave me speechless.”
Stony Brook plated a pair in the first as Paulsen singled home Schaffer, before catcher Nicholas Solorzano — one of the pregame honorees — doubled into the right-center field gap to bring in a run.
“[The day] was super fun,” Solorzano said. “Just getting out there, getting to play with my boys one more time, get a win and get a sweep for Coach Senk was just a blast.”
While Monmouth tied the game with two runs in the second off starter John Rizzo, he locked in from there, throwing three scoreless frames to get the game to the bottom of the fifth.
After a leadoff double by right fielder Kincaid Bergthold, Miceli lined a single back up the middle to give the Seawolves a 3-2 advantage. Two batters later with runners at the corners, Paulsen launched a foul ball with home run distance off Monmouth starter Ryan Mealy. On the next pitch, Paulsen straightened it out, hitting a three-run shot over the right-field wall to extend the lead to 6-2.
“I got ahead 2-0 and pulled one out foul on a fastball,” Paulsen said. “I didn’t think [Mealy] was going back to the fastball so I sat on the changeup, which he ultimately threw and I hit it over the fence.”
An inning later, the Hawks got a bit closer, as Monmouth right fielder Aidan Watson swatted a two-run home run to right field, ending Rizzo’s day. However, Stony Brook blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth, tallying a six-spot.
With runners at first and second and one out, Miceli ripped a double inside the third-base bag to plate a run.
“I was just trying to get my pitch,” Miceli said. “I’m not trying to do too much. It’s the last game so you can’t get ahead of yourself. I try to stay within myself and do what I’m capable of.”
Next up, Schaffer banged a two-run single to make it 9-4 Seawolves. After Paulsen walked, Stony Brook executed one of Senk’s specials: a double steal. In an attempt to nab Schaffer at third, Monmouth catcher Brendan Buecker’s throw went into left field to allow a run to score. With two outs, center fielder Cam Santerre doubled home a pair, ending his two-year Seawolves career on a high note.
In relief of Rizzo, Senk went to Mariella for the second straight day, who allowed a run on five hits over 2 ⅔ innings. In the ninth, relief pitcher Aidan Colagrande got the final three outs, picking up a strikeout and not allowing a baserunner to end Stony Brook’s season and Senk’s career with a sweep.
“I don’t know if professionally speaking or personally speaking, if you can have a better day than today,” Senk said. “To see guys that I haven’t seen in a long time who have come back, and to have all my family members. That’s the perfect word, family. It’s a family and it’s hard to believe that 35 years have gone by.”
Offensively, the Seawolves bounced back after three consecutive low-scoring weekends. They scored 28 runs in the three games while notching 34 hits and four home runs.
With his name popping up in transfer portal speculation, Paulsen shined in potentially his final weekend at Stony Brook. He went 6-for-14 with a double, a home run, five runs scored and six RBIs.
“This is everything,” Paulsen said. “This place has trusted me, believed in me. No matter what happens I’m never going to forget Stony Brook.”
Batting right behind him in the order, Azpilcueta went just 2-for-14 amidst portal talk of his own. However, both of his hits left the ballpark as he also drove in five runs.
Despite receiving most of his playing time as a pinch runner or defensive replacement this year, Schaffer took full advantage of his first weekend as a full-time starter. In 17 at bats across the three games, he tallied a team-high nine hits. He also picked up three stolen bases, scored five runs and picked up five RBIs.
“Just staying ready all year,” Schaffer said. “Not taking any days off and being ready when your name gets called. I think I’ve taken advantage of that opportunity.”
Carson was an on-base machine at the bottom of the batting order, going 5-for-8. Additionally, he stole a base and crossed the plate six times. His four hits on Thursday marked a career high.
In his final series in his college career, Miceli went 4-for-11 and scored three runs. He also doubled and drove in two amongst countless flawless defensive plays.
“The last four years have been so much fun,” Miceli said. “I want to thank the coaches for taking a chance on me and believing in me to be the starting shortstop for three years straight. That means a lot to me.”
Jackson tallied just one hit in the series, although that one hit left the park. Santerre went 1-for-5 between two games, doubled and drove in two runs. Gell went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Solorzano went 1-for-3 with two walks, a double, an RBI and a run scored. Finally, Bergthold went 1-for-3 with a double, a hit by pitch and a run scored on Saturday.
On the mound, Mariella appeared twice, throwing 3 ⅔ innings of one-run ball while allowing five hits and three walks. He struck out two batters in the series.
The weekend marked the end of an era for Stony Brook baseball. For the program, Senk is all that it has known in its Division I-era.
“[Senk] isn’t just a great coach, he’s a legendary coach,” Miceli said. “He’s done a lot for not just Stony Brook, but college baseball as a whole. On behalf of everyone here at Stony Brook and the entire community, I want to thank him.”
With the book officially closed on Senk’s career and the ink dry on the 2025 chapter, Stony Brook will have holes to fill ahead of first pitch in 2026. The first step will be finding a new head coach, before work can be done to flush out a roster that figures to lose large swaths to the transfer portal.
“The legacy that I would like is that we were respected by our opponents by how hard we played, how prepared we were, how resilient and persistent we were, all of those adjectives,” Senk said. “To be known for all the intangibles is something that I’m extremely proud of … That all translated to a ton of winning and winning is fun. It’s great to be the head coach of what we call, ‘The Brotherhood.’”
Anthony DiCocco also contributed reporting.
