An offensive spark has come from an unfamiliar source on the Stony Brook Baseball team this season. Opportunity came knocking when the Seawolves were seeking to fill the void at second base left by the graduation of Jack Parenty and sophomore second baseman Brandon Janofksy answered. His knack for getting base-hits has slid under the radar this season.
The sophomore has marked a team-best .337 batting average on 92 at-bats. He leads his team in this statistic and ranks seventh among all America East players. Even when he is not getting on base, he is driving runs in. He also leads the America East in sacrifice flies. His breakout season at the dish has also solidified his spot as the second spot in the lineup.
“I’m trying to stay controlled at the plate and not trying to do too much,” Janofsky said.
He deemed that playing behind Parenty during his freshman year helped guide him to become a better player, but he also credited his dominant play this season to the rest of his teammates and coaching staff.
“It was good last year sitting behind Jack,” Janofsky said. “But it’s just good to come out now and just do what I can do. Not try to do too much, just do what the coaches ask me to do and that’s really all I’ve been doing. It feels good.”
Head coach Matt Senk knew the type of potential Janofsky had since his recruitment. He compiled a career .342 batting average throughout his time at Jackson Memorial High School in New Jersey.
“Once he got his opportunity he made the most of it,” Senk said. “Coming out of high school we felt we had a really good defender and a real hard-nose player and he’s proven to be that so far this spring.”
In addition to Senk’s compliments on Janofksy’s defensive abilities, the sophomore is making a major impact with the bat for the Seawolves. He was initially used utility infielder in his freshman year but has had a breakout season in 2017. His team-leading batting average reached as high as .396 on April 1.
“He’s just been using the middle of the field and taking everything back through the middle,” Senk said. “I’m a big believer [that when] you use the middle of the field, it makes you mechanically sound as a hitter and that’s something that he has been executing and I think that’s a big part of his success.”
Putting the ball in the right spot, in addition to receiving regular playing time, has catapulted Janofsky to having a breakout season at the plate.
