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Storybook Season Ends….

Stony Brook head coach Matt Senk guided his team to a record 52 wins in 2012 (Photo CB360’s Pete LaFleur)

OMAHA, Neb. — In a span of eight days Stony Brook took the college baseball world by storm by doing things that no one outside of Long Island thought possible. In a span of three days in Omaha Stony Brook’s fairy tale ride to college baseball’s promised land came to an end.

Matt Senk had reason to be singing Movin’ Out after his team, a No. 4 seed in the Coral Gables Regional, started its run by toppling the host Hurricanes back on June 1. Three more wins that weekend followed by two the next weekend against No. 7 national seed LSU gave Billy Joel’s neighbors a trip to Omaha.

We’ll all forgive Senk if he was making love to his tonic and gin Sunday night after seeing his record setting season come to an end with a 12-2 loss to powerful Florida State.

“I sure hope what these young men have done – the tremendous accomplishments ‑‑ I think they’ve already done so much for the university in so many different ways,” Senk said after the game in his final postgame CWS press conference.

It’s one thing to read those words, but it was another thing to watch and listen to them come out of the baseball lifer’s mouth. Senk, who built this “beautiful baseball team” up by hand from Division III status, choked back tears in between long pauses as he absorbed the reality of it all Sunday afternoon.

Florida State head coach Mike Martin gave that “beautiful” moniker to Senk’s team. Martin is in the midst of his 15^th trip to Omaha with his Seminoles and fully appreciates what Stony Brook’s run means to college baseball.

“I think it opens a number of doors to a number of teams that maybe didn’t think they would ever have this opportunity,” Martin praised afterward. “Stony Brook didn’t just push the door open; they knocked it down by accomplishing what they did in Baton Rouge.”

Martin has been on both sides of David and Goliath battles over the years. There is even a touch of symmetry to the fact that Senk beat Paul Mainieri’s LSU team last week, while this year marks the 10^th anniversary of Mainieri’s Cinderella Notre Dame squad slaying Martin’s No. 1 ranked Seminoles to make the Irish the 2002 CWS.

Stony Brook and Kent State are the northern most teams to reach the promised land since then.

“It gives all of the teams in so called cold weather climates that belief that hey, we’re gonna get this done also,” Martin proclaimed. “Don’t be surprised if another team from the northeast shows up in the very near future in Omaha, Nebraska.”

Other northeastern teams, like UConn last year and St. John’s this year, have come close, but it was Senk’s scrapping Seawolves that managed to break down the door through the Super Regionals and on to Omaha.

“I’ve heard so many people from northeast baseball wishing us luck and saying how proud they were, Senk said of the outpouring he’s received   So hopefully it will go even as far as that.

Before his own team’s miraculous run Senk said the best sports memory he had was when Chris Mullin led the neighboring St. John’s basketball team to the 1985 Final Four. Senk was just in the early stages of his own career at that time – coaching in the high school ranks in the ‘80s prior to taking the Stony Brook helm in 1991.

Omaha is a long way from those Division III days.

Willie Carmona was one of seven Stony Brook players drafted earlier this month (Photo CB360’s Pete LaFleur)

It’s doubtful that the CWS was even in Senk’s wildest dreams in those days-especially considering Omaha wasn’t even on most of his own players’ minds when workouts began last fall.

“Absolutely not,” slugging third baseman Willie Carmona quickly answered when asked if he was thinking CWS just nine months ago. “I knew we were gonna be pretty good and I knew we were gonna win some games, but never in my wildest imagination did I think we would be (among) the last eight teams in Omaha.”

Carmona smacked a team-high 12 home runs during what the record books will show is the best season in the history of any Stony Brook sport. He also drove-in more runs (72) and helped his team win more games (52) than fans who attended the typical Stony Brook home game.

“We come from a place where we may have at the most 50 fans,” Carmona flatly surmised after his team’s 66^th and final game of 2012. “We went to Baton Rouge where there was 11,000 people rooting against us. Then we came here and there were 15,000 people rooting for us. It’s been a swing of momentum the entire year.”

It’s a pretty good bet that, bundled in blankets or not, there will be a good deal more than 50 fans in the stands at Joe Nathan Field when the Seawolves play their first home game next March.

“I sure hope what these young men have done, the tremendous accomplishments ‑‑ I think they’ve already done so much for the university in so many different ways,” Senk said of the immediate impact his Seawolves have had on both his school and Long Island.

“Hopefully this team has done some things that will have a ripple effect that goes on for a long, long time as far as, like I said, for our athletic department, our university, the Long Island community.”

If Stony Brook’s story is turned into a movie Martin should be the narrator.

“Stony Brook is a great story,” Martin said before boarding the FSU team bus after Sunday’s win that sent Stony Brook home. ”They weren’t given anything. They earned every single thing they accomplished all year long.”

It was easy for Martin to rhapsodize about 2012’s darling after his own team’s victory, but it was much tougher for Senk, who was just named National Coach of the Year, to put his own spin on it

Stony Brook is what the College World Series is all about. Carmona grew up a stone’s throw from Stony Brook, but his baseball journey took him on a trip he will never forget.

“For a kid that grew up with very little to come to a place and have everyone know him is just unbelievable,” the Philadelphia Phillies’ 11^th round draft pick said. “I never in a million years would have thought we would make it to the College World Series.”

The pain of two lopsided losses at TD Ameritrade might be too much to swallow right now, but years from now Senk, Carmona, Travis Jankowski and the rest of the Seawolves will gather at the bar to laugh and reminisce about their improbable run.

Son can you play me a memory.

I’m not really sure how it goes.

But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man’s clothes…

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UCLA pitcher Adam Plutko discusses his 2012 College World Series win over Stony Brook.

Stony Brook center fielder Travis Jankowski discusses his team’s loss to UCLA at the CWS and how the team will respond moving forward.

Stony Brook head coach Matt Senk discusses his team’s CWS opening loss to UCLA.

2012 CWS shirts & more are now at The Dugout!

They’re HERE!!  The Dugout in Omaha has official College World Series gear for each of the eight teams, including those Stony Brook Seawolves. If you want to be the first kid (no matter what age) on your block to have this year’s official CWS shirts, hats and more (both for individual teams or generic) click the red link and get to The Dugout’sweb site!

If you’re going to Omaha for the CWS you can also visit The Dugout. It’s right across the street from the home plate entrance to TD Ameritrade Park.

Arizona freshman pitcher Matt Troupe discusses his first College World Series appearance in Friday’s 4-3 win over Florida State.

Don’t Call Them Cinderellas …

Stony Brook Info. –  CWS Notes  |  Season Stats  |  Roster  |  Media Guide  |  Head Coach Matt Senk

CWS/NCAA Interactive Bracket … CWS Printable Bracket … NCAA 64-Team Printable Bracket

Travis Jankowski

ROAD TO OMAHA

In our final Composite National Rankings, CB360 had projected Stony Brook as a #3 Regional seed (#44 overall) but the Seawolves were slotted as a #4 and sent to the Coral Gables Regional, where they rode ace Tyler Johnson and the clutch hitting of Willie Carmona to a 10-2 opening upset of host Miami. They then lost a tight battle with 2-seed Central Florida (9-8) but came all the way back through the losers bracket, posting a comeback win over Missouri State (10-7) and then beating UCF twice (12-2, 10-6) to advance, with Johnson returning to start and win the final game. The stage magnified in the Super-Regional series at #7 national seed LSU, but the Seawolves prevailed (4-5 in 12, 3-1, 7-2) behind timely hitting, tremendous pitching and strong all-around play. The three starting pitchers against LSU – Brandon McNitt, Johnson and Frankie Vanderka – combined to allow only two earned runs (four total runs) and nine hits in their 25 innings during the Super-Regional series.

Historical Perspective

“Back in the day” (prior to 1987), the eight NCAA regionals were geographically-based and fed directly to the College World Series – meaning that there always was a team from the Northeast and Midwest in Omaha. Since that shift away from geographically-based regionals, no team from the Northeast had reached the College World Series – until Stony Brook completed the unique feat this season. Previously, Notre Dame in 2002 had been the “most-northern” team in Omaha since Maine advanced out of the northeast regional back in 1986.

Stony Brook joined Missouri (2006) and Fresno State (2008 national champs) as the only #4 regional seeds ever to advance past the NCAA Regional round.

Balanced Attack

Stony Brook ranks second nationally in batting (.335), fourth in scoring (7.2 runs/gm) and 12th in staff ERA (2.99), plus 12th in fielding pct. (.978) – making them the nation’s most-balanced team in terms of offense, pitching and defense.

Big-Game Hitting

Stony Brook is batting .330 as a team in the NCAAs (.307 at LSU), with both of its losses in the NCAAs coming by one run. Leadoff batter Travis Jan

Feeling a Draft

Seven Stony Brook players recently were selected in the 2012 MLB draft (see player notes below).

Lords of Discipline

Plate-discipline – which can be measured by adding “free-passes” (walks plus hit-by-pitch) is an often-overlooked statistic but it often can be a telling measure for team success. Stony Brook is a classic case-in-point – as the entire Seawolves team is +42 in plate-discipline for the season (237BB+83HBP-278Ks). Leading the way are: the team’s amazingly versatile catcher and #2 batter Pat Cantwell (+33), cleanup hitter Maxx Tissenbaum (+23), leadoff batter Travis Jankowski (+11) and 6-hole hitter Cole Peragine (+11). All of the nine starters have a positive plate-discipline or are neer even (lowest among the starting-9 is Kevin Krause’s -5).

They’re HERE!!  The Dugout in Omaha has official College World Series gear for each of the eight teams, including Stony Brook. If you want to be the first kid (no matter what age) on your block to have this year’s official CWS shirts, hats and more (both for individual teams or generic) click the red link and get to The Dugout’s web site!

If you’re going to Omaha for the CWS you can also visit The Dugout. It’s right across the street from the home plate entrance to TD Ameritrade Park.

_______________________________________________________

Stony Brook Roster Breakdown
• 4 Seniors … 7 Juniors … 10 Sophomores … 7 Freshmen
• Home States/Provinces – 15 from New York … 4 each from California & Ontario … 2 each from Connecticut & Pennsylvania … 1 from Pennsylvania (Travis Jankowski)

Projected Lineup

*Denotes team category leader

1. (LH) Travis Jankowski CF – 6-3/190 … Jr. … Lancaster, PA … #6  (All-American)
… .422, 46 RBI*, 78 Runs*, 109 H*, 5 HR, 11 Triples*, 18 Doubles, .636 slug.%, .485 OB%*, 24 BB, 8 HBP, 21 K, 36-42 SB*, 1E (.994)
… Supplemental 1st-round MLB draft pick (44th overall; San Diego)
… Cape Cod League MVP (summer 2011)

2. (RH) Pat Cantwell C – 6-1/205 … Sr. … West Islip, NY .. .#3
… .296, 32 RBI, 56 Runs, HR, 4 Triples, 11 Doubles, 17 sac. bunts*, .400 OB%, 15 BB, 27 HBP, 11 K, 10-13 SB
… Has throw out 22 of 30 attempted base-stealers (73%)
… 3rd-round MLB draft pick (Texas)

3. (switch) Willie Carmona 3B – 6-0/220 … Jr. … Hempstead, NY … #5
… .399, 72 RBI*, 62 Runs, 12 HR*, 7 Triples, 25 Doubles*, .702 slug. %*, .470 OB%, 35 BB, HBP, 36 K, 7-9 SB
… Batting 18-for-35 (.514) with 12 RBI in the 2012 NCAAs
… Served as team’s closer during 2010-11 seasons (3.63 career ERA, 9 SV, 23 K in 44.2 IP)
… 11th-round MLB draft pick (Philadelphia)

4. (LH) Maxx Tisenbaum 2B – 5-11/190 … Jr. … Toronto, Ontario … #8
… .389, 51 RBI, 44 runs, 3 HR, 3B, 20 Doubles, 22 BB, 9 HBP, 8 K, 0-1 SB
… National leader in “hardest to strike out” (29.3 ABs per K; 234/8)
… 11th-round MLB draft pick (San Diego)

5. (RH) Kevin Krause DH – 6-2/190 … Fr. … Staten Island, NY … #2
… .335, 40 RBI, 38 runs, 3 HR, 12 Doubles, 25 BB, 30 K, 6-8 SB
… Freshman All-American (NCMWA & Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball magazine)
… Father played baseball at Seton Hall

6. (switch) Cole Peragine SS – 5-11/170 … Fr. … Belle Ewart, Ontario … #28 (A-East Rookie of the Year)
… .314, 39 RBI, 42 Runs, 6 Triples, 11 Doubles, 16 sac. bunts, 21 BB, 9 HBP, 19 K, 8-10 SB
… Freshman All-American (NCMWA & Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball magazine)

7. (LH) Steven Goldstein LF – 5-11/175 … Fr. … East Meadow, NY … #16  (2nd team all-America East)
… .344, 34 RBI, 36 Runs, 4 HR, 3 Triples, 8 Doubles, 11 Sac Bunts, 20 BB, HBP, 19 K, 14-19 SB
… Freshman All-American (Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball magazine)
… Homered in late back-and-forth Super-Regional opener at LSU

8. (LH) Kevin Courtney 1B – 6-1/195 … So. … Lindenhurst, NY … #25
… .296, 38 RBI, 31 Runs, 4 HR, 13 Doubles, 24 BB, 10 HBP, 35 K, 1-5 SB
… Batting 9-for-28 in the 2012 NCAAS (6RBI-HR- 4 2B)

9. (RH) Sal Intagliata – 6-2/210 … Sr. … Franklin Square, NY … #14
… .264, 16 RBI, 22 Runs (34 starts), 2 HR, 6 Doubles, 19 BB, 4 HBP, 26 K
… His 2-run HR opened scoring early in Super-Regional series at LSU

Starting Rotation

RHP Tyler Johnson – 6-0/180 … Sr. …  Chatsworth, CA … #44
(12-1*) 1.94 ERA*, 97.2 IP *, 48 K, 25 BB, .244 opp. BA
… 33rd-round MLB draft pick (Oakland)
… Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American (3.71 cum. GPA, history)
… Owns 4 of the 7 NCAA tournament wins in program history (2012 vs. Miami, UCF & LSU; 2.49 ERA in 21.1 IP)
… Cape Cod League all-star during summer of 2011
… High school teammate of UCLA infielder Kevin Williams

RHP Brandon McNitt – 5-10/170 … So. … Chino Hills, CA … #20
(7-1) 2.80 ERA, 100.2 IP*, 61 K*, 24 BB, .236 opp. BA
… No-decision in first game at LSU (7-plus IP, UER)

RHP Frankie Vanderka – 6-2/205 … So. … Levittown, NY … #23
(3-3) 2.37 ERA, 5 SV*, 64.2 IP, 47 K, 22 BB, .174 opp. BA*
… Served as closer for most of season but complete-gm winner in final Super-Reg. game at LSU
… Father Frank Vanderka reached triple-A in Yankees organization (Columbus Clippers)

Bullpen

RHP James Campbell – 6-1/195 … Jr. … Bridgeport, CT… #15
(5-0) 3.09 ERA, 18 App, 7 Starts, 3 SV, 55.1 IP, 40 K, 16 BB, .204 opp. BA
… MVP of America East Tournament
… 12th-round MLB draft pick (Dodgers)

RHP Jasvir Rakkar – 6-2/200 … Jr. … Brampton, Ontario … #27
(6-2) 3.83 ERA, 19 App., 3 starts, 3 SV, 47 IP, 37 K, 18 BB, .224 opp. BA
… 26th-round MLB draft pick (Cubs)

RHP Joshua Mason – 6-2/180 … So. … Woodland Hills, CA … #26
(3-1) 3.34 ERA, 18 App., 3 SV, 35 IP, 31 K, 14 BB, .226 opp. BA
… Long-reliever who finished both Regional wins over UCF; starting RF in 2011

BATON ROUGE Super Regional … LSU Regional Central (link)
• Gm-1 (Fri.-Sat.): 7-national seed LSU 5-9-1 … def. Stony Brook 4-14-3 (12 inn.; resumed from Fri.)
… Final Stats: HTML & PDF  | AP Recap  |   LSU Recap  |  SB Recap
Photos (AP)  |  Photos (LSU)  |  Video Highlights
• Gm-2 (Sat.): Stony Brook 3-6-2 … won at (7) LSU 1-3-0
… Final Stats: HTML & PDF  |  AP Recap  |  SB Recap  |  LSU Recap  |  Quotes (SB)
Photos (AP)  |  Photos (LSU)  |  Video Highlights
• Gm-3 (Sun.) – Stony Brook 7-15-1 … won at (7) LSU 2-3-2
… Final Stats: HTML & PDF  |  AP Recap  |  SB Recap  |  LSU Recap
Photos (AP)  |  Photos (LSU)  |  Photos (SB)  |  Video Highlights

2012 CWS Bracket One

Other Award Winners Named As Well…

Travis Jankowski

Bourne’s General Manager Mike Carrier said thankfully Jankowski scored a chance on the Cape because a former Brave’s assistant was working with Jankowski at Stony Brook. When current field manager, Harvey Shapiro, started calling around looking for good players, he found the 6-2, 190 pound outfielder.

“Not only is he a great baseball player, but a good person, student, citizen and overall nice person. Sometimes you don’t see nice people and ballplayers in the same combination,” said Carrier.

The ballplayer from Lancaster, Penn., played well from start to finish. The numbers do not lie. He was made a Cape League All-Star for the Western Division because of it.

Jankowski finished one of the top ten hitters and base stealers in the league. He batted .326 with 22 RBIs, 60 hits, 35 runs and a .444 OBP.

“I actually like his defense most of all. He played right center to left center and just caught everything in his way, everything. Balls I could never see anybody else get to during the season,” said Carrier.
Jankowski credits his speed and defense to his father and his brother chasing him around as a kid.

“That speed is good but you also need to be able to know how to use it. You need to be able to get a jump on balls and be able to track them well too. You can’t teach that. It’s inside you. That is instinct,” said Carrier.

The Stony Brook player, who didn’t make an error in 115 chances over his sophomore season, ranked second in America East with a .355 batting average.

“Before leaving for the year, the one thing he said to me was he wanted to come back. But in my mind I hope he has another great season at Stony Brook and ends up getting drafted high enough so he doesn’t have to come back and continue on to have a great baseball career,” said Carrier.

FLASHING THE HARDWARE – Congrats to the 2011 CCBL Postseason Award winners including: MVP – Travis Jankowski (Stony Brook) of Bourne; Batting Champion – Stephen Piscotty (Stanford) of Y-D; Top Pro Prospect – Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) of Cotuit; Top Pitcher – Ryan Eades (LSU) of Bourne; Top Relief Pitcher – Trevor Gott (Kentucky) of Orleans; 10th Player – Ben Waldrip (Jacksonville) of Orleans; Sportsmanship – Patrick Cantwell (Stony Brook) of Bourne; Top New England Player – Nate Koneski (Holy Cross) of Falmouth; Top GM – Bill Bussiere, Hyannis; Top Field Manager – Chad Gassman, Hyannis; Star of Stars Playoff MVP – Mike Garza(Georgetown), Harwich.

VANDY BOUND – Social Media/PR maven Ashley Crosby has landed a sports information position with Vanderbilt after four years working in the CCBL. She was presented with a specially engraved Barnstable Bat before last Thursday’s Wareham at Falmouth playoff game broadcast on WEEI Cape Cod (96.3 FM).

CCBL SPONSOR HONORED – Randy Shepard, CEO of Eye Health Services, was honored for 10 years of support of the CCBL during pre-game ceremonies at last Friday’s Falmouth at Harwich championship series playoff game one.

FALMOUTH KO ARTIST – Joe Bircher (Bradley) led the Cape League with 48 strikeouts and compiled a 1-1 record with a sparkling 1.44 ERA, good for second in the league;

TOP RUN PRODUCER – Catcher Dane Phillips (Oklahoma St.) of Chatham, who finished a mere .0002 points behind CCBL batting champion Stephen Piscotty, led the league with 34 RBI.

STINGY HURLER – RHP Scott Firth (Clemson) of Hyannis won the league’s ERA crown with a microscopic 1.15 ERA as he and Dylan Floro (Cal State-Fullerton) at 4-1 gave the Harbor Hawks a lethal 1-2 pitching punch.

MEMORIES OF YESTERYEAR – It was 85 years ago that Truro native Danny “Deacon” MacFayden was mowing down opposing batters in the fledgling Cape Cod League. The right-hander posted a 9-2 record leading Osterville to its second straight CCBL title in 1925 before switching to a Falmouth uniform in 1926 and hurling a one-hitter against Hyannis. He signed with the Boston Red Sox and led the AL with four shutouts in 1929 and enjoyed a 17-year career before coaching at Hebron (ME) Academy and Bowdoin College.

By Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires

South Carolina players received their CWS rings Saturday (courtesy South Carolina athletics).

Gamecocks received their 2010 national championship rings over the weekend. The presentation came at halftime of the South Carolina-Arkansas football game Saturday night (11/6) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. Tanner, his assistants and team received their CWS rings at the 50-yard line. Fireworks and balloons punctuated the ceremony.

Honoring “The Voice”…

Before that same South Carolina-Arkansas football game the Gamecocks paid tribute to longtime South Carolina play-by-play announcer Bob Fulton. The 89-year-old died last Wednesday at his Lexington home. Fulton retired in 1995 after 43 years calling South Carolina football, basketball and baseball. He was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Wonderdogs Or Torture?

Fresno State radio play-by-play man Paul Loeffler is also a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan. Just a few years ago it might have seemed that fans like Loeffler would go a lifetime without seeing a championship for either team, but all that has changed. Loeffler called FSU’s 2008 “Wonderdog” run to the CWS Championship, and now he has seen his beloved Giants win a World Series title. He has also written a good piece comparing the improbable title runs of both teams. Here’s one of his observations:  “The most powerful parallel is that the team is so much more potent than the sum of its parts. Turn these Giants into your fantasy league entry, and you’ll fall to dead last. It’s not about the eye-popping stats, it’s about the power of we over me.”  The entire piece is posted on Fresno State’s web site. CLICK HERE to read the whole thing.

The Beard Not Feared…

No doubt, San Francisco Giants closer Brian Wilson (formerly of LSU) and his beard garnered about as much attention as anyone (or anything) during the Giants’ World Series run. “Fear The Beard” signs were everywhere, as were San Francisco fans with faux beards in the stands. Wilson now has a group of college players who are using him (and his beard) for motivation. The University of Northern Colorado pitching staff has plastered Wilson’s mug on the back of their staff t-shirts. They read “Baseball NC P-Staff” on the front and “Mental Assassins” along with a screen print of Wilson’s face on the back of the shirts (pictured left, click-on photo to enlarge). There might be an influx of facial hair coming soon in Greeley, CO.

Molitor Out Front…

MLB Hall of Famer, Paul Molitor, has been enlisted to help the University of Minnesota raise funds to build a new baseball stadium. Prior to his 21-year Big League career, Molitor starred for three years as a Golden Gopher in the 1970s. He is now the chairman of  The Siebert Field Legacy Campaign, which hopes to raise $7.5 million to build a new stadium on the site of the current Siebert Field. The stadium, built in 1971, has split Minnesota home games with the Metrodome over the years, but it was not used in 2010 and all of the Gophers’ 2011 home games are slated for the

Golden Gopher great Paul Molitor is now helping raise funds for a new stadium (courtesy Minnesota Athletics).

Metrodome as well. The university says the new facility would be a “multi-use venue that will accommodate the needs of Gopher baseball, provide benefits to sports using adjacent facilities, enhance the experience of fans and visitors and serve as an important resource for amateur baseball in Minnesota.”

A New Stony Stadium…

Stony Brook is in the process of renovating it’s Joe Nathan Stadium. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by March 2011. It includes a new FieldTurf surface, new dugouts, new bullpen, and new fences. Fundraising is currently underway for phase two of the project, which would include a new scoreboard, lights, stadium seating, and a press box. Joe Nathan Field is named for former Seawolves and current Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Nathan. He contributed the lead gift for the facility. Stony Brook has won three America East Tournament championships since its elevation to Division One status in 2002.

Say What?

Just for some perspective, a non-BCS Conference school, Stony Brook, is building a new stadium in the northeastern part of the country in the village of Stony Brook, NY. Another cold weather school, Minnesota, is spending millions to build a new stadium as well. Meanwhile, Cal-a school that receives BCS revenue and has the benefit of great weather…not to mention the fact that it had more alums on MLB rosters than any other school at the start of last season, is eliminating its baseball program. Does that make sense? Savecalbaseball.com.

Red Sox For Rams…

Boston Red Sox season tickets are hard to come by, but the Rhode Island baseball team has a pair. URI is raffling off a pair of Red Sox season tickets for the 2011 season. The tickets (Section 24, Seats 17 and 18) have a face value of more than $8,000. Raffle tickets for a chance to win the season tix can be purchased for $100, with no limit on the number of raffle tickets an individual can buy. Proceeds will help Rhody baseball offset the costs of travel, equipment and facility upgrades. CLICK HERE for more information.

Binghamton Looks To Defend First Postseason Crown

Matt Duffy

Tennessee Transfer: Former Vermont shortstop Matt Duffy was the 2009 America East Player of the Year, and he has transferred to Tennesseee.  He batted .388 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs.

Albany

2009 Record: (26-31-1)

Head Coach: Jon Mueller

Key Losses: Gary Pitcheralle led the Danes with a .335 avg. and scored 50 runs.  Ryan Gugel hit .303 with a team-high 9 HR and 49 RBIs.

Fast Fact: Albany stole 80 bases last season.

Binghamton

Head Coach: Tim Sinicki has been named America East Coach of the Year three in of the last five seasons.

Key Losses: Staff ace Murphy Smith was drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft by the Oakland A’s.  Smith was 7-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 2009.  Closer Jeff

Corey Taylor

Dennis had 7 saves.

Top Returners: 1B Dave Ciocchi earned freshman All-American honors and was named America East Rookie of the Year after batting a team-high .381.  Jr. OF Corey Taylor hit .340 with team-highs of 16 HR and 56 RBIs.  He hit .418 as a freshman in ’08.

Tough Test: Binghamton faces defending national champion LSU in a single game in Baton Rouge on March 31.  It’s the first time in program history the Bearcats will play the defending NCAA champ.

The Bearcats have won three straight America East regular season titles, but they won their first conference tournament and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2009.

Hartford

2009 Record: (15-32, 7-15)

Head Coach: Dave Calcaterra

Top Returners:  Andy Drexel had the team triple crown with a .363 avg., 7 HR and 49 RBIs.  He also topped the Hawks with 13 doubles and 4 triples.  Senior catcher Mike Amendola hit .362.

Pack A Parka: Hartford opens its season on March 10 in New Britain, CT vs. Central Connecticut State.

Maine

2009 Record: (32-23, 13-11)

Head Coach: Steve Trimper

Youth Movement: Ian Leisenheimer earned Freshman All-American honors

Ian Leisenheimer

after batting .356 with 5 HR and a team-high 41 RBIs.  He was joined on the ’09 America East All-Rookie Team by Kevin Scanlan (6-3, 3.96 ERA), and A.J. Bazdanes (3-1, 4.30 ERA, 2 SVs).

Line-up Loss: Kevin McAvoy led Maine with a .379 avg. & 10 HR.  He had an OPS of 1.118.

Strength Of Schedule: The Black bears play a 3-game series at North Carolina Feb. 26-28 and play a 4-game set at Oregon State in mid March.

The Road To Omaha: Maine has made 7 College World Series appearances.

Stony Brook

2009 Record: (29-23, 14-10)

Head Coach: Matt Senk

Power Outage: The Seawolves lose a combined 25 home runs and 76 RBIs after the graduations of Michael Tansey (.343, 13 HR, 40 RBIs) and Brian Witkowski (.341, 12 HR, 36 RBIs).

Corner Power: Senior first baseman Rob Dyer (.285, 15 HR, 50 RBIs) returns to lead the Stony Brook offense.  He had a .959 OPS in 2009.

Nick Tropeano

Ace In The Hole: Sophomore righthander Nick Tropeano (5-1, 5.12 ERA) was named the Atlantic Collegiate Summer League’s Pitcher of the Year over the summer.  Baseball America named him the league’s #1 prospect.

Road Challenges: Stony Brook plays a 4-game series at Alabama and then plays three games at Pepperdine and two at San Diego State in March.

UMBC

2009 Record: (9-36, 4-18)

Head Coach: John Jancuska

Big Shoes To Fill:  Shawn Retz led the Retrievers with a .383 avg. and 10 HR in 2009.  He also had a team-best 1.093 OPS while grounding into just 4 double plays.  Tom Meaney (.294, 9 HR, 15 doubles, 40 RBIs) is also gone.

Who’ll Provide The Pop?: While Retz and Meaney combined for 19 home runs last season, the rest of the Retrievers totaled just 15 long balls.

The America East Conference schedule is now a six-team format with two divisions.  Teams will play a pair of three-game series’ against divisional mates and play one four-game series against each of the other three teams. The four teams with the best overall win percentage (in either division) will advance to the America East Championship, played May 26-28 at the highest seed’s home field.

Southern Division: Binghamton, Stony Brook & UMBC

Northern Division: Albany, Hartford & Maine

Predictions

2010 Champion: Binghamton, but look for Maine to challenge

2010 Player of the Year: Binghamton’s Corey Taylor

2010 Pitcher of the Year: Stony Brook’s Nick Tropeano

Seawolves To Play Three NCAA Tournament Teams

Stony Brook head coach Matt Senk

Complete 2010 Stony Brook Schedule

The Seawolves will then head to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for a three-game series with the University of Alabama, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. Following the series at Alabama, who was ranked in the top-25 much of last season, the Seawolves will take on Big East foe Seton Hall before returning to University Field for its home opener on March 17 against Iona.

SBU then returns to the road for the Seton Hall Strike Out Cancer Tournament before heading to California from March 26-31 for a six-game trip which will include tilts against Pepperdine, San Diego State and Cal State Bakersfield. San Diego State advanced to the NCAA Regional in 2009.

Following a four-game series at LeMoyne after the California trip, the Seawolves will begin America East Conference play. The conference schedule will incorporate a new six-team format with two divisions. Stony Brook will play a pair of three-game series’ against the two teams in their division (Binghamton and UMBC) and will play one four-game series against each of the other three teams (Hartford, Albany and Maine).

The Seawolves open conference play at defending America East champion Binghamton (April 10-11) before hosting UMBC the next weekend (April 17-18) at University Field. SBU will then play consecutive road series’ against Albany (April 24-25), Maine (May 1-2) and UMBC (May 8-9).

Stony Brook concludes the regular season with home series against Hartford (May 15-16) and Binghamton (May 21-22). The four teams with the best overall win percentage (in either division) will advance to the America East Championship, played May 26-28 at the highest seed.

Stony Brook returns 13 letter-winners from a season ago including all-conference selections- senior first baseman Robert Dyer (Selden, N.Y.), junior infielder Chad Marshall (Paris Ontario), sophomore right hander Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif.) and sophomore right hander Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.).

(Release)