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| Photo Credit: Vinny Messana |
It has been nearly three years since the “shock the world” mantra was ubiquitous in the baseball community. Initially, it was confined to the northeast region, but after the 52-win season sent them to Omaha for the College World Series, everyone was familiar with the Sea Wolves from a small town in Long Island.
After one lean year and one that featured a quick postseason exit, the Sea Wolves will be looking to get back to being the feared team that the 2012 squad was.
The 2015 team will be forced to replace the production that have walked out the door when last year’s solid group of seniors graduated. Kevin Courtney, Kevin Krause and Anthony Italiano were all leaders that contributed to building the Stony Brook program to what it has become. Krause was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round last year after his exceptional season which culminated in being voted MVP of Long Island by Baseball on the Island.
On the mound, the team will look to fill the void left by Frankie Vanderka, who owns three of the program’s four no-hitters.
Assistant Coach Dan Luisi does not feel that will be a problem.
“We are very dynamic team,” said Luisi. “We have great front line arms supported by a deep staff on the mound, as well as athletic versatile position players. We have always emphasized the importance of pitching and defense and that is the approach that we will continue to instill in our team philosophy.”
The starting staff will be led by Tyler Honahan, who was voted preseason Pitcher of the Year and led the team with a 2.89 ERA last year in 71.2 innings.
He will be joined by redshirt sophomore Daniel Zamora, who missed last season with an injury. He is a power left-handed pitcher that was drafted out of high school and struck out 77 batters over 83 innings as a freshman.
Not to be forgotten is Cameron Stone–the reigning America East Rookie of the Year. He threw 36 innings out of the ‘pen last year, compiling a 1.95 ERA with 45 strikeouts and recording eight saves.
The offense will be relying on junior Cole Peragine to lead the charge. Peragine, a member of the World Series squad, hit .287 last year with a .396 OBP and 13 stolen bases.
Robert Chavarria will join him in the infield. The California native hit .292 last season, with a .395 OBP and 54 hits.
The team will be counting on freshmen Bobby Honeyman (Massapequa ’14) and Andruw Gazzolla (Longwood ’14) to step in right away and provide punch to the lineup.
The Sea Wolves have been picked to finish first in the America East conference–which should come as no surprise. They have been the top dogs in the conference for quite a while.
Head Coach Matt Senk, now in his 25th year, has really turned the program into a powerhouse in the northeast.
Look for the Sea Wolves to return to the regionals and–if they’re offense develops–they can be looking at a return to the Super Regionals and back into the national spotlight.
