Double barrel action with Brian Herrmann and Kris Killackey pic.twitter.com/zNqkpZNGmj
Axcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) September 28, 2017
Strong defense and base running has been a hallmark of Stony Brook through out Head Coach Matt Senk’s tenure. Entering his 28th season at the helm, the Sea Wolves’ skipper’s attention to detail is pretty remarkable.
While I observed their practice today, they spent roughly 30-35 minutes practicing every type of bunt scenario. No detail was too small to be accounted for. While he was monitoring the batters’ mechanics on their bunts, another coach was timing their sprinting speed to first and another coach was on the base paths directing the fielders. With runs at a premium in the America East, these defensive strategies could be the difference between a win and a loss. Come May, it could be the difference between a conference title or second place.
Senk has five Conference titles (745 career wins), and they will be looking for another this year.
They will have the challenge of replacing some critical pieces to last year’s team that finished with an overall record of 26-26. CF Toby Handley and 1B Casey Baker both enjoyed very productive careers with the Sea Wolves. Handley, a native of Canada, was selected in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros in 2016 but opted to return to Stony Brook for his senior year. He led the team in hitting (.342), doubles (17), runs scored (44), hits (67), walks (45), OBP (.466), SLG (.587) and total bases (115) last season. Needless to say, his presence in the lineup and the outfield will be missed.
Baker, Connetquot grad, was a freshman All-American and continued to have a successful career. He was fourth on the team in hitting (.302) last season and he led the team with 37 RBI. He was named to our All-Long Island team.
Senk stated that the team will really miss the leadership from catcher David Real, who played for the Sea Wolves for two seasons after transferring from Southern Mountain CC in Arizona.
They will be returning a number of impact players, though. Leading the offensive charge will be seniors Andruw Gazzola and Bobby Honeyman as well as junior Dylan Resk–who led the team in HR with 13.
They also will be counting on some returning players such as Michael Wilson, Nick Grande, Chris Hamilton and Sean Buckhout among others. They have plenty of transfers such as Michael Russell, Cristian Montes and Brandon Alamo who could contribute immediately.
The pitching staff will be leaning on redshirt sophomore Greg Marino to duplicate the success of 2017. He started seven games and pitched very well for much of the season. He also put up strong numbers this summer in Albany. He will be joined by hard-throwing Aaron Pinto and Brian Herrmann, who had a strong freshman campaign.
They will be counting on Bret Clarke to return to his 2016 form, in which we named him Rookie of the Year. He went 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA over 13 starts, but struggled in his sophomore season. A return to his rookie form would be an immense boost to the rotation.
One huge X-Factor is Aaron Glickstein. He enjoyed one of the finest pitching seasons (10-0) in Long Island history in 2014 for Hills West. He underwent Tommy John surgery and struggled to regain his velocity, but now 3 years removed from surgery, he could provide another stable arm.
Senk also noted how the pedigree of quality catchers for the Sea Wolves has provided stability for the team in the past. Dating back to Pat Cantwell, the team has had strong leadership and production behind the plate. Following his departure to the minor leagues, Kevin Krause took over and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. His incumbent, Cole Peragine, was a tremendous player as well. Real did a superb job for the team the past two seasons and now it will be up to Buckhout and John Tuccillo to follow in their footsteps.
Stony Brook appears to have plenty of depth and ready to compete for another America East title.
