Feb. 25, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Following a record-breaking 2008 season, which saw the Stony Brook University baseball team win 34 games and its second America East title in five years, head coach Matt Senk and the Seawolves will kick off their 2009 season this Friday as they travel to Boca Raton, Fla. for a four-game series with the Florida Atlantic Owls. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. Fans can follow the contest with Gametracker at goseawolves.org. Below is the Seawolves 2009 season preview.

Pitching Staff
The Seawolves will have two big holes to fill at the front of their rotation after losing their top two starters, Tom Koehler and Gary Novakowski. Both signed pro contracts following their graduation last season.

Koehler, who was drafted in 18th round of 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Florida Marlins, and Novakowski, who signed a free-agent contract with Kansas City Royals, combined to make 28 starts and hurl 177.0 innings atop the Seawolves rotation last season.

Senior Mike Errigo (Bayside, N.Y.) will start the season as the Seawolves number one starter after making 13 starts for Stony Brook last season.Errigo threw 70.2 innings in 2008, including a brilliant five-hitter in the America East title game victory over Binghamton. After Errigo, Senk says that the other spots in the weekend rotation are up for grabs and will be determined by their performances in early season non-conference games.

A number of returners and newcomers will be in competition for the weekend rotation spots. Junior Jeremy Nowak (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) will be among those contenders after seeing time there most of last season.Senk inserted Nowak as the Seawolves closer to begin the 2008 season and he responded, earning a spot on the NCBWA Midseason Watch List for the 2008 Stopper of the Year Award. He was then moved into the rotation during the season and finished the year with a 7-2 record in addition to ranking second in the America East with seven saves.

Among the other candidates will be junior Matt Harloff (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and sophomore Evan Stecko-Haley (Coral Springs, Fla.). Harloff and Stecko-Haley each made 13 appearances for the Seawolves last season, including several starts in midweek games and Senk believes that the experience from those games will have them competing for time in the rotation this season.

2009 will also mark the return of seniors Jon Kalkau (Bellmore, N.Y.) and Marc Brown (Lancaster, Pa.) as well as sophomore Joe Goglia (Branford, Conn.), who each missed all or part of last season due to injury. Senk expects all of them to compete for innings in both the rotation and bullpen this year.

Kalkau proved to be a valuable starter in 2007 as he ranked second in the America East with seven victories, compiling a 3.00 ERA in 45 innings of work.Brown worked in the bullpen two seasons ago, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 30.1 innings. Goglia appeared as a starter as well as a reliever in 2007, compiling a 4.02 ERA over 31.1 innings.

Also competing for time in the bullpen and rotation will be sophomore Devin Will (Remsen, N.Y.), who appeared in 15 games for the Seawolves last season.

2008 All-America East second team selection, junior Jordan Purington (Westbrook, Maine), will anchor the Seawolves bullpen this season. The Westbrook, Maine native was a workhorse for Senk last year, compiling a team-best 4.03 ERA in an America East high 29 appearances. Purington ranked second in the conference with seven saves, including a scoreless inning to secure the Seawolves 1-0 America East tournament semifinal victory over Binghamton. Aiding Purington in the bullpen, will be senior Michael Barbot (Clermont, Fla.) who finished last season with a flourish, hurling 5.2 scoreless innings in relief at the Tempe Regional. Senk says Barbot could also give the Seawolves a needed lefty in the rotation.

The Seawolves will also welcome heralded freshmen Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.), Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif.) and Joe Melioris (Rome, N.Y.) to his pitching staff this season.Senk believes the trio will see a lot of innings in 2009, including time in the starting rotation, after each had solid performances in the fall.

A local product from West Islip HS, Tropeano went 8-1 with a 1.50 ERA last season, striking out 83 batters in 64.0 innings.Johnson completed a stellar career at Crespi Carmelite HS last season, going 10-0 with a 1.06 ERA. Johnson did not lose a game in his three-year high school career, going 20-0.Melioris comes to Stony Brook from Rome, N.Y. where he recently completed a brilliant five-year career at Rome HS. The 6-10 Melioris went 8-1 as a senior, leading Rome to the Section III Class D championship game.

Infield
Junior Robert Dyer (Selden, N.Y.) will continue to man first base for SBU this season after hitting .298 in 51 starts there last season. A player who Senk says has "matured into an excellent all-around player", Dyer will be counted on in the middle of the Seawolves order after driving in a team-high 45 runs in 2008.

Junior Mike Stephan (Patchogue, N.Y.) will get some time backing up Dyer, but he will mainly be counted on in the designated hitter role that he has thrived in during his first two years with the Seawolves. A two-time All-America East selection who was selected to the 2009 preseason Wallace Watch List, Stephan reached base in all 60 games last season while ranking 12th in the nation in on-base percentage (.518). Stephan deserves all the accolades he's received according to Senk, who calls his three-hole hitter "a great student-athlete and a terrific leader."

One of the most athletic players on the roster according to Senk, senior Keith Fier (Armonk, N.Y.) returns to anchor the Stony Brook infield at shortstop after making 35 starts there in 2008. A good defensive player with good hands, Senk also likes the way Fier handles the bat. Senk sees Tropeano as a backup to Fier, calling him a "very solid shortstop."

Sophomore Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.) enters 2009 with an upper-hand in the race for the third base job after a terrific end to last season. Marino started the final 30 games of last season at third base and hit .327 with a team-high 12 doubles over that span. The 2008 All-America East Rookie selection also responded in the postseason, hitting a team-high .571 at the Tempe Regional.Challenging Marino for time will be junior Chris Maier (Farmingdale, N.Y.), who appeared in 26 games last season. Maier had a strong fall according to Senk and gives the Seawolves the option of a left-handed bat at third.

Sophomore Chad Marshall (Paris, Ontario) begins the season as the likely starter at second base after starting 54 games there last year. A 2008 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American as well as an All-America East second team selection, Marshall hit .285 with 34 runs scored last season and was the 19th toughest player in the country to strike out (1/per 20 AB). Senior Chad Rebecca (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) will see time at second as well after having a strong fall at the plate. Rebecca started 32 games for SBU last season, scoring 21 runs.

Senior Justin Echevarria (Uniondale, N.Y.) will see most of the action behind the plate for the Seawolves after starting 84 games at catcher over the past two seasons. Echevarria, who underwent surgery in the offseason but is expected to be healthy for the start of 2009, led the America East with 17 caught base stealers in 2008 and was named to the America East All-Tournament team. Senk expects sophomore Nick Thode (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and freshman Patrick Cantwell (West Islip, N.Y.), a local product from West Islip HS, to provide the Seawolves with very capable backups behind Echevarria.

Thode started the back end of doubleheaders as well as midweek games for SBU last season, which Senk believes gave him a lot of valuable experience. Senk says that Cantwell has shown every sign that he can catch at this level. A 2008 All-League, All-County and All-Long Island selection, Cantwell hit .471 with 33 RBI as a senior at West Islip.

Outfield
Senk utilized a four-man outfield last season with great success. With all four returning, he will look to use a similar rotation this season. Senior Brian Witkowski (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), who Senk believes is one of the top outfielders in the Northeast Region, will anchor the Seawolves outfield in center after starting 51 games there last season. A 2008 first team All-America East selection, Witkowski led the team in runs scored (56), total bases (115), triples (three) and slugging percentage (.593) a season ago in addition to ranking second on the squad in batting average (.345), hits (67), doubles (15) and home runs (nine).

Senior Steven Mazzurco (Selden, N.Y.) will see most of the time in left field with senior Michael Tansey (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and Nowak sharing time in right field. Mazzurco made 51 starts in left in 2008, ranking fourth in the America East with a .368 average while also leading the Seawolves in hits (70) and doubles (16). He also showed he could play under pressure, hitting .455 in the America East tournament on the way to earning Most Outstanding Player honors.

Tansey started 39 games in right field last season, hitting .306 with five home runs and 29 RBI. He also stepped up his game late last season, belting a three-run home run in the America East championship game victory over Binghamton and hit .375 at the NCAA Tempe Regional. Senk believes Nowak will also see significant time in the outfield this season in addition to his duties on the mound. He hit .287 in 44 starts in right last season and Senk sees him as someone who can bring power from both sides of the plate. Freshman Sal Intagliata (Franklin Square, N.Y.) will also be in the mix for playing time according to Senk. A local product from Carey High School, Senk likes the speed, size and athleticism of Intagliata, who hit .507 as an All-Long Island selection last year.