Feb. 21, 2005

Stony Brook, N.Y. - With an America East title under their belts, the 2005 Stony Brook baseball team is hungry to return to the NCAA Regionals and put a stamp on its place as one of the top programs in the Northeast. With six starters and 11 pitchers returning from last season's championship squad and a healthy crop of new talent, the Seawolves have the potential to be successful in the conference and achieve their goal of taking home a second straight America East Championship and challenge the field of 64 at the NCAA Tournament.

Pitching Staff

The 2005 staff returns 11 arms from last season and each hurler will have a clearly defined role this year. Head coach Matt Senk expects a solid class of newcomers to add depth across the board, as every pitcher on the roster will have the opportunity to earn time on the mound this season.

The Seawolves enter the 2005 season with three solid arms that Senk expects to be his weekend starters. Senior Jon Lewis is already atop the Stony Brook record books for most innings pitched (254.2), and stands just three wins and 81 strikeouts away from taking the lead in each category, numbers very attainable this season. He is the most reliable and experienced pitcher on the staff and will be counted on to this season to steady a talented rotation. His 100 innings pitched last year were a school record as he tossed seven complete games. He looks to continue the success he enjoyed in his first three seasons and utilize knowledge gained playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League over the past two summers.

Junior Kevin Fitzgerald broke out in 2004 and will form a deadly one-two punch with Lewis. The top prospect in the America East as ranked by Baseball America, Fitzgerald went 7-3 with 3.15 ERA for the lasts season and will use his low 90's fastball and hard breaking slider to sit down opponents again this year.

Southpaw Matt Restivo will take on the final weekend starter role this season. A workhorse for coach Senk his first two seasons, Restivo is already the school's all-time leader in appearances (44). Having pitched as a starter and out of the bullpen as a closer, Restivo had a career-defining start for the Seawolves to clinch the America East title last season. No-hitting the Black Bears for the first five and two-thirds innings, he tossed a complete game four-hitter while striking out a career-high 10 batters and allowing only one run in the victory that sent the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the Division I level.

Nick Abel established himself as the Seawolves closer last season, leading the team with a 2.28 ERA and holding the opposition to a team-best .211 batting average while picking up three saves. His ability to change speeds will be key again this season as he holds down the role of the Seawolves stopper.

A number of arms from last year's team return this season with the opportunity to see an increased number of innings in crucial situations. Kris Bakey, John Henkel, Kurt Jung, Brian Murtagh, and Stephen Zydor all saw a number of innings last season and will challenge for innings, while Robert Leonard will see an increased role as a lefthander out of the pen and Matt Lyons will have the opportunity to get outs with his big breaking ball. Jeff Casagrande, who did not play last season, returns to the staff and will look to build on his experience in 2003.

An extremely talented group of newcomers will solidify the pitching staff in 2005. Fireballers Jonathan Kalkau, a transfer from Indian River Community College, and freshman Tom Koehler highlight this year's incoming class. Each has the ability to dominate opposing batters and will have an opportunity to break into the starting rotation this year. Freshmen Mike Errigo and Mike Gionesi, a southpaw, are both capable of contributing this year and will come out of the bullpen for the Seawolves.

Catchers

A pair of solid backstops, junior Jon Pasieka and junior college transfer Tom Pennino will compete for starting catcher duties for Stony Brook in 2005. Pasieka was a solid backup for the Seawolves in 2004, hitting .256 in 20 games, while Pennino comes into the Brook after hitting .303 and .327 in two years at Indian River Community College in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Infield

Three-time all-conference selection Matt Devins will once again anchor a Stony Brook infield that returns three starters this year.

Devins has been outstanding in his first three seasons at Stony Brook, playing shortstop and hitting in the number three hole since his freshman year. Even while missing over 20 games with a hand injury last year, he led the team and ranked third in the America East with a .376 batting average. He will be looked towards as a team leader this season and will be a huge part of the Seawolves success in 2004.

Joining Devins up the middle will be Chris Sipp, who was thrust into the starting lineup last year as a freshman due to injuries. The smooth fielding Sipp is a tough out and did not relinquish his starting job after given the opportunity, eventually landing on the America East All-Rookie team and standing as one of the seven Seawolves who took home America East All-Tournament team honors.

Third baseman Nick Theoharis returns again this year to join the double play combination of Devins and Sipp. He led the team with 11 home runs and 47 RBI last season and will bring his big bat to the cleanup spot in the lineup again this season.

Sophomore Gary Novakowski will have the opportunity to play first base this season. A talented player who has the ability to play anywhere in the infield, Novakowski will utilize all of his 6-4 frame to be a factor at first base.

Coach Senk has the luxury of a deep bench as junior Stephen Didsbury has the ability to play second base and Lyons can play first. Junior transfer from Rockland Community College Chris DiBiaso is also an extremely talented infielder with a good bat. He hit over .400 each of his two seasons at Rockland and has the opportunity to crack the Seawolves lineup right away.

Outfield

Coach Senk's team returns a pair of solid veterans to his outfield in senior Andrew Larsen and junior Isidro Fortuna.

Larsen stepped into the lineup in centerfield as a freshman and hasn't left, starting 153 of the team's 161 games over the past three seasons, including all 56 in 2004. The catalyst of the Seawolves' offense, Larsen will be looked on to leadoff and make things happen on the basepaths this year. After a slow start last season, he hit .360 in the team's final 44 games and finished the year as the team leader in runs (45), hits (63), doubles (15), total bases (110) and stolen bases (14) while ranking second on the team batting average (.312) and home runs (10) to take home team-MVP and second team All-Northeast Region honors. An exceptional fielder, Larsen will patrol center again this season and be essential to the Seawolves' success in 2005.

Fortuna will move from left field to right this season and is expected to drive in runs for the Brook. He had a breakout season last year for the Seawolves, hitting .304 with 14 doubles, eight home runs, 37 RBI and a team-best .554 slugging percentage in addition to Most Outstanding Player honors at the America East Championships.

There will be strong competition for the left field position as a number of returning players have the ability to step into the lineup. Heading the list is senior Will Brumfield, who hit .280 in 20 starts last year after transitioning from the pitcher's mound to the outfield. Leonard also played 16 games in the outfield last season as a freshman and will have the opportunity again this year to see time in left when not on the pitcher's mound.

Also challenging for time in the outfield will be a crop of four newcomers. Junior transfer Peter Milani is joined by freshmen John Campbell, Antonio Cardona and Brian Witkowski, all of whom bring impressive resumes to the table and will be able to step into the lineup to give the regulars must needed rest throughout the season.

With all but five players returning from the 2004 team, the Seawolves are in position to improve on their 29-27 overall record last year and give coach Senk his fifth 30-win season in the last seven seasons. The Seawolves have all the tools in place to make another run at a conference championship and return to the NCAA Tournament in 2005. Last season's taste of the grander stage has sent this team on a focused and driven mission to claim back-to-back America East Championships.