Feb. 18, 2011

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's baseball team received multiple preseason honors and was picked to repeat as conference champions in Baseball America's recently released America East preview. Junior right-hander Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.) was named preseason Pitcher of the Year and freshman Joshua Mason (Woodland Hills, Calif.) was selected the Top Newcomer.

Tropeano was joined on the preseason all-conference team by five other Seawolves- junior right-hander Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif.), senior third baseman Stephen Marino (Lake Grove, N.Y.) as well as sophomores Maxx Tissenbaum (Toronto, Ontario) and William Carmona (Hempstead, N.Y.). The 2010 America East batting champion and Rookie of the Year, Carmona was also named the America East's fifth best draft prospect.

In addition, the publication named Tropeano the conference's second best prospect for the 2011 Major League baseball First-Year Player draft. Named a preseason all-american by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), College Baseball Lineup and Collegiate Baseball Magazine, Tropeano went 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA last season, striking out a conference best 106 batters in 99.2 innings.

The unanimous pick to win the America East in the preseason coaches poll, the Seawolves return 17 letter-winners from last year's squad that went 30-27 and defeated North Carolina State at the Myrtle Beach Regional for the programs first Division I NCAA tournament win.

Stony Brook opens the 2011 season on Feb. 25-27 with a three-game series at Florida Atlantic.