April 12, 2013

2013 Stony Brook Baseball

Games 33-35: Stony Brook vs. Hartford
April 13-14  •  Joe Nathan Field  •  Stony Brook, N.Y.

Stony Brook Seawolves (10-22, 4-8 America East)
Head Coach: Matt Senk, 23rd season
Overall Record: 633-412-3
Record at SB: same 

Hartford Hawks (9-19, 7-5 America East)
Head Coach: Justin Flood, second season
Overall Record: 25-59
Record at Hartford: same

About the Weekend: Stony Brook looks to rebound from last weekend's tough road series at Albany as it hosts Hartford in a three-game series at Joe Nathan Field. The Seawolves will be wrapping up the first half of the conference schedule this weekend as Hartford represents the last America East opponent Stony Brook has yet to play this year. This series will be important towards getting a leg up in the America East Championship race; the Seawolves currently sit 1.5 games behind Binghamton for the final spot in the four-team tournament. Stony Brook has won 13 straight over Hartford heading into this weekend.

Conference Rules: Stony Brook's America East schedule looks a little different than in years past. This season, America East has moved to a full round-robin schedule. All teams will play three-game home-and-home series against each opponent for a total of 30 conference games. On Saturday doubleheaders, the first game will be a seven-inning game, followed by a nine-inning game. Sunday single games will be nine-inning affairs.

Dominating the League: No one has been more dominant in conference play over the last few seasons than Stony Brook. Over the last two seasons plus this year, the Seawolves are 47-13 (.783) against their America East foes.

Last Time Out: Stony Brook played a pair of mid-week games, besting Iona on the road 12-3 before falling to Manhattan at home 9-5. The freshmen played a big role in the win over the Gaels, going 10-for-17 (.588) in the lineup. Brett Tenuto led the way, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two stolen bases. Johnny Caputo had a three-run triple, and Jack Parenty was 4-for-5.

The Complete Package: Earlier this season, Frankie Vanderka tossed four consecutive complete games, all Seawolves wins. He is tied for second in the nation in complete games with those four, just two behind the national leader. He leads America East with a 1.91 ERA.

Zamora earns the Honor: Freshman Daniel Zamora struck out a career-high nine batters on his way to his first collegiate victory, a 5-2 win over UMBC on March 30. The effort earned him America East Rookie of the Week honors.

Parenty on a Roll: Freshman Jack Parenty was named America East Rookie of the Week on March 25 after hitting .533 in four games. He is currently hitting an America East best .368 this season and is currently on an 18-game hitting streak.

Frankie Say No-No: On March 10, Frankie Vanderka once again etched his name into the record books by throwing a no-hitter against Fordham in the Seawolves' 2-0 win. Vanderka pitched nine innings and struck out six hitters while walking three (one intentionally). The no-hitter was the second of his career and it earned him national, regional and conference honors. He was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week, CollegeBaseballInsider.com Northeast Region Pitcher of the Week and America East Pitcher of the Week.

Shives Honored: Austin Shives was named America East Rookie of the Week on March 11. He batted .417 in four games last week, second-best on the team, while driving in two runs, both coming in Stony Brook's 5-1 win over Iona on March 5. He followed that performance with a three-hit game at Fordham, the first three-hit game of his young career.

Weekly Honors: Stony Brook pitchers Frankie Vanderka and Daniel Zamora picked up weekly honors from America East on Feb. 18. Vanderka was named Pitcher of the Week after posting six shutout innings at Florida International. Zamora was named Rookie of the Week for tossing six innings and allowing just one run and striking out six in his collegiate debut at Florida International.

Seawolves in the Pros: Stony Brook currently has nine players active in Major and Minor League Baseball, seven of whom were on active opening day rosters. The group is headlined five-time MLB All-Star Joe Nathan. Read the full story here.

America East Championship Heads to Lowell: The 2013 America East Championship will be moving to a neutral site - LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., home of the Boston Red Sox Class A Short Season affiliate Lowell Spinners. The four-team tournament takes place May 22-24, and the winner receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Shock the World: Stony Brook had a dream 2012 season, reaching the College World Series for the first time ever after knocking off six-time national champion LSU in the NCAA Super Regionals. Relive the run by reading the season recap.