Stony Brook, N.Y. - M.O.R.E.! Make Our Redemption Epic; that is the message from head coach Megan Bryant to the 2015 Stony Brook softball team as the Seawolves try to get back on top of the America East. Stony Brook won the regular-season championship in 2014 but fell to Albany in the conference tournament championship.

“Our experienced players know what it takes to win an America East championship,” Bryant explained. “ We are going to rely on them and their winning experiences to take us back to where we want to go.”

The “road to redemption” message has resonated with the players this offseason. Players have donned bracelet’s with the message “M.O.R.E.” to remind them of their goals of capturing the program’s third conference championship.

Senior Allison Cukrov (Irvine, Calif.) and junior Jane Sallen (Lake Worth, Fla.) make up a feared two-headed monster in the circle. Cukrov is a two-time America East Pitcher of the Year and a three-time first team all-conference selection. She is the school leader in career shutouts (27) and saves (12) and ranks in the top-five in career wins (63), strikeouts (556), complete games (69), innings pitched (643.1) and appearances (126). Her 25 wins, 13 shutouts and 30 complete games in 2012 are all single-season school records. She comes off a season which saw her go 23-9 with a 2.10 era and 21 complete games.

Sallen has relished the number two role. She emerged last season as Cukrov’s compliment, hurling eight complete games and recording 11 wins, and has only continued to improve according to Bryant. The coaching staff is also high on freshman Maddy Neales (Orange, Calif.) who should eat up innings in an attempt to keep Cukrov and Sallen fresh over the course of the season.

Senior outfielders Bria Green (Wheatley Heights, N.Y.) and Shayla Giosia (Runnemede, N.J.) are the catalysts for the Seawolves offense. Both were named to the America East second team last season and have already punctured the Seawolves record book entering the final year of their careers.

Green led the America East with 16 home runs and ranked second with 47 RBI in 2014. She also managed to hit .308 with a .660 slugging percentage. Entering her senior season, she ranks fifth on the Stony Brook all-time career home runs list (23).

Giosia is described by her head coach as a five-tool player. The center fielder batted .301 with 38 RBI in 2014, leading the conference with 14 doubles. She also managed four long balls. Giosia sits in the top-five in career doubles (38) and RBI (117) through three seasons.

Battling for the final outfield spot is a bevy of players including senior Lauren Kamachi (Surrey, British Columbia) and junior Diane Caruso (Middletown, N.Y.). Kamachi tallied three doubles in 24 at-bats a season ago, while Caruso had six hits in 28 at-bats. Freshman Ileana Torres (Debary, Fla.) is also an option.

Junior catcher Alexandra Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) returns behind the dish after leading the Seawolves with a .405 batting average last season. Four of her 34 hits were home runs.

Junior Melissa Phelan (Saddle Brook, N.J.) will split time between catcher and first base. Her bat will be a much-needed commodity in the middle of the order. Phelan’s nine doubles a season ago ranked second on the team. Junior transfer Kim Ragazzo, who excelled on the diamond at Dominican College, winning her team’s MVP award, could also play first base as could freshman Caroline Seeberg (Warwick, N.Y.).

Junior Kellie Reynolds (Paso Robles, Calif.) is the top candidate at second base but her versatility and athleticism also make her an option in the outfield. She hit .255 with 17 runs scored as a sophomore. Junior Patty Borges (Berkley, Mass.) is another viable option to play second base or she could slide over to third base. She appeared in 27 games last year and is considered a reliable defender.

Sophomore Lexie Shue (Lakewood, Calif.) is the top candidate to replace four-year starting shortstop Jessica Combs. Shue saw limited action behind Combs as a freshman but made the most of her opportunities, recording a .929 fielding %.

Freshman Chelsea Evans (Merced, Calif.) will play third base alongside Borges. Evans is a highly-touted recruit from Merced high school who can play either position on the left side of the infield.

Bryant is excited about the potential of her 2015 ball club.

“It’s a new year with new challenges but our goal does’t change,” Bryant said. “We have our focus set on winning the America East and advancing to the NCAA tournament.”

Stony Brook opens at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament on Feb. 20 with games against Oakland and Bethune Cookman.