STONY BROOK, N.Y. — It has been eight years since the Stony Brook baseball program "Shocked the World", going to the program's first-ever College World Series.
Since then, the program has gone to two more NCAA Tournaments, including most recently, a trip back to Baton Rouge in the 2019 edition.
With the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling the bulk of the 2020 campaign, media outlets have been looking back on the last 10 years of college baseball. From topics that ranged from memorable underdogs to dominant regionals, one thing has remained consistent: the 2012 Seawolves have always been near the top of the rankings.
"It's great to see our 2012 World Series team being recognized for their outstanding accomplishments during the 'Shock the World' run to Omaha," head coach
Matt Senk said.
Baseball America ranked the Seawolves at the top of the list in its "Top 25 Underdog Regional Winners of the 64-team era", a format that was adopted during the 1999 season.
The publication noted that "this was a much more talented team than its conference affiliation and history would lead you to believe." The 2012 roster included seven MLB draft picks, including a first-rounder in Travis Jankowski.
"That incredible group of talented, resilient, mentally and physically tough players will not only be revered in Stony Brook history but will always be remembered and will have earned a special place in college baseball forever," Senk added.
D1Baseball put together its "Best Cinderella runs in the regionals in the last 10 years," and slotted the Seawolves' run in Coral Gables during the 2012 campaign at second. Starting with a 10-2 rout of host Miami in the opener, Stony Brook had to win three elimination games, including erasing a 7-3 deficit in the 7
th to beat Missouri State just to advance to the final.
The site noted that "the offense was nearly 90s-like," with Stony Brook averaging 10 runs per game in the Regional. They outscored opposition 29-11 in the final 21 innings of work, beating Central Florida twice to take the Regional.
