Tyler Kavanaugh will enter his fifth season on Matt Senk’s staff. A 16-year coaching veteran at the college ranks, Kavanaugh oversees the Seawolves pitching staff. Since taking over the Seawolves arms, the staff has posted a 40-19 record in conference play.
In 2021, the Stony Brook pitching staff boasted the best ERA and batting average against both overall and in league play, as well as the most overall strikeouts and fewest runs allowed in conference play. The squad finished 19th nationally in ERA, 27th in hits per inning and 49th in WHIP. Four Stony Brook pitchers were highlighted with All-Conference selections, as well as two All-Championship selections in Nick DeGennaro and Jared Milch.
Milch, a lefty under Kavanaugh's guidance all three of his years on campus, also signed a professional contract to play for the New Jersey Jackals in the Frontier League.
Through 15 games of the shortened 2020 season, Kavanaugh had the Stony Brook staff rolling to begin the year. The staff's 3.66 ERA was inside the top 100 nationally and 0.01 off the conference lead. They were also second in the league in K-BB ratio. No series highlighted the staff's success more than a three-game set at Clemson, where the team had a 1.93 ERA for the weekend, allowing six total runs over 28 innings of work.
During his most recent full campaign, Kavanaugh led the Stony Brook pitching staff to the league's third-best ERA en route to a conference title. They led the America East in strikeouts in league games, with 162 in 24 outings. He also helped lead the staff to second in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.94) and WHIP (1.48).
Under his mentorship, a pair of Stony Brook pitchers earned All-League honors in Bret Clarke (Second Team) and Ben Fero. Pitching came up huge in the America East Baseball Championship, including two stellar bullpen outings from Brandon Bonanno and a great starting effort from Clarke that earned each of them All-Championship honors.
Kavanaugh joined the Stony Brook baseball staff in the fall of 2017 after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Hofstra University where he mentored four All-CAA performers.
Before his time at Hofstra, Kavanaugh spent two seasons at Marist College. During his tenure at Marist, Kavanaugh mentored four All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference performers including Steve Laurino, a 25th round draft pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2015 MLB Draft. His recruiting classes were highlighted by an MLB draft pick, a Louisville Freshman-All American, and a MAAC Pitcher of the Year.
Prior to Marist, Kavanaugh was the recruiting coordinator at Sacred Heart University. Sacred Heart won back-to-back Northeast Conference championships and advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament in 2011 and 2012. Kavanaugh coached and recruited three MLB draft picks and two free-agent signees.
From 2009 to 2010, Kavanaugh coached at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to regular season Freedom Conference Champions in 2010. Prior to DeSales, he was the top assistant at SUNY Purchase in 2007 and 2008.
A 2006 graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, He was a four-year starting catcher and was named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference team three times. Kavanaugh leads Kenyon to a school-record for wins and the program’s' first-ever NCAC Tournament appearance during his senior campaign.
