FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
Stony Brook, N.Y. – The contract of Stony Brook University head baseball coach Matt Senk has been extended through the 2017 season, Director of Athletics Jim Fiore announced on Tuesday. The 2012 NCBWA National Coach of the Year and ABCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year, Senk guided the Seawolves on a memorable run to the College World Series in June.
“Coach Senk continues to represent Stony Brook University and our athletic program with class and dignity, and under his outstanding leadership, Seawolves Baseball has established itself as a Northeast Region college baseball power and a player on the national scene,” Fiore said. “We are fortunate to have someone with his passion, vision and energy leading and mentoring our student-athletes. We look forward to watching Seawolves Baseball flourish under Coach Senk for many years to come.”
“I want to thank President Stanley and Athletic Director Jim Fiore for displaying their full confidence in me to continue overseeing our highly successful baseball program and for supporting our unified efforts,” Senk said. “My staff and I look forward to a bright future for Seawolves baseball as we continue to recruit and develop talented student-athletes who are passionate about our incredible university. I am proud and honored to lead Seawolves baseball and am confident that our best days are ahead of us.”
Senk has built Stony Brook baseball from the ground up since taking over the program in 1991. At that point, the program, which had enjoyed only six winning seasons since 1966, was in Division III.
Over his 22 years at the helm, Senk has overseen the program’s transition to Division I (in 2000), had 18 winning seasons and won 30 or more games nine times. Earlier this year he became just the third coach in America East history to eclipse 600 wins, and he has career .614 winning percentage (624-392).
Over the last two seasons Senk has guided the Seawolves to a 94-27 record, and its .777 winning percentage over that stretch is the best in the country.
This year the Seawolves won a program-record 52 games, which led the nation, and became the first team from the Northeast Region to reach the College World Series since 1986.
Seeded No. 4 in the Coral Gables Regional after winning its second America East championship in three seasons, the Seawolves came out of the loser’s bracket to win the Regional and advance to face top-ranked and six-time national champion LSU on its home field in the best-two-out-of-three Super Regional.
Playing in front of over 10,000 fans, Stony Brook would not be intimidated even after dropping the opening game, rallying for two straight wins to capture the attention of the entire nation and became just the second No. 4 seed to advance to the CWS since the NCAA went to the Regional format in 1999.
Stony Brook finished 2012 in the top 10 of all four national ranking polls, including a program-best seventh in the Baseball America rankings.
Senk also coached and mentored seven Major League Draft picks this year, including the program’s first-ever first-round choice in outfielder Travis Jankowski, who was selected 44th overall by the San Diego Padres.
The seven players drafted were the third most of the 16 teams that advanced to this year’s Super Regionals. Senk has had 21 of his student-athletes taken in the MLB Draft in his tenure and had 42 players sign professional contracts.
Stony Brook has also continued to excel off the field under Senk as this past season senior Tyler Johnson was named a CoSIDA Capital One second team Academic All-American and the America East Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
