FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
Stony Brook, N.Y. – Games against six 2012 NCAA Tournament teams highlight Stony Brook baseball’s 2013 schedule, coach Matt Senk announced on Thursday.
Stony Brook, which “Shocked The World” on its way to the College World Series, finished last season ranked seventh by Baseball America. The Seawolves won an NCAA-best 52 games in 2012, and had seven players who earned All-America or Freshman All-America honors, including Travis Jankowski who was named ABCA/Rawlings National Co-Player of the Year and a first team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Baseball America.
“We are excited and optimistic about the challenges this year’s schedule presents,” Senk said. “We will be tested not only by the loss of four seniors and seven MLB draft picks, but by the quality of non-conference opponents early and throughout our schedule.”
The first three weekends will be spent on the road as Stony Brook will face Florida International and North Carolina, and compete in the Hughes Brothers Challenge at UNC-Wilmington. UNC hosted a regional last year, and was upset by St. John’s in the finals. UNC-Wilmington also won an NCAA Tournament game last season. Other teams scheduled to compete in Wilmington are San Diego, which competed in the Los Angeles Regional, and Gardner-Webb.
Stony Brook will open its third season at Joe Nathan Field against Iona on March 6, and also will host Sacred Heart and Manhattan, which won the automatic bids to the tournament from the NEC and MAAC, respectively.
America East play will start at home against Maine on March 16.
“Conference play is always extremely competitive, and the new thirty-game format will make it even more so,” Senk said.
After a road trip to Binghamton the following week, the Seawolves will face St. John’s on March 26. The Red Storm lost to the eventual National Champions, Arizona, in the Tucson Super Regional.
Stony Brook will play a total of 23 games at home in 2013.
The defending America East regular season and tournament champions return Freshman All-Americans in Steven Goldstein (East Meadow, N.Y.), Kevin Krause (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Cole Peragine (Belle Ewart, Ontario) as well as senior captain Tanner Nivins (Kitchener, Ontario).
A talented recruiting class of 11 newcomers will look to make up for the loss of seven Major League Baseball draft picks.
Full 2013 Stony Brook Schedule
