By STEVEN MARCUS steven.marcus@newsday.comThe calendar has reached June and the banner athletic season continues at Stony Brook University.
Quick, name a sport the Seawolves have not dominated. Success has come in cross-country, soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse. And now Stony Brook's America East champion baseball team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It seems as though the only highlight to elude Stony Brook in recent months was landing the 2014 Super Bowl.
Stony Brook (29-25) will face Coastal Carolina (51-7) Friday in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Stony Brook lost to Coastal by scores of 9-0 and 36-3 in the 2009 season.
"I think it's just like in any sport, you have to have a short memory,'' senior first baseman Rob Dyer said of those scores. "I think this year with our pitching, we have a shot against anybody.''
The final week of the regular season certainly did not portend a championship finish. With a chance to host the conference tournament, Stony Brook was swept at home by Binghamton, which became the host and top seed as Stony Brook fell to third. Coach Matt Senk addressed the team and said, "Right now we're feeling terrible, but in a week's time, we could be doing cartwheels and back flips.''
Pat Cantwell, a sophomore outfielder who played for West Islip High School, said the team got the message. "Losing was rough and it hurt, but I think it actually helped going into the tournament,'' he said. "It made us hungrier than ever.''
The turning point occurred in the first game, a 10-1 victory over second-seeded Maine. Nick Tropeano, Cantwell's teammate in high school, was the winning pitcher. "Coming out and making a statement against Maine set the tone,'' Cantwell said. "Putting up those runs, Nick had a great game.''
Binghamton faltered and was eliminated before the two teams could meet. "That was the crazy part,'' Cantwell said. "We became more focused on ourselves instead of who we were playing.''
The incentive of being in a winning environment around the university also helped, Tropeano said. "Our coach talked about how all the teams had come together. Even the athletic director [Jim Fiore] got involved, talking about our championships. That pumped us up.''
This will mark SBU baseball's third NCAA bid. College of Charleston and North Carolina State also are in the Myrtle Beach Regional. "It will not be a deer-in-headlights situation,'' Senk said. "We've made sure to play a tough non-conference schedule over the years to be prepared.''
Stony Brook is 0-4 in NCAA Tournament games, but the players foresee a change in the double-elimination tournament. "We're definitely looking to do some damage,'' Tropeano said. "We're not looking to go two and out. I think we are capable of winning.''
