BOSTON— Stony Brook University, the defending America East Champion, is the preseason favorite to repeat as the conference baseball champion this year, according to a vote of the head coaches. The Seawolves received six of a possible eight first-place votes and 58 points overall. University of Maine was picked to finish second, garnering two first-place votes as well as 51 points.
Complete Poll
Northeastern University was just one point behind Maine in third with 50 points as University at Albany followed with 37 points. University of Vermont (36) and Binghamton University (28) were fifth and sixth, respectively, while UMBC (19) and Hartford (nine) rounded out the eight-team poll.
The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship, held at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vt. on May 26-28, with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The Seawolves (29-27 overall, 11-10 in America East) won their first-ever America East title last year in just their third season in the conference. Stony Brook advanced to the NCAA Regional in Kinston, N.C. after defeating host Maine 3-1 in the America East Championship game. The NCAA appearance was the Seawolves’ first in program history as well.
Entering his 15th campaign at the helm of the Seawolves, Matt Senk returns six starters and 11 pitchers from last season’s championship squad. Senior shortstop Matt Devins, a three-time all-conference selection, returns to the middle of the infield for Stony Brook and will be looked towards as the team leader this year. In 2004, Devins was among the league leaders in hitting (.376), doubles (14) and on-base percentage (.441). Senior pitcher Jon Lewis, the work-horse of the rotation from a year ago, is coming off a quality summer in the Cape Cod League and expected to anchor the three-man rotation. Lewis led America East in strikeouts (93) and innings pitched (100) last season, while ranking second in earned run average (3.06) and could cap his final year at Stony Brook as one of the best pitchers in program history. Other notables that will be back in action in 2005 for Stony Brook are starting pitchers Kevin Fitzgerald and Matt Restivo, infielders Chris Sipp and Nick Theoharis and outfielders Andrew Larsen and Isidro Fortuna.
Maine (34-21, 14-7) returns six starters and 17 letterwinners from last season’s runner-up squad. Ninth-year head coach Paul Kostacopoulos has a talented group which includes three returning all-conference selections and three all-rookie choices from a year ago. Maine boasted the top pitching staff in the conference in 2004 (3.65 ERA). While they will miss the program’s all-time strikeout king in Mike McDonald – lost to graduation – the Black Bears welcome back right-handed pitchers Steve Richard and Troy Martin, who tied for third in the league in ERA (3.09) last season. Aaron Izaryk, the conference’s top catcher and America East’s baseball Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2004, will be behind the plate again for Maine. One of the league’s best offensive weapons, Greg Creek, also returns as a corner infielder.
The 2004 regular season champion Northeastern Huskies (28-20, 14-6) return six position starters, but will sorely miss their top two starting pitchers from a year ago in Jordan Thomson, the 2004 America East Pitcher of the Year, and Justin Hedrick. First-team outfielder Jeff Heriot tied for the league lead in triples (five) last season, while setting the pace for the conference's top defensive squad with a .963 fielding percentage. Tim Bush, Chris Emanuele and Miguel Paquette also return for head coach Neil McPhee, who is in his 20th season as the Huskies' skipper.
Sixth-year head coach Jon Mueller, the 2004 America East Coach of the Year, led the Great Danes to an impressive 17-game turnaround last season as his squad finished 37-14 overall and 14-7 in league play. Albany will have its work cutout for itself this season, however, as the Danes will be without four first-team all-conference selections from a season ago, including America East Player of the Year Dan Schoonmaker. Albany does return the league's top run scorer from 2004, Joe Lamb (48), and flawless fielding first baseman Derek DeGrazio (1.000 fielding percentage in 2004).
The reigning America East Rookie of the Year, Miguel Magrass, and the 2003 Player of the Year, Bobby Tewksbary, return to Vermont (18-26, 10-11) to headline the Catamounts 2005 squad for 18th-year head coach Bill Currier. Magrass was among the league leaders in hitting (.343), doubles (18), total bases (101) and slugging percentage (.598).
Binghamton (22-21, 9-11) is coming off its best season since entering America East, as the Bearcats had a seven-game improvement in the conference win column a season ago. A pair of returning second-teamers, Jamie Boyer and Brendon Hitchcock, highlight 13th-year head coach Tim Sinicki's squad.
In their second season in America East, the UMBC Retrievers (14-38, 6-15) will look to build their inaugural campaign in the league. Head coach John Jancuska, in his 28th season, welcomes back designated hitter Zach Clark and first baseman/pitcher Kyle Wildasin.
First-year head coach Jeff Calcaterra will look to revive the Hartford (11-33, 5-16) baseball program, which has not finished above .500 since the 1992 season. The Hawks return 14 letterwinners and five position starters from a season ago.