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Matt Senk enters his 12th season as head coach of the baseball program at Stony Brook. No other coach in Stony Brook history has decorated their past quite like Senk has. The all-time winningest coach in the history of the program - compiling a 268-135-3 record - Senk has had 10 winning seasons and compiled 30 wins or more four times. A bevy of team and individual honors have followed. Even after losing some of the program’s top players, Senk has been able to rise up and forge ahead with winning seasons. A 35-16 mark in 2001 was nothing short of a miracle considering the program had lost some of the best ever to put on the scarlet and grey. In just their second Division I season, Senk was able to lead the Seawolves to landmark victories over Campbell and crosstown rival St. John’s and a 10-0 mark in New York State Conference Baseball play. Following the year, Alex Trezza became the University’s first Division I All-American and Chris Flinn was drafted in the third round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft - the highest round a player has ever been drafted. Senk’s teams have been known to carry a great deal of pop in their bats. The 2000 season was no exception as the Seawolves were plastered all over the final national statistics. As a team, Stony Brook’s 30-11 mark was the 11th best winning percentage in the entire nation. Senk coached the Seawolves to the nation’s batting and slugging titles, hitting .347 and slugging .580, respectively. Averaging 1.78 homeruns per game, the team finished second nationally in that category. The Seawolves averaged 9.37 runs per outing - fifth best in the country. Its 2.56 doubles per game was the sixth-best total in Division I. Individually, senior catcher Craig Ansman finished in the top 50 in batting, sophomore designated hitter Alex Trezza was 12th in homeruns and 22nd in RBI and junior shortstop Ed Murillo was third in the nation in toughest to strikeout. Sophomore pitcher Chris Flinn placed seventh in strikeouts per nine innings. Stony Brook’s outstanding results on the field in 2000 and especially 2001 is a credit to Senk’s passionate recruiting and coaching abilities. One of the very best recruiters in the nation, Senk has a reputation for bringing not only the best players to the field, but some of the best people to the University. He has taken a local approach to recruiting as he has tapped some of Long Island’s top high school and community colleges to strengthen the Seawolves. It continues to pay off as the Seawolves continue to win year-in and year-out. In 1999, Senk guided the Seawolves to a record of 36-12 and the program's first outright ECAC championship in its final year at the Division II level. By far it was the most successful campaign in the program’s history with the 36 wins setting a new record. In 1998, Senk led the Seawolves to a 23-11-1 mark, a 16-game turnaround from the previous season. For his efforts, Senk was named Stony Brook's Men's Coach of the Year for the fourth time in the 1990’s and the team earned the Stony Brook Men's "Quantum Leap" award for the biggest improvement from the previous season. Four years ago, Senk guided the Seawolves to a 30-8 record, including the University’s first appearance in the NCAA Division III New York Regional Championships. The season prior to that, Senk led Stony Brook to a 26-9 record, the Skyline Conference title and an appearance in the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Championship. Senk was honored that season as the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year. Individually, the Seawolves have been handsomely rewarded for their outstanding efforts under Senk’s guidance. During his tenure at Stony Brook, he has had 50 players named All-Conference, 32 players named All-Region, two players named All-American and six that have signed minor league baseball contracts. At the top of that heap is Chris Flinn - drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the third round last season and who is currently making his way through the minor league system. Alex Trezza was also drafted last season - in the 18th round by the Detroit Tigers. Craig Ansman and Gregg Foster signed minor league contracts in two seasons ago. Ansman is playing in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and Foster is playing in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Ansman earned the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year accolades and All-American honors in 1999. He was the first player in school history to become an All-American. Joe Nathan was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1995 and has seen extensive stints in the major leagues with the Giants. Academically, over 90 percent of his players have graduated and moved into successful careers or graduate school. Nathan also earned academic All-American honors twice under Senk’s tutelage. Prior to accepting the coaching position at Stony Brook, Senk spent three years as head coach at Kellenberg Memorial High School where his teams captured both League and Division Championships. Before coaching at Kellenberg, Senk was the head coach at St. Agnes Cathedral High School where he guided his team to a Division Championship and was named Nassau-Suffolk Catholic High School Athletic Association Coach of the Year. Senk is a graduate of the State University of New York College at Cortland where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1980. While at Cortland, Senk was the Red Dragon’s starting catcher for three seasons, a two-time All-SUNYAC selection and team Most Valuable Player as a senior. Senk earned his Master’s degree in Physical Education from Adelphi University. Senk is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the New York State College Baseball Coaches Association. |
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