The Seawolves Are Omaha's Darlings

As we sit about a couple of hours out from the Stony Brook - UCLA matchup at 5 ET on ESPN2, it's still unbelievable to fathom how the Seawolves have created such a media frenzy over the last week. The media frenzy as transformed into a fan frenzy as these young men are becoming fan favorites overnight with a Tyler Johnson or Travis Jankowski autograph being the hot item this week in Omaha.

The Seawolves arrived at TD Ameritrade Stadium.

As Aaron Fitt from Baseball America writes, "Yes, it's fair to say the Seawolves are an Omaha sensation—and the first pitch hasn't even been thrown in the 2012 CWS." 

There wasn't enough time to accommodate all the media requests after yesterday's batting practice, and the NCAA has actually admitted that it's never seen such media attention for one team. 

It only got better Friday when Coach Matt Senk received the NCBWA Coach of the Year award at a morning press conference. A couple of hours later, fans quickly gathered on the sidewalk with their cameras out as the Stony Brook bus arrived at the stadium and disembarked. 

Wolfie has also become a sensation in Omaha, making friends on the streets. Local news omaha.com put together the following video on the mascot's and the team's popularity. 


 

 

The word of their popularity has reached back home. Greg Logan published a piece for Newsday about the new-found stardom, mentioning how third baseman Willie Carmona's twitter followers have increased from 80 to 600.

"The reaction was absolutely phenomenal, beyond my wildest expectations," Senk said Thursday. "Specifically, that autograph session was absolutely insane. To have so many people lined up to ask for our players' autographs and wish us good luck, we felt badly when we had to [leave].

Even though Thursday night's opening ceremonies were cancelled due to severe thunderstorms with heavy rain and winds around 60 mph, the players from all the teams still had a smaller event which included former MLB player Nomar Garciaparra. It was the Seawolves' turn to be starstruck as they posed for photos with the Georgia Tech alum. Photos of the event can be found on Omaha.com here.

And with a national audience watching the games on the ESPN family of networks this weekend -- and hopefully beyond -- Stony Brook University produced a new :30 TV spot to air live during the coverage.  Take a sneak peak of the ad here below.

The Year of the Seawolf

The Stony Brook Athletic Department is putting the Long Island University on the map.

“They’ve become red-hot,” said Scott Middleton, the president of the Stony Brook alumni association board. “There’s no other way to put it. They’re really the front porch for the university.”

A New York Times article this week delved into the success of Seawolves' athletics, but as Middleton's comment to the Times alludes to, the department was the face of the University even before the recent run to the College World Series by its baseball team, a fact that us here at the America East office certainly already noticed.

The National media is beginning to recognize also the success of the baseball program, winners of three America East titles in five years, and that the Seawolves' season is no fluke.

Stony Brook's baseball run so far has capped a fantastic overall season that has seen them win five America East Championships, an FCS Playoffs berth and an individual National Champion.

In the fall, the women's cross country team kicked the 2011-12 season off right with its fifth-straight America East Championship. Hayley Green took home the individual championship and went on to earn All-American honors at the NCAA meet.

The men's soccer team continued the trend under first-year head coach Ryan Anatol, winning the program's second conference championship in three years with a 4-2 victory over Hartford. The Seawolves went on to play powerhouse Monmouth in the NCAAs, falling only in PKs.

The football team, which competes in the Big South Conference, won its first-ever conference championship to earn a bid to the FCS Championship and won its first game over Albany in dramatic fashion.

And that was only the fall season.

The Stony Brook men's basketball team won its second America East Regular Season Championship and advanced to the America East title game for the second straight year, hosting the 2012 game in Stony Brook Arena. The Seawolves then went on to play in the NIT, falling at Seton Hall in a game that came down to the very end.

Lucy Van Dalen, the Stony Brook cross country and track & field standout, raced to the school's first-ever National Championship in the one-mile at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship. She just finished her collegiate career this spring as the Seawolves' most-decorated student-athlete, a six-time All-American who was also just named the America East Woman of the Year earlier this week.

The spring sports went on to also have very successful seasons. The women's tennis team won its first America East Championship, becoming the first team seeded third or lower to do so. The women's lacrosse team, led by Joe Spallina in his first year, became the most improved team in the nation, making a run to the America East title game, and knocking off the program's first-ever ranked opponent.

The men's lacrosse team, also under the guidance of a first-year head coach in Jim Nagle, won the America East Championship on its home turf in front of a national television audience.

And then of course there's the baseball team, who has "shocked the world", and many believe can contend for the National Championship in Omaha.

Stay tuned as we follow the Seawolves through the College World Series.

Stony Brook, Welcome To Omaha!

It has been a whirlwind of a 36 hours for the Stony Brook Seawolves baseball team -- and that is saying something considering the week the team has already had.

The Seawolves overlook TD Ameritrade Stadium.

The Seawolves were only home for two nights after an exhilarating weekend in Baton Rouge which saw the Seawolves "shock the world" by being the first team ever to beat LSU on its home field during Super Regional Play -- and then doing it twice in as many days.

Wednesday morning, Stony Brook boarded a charter plane with its sights set on Omaha. A large group of Stony Brook supporters wished the team good luck as they left campus, and the team was again met by well-wishers as it arrived at the hotel right down the street from TD Ameritrade Stadium. Fans already decked out in red Stony Brook gear awaited the Seawolves as they disembarked the bus, looking for autographed baseballs and caps.

The Seawolves hadn't seen anything yet.

Thursday was full of media commitments, including ESPN graphics photography, jumbotron photography and one-on-one interviews to be used for the television coverage, as the players were whisked from room to room and placed in front of green screens and bright lights.

Following their date with the production crews high above the field, the Seawolves then took to the field for open practice. Spectators crowded the rails down the right and left field lines hoping for a foul ball or for a Stony Brook player to toss one into the crowds.

Media swarmed the infield chatting with the coaches, administrators and each other while looking for great still shots and video of the Seawolves. After the practice ended, the players were in high demand, for autographs as well as for media interviews.

Head Coach Matt Senk was available in a press conference later in the day, however standouts Travis Jankowski, Tyler Johnson and Willie Carmona were not scheduled to attend. According to the NCAA, players are not usually sought out enough to need them in the press conferences, but this year is evidently different as news outlets ranging from the local Omaha TV stations to MLB.com are looking for some face time with the Stony Brook guys.

The team hustled back to its club house for a quick NCAA sports wagering session, then headed up to the concourse for the fans' favorite part of the day: The Autograph Session. Every member of the team lined up at a long table as a line of fans winding all the way down the third baseline and winding around into left field formed. A mix of parents, friends, and brand-new Seawolves fans patiently made their way through the line getting balls, posters and t-shirts signed by all the players and shaking their hands. 

Wolfie, the lovable Stony Brook mascot, worked the crowd as he usually does, posing for photos with the younger ones in line and slapping high-fives. Denise Intagliata, mother of right-fielder Sal Intagliata, beamed with joy as she explained to a reporter that the entire team were her sons.

Stay tuned as America East has more coverage of the College World Series. The players will unwind from the busy day before heading back to the ball park for a team BBQ and the opening ceremonies!

Cinderella Wearing Baseball Cleats

The Stony Brook baseball team is Omaha bound! This improbable, historic, magical run continues for the Seawolves after a 7-2 win over LSU in the Super Regionals last evening.

We'll head back into the video archives and dish out some favorites from the past few weeks featuring the Cinderella Stony Brook team, which has won five elimination games in the NCAA Tournament to get to this point.

Back in late May, the Seawolves captured the America East Championship, their third in five years, thanks to a power surge from Willie Carmona and great pitching from James Campbell. Check out the Championship recap!



America East got to know the Stony Brook players a little bit better in our interactive series, 'Campus Connection.' We learned some of the basics on the diamond from three Major League Draft selections in the video below.