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With six Stony Brook baseball players signing professional contracts in 2006 and a total of 14 alums playing professional baseball, it has been a busy summer for the Seawolves in the professional ranks.
Nick Abel, who signed with the New York Mets organization in May, pitched well for the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League and was promoted to the Hagerstown Suns, a class A affiliate of the New York Mets, midway through the summer. In his first game with the Suns, Abel threw three shutout innings and earned his first win at the single-A level. Abel ended the summer 1-1 with the Suns, striking out 17 batters in 20 innings of work with an impressive 1.35 ERA.
Kris Bakey became the second Stony Brook player in 2006 to sign with a Major League affiliated team, when Bakey signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Bakey pitched for the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League, posting a 3.38 ERA over 34.2 innings of work with 20 strikeouts.
Joe Nathan, class of 1997, is in the middle of a pennant chase with the Minnesota Twins. Nathan is 6-0 on the season, ranks eighth in the American League with 33 saves and is boasting a 1.73 ERA. The two-time American League All-Star closer has struck out 86 batters in 62.1 innings this season.
Chris Flinn began his summer with the Montgomery Biscuits, the double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After striking out 43 batters in 62.1 innings of work, Flinn was promoted to the triple-A Durham Bulls for the remainder of the summer. For the Bulls, Flinn posted a 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings of work with nine strikeouts.
Andres Perez became the sixth player from the 2006 Stony Brook baseball team to sign a professional contract, when the five-tool player from New York, N.Y. signed with the New York Yankees. Over the summer, Perez played for the Torrington Twisters of the New England Collegiate League and hit .355 with eight doubles and six homeruns. For his outstanding summer, Perez was named as the number two prospect in the New England Collegiate Baseball League by Baseball America.
Matt Devins, Class of 2005, concluded his year with the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays, a class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Devins fielded shortstop for the Devil Rays, hitting .227 with 22 runs batted in.
Andrew Larsen, class of 2005, was assigned to the High Desert Mavericks, the high-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. After a solid spring training, Larsen was sidelined with a season ending injury.
Matt Restivo and Tom Pennino, from the 2006 Stony Brook team, both helped lead the Evansville Otters to the Frontier League Championship. In the second to last regular season game, Pennino delivered the game-winning RBI double in the top of the 11th inning to clinch a playoff berth for Evansville. After falling down 0-2 in the opening round of the playoffs, Restivo got the nod on the hill and threw five solid innings as he picked up the win to keep Evansville in the playoffs. The Otters hung on to defeat the Rockford RiverHawks in the opening round and went on to swept the Chillicothe Paints for the championship. Restivo ended the year with a 5-5 record and a 3.16 ERA in 88.1 innings of work. Pennino drove in 8 runs on the year and blasted two homeruns.
Both Alex Trezza and Kevin Fitzgerald played for the North Shore Spirit of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball. Fitzgerald led the league in saves with 27 and Trezza led the league with 19 homers.
Ryan Claypool and Cole Cicatelli finished their summers with the Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League. Cicatelli hit .290 over the summer with 31 hits and 15 runs driven in. Claypool finished the year 4-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 98.1 innings of work.
Finally, Jon Pasieka signed a professional contract in August with the Pensacola Pelicans of the American Association. In his brief stint with the Pelicans, the former Stony Brook catcher batted .286 with four runs driven in.
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