May 27, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Newfield High School always seemed like a nice fit for outfielder Steve Mazzurco. He excelled in high school in front of his parents, Vinny and Olga, and when it came time to select a college, the one right down the road from his Selden home made the most sense.

That Stony Brook University happened to have a very successful Division I baseball program was an added bonus.

When coach Matt Senk called Mazzurco, the player already had great familiarity with the program. "He knew of me," Mazzurco said, "and I knew of him."

The hometown kid became a hometown hero over the weekend as he led Stony Brook to the America East Tournament championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Mazzurco was named the tournament's most valuable player after hitting .455 with two doubles in three games. In the regular season, he led the Seawolves (34-24) in batting with a .368 average.

Mazzurco could have had several college choices out of Newfield - he hit .540 with 20 stolen bases as a senior - but Stony Brook was his lone objective. He wanted to stay home and also demonstrate that the Northeast has quality college baseball.

"No one wants to represent the North in baseball anymore," the 5-11, 185-pound junior said. "They say the South is better. With the facilities and capabilities we have, we can go down South and get it done."

Stony Brook was competitive against teams such as Virginia. "Six outs away from winning," Mazzurco said. The Seawolves beat James Madison.

The whole idea this season was getting into position to play in the NCAAs. Last year's team hosted the America East Tournament at Farmingdale State but was eliminated in two games. "Two on the barbecue; it was a shocker," Mazzurco said. "It came and went so fast. That was the worst thing. It was not fun going into the summer like that."

Second-seeded Stony Brook eased through the tournament this time, beating UMBC, 4-3, before knocking off top-seeded Binghamton twice: 1-0 Friday and 6-0 in the elimination game Saturday evening.

"I was proud of the whole team," Mazzurco said. "I was proud of the whole weekend. We held on to the rope. What set us apart the whole year is that everyone contributed. Getting the bunt down, fielding, pitching, whatever."

The leftfielder credits Senk. "His winning attitude," he said. "There is something about Stony Brook. We have the swagger and motivation to win, from the administration to the athletes."

Baseball became the second SBU spring squad to make the NCAAs; the softball team won its conference tournament and played well in the NCAA Tempe Regional in a 2-0 loss to highly ranked Arizona State.

This will be the baseball team's second trip to the NCAAs in Division I. The 2004 team lost to East Carolina and Tennessee in the first round. "People have that expectation of Stony Brook that we are going to be gone [early]," Mazzurco said. "We can't have that mind-set."

This afternoon, the Seawolves will gather at Stony Brook to watch the Division I selection show. Said Mazzurco, "Wherever we play, we don't care."

Stony Brook is in. That's all that matters.