OMAHA. Neb. (NCBWA) Stony Brook head coach Matt Senk, whose 22nd edition literally "shocked the world (and the whole baseball community)" by advancing to the 66th annual NCAA Division I College World Series for the first time in school history, is the fifth recipient of the 2012 National College Baseball Writers Association Coach of the Year Award.
Senk has guided the Seawolves to the most victories in school history (after 42 in 2011) for the second year in a row with a 52-13 mark to lead Division I in 2012 triumphs prior to the CWS. SBU is the second No. 4 regional seed to advance to the World Series under its current format, joining Fresno State's 2008 national championship team. The Seawolves also are the first school from the Northeast to reach Omaha since Maine in 1986. Stony Brook has become the first team from the state of New York to advance to the College World Series since St. John's in 1980.
The '12 America East Conference Coach of the Year has made history from the outset of his 22-year head coaching career with the Seawolves. Besides earning back-to-back trips America East titles in the regular season, he helped Stony Brook achieve its highest DI national ranking in school history (seventh in both the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball ratings this week), he helped the school make the major transition from Division III (1991-95) to Division II (1996-1999) to DI baseball in 2000 and has kept his teams in national contention virtually every year.
He enters the 2012 CWS with a 22-year mark of 623-289-3 (.683 winning percentage) and led his 2000 (first year in DI) team to the nations No. 1 ranking in home runs per game (1.78). The 2011 Seawolves topped the country in fielding percentage at .985 and ranked second in the nation with 146 doubles.
Senks extensive resume also includes four America East tourney titles in 2004, ·08, ·10, and ·12 with all four NCAA regional invitations in SBU history in those respective seasons. Two weeks ago, the Seawolves won their first NCAA Regional crown in the 2012 Coral Gables Regional, then earned the school·s first-ever Super Regional crown against host LSU in the NCAA Baton Rouge event this past weekend and now will face UCLA in Game 1 of the NCAA College World Series in Omaha on Friday at 4 p.m. (CDT).
Senk has coached 23 All-America East Conference (AEC record) first- or second-team selections over the last two seasons and has propelled such SBU luminaries as Texas Rangers relief ace Joe Nathan to standout careers. All his squads have been noted for tenacity, sound defense and clutch hitting.
A standout for four years as a player at Cortland State, the 2012 Coach of the Year took his 1992 Seawolves team to the DIII ECAC co-championship and has guided 10 of his 11 Division I Stony Brook squads to the America East postseason tournament. Over 90 percent of his baseball student-athletes have graduated since the 1991 season, and he has watched dozens of players attain successful careers in business and athletics.
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NCBWA Coach of the Year