[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 22, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE 2012 STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY BASEBALL TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 22, 2013

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
congratulate the 2012 Stony Brook University Baseball team on a record-
setting season with its ``Shock the World'' rallying cry.
  The Seawolves finished the regular season with a 43-11 record and won 
their second straight conference regular season title. The team also 
swept the major conference awards, bringing home Coach of the Year, 
Player of the Year, and Pitcher of the Year. Twelve players were named 
all-conference. But the team's success did not end there.
  After winning its conference, Stony Brook went on to win the America 
East Championship for the second time in three seasons. The Seawolves 
then competed in the Coral Gables Regional of the NCAA tournament. The 
tournament, attended by four teams, was statistically the toughest 
regional tournament in the country. The team was able to prevail over 
the three other competitors and advance to the Super Regional in Baton 
Rouge.
  In the Super Regional, the Seawolves faced the LSU Tigers in a best-
of-three tournament. After falling behind in Game 1, the Seawolves won 
Game 2 to force a winner-take-all Game 3. Although the Tigers took an 
early lead, the Seawolves won the game to become the first Northeast 
region school to advance to the College World Series since the end of 
geographic regional tournaments in 1987.
  The Seawolves went to Omaha as the team that had captured the 
attention and the hearts of observers throughout the country. The team 
embraced the rallying cry ``Shock the World'' as a mission; it set out 
to leave a mark on the national stage and make Stony Brook a household 
name. Unfortunately, the Seawolves were eliminated from the College 
World Series after a loss to Florida State, but they were successful in 
their mission to raise the profile of the Stony Brook University 
athletic program. The question, ``What's a sea wolf?'' is now able to 
be answered by people who have never set foot on the Stony Brook 
campus.
  By the end of the post-season, Stony Brook had compiled an NCAA-best 
52 wins. For the 2011 and 2012 seasons combined, the team has a winning 
percentage of .777, the best in the nation. In addition to its playoff 
run, the team reached a number of milestones for its program. Coach 
Matt Senk became the third coach in the history of the conference to 
win 6,000 games. The program also had a record seven players drafted in 
the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including its first 
player to be drafted in the first round. All seven players have signed 
with major league organizations.
  Stony Brook's remarkable season of triumphs was recognized by the 
local news media as among the top sports moments of 2012, and the 
coaches and members of the team were named People of the Year in Sports 
by a local newspaper. These are a few among the many ways the team has 
been honored by organizations across Long Island, and I am so very 
proud to represent this outstanding baseball team and Stony Brook 
University as their representative in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of New York's first congressional district, I 
again congratulate the 2012 Stony Brook University Baseball team on its 
record-breaking season and wish the program continued success. Go 
Seawolves!

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