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| PING!BASEBALL SPOTLIGHT PLAYER
Gary Novakowski
& Tom Koehler
Stony Brook Seawolves |
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If Stony Brook is going to contend for the
America East title in 2008 they’re going to need senior
starters Gary Novakowski and Tom Koehler to come up big –
which is good news for the Seawolves, ‘cause the talented
one-two pitching punch has some serious game.
Last season Novakowski drove both spell checkers
and America East opposition crazy, going a perfect 5-0 in
league play. He finished conference action with a 2.23 ERA
and limited opposing batters to a dainty .220 batting average.
Overall Novakowski went 5-2 with a 4.28 ERA in 67.1 innings
of work which included four complete games in 10 starts. As
a reward he was named the America East Pitcher of the Year,
a First Team All-America East Conference selection and was
also an honorable mention for the inaugural All Ping! Team.
Over the summer Novakowski pitched in the
New England Collegiate Baseball League, one of the most talented
and competitive leagues in the country, taking to the mound
for the Torrington Twisters. His second half college season
success carried over into the summer and he was selected as
a starter for the league’s All-Star game and retired
all three batters he faced in the contest. In seven NECBL
starts Novakowski went 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA and struck out
44 batters in 49.2 innings while only issuing 12 walks.
Back in 2006 Novakowski was also an All-America
East First Team selection after going 4-2 with a 3.70 ERA
as a reliever. He struck out 34 batters in 41.1 innings of
work and accumulated three saves after being forced to miss
the previous season due to injury.
Armed with a fastball that has been clocked
up to 96 mph, Koehler led the America East in both innings
pitched (85) and strike outs (87) last season, going 5-8 with
4.98 ERA. He struck out at least 10 batters a four times including
an outing against Quinnipiac in which he reached double digit
K’s in just 5.1 innings. Like Novakowski, Koehler stayed
hot over the summer while pitching for New Bern of the Coastal
Plain League.  Despite
the team’s 21-31 overall record, Koehler kept the River
Rats competitive when he took to the mound, going 5-1 with
a 1.44 ERA. He also struck out 55 batters in just 50 innings
pitched.
In 2006, Koehler was named to All-America
East Second Team as he finished in the top ten in the conference
in both innings pitched (71.1) and strikeouts (57) and went
3-1 in America East play in six starts.
So far this season Novakowski’s numbers
haven’t been indicative of his ability. His record is
1-2 and his ERA is at 6.14, however his numbers are skewed
due to a disastrous outing against Charlotte when he was touched
up for 10 earned runs in just 1.1 innings. He also was the
tough luck loser in a close 2-1 game against Southeastern
Louisiana in which he pitched a shutout into the eighth inning
before giving up a single runs in the eighth and ninth inning
to suffer the loss. Novakowski has continued to display near
precision control so far however, only issuing three walks
in 22 innings.
Koehler overwhelmed the New York Tech Bears
in his last start, striking out a season-high 11 batters in
the complete game win which improved his season record to
4-1. The outing also lowered his ERA to 2.88.
Novakowski and the Seawolves next take on
Binghamton next weekend, hosting the Bearcats for a three
game series.
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