Marlins’ Tom Koehler proud of Stony Brook’s NCAA Tournament breakthrough
JUPITER, Fla. — Tom Koehler was like any other Stony Brook fan on Saturday. Hoping and waiting and rooting hard that this would be the year the Seawolves made the NCAA Tournament.
Koehler, a righthanded pitcher for the Miami Marlins and member of the Stony Brook class of 2008, got his wish when the Seawolves beat Vermont, 80-74, in a thriller to finally win the America East Tournament championship and earn the school’s first trip to March Madness.
“Amazing,” said Koehler, who pitched against the Mets in a spring training game Sunday. “Every year I watch them in the finals and I hope that’s the year. To see them finally get there, it’s huge for the school, it’s huge for every alumni. I spoke to a bunch of guys I haven’t spoken to in years. Everybody’s so fired up about it.”
Koehler stays close to the program and attended a game at Stony Brook in January. He’s seen it grow into a program he thinks can continue to bring increased prestige to the school.
“Now people will recognize when you say where you went and you say ‘Stony Brook,’ ” he said. “It’s great for the program. It’s going to be great for recruiting. I know they’re trying to really make that a powerhouse basketball program out on Long Island, and why not? They should.”
After Jameel Warney’s 43-point performance in the title game, Koehler said Stony Brook’s first-round opponent — which turned out to be Kentucky — should not expect a cakewalk.
“They’re a dangerous team,” Koehler said. “They’re one of those teams I don’t know if you want to see in the first round the way Warney played. I mean, he carried the team. You’ve got 43 points when your team scores 80? That’s putting the team on your back and making sure you get to the [NCAAs]. I’m fired up about it. Hopefully they can go deep and make one of those Cinderella runs.”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
