Stony Brook School loaded with talent

Stony Brook is building a powerhouse. No, not that Stony Brook.

Stony Brook University isn’t the only Stony Brook on the North Shore of Suffolk County showcasing some of the top baseball players in the area. The Stony Brook School, a prep boarding school for grades 7-12 in Stony Brook, is quickly building one of the top baseball programs in the Northeast.

Coach Jon Brewer, in his second year at Stony Brook, has aspirations to turn the baseball program into a national power – similar to LuHi boys and girls basketball teams. Stony Brook plays a largely independent schedule against some of the best programs on the East Coast. Last season, the young squad reached the NYSAIS state final, losing to Poly Prep. Stony Brook doesn’t play in the PSAA playoffs but receives an at-large bid into the NYSAIS postseason tournament.

“It’s exciting and we’re well on our way,” Brewer said. “We’re a hidden gem out here, so it’s a very nice community out here and we have some good baseball players.”

Some of those players have MLB bloodlines, led by Jayden Stroman. Stroman’s brother, Marcus, currently pitches for the Chicago Cubs and spent parts of two seasons with the Mets.

Stroman, a sophomore from Medford, is one of the nation’s top players in his class and is already committed to Duke on a full scholarship, Brewer said. The switch-hitting shortstop also closes for Stony Brook. Brewer said Stroman reaches 93 mph at 14 years old.

“He is quite the impressive talent from both sides of the baseball, which is unique,” Brewer said. “He’s an incredible talent. That’s for sure.”

Senior Johan Franco (Georgetown) and sophomores Jordan Serrano (Wake Forest) and Logan Charboneau (UConn) are also Division-I commits for Stony Brook.

Serrano is an outfielder/pitcher and Charboneau is a first baseman who hit .320 last year. Franco, a pitcher and infielder, is one of the team’s only seniors and had a 2.65 ERA last year.

“Johan’s just a leader here on our campus, so what he does there carries over on the field,” Brewer said. “He’s our ace, he hits in the middle of the order and just the way he goes about his everyday sets a great example for our younger kids.”

Stony Brook started 1-10 last season before winning 13 of its final 14 in a 14-11 season, Brewer said.

“We’ve really carried that forward this year,” Brewer said. “It’s hard to build it overnight but it is exciting to just see these kids grow and a lot of these young kids start the process of becoming leaders.”