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20240313 sbs varsity baseball vs john jay 18

Stony Brook Bears Enter 2026 With Some of the Best Talent in the Region on One Team

Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series

Photo Credit: Jed Lazzeri

The Stony Brook School has been playing baseball for 102 years. In just the past few seasons, the team has reached heights not previously seen in the program’s first century.

The Bears won a Long Island Championship in 1999 and then went 20 years until their next championship – which was the PSAA in 2019.

Once Jon Brewer was hired in 2021, the school has rapidly ascended into national prominence culminating with their 2024 NYSAIS Championship over Columbia Prep, 13-1, which was the official moment that the program had “arrived”.

It is a remarkable transformation. This is a team that went 2-16 in 2016 and went two decades between postseason appearances. Now, they are a top 25 team in the nation and their recent graduates are littered all over Division-I baseball – with a potential first round pick on the roster.

Last year’s team, which was fully independent, was defeated, 3-2, by powerhouse Poly Prep in the Mid-Atlantic Championship. Washington Nationals draft pick Miguel Sime was on the mound. They finished with a record of 19-5, playing against elite competition.

The Bears sent several players to the next level from last year’s team:

  • Jordan Serrano – Wake Forest
  • Larry Hotaling – Villanova
  • Anthony DeCesare – Delaware
  • Sebastian Santos-Olson – Miami
  • Leo Vitarelli – Winthrop
  • Chris Nell – Lehigh
  • Matthew Ramirez – St. Norbert

While the roster experienced quite a bit of turnover, their performance has not suffered. In fact, they are 10-0 including wins over some of the top public and private schools that Long Island has to offer.

The player that has garnered the most attention is their all-world SS Aiden Ruiz.

“Aiden is doing great,” said Jon Brewer. “He’s built for this. It really helps when your emotional intelligence is as high as his. He loves the bright lights. The bigger the game, the better he performs. He’s put on about 20 lbs of muscle since last year. He’s come out firing already.”

Ruiz is committed to Vanderbilt, but with the buzz he’s garnered there is a very real chance he never steps foot on campus. He is incredibly athletic, he is a switch-hitter and he is as good as it gets defensively.

Aside from Ruiz, the team has plenty of talent.

“Our young guys are ahead of schedule. We always knew we had a very special class of 2028. I thought they’d take some lumps along the way. We depend on them heavily. They have benefitted from being in our program. They know how to play. They’ve been everything that the rankings say they have.”

Catcher JuJu Martinez is regarded as one of the best prep catchers in the country; especially in his class.

“He bats in the two-hole for us. He’s been incredibly consistent. Just a baseball player. Nice to have someone you can depend on back there. He’s been playing varsity since 7th grade. We are very blessed to have him on-and-off the field.”

Colin Raymond is their RF and has prodigious power for any age – let alone a sophomore.

“He had 6 homers last year and 6 homer already (he hit 2 since this interview). He’s a big kid. He will be a draft guy in 2028. Bats in the three-hole. He makes guys play,” said Brewer.

They also have Angelo Ciminiello, Wyatt Simons, Quincy Quibbs and Sam Dicker as other players who are among the top players in the state in the class.

Brewer has Jason Galbraith and Tyler Levine on staff as coaches. He spoke specifically about the job they’ve done with the pitching staff.

“They’ve done a great job. The pitchers really pound the zone which is something we had been lacking. They mix it up. What I’m so proud of is what bulldogs he has made them. They compete, they are emotional and get after it. We found out mid-winter with the way they were dominating our hitters and it’s carried over into the season. I can’t say enough about them. It’s made a world of difference with our program.”

Coach mentioned a few games that they are especially dialed in for.

“We host Poly Prep in April. We’ll play St. Peter’s from Staten Island. We go down to Georgia in mid April, where we will play some of the top teams in the country at Lake Point. We also go to Phillips Andover Academy – that’ll be a great series. Our championship series will be the same time as last year. It’s always a war with Poly. We’ll probably see them again there.”