To no one's surprise who has paid attention to Stony Brook baseball over the past season, Erik Paulsen has been named a 2025 Perfect Game Preseason All-American.
Paulsen had a record-breaking season last year as the sophomore was a true Ohtani-like two-way player. That unique two-way talent earned him a spot on the All-American Third Team as a two-way player. He was joined by UNCW's Tanner Thach as the only representatives from the CAA. Paulsen is also one of just three two-way players nationwide to receive All-American honors, alongside Kyle Johnson (Duke) and DJ Newman (Bowling Green).
Paulsen won the CAA Rookie of the Year and gained All-CAA Rookie Team honors last season. He also captured CAA Rookie of the Week three times (March 4, March 11, April 25) and was the only player in the conference to do so in 2024.
Paulsen was also named as a semifinalist for the prestigious John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, marking a first in program history. The award, presented by the College Baseball Foundation, highlights the best two-way player in Division I baseball.
Paulsen also made another type of history last season when he became the first Seawolf named an All-American by four different publications: Baseball America (First Team Freshman All-American), D1Baseball (Freshman All-American), Perfect Game Baseball (Freshman All-American), and NCBWA (Second Team Freshman All-American).
Paulsen's two-way prowess led him to be tied for sixth in the CAA with six saves, a mark that also ranks fifth in Stony Brook history and second among all freshmen nationally. Over 15 appearances, he posted a 2-1 record with a 3.21 ERA, tallying 24 strikeouts across 42.0 innings. His ERA ranked second on the team, fourth in the CAA, and was the best among freshmen in the conference.
As a hitter, Paulsen hit for a .299 average, leading all Stony Brook freshmen in key offensive categories, including batting average, on-base percentage, hits (53), home runs (4), RBIs (24), doubles (16), and total bases (81). He also ranked second on the team with 14 multi-hit games and third with five multi-RBI performances.
The Seawolves kick off the 2025 season with a three-game series against Bethune-Cookman from February 14-16 in Daytona Beach, their first-ever matchup with the Wildcats.