Friendship That Began at SUNY Continues To Grow In MLB

They were friends and teammates on the Cinderella surprise SUNY Stony Brook baseball team that made it to the College World Series in 2012. The players' friendship never ended and now it is growing in the same in a Major League Baseball locker room.

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In 2012, Stony Brook outfielder Travis Jankowski led the country in hits, runs and triples. Pat Cantwell was the best catcher in the America East and was named first team All Conference. I watched the duo battle the UAlbany Great Danes on multiple occasions through their careers.

Travis Jankowski was drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the first round. Teammate Pat Cantwell went to the Texas Rangers in the third round in the same year. Jankowski has spent the better part of nine seasons in the big leagues. Cantwell never made it above Triple A but signed as a bullpen catcher with the Texas Rangers after the 2019 season. Jankowski signed as a free agent with Texas in March. Now the Stony Brook room mates are back together again.
The Seawolves' alumni were at Citi Field this week, as Rangers were in town to take on Jankowski's former team, the New York Mets.

Friend of 'The Drive with Charlie & Dan', Tim Healey of newsday.com spoke to the duo about being together in the major leagues on Tuesday. “It’s surreal, honestly,” Cantwell told Healey. “Not many people get the opportunity, obviously, to work every day on this level with someone they went to college with. Travis makes it easy. He’s always keeping the mood light in the clubhouse. He’s just a good guy to be around, so I’m very blessed to spend so much time with him. It honestly feels like we’re right back at Stony Brook.” Jankowski jumped in, “Three years as teammates and two years living together makes for a pretty good bond. To carry that on to major-league baseball and all these cities has been really cool.” It is very cool story that started on a SUNY campus and is still being written.