STANDISH, ME - Now that the dust has settled, it's time to reflect on what the Monks Baseball team accomplished last week at the NCAA DIII New England Regional Tournament in Willimantic, Connecticut.

Saint Joseph's advanced to "Championship Saturday" in the double-elimination tourney, the furthest any Saint Joseph's team has gone in an NCAA Tournament since the SJC Athletic programs made a move into the NCAA following the 2001-02 academic year.

After dropping the first game, 12-3 to top-seeded Tufts University, on Wednesday, #8 Saint Joseph's proceeded to defeat #5 Worcester State, #3 Western New England and #2 Wheaton - who began tournament play ranked 14th in the country, before falling to Tufts, 6-5, in the final elimination game of the tourney on Saturday. For the defeated trio of New England Region powerhouses, the losses at the hands of the Monks signaled the end of the 2010 season.

Tourney Tidbits:

• Out of the 55 teams in the eight regional tournaments, only 18 teams recorded at least three victories during tourney play, including the Monks. St. Joe's was one of 24 teams to advance to "Championship Saturday."
• Saint Joseph's was one of just six teams (Marietta, Oneonta St., Salisbury, Mississippi Coll., and Buena Vista) to notch at least three wins after dropping the first game of the tournament.
• The Monks turned five double plays against Western New England on May 21st, one shy of the NCAA Tournament record held by Rowan (vs. Wartburg, 5/29/05).
• St. Joe's led the New England Regional in double plays turned (7) and only one team involved in regional play, Thomas More College, recorded more twin-killings (9).
• Saint Joseph's laid down the most sacrifice bunts (11) in regional play.
• The Monks led New England Regional participants in hits (54) and the pitching staff led the tourney in strikeouts (34).
• SJC senior first baseman Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) ranked as the New England Regional leader in hits (12) and fielding chances (44) and tied for the lead in at-bats (24). Only one player, Wisconsin-Whitewater senior outfielder Jordan Stine (14), notched more hits in regional play.
• SJC senior reliever Chris Nanof (Clinton, MA) was the only pitcher with two wins in the New England Regional. Only six pitchers across the eight regional tournaments had two wins this year.
• Senior catcher Travis Adams (Saco, ME) led all New England players with three doubles and freshman third baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, MA) was the only rookie to belt a home run at Eastern Connecticut.
• Mike Burdin '10 (Gardiner, ME) and Chris Campbell '11 (Rochester, NH) tied for the tourney-lead in plate appearances with 26 apiece.
• St. Joe's relievers Mason Roberge '11 (Franklin, NH) and Adam Stanclift '13 (Chesterfield, NH) were two of four pitchers to record saves in Willimantic, while Roberge, Kevin Chamberlain '11 (Scarborough, ME) and Andrew Keirstead '10 (Westbrook, ME) tied for the most pitching appearances in the tourney. ???

SJC Landmarks hit during the tournament:

• Grant-Roy, who along with Todd Keneborus '11 (Hollis Center, ME/Cheverus) represented Saint Joseph's on the All-Tournament Team, became the fourth player in team history to notch 200 career hits with a single in the bottom of the first against Wheaton on May 21^st. He capped his outstanding four seasons with 206 hits.
• With a double in the top of the second against Tufts on May 19^th, Campbell became the second player in team history to record a pair of 60-hit seasons, joining Steve Osborne '01, who reached the plateau in 1999 and 2001.
• Keneborus tied the program's single-season hit record when he registered his 77^th base knock of the year, a single to right field in the bottom of the third against Tufts on May 22^nd. The base hit places Keneborus in a tie with Osborne, who had 77 hits in 2001.

Since the beginning of the 2000 season, only three programs (Eastern Connecticut, Wheaton & Southern Maine) have more victories than St. Joe's, which has a 317-157 (.669) record in the last 11 years. The Monks have notched six 30-win seasons during the same span, a feat only four other programs (Eastern Connecticut, Southern Maine, WNEC and Wheaton) can boast.

Regional Tournament Statistics

Regional Tournament Photos

Updated Baseball Record Book

View Archived NCAA Regional Tournament Games:

vs. Tufts (5/19)
vs. Worcester State (5/20)
vs. Western New England (5/21)
vs. Wheaton (5/21)
vs. Tufts (5/22)