STANDISH, ME - SJC baseball players Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.), Sam Butts (Saco, Maine) and Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) have been listed on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Weekly Honor Roll.
Rafferty was dominant in two appearances for the Monks last week. He recorded a four-out save and fanned a pair in a win over University of Southern Maine on Wednesday and went on to allow two runs off just three hits while striking out eight in a victory over Emerson College on Saturday. For the week, opponents hit just .143 off the Monks' staff ace, who is now 5-0 on the year with a minuscule 1.53 ERA.
So far this spring Rafferty is 5-0 with a 1.53 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 35.1 innings. Opponents are hitting just .171 (21-123) off the righthander this season.
Butts sparked the Monks' offensive efforts from the leadoff spot in a 5-0 week, hitting .500 (8-16) with an outstanding .600 OBP. The center fielder did not strike out in 20 plate appearances and scored six runs while recording five RBI in the five contests. He started the week with a breakout effort versus LEC powerhouse Southern Maine, going 3-5 with three RBI to go with a double and a home run - a two-run jack - in an 7-6 win over the Huskies. He capped the reporting period by going 2-3 with a run and an RBI in a victory over Emerson and drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh against the Lions.
The hottest hitter in the SJC lineup over the past two weeks, Butts is currently batting .337 (30-89) with a team-high 30 runs to go along with five doubles, a triple, a home run, 13 RBI and four stolen bases.
Lops continued his emergence as one of the Monks' top bats in a 5-0 week, hitting .357 (5-14) with two runs, a double, and two RBI in the five victories. The first-year catcher went 4-7 with a run, two RBI and a double in a GNAC sweep over Emerson College on Saturday.
The rookie receiver leads the Royal Blue in batting average with a .406 (28-69) clip and has registered 11 runs, four doubles, a triple and 16 RBI in 22 contests this season.
Saint Joseph's (23-3, 8-0 GNAC) will host Maine-Farmington in a non-conference twinbill on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM at Larry Mahaney Diamond.
