STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College senior pitcher Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) has garnered First Team D3baseball.com Preseason All-America accolades.
Rafferty recorded a perfect 10-0 record with a 1.71 ERA and 74 strikeouts while allowing 20 walks and a .213 opponents' batting average in 68.1 innings as the Monks' staff ace during his junior season. For his efforts, he claimed D3Baseball.com All-America, ABCA/Rawlings All-America, D3Baseball.com New England Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA New England Pitcher of the Year, NEIBA First Team All-New England, GNAC Pitcher of the Year, and First Team All-GNAC honors last spring.
The fourth-year standout heads into his senior season tied for second in program history in pitching victories (21) and currently ranks fourth all-time in ERA (2.83), fifth in fewest hits per nine innings (7.93), sixth in strikeouts (182) and WHIP (1.21), seventh in K/9 (9.38), and ninth in innings (174.2). Rafferty also owns the Monks' longest scoreless-innings streak (21.1, 2011) and has suffered just one losing decision in 28 career starts.
Rafferty is one of three New England Region players, along with Western Connecticut outfielder Conor Bierfeldt and Western New England third baseman Mike Rubino, to be listed on the First Team. Western New England second baseman Tim Clark and Wheaton pitcher Frank Holbrook claimed Second Team honors while Wheaton first baseman Apolinar De la Cruz and Trinity College pitcher Sean Meekins garnered Honorable Mention accolades.
Saint Joseph's, ranked 14th in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll, begins the 2013 season with a single nine-inning game at Endicott College on Saturday, March 2nd at 12:00 PM.
D3baseball.com 2013 Preseason All-America Team
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.