STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's senior pitcher Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) and sophomore catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) have been listed as "Players to Watch," as chosen by NCAA DIII head coaches across the nation, for the 2013 season by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Rafferty, a 2013 D3baseball.com Preseason First Team All-American, recorded a perfect 10-0 record with a 1.71 ERA and 74 strikeouts during his junior campaign. He held opponents to a stingy .213 batting average and yielded just 20 walks in 68.1 innings as the Monks' staff ace and 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.
Coyne ranked as the Monks' hits (56) leader and batted .346 with 24 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 24 RBI, and four steals as a freshman last season. The first-year backstop started all 46 games and batted third in all but four contests a year ago and garnered First Team All-Conference accolades for his efforts.
Junior pitcher Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine), a 2012 Third Team All-New England (D3baseball.com) and Second Team All-GNAC selection, was also listed as a "Player to Watch" for this season, but suffered an elbow injury and underwent Tommy John surgery last fall. He is expected to return as one of the Monks' top arms in the spring of 2014.
Saint Joseph's, ranked #14 in the nation according to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Preseason Poll, kicks off the 2013 season with a single nine-inning game at Endicott College on Saturday, March 2nd at 12:00 PM.
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.
