STANDISH, ME - Following one of the best seasons in program, and college, history, expectations are high for the Saint Joseph's baseball team this spring.
The Monks, ranked 12th in the nation in the most recent D3baseball.com Weekly Poll, went 39-7 overall and 14-2 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play and broke the college single-season last spring. In 2012 Saint Joseph's, picked to the GNAC Championship for the fourth-consecutive season in the GNAC preseason poll, swept through the conference tournament, advanced to the NCAA tourney for the sixth time in the last seven years and capped the 2012 campaign ranked 14th in the country in both national polls.
As the #2 seed in the 2012 New England Regional - hosted by Eastern Connecticut State University, Saint Joseph's defeated #7 Bowdoin College and #4 Keene State College but fell to third-seeded Trinity College and was ousted from tournament contention by #5 Western New England University.
With extended stays in the regional tourney in each of the last three seasons, Head Coach Will Sanborn's Monks have solidified the team's standing as one of the elite programs in New England. Only two teams in the region – 2012 Champion Wheaton College and 2011 winner Western New England – have notched as many NCAA Tournament wins (7) over the last three New England Regional Tournaments and no team outside this trifecta has captured at least seven conference crowns over the last eight seasons.
Since 2005, just three New England programs have posted more wins (261) or better winning percentages (.727) than Saint Joseph's. No team has made more NCAA DIII New England Regional appearances (6) since 2006 and just one program (Wheaton) has notched more 30-win seasons (7) over the past eight years.
Coach Sanborn is about to enter his 21st season as the Monks' skipper and ranks as the most successful leader in program history with a 542-295-5 (.648) record. With nine 30-win seasons to his credit, Sanborn is well on his way to cementing his legacy as one of the very best baseball skippers around. With lofty goals for the season, coach has pushed his players during indoor practices and, as a result, this group looks to be even more prepared than in previous years.
It does not show on the stat sheet, but key components in last year's success were team chemistry as well as the leadership exhibited by the upperclassmen. The Monks graduated eight players, but lose just one full-time starter - shortstop Dan Achorn '12 - from last year's team but others, including 2012 captains Dan Brown, Jon Dahms and Kyle Neagle - will be dearly missed this season, as will departed graduates Andrew Devereaux, Sam Murray, Peter Allain and James Mostone.
PITCHING
Although the program is well-balanced, pitching has proven to be the Monks' major strength over the past three seasons and this year looks to be no different.
Senior righthander Chad Rafferty (Keene, N.H.) headlines the group or returning hurlers and is coming off perhaps the finest season ever recorded by a Saint Joseph's College pitcher. As a junior, Rafferty went 10-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 68.1 innings en route to earning 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 accolades. A 2013 D3baseball.com Preseason First Team All-America choice, he heads into his senior season tied for second in program history in pitching victories (21), ranked fourth 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 pitched (174.2).
The Monks feature plenty of depth behind Rafferty, as seniors Tyler Laverriere (Biddeford, Maine) and Jimmy Kennedy (York, Maine), juniors Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) and Nick Whittaker (Yarmouth, Maine) and sophomore Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.) all figure to log plenty of innings as starters this spring.
Laverriere, completely healthy after fighting through nagging ailments as a junior, was 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 34 K's in 33.1 innings and was listed on the GNAC All-Tournament Team last spring. Gruntkosky drew some of the Monks' most difficult mid-week opponents as a sophomore and went 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA with 46 punch-outs in 49 innings and Whittaker enjoyed a breakout season by going 6-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 36 K's in 41 frames in his second NCAA season.
Kennedy and Valenti were both used primarily as relievers in 2012 and will be asked to increase their workload this spring. Kennedy, a crafty righthander, went 4-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 15 K's in 24.1 innings as a junior. Valenti, a fierce competitor, appeared in 14 games as a freshman and was 2-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 36.2 frames in 2012.
Sophomore southpaws Dan Meeken (Marshfield, Mass.) and Anthony Zawistowski (Otisville, N.Y.) will both work out of the bullpen this season. Both players were heavily recruited and feature impressive repertoires on the hill. First-year pitchers Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) and Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.) and junior lefthander Chris Bryant (Gray, Maine) will also see plenty of action this spring.
CATCHING
Familiar faces will be behind the dish for the Monks in 2013 as the Royal Blue return five catchers from last year's squad. Reigning GNAC Rookie of the Year Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) and First Team All-GNAC selection Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) return as sophomores while juniors Willie Brown (Fayette, Maine), Andrew Cessario (Limerick, Maine) and Jack Reilly (Worcester, Mass.) are also back this spring.
A tough out with a sweet left-handed stroke, Lops paced the team in batting average (.389, 51-131) and OBP (.437) and finished the year tied for third in RBI (28). Lops, also a 2012 Second Team All-GNAC honoree, has worked hard to improve over the offseason and will be expected to shoulder plenty of the Monks' offensive output as a threat in the middle of the lineup.
Coyne, the right-handed hitter in the Monks' catcher/designated hitter platoon, hit .346 (56-162) with 24 runs, 12 doubles and 24 RBI and garnered First Team All-GNAC honors as a freshman. Coyne, who hit third essentially all year in 2012, looks to improve on his numbers across the board after playing well facing mostly NCAA DI pitching in Hawaii last summer.
Brown, an excellent defensive backstop, gunned down four of five would-be basestealers as a sophomore and has shown the ability to hit when called upon. A heady player, he figures to log his share of time behind the dish this spring. Cessario is a reliable receiver and has worked hard in the weight room to improve his athleticism and Reilly is a solid all-around player who could see time in a variety of roles. Both players could log innings on the field as back-ups at first base in 2013.
Sophomore Connor King (Mechanic Falls, Maine), a first-year college player, is a solid reliever who has some pop in his bat. His main duties include working in the bullpen, but he may see time behind the plate or at first base during the season.
INFIELD
The Monks' infield will be anchored by a pair of veterans in senior first baseman Mike Pratt (Dartmouth, Mass.) and senior second baseman Brandon Chase (Naples, Maine).
Pratt - a career .322 (136-423) hitter and two-time All-GNAC player - could become the sixth player in team history to reach the 200-hit plateau with a banner year and will again hit somewhere in the heart of the Monks' order as a senior. Chase produced a breakout effort in his second season with the Monks, as the fleet-afoot infielder hit .354 (46-130) with seven home runs, six triples, 38 RBI and eight stolen bases and posted a team-high .646 slugging percentage en route to claiming First Team All-GNAC accolades last spring.
Junior Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) assumes the starting role at third base after playing in a utility role for most of his freshman and sophomore seasons. A polished hitter who can drive the ball to all fields, look for Markakis to break out with improved numbers across the board after hitting .289 (33-114) with 22 runs and 17 RBI in 2012.
With the departure of Achorn, the Monks will feature a pair of newcomers at the physically-demanding position. Senior David Nieves (York, Maine), who previously played at Southern Maine Community College and NCAA DII Bloomfield College in New Jersey, and freshman Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) both figure into the plans this season. Nieves is a known commodity with the glove and looks to provide the Monks with steady defense and the occasional highlight-reel play while Graham has shown steady improvement during practice and is a solid two-way player.
Junior Shayne Curtis (New Gloucester, Mass.) adds infield depth and a steady lefthanded bat and Lops, Brown, Reilly and Cessario could all log innings in the infield this spring as well.
OUTFIELD
The Monks' outfield corps is one of the most skilled in recent memory and features talent in all facets of the game. Senior Sam Butts (Saco, Maine) and junior Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.) return as starters while junior Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) looks to step into the starting lineup in his third collegiate season. Two of the team's top incoming freshmen also man the outfield, as Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) and Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) appear ready to play prominent roles immediately this spring.
Butts, a 2013 team co-captain along with Kennedy, posted a solid season as a junior, hitting .316 (42-133) with 35 runs, six doubles, 19 RBI and seven stolen bases and figures to produce his finest season as a senior. Lorenc, a two-time All-GNAC honoree, emerged as a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat last spring when he batted .338 (49-145) with 33 runs, seven doubles, five round-trippers and 28 RBI as a sophomore and figures to start in right field again this season.
First in line to play center is Vigars, who appeared in 35 games as a defensive replacement last season and has the potential to be a very good collegiate hitter. Reuillard has a powerful lefthanded swing and looks to play on the corners and Beaudette, an extremely athletic player, has speed to burn and could work his way into some significant playing time this spring.
Saint Joseph's will kick off the 2013 season with a nine-game slate in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida, beginning with a two-game set versus Rhode Island College on March 9th.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.