BOSTON, Mass. – The 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Poll has been announced and the Saint Joseph's College Monks, winners of the last four GNAC crowns, is favored to claim the title again this spring. Saint Joseph's earned six first-place votes and 60 total points overall in the coaches' poll.

Led by longtime skipper Will Sanborn '86, now in his 22nd season at the helm, the Monks return five All-Conference players from last season but head into their first games with several question marks, both in the lineup and on the pitching staff. With a relatively young roster – featuring 20 freshmen and sophomores – Saint Joseph's could endure some growing pains during the season but undoubtedly figure to be in the thick of the GNAC Championship hunt.

The new season kicks off this Friday, as the Monks commence on a three-day southern swing to Auburndale, Florida where the Royal Blue will face off against Concordia-Moorhead, Clark University and Aurora University. First pitch for Friday's single nine-inning tilt against the Cobbers is slated for 3:00 PM.

The Suffolk University Rams finished second in the poll with 57 points and the other two first place votes. The Rams will look for another big offensive year out of senior infielder Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) who has been named a Pre-Season All-American by D3Baseball.com. Last season Cintolo earned his third consecutive New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-Region selection after hitting .398 average (68-for-171) with 44 runs scored 37 RBI and 20 extra base hits. Also returning will be senior pitchers Jhonneris Mendez (Boston, Mass.) and Jonathan Richard (No. Reading, Mass.). Richard posted a 6-1 record last year while Mendez returns after missing most of his junior season due to an injury after having won six games in 2012 on the hill.

Johnson & Wales University ranks third in the poll with 50 points after an impressive 13-3 GNAC record last season which earned them the No. 1 seed heading into post-season play. The Wildcats return two All-Conference pitchers in senior John Amodeo (Mahopac, N.Y.) and junior Shawn Haugh (Tampa, Fla.) and will look to the leadership of senior Alex Pezzuto (Hastings, N.Y.) after he wrapped the 2013 campaign with a .411 batting average.

Lasell College rounds out the top half of the poll with 34 points in fourth place. The Lasers were able to capture a GNAC tournament win last year, defeating Albertus Magnus in the 4/5 opening round match up. Lasell will rely on another strong season from All-Conference selection Billy Uberti (Newton, Mass.) who slugged .413 while batting .306 as the squad's main first baseman.

Albertus Magnus College edged out Anna Maria College for the fifth spot with 27 points as the AMCats were just behind in sixth with 26 points. Rivier University placed seventh in the poll with 18 points while Norwich University capped the poll in eighth with 16 total points.

2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Baseball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll:

COURTESY OF GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE

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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 430-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.