STANDISH, ME – The Saint Joseph's College baseball team has a completely new outlook going into the 2014 season, one that followers may not expect from a club that has won eight conference titles with seven NCAA Tournament appearances over the last nine years.

Head Coach Will Sanborn '86, now in his 22nd year as the Monks' skipper, expects his 2014 team to "turn the page" this spring, to not look back on past successes but rather look ahead without expectations as to what this season may hold. Even though Saint Joseph's has been one of the most successful DIII programs in New England, if not the nation, over the last decade, the Monks have yet to attain their ultimate goal of winning the NCAA DIII New England Regional Tournament.

"Our guys must be able to put things behind them and focus on what's ahead, put things in the rearview mirror and concentrate on what's important," adds Coach Sanborn. " We don't spend a lot of time looking backwards, or too far ahead - once the past season is over, we really begin to focus on the next one"

With a roster featuring 20 freshmen and sophomores, the Monks may very well be best suited to place an emphasis on the future going into the 2014 campaign. The team has many holes to fill, as the 2013 squad graduated First Team All-Conference pitchers Tyler Laverriere and Chad Rafferty as well as First Team infielders Mike Pratt and Brandon Chase from a group that went 31-14 with a GNAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth a year ago.

Saint Joseph's also graduated 2013 team captains Sam Butts and Jimmy Kennedy, a pair of four-year contributors who helped St. Joe's claim a conference title in each of their four seasons, leaving a void in the leadership category as well.

PITCHING

With the departure of co-aces Laverriere and Rafferty, several upperclassmen will be asked to step into similar roles this spring. At the top of the list are senior righthanders Nick Whittaker (Yarmouth, Maine), Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) and Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine).

Whittaker went 6-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 54 innings as a junior while Gruntkosky was 5-4 with a 2.84 ERA and 52 K's over 44 frames a year ago. Both hurlers garnered All-Conference accolades in 2013 and are the leading candidates to fill the roles of #1 and #2 starters.

Sanborn, who did not pitch last year due to injury, is somewhat of a wild card. He performed like a front of the line pitcher as a sophomore in 2012, posting a 2.87 ERA and a 7-0 record with 60 strikeouts in 53 innings, and has worked very hard to return to form. If he does, the Monks could very well have three hurlers with ace potential at the top of the rotation.

Junior Alex Valenti (Lawrence, Mass.), a team captain along with Sanborn and senior outfielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.H.), was 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 41 innings while fighting through nagging injuries during his sophomore season. Now healthy with another year of NCAA experience under his belt, Valenti figures to play a major role for the Monks this spring.

Sophomore Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) appeared in a team-high 17 games as one of the Monks' top relief options a year ago and will likely be called upon in late and close situations again this season. Junior southpaw Dan Meeken (Marshfield, Mass.) shined in 11 relief appearances last year and has some of the nastiest stuff on the staff. Sophomore Riley Cox (Westford, Mass.), a sidearm slinger, showed flashes of things to come in his first season as a submarine style pitcher and has greatly improved.

Senior Chris Bryan (Gray, Maine) and junior Anthony Zawistowski (Otisville, N.Y.), both lefthanders, could fill a variety of roles this spring. The Monks also have a stable of talented young arms at their disposal in Nick Malatesta (Wrentham, Mass.), Tyler Neville (Orono, Maine), Keenen Lowe (Westbrook, Maine) and Thomas Fortier (Falmouth, Maine), a quartet of freshmen who will be asked to log plenty of innings during their first NCAA season.

CATCHING

Junior Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.), a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection, will likely split time behind the plate with senior Willie Brown (Fayette, Maine) and be in the lineup everyday as a part-time designated hitter. Coyne has hit in the middle of the Monks' order in each of his first two seasons and batted .316 (49-155) with 30 runs, 13 doubles, two homers and 36 RBI as a sophomore.

Brown, a superior defender, held his own with the bat last year, hitting .268 (11-41) with 10 runs and a pair of doubles as a junior. Seniors Jack Reilly (Worcester, Mass.) and Andrew Cessario (Limerick, Maine) and freshman Dan Donovan (Lynn, Mass.) are all capable receivers and will add depth at the position in 2014.

INFIELD

The Monks' infield, infused with young talent and players at new positions, will feature a much different look this spring.

Senior Alex Markakis (Lynnfield, Mass.) returns and figures to play the lion's share of innings at third base again in 2014. Last spring, the seasoned hitter endured a mid-season slump from which he would not fully recover and posted uncharacteristic numbers as a result, ending the year with a .223 (29-130) average, 17 runs, three doubles and 11 RBI while playing solid defense at the hot corner. The fourth-year contributor expects to rebound with much-improved numbers across the board in his final collegiate campaign.

New faces will man the other three infield spots, as junior Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) and sophomore Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) will both vie for time at first base while sophomore Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.) – the Monks' primary shortstop a year ago – figures to move over to second base this season.

Lops battled through injury to hit .327 (35-107) with seven doubles and 16 RBI as a sophomore and looks to put up career numbers as a junior. Reuillard enjoyed a successful rookie campaign, hitting .297 (19-64) with 11 runs, four doubles and 13 RBI, should be a mainstay in the middle of the Monks' lineup this season while logging time at first base, left field and designated hitter in 2014. First-years Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.), Scott Betts (Peabody, Mass.) and Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) have all impressed during preseason practices and all three will see innings at first base and designated hitter this spring.

Graham, a gritty player who can handle the bat, hit .298 (34-114) with five doubles and 17 RBI as a freshman and seems better suited to play the cornerstone position. Freshman Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine), an athletic player with a strong arm, leads a gifted group of young middle infielders who will see time this season, as freshmen Nick Petchell (Milton, Mass.), Taylor Black (Cardiff By The Sea, Calif.) and Mike Kinch (Newton, Mass.) all figure into the Monks short and long-term plans.

Senior Shayne Curtis (New Gloucester, Maine), a fourth-year team member, will help stabilize the infield and adds a veteran presence for the group of young players.

OUTFIELD

The Monks' outfield features four veteran returners in seniors in Lorenc and Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) and returning sophomores Reuillard and Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) and will be bolstered by the addition of freshmen Cejay Suarez (Abington, Mass.), Shane St. Onge (Allenstown, N.H.) and Casey Nava (Waterboro, Maine).

A steady contributor, Lorenc earned 2013 First Team All-Conference ­­and Second Team D3Baseball.com All-New England accolades after hitting .377 (57-151) with 28 runs, nine doubles, five home runs and 32 RBI as a junior. He will start in right for the third-consecutive season and also see some time in center field this spring.

Vigars figures to start the majority of games in center for the Monks this season and expects to improve upon his offensive contribution from a year ago, when he got off to a hot start but fell into a slump and never recovered. Vigars brings plenty to the table as a heady player who can handle the bat and be relied upon to drop down a bunt in a pressure situation.

Beaudette enjoyed relative success in his first collegiate season, posting a .246 (16-65) with 11 runs, two doubles while making 28 starts in 2013. A player who has a knack for getting on base, Beaudette has worked very hard to improve in every facet of the game and is likely to play a larger role this spring.

Suarez, a line-drive hitter with power to the gaps, should work his way into an outfield rotation this season while Nava and St. Onge will be expected to provide depth coming off the bench in 2014.

Off to a 4-0 start following a short Florida trip, Saint Joseph's kicks off the team's second southern swing with a doubleheader versus Wheaton College on Sunday, March 9th.