STANDISH, ME – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has released the 2014 Baseball Tournament bracket and Saint Joseph's College (20-12, 11-3 GNAC) has collected the #2 seed.
Top-seeded Suffolk University (18-11-1, 12-2 GNAC) and Saint Joseph's have earned a first-round bye in the six-team tourney and both teams will face the winners of Tuesday's preliminary contests in the quarterfinal round on Thursday. The Monks will play either #3 Lasell College (17-10, 10-4 GNAC) or #6 Norwich University (7-14, 4-10 GNAC) at 3:30 PM on Thursday. Suffolk faces the winner of the #4 Johnson & Wales University (27-12, 9-5 GNAC) / #5 Albertus Magnus College (14-13, 7-7 GNAC) preliminary contest in quarterfinal action on Thursday.
Saint Joseph's, the host of the 2014 GNAC Tournament beginning with Saturday's slate, features a quality pitching staff with an interesting mix of returners and newcomers in the lineup. Headed up by 22nd-year skipper Will Sanborn '86, the Monks have won five of the last six GNAC titles and know what it takes to perform in pressure situations.
The pitching staff is led by a trio of senior righthanders in Nick Whittaker (Yarmouth, Maine), Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) and Lincoln Sanborn (Standish, Maine), a trio that has combined to post a 10-2 record with a 2.66 ERA and 117 strikeouts - and just 31 walks - in 101.2 innings. The offense is driven by the 3-4-5 hitters in senior right fielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.), junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) and junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.). The heart of the SJC lineup has combined to hit .345 (115-304) with 60 runs, 26 doubles, four homers and 76 RBI in 31 contests.
Rankings and Schedule:
1 Suffolk University (18-11-1, 12-2 GNAC)
2 Saint Joseph's College (20-12, 11-3 GNAC)
3 Lasell College (17-10, 10-4 GNAC)
4 Johnson & Wales University (27-12, 9-5 GNAC)
5 Albertus Magnus College (14-13, 7-7 GNAC)
6 Norwich University (7-14, 4-10 GNAC)
Tuesday, April 22nd: FIRST ROUND
GAME A: #5 Albertus Magnus @ #4 Johnson & Wales
GAME B: #6 Norwich at #3 Lasell
Thursday, April 24th: QUARTER FINALS
GAME C: Winner of Game A @ #1 Suffolk – 6:00 PM
GAME D: Winner of Game B @ #2 Saint Joseph's – 3:30 PM
Saturday, April 26th: SEMI-FINALS Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME E: Loser of Game C vs. Loser of Game D – 10:00 AM
GAME F: Winner of Game C vs. Winner of Game D – 1:30 PM
GAME G: Winner of Game E vs. Loser of Game F – 5:00 PM
Sunday, April 27th: CHAMPIONSHIP Hosted by Saint Joseph's
GAME H: Winner of Game F vs. Winner of Game G – 12:00 PM
GAME I: If necessary – 3:30 PM
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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.
