STANDISH, Maine – Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) has been selected to participate in the 2016 New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Senior All-Star Game, which will take place at Fitton Field on the campus of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. on Sunday, June 5. The exhibition contest, which pits the College All-Stars (NCAA DII and DIII) versus the University All-Stars (NCAA DI), will begin at 6:00 PM.
Lops, a graduate student who missed his senior campaign (2015) with an injury, enjoyed a terrific season during which he hit .376 (56-149) with 23 runs, 12 doubles, two home runs, and 40 RBI while playing in all 41 of the Monks' games this spring. The team tri-captain led the team in batting, hits, doubles, and RBI and garnered his fourth All-Conference honor for his efforts.
The four-year standout posted lofty career numbers with a .357 (193-541) average, 82 runs, 38 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 130 RBI over 154 contests. Currently, Lops ranks seventh in SJC Baseball history in at-bats, eighth in RBI and hits, 11th in doubles, and 13th in batting average.
Lops will be the seventh SJC player to participate in the prestigious event, following Steve Osborne '01, Derek McIntosh '05, Sam Tupper '07, Luke Enman '08, Pat Moran'10, and Todd Keneborus '11. He is one of two Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) representatives, joining Lasell College catcher Wes Hurty, and joins Southern Maine shortstop Sam Dexter on the list of this year's participants hailing from a Maine college or university.
Led by 24th-year Head Coach Will Sanborn '86, Saint Joseph's College posted a 26-15 record with a 12-2 mark in conference play en route to earning the top seed in the GNAC Tournament, which played out on the weekend of May 7th in Providence. In a quarterfinal matchup on May 5th, the Monks defeated #4 Johnson & Wales University, 8-1, to advance to the final winners' bracket game, where the Royal Blue suffered a 10-0 setback at the hands of #2 Suffolk University, falling into the losers' bracket in the process. St. Joe's escaped elimination with a 2-0 win over #3 Lasell College and remained in contention for the title, and forced an if-necessary game, with an 8-7 triumph over the Rams on championship Sunday. Unfortunately, the Monks fell short, 5-4 in 10 innings, in the finale.
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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 474-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.
