WINTHROP, Mass. – Suffolk University has taken the top spot in the 2017 GNAC Baseball Preseason Poll, receiving 59 points and five first-place votes following their second straight conference championship victory last spring.
The Rams narrowly ousted longtime GNAC rival Saint Joseph's College of Maine, as the Monks garnered 57 points and the other three first-place votes in the poll, which was voted upon by the league's eight head coaches.
Suffolk will open up the 2017 campaign with nine contests in Auburndale, Florida beginning March 10, while SJC gears up for an 11-game Sunshine State slate beginning March 5.
The two programs matched up last May in a GNAC Championship for the ages. Needing just one win to claim the crown, Suffolk jumped out to a 5-0 lead on SJC at Johnson & Wales University before the Monks scored eight unanswered runs. The Rams added one run in the seventh and eighth to make it a one-run game, but SJC held on to force the do-or-die game, which saw the Rams win a thrilling, 5-4 10-inning affair.
Lasell College finished third in the poll with 46 points, just one point ahead of fourth-place JWU with 45. Albertus Magnus College finished in the fifth spot with 28 points, followed by Rivier University with 25 points, Anna Maria College with 18 points and Norwich University with 10 points.
Rivier will host the final two days of this year's GNAC Tournament at Holman Stadium in Nashua, N.H. on Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
2017 GNAC Baseball Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Suffolk (5) - 59
2. Saint Joseph's of Maine (3) - 57
3. Lasell - 46
4. Johnson & Wales - 45
5. Albertus Magnus - 28
6. Rivier - 25
7. Anna Maria - 18
8. Norwich - 10
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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.
