STANDISH, Maine – The 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball postseason accolades have been released and eight Saint Joseph's College players have been honored.
Senior shortstop Joey Murphy (Derry, N.H.) headlines the Monks' honorees after earning 2019 GNAC Player of the Year, First Team All-GNAC, and GNAC All-Defensive Team awards. He is joined on the First Team by senior catcher Greg Emanuelson (Hudson, N.H.), senior outfielder Jared Gagne (Dover, N.H.), and freshman pitcher Matt Bergeron (Salem, N.H.) while sophomore outfielder Hunter Richardson (Monmouth, Maine) is listed on the Second Team.
Senior first baseman Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine), junior second baseman Drew Healey (Rochester, N.H.), and sophomore pitcher Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) have claimed Third Team All-Conference honors and round out the Monks' 2019 award winners.
Murphy becomes the sixth SJC player to garner GNAC Player of the Year accolades – and first since 2017 (Taylor Black '17) – after hitting .428 (65-152) with 45 runs, 11 doubles, a triple, a home run, 21 RBI, and 36 steals in 39 attempts. He leads the conference in hits and stolen bases, ranks second in batting average, third in runs, fifth in OBP (.476), and sixth in doubles and total bases (80). He currently ranks second in NCAA DIII Baseball in steals and seventh in steals per game (0.90).
In 149 career games the four-year starter is hitting .362 (187-517) with 133 runs, 27 doubles, three triples, three homers, 77 RBI and 73 stolen bases in 83 attempts. His .362 career batting average ranks 10th in program history and he is also seventh all-time in runs and 11th in hits. Murphy has shattered the Monks' career stolen bases record, which was formerly held by SJC Hall of Famer Arlo Pike '86, who swiped 61 bags in 144 games.
An all-around player, Murphy anchors the SJC defense at shortstop with 12 errors in 172 chances for a .930 fielding percentage. He has taken part in 19 of the Monks' 32 double plays this spring.
Gagne earns First Team All-Conference honors for the second-consecutive season after hitting .413 (59-143) with 46 runs, 10 doubles, six triples, one home run, 30 RBI, and 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts while starting all 42 games this spring. He leads the conference in triples, ranks second in hits, runs and stolen bases, third in batting average and total bases (84), fifth in slugging percentage (.587), and ninth in doubles, RBI and OBP (.463).
In 145 career games Gagne is hitting .378 (138-365) with 110 runs, 21 doubles, 12 triples, two home runs, 68 RBI, and 70 stolen bases. He currently ranks second all-time in stolen bases (behind Murphy) and sixth in batting average.
Emanuelson claims All-Conference accolades for the first time after hitting .343 (49-143) with 33 runs, 10 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 47 RBI, and eight stolen bases while starting all 42 of the Monks' games this season. He leads the GNAC in RBI and ranks second in home runs, fifth in total bases (83), seventh in slugging percentage (.580), and ninth in doubles.
In 119 career contests Emanuelson is hitting .319 (94-295) with 55 runs, 20 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 87 RBI, and 10 stolen bases.
Bergeron becomes just the seventh SJC pitcher – and first freshman hurler – to garner First Team All-GNAC honors after posting a 2.88 ERA with a 6-3 record and 28 strikeouts and just nine walks in 50 innings this season. Opposing hitters are batting just .229 (43-188) against him this spring and he leads the GNAC in ERA, ranks second in wins, and fourth in complete games (3).
Richardson garners Second Team All-Conference acclaim after hitting .313 (40-128) with 41 runs, six doubles, four triples, four homers, 27 RBI, and 13 steals while appearing in all 42 of his team's games as a sophomore. He is currently second in the conference in triples, fourth in runs and times hit by pitch (7), fifth in home runs, and eighth in stolen bases.
McDaniel takes home All-GNAC honors for the third-consecutive season after hitting .308 (40-130) with 22 runs, 10 doubles and 25 RBI over 40 games this spring. He is tied for fourth in the conference in times hit by pitch (7) and ranks ninth in the league in doubles.
Over 143 career games McDaniel is hitting .319 (130-408) with 84 runs, 20 doubles, three homers, 79 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.
Healey has been a consistent offensive force in the middle of the Monks' line-up as a first-year starter, as the junior second baseman is hitting .348 (39-112) with 25 runs, six doubles, a triple, a homer, and 22 RBI while appearing in 40 contests this season. The Third Team All-GNAC honoree is currently ranked eighth in the conference with a .464 OBP.
Begin also earns his first All-GNAC honor after posting a perfect 6-0 record with a 4.82 ERA and 50 strikeouts while walking 21 batters in 46.2 innings. The second-year starting pitcher is currently tied for second in wins and ranks fourth in the league in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings (9.74).
In two collegiate seasons Begin is 7-0 with a 3.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 93.0 innings.
Under the watch of 27th-year Head Coach Will Sanborn '86 Saint Joseph's has posted a 32-10 overall record with a 13-3 mark in conference play en route to securing the #2 seed in the GNAC Tournament. The Monks advanced to the GNAC Championship - for the ninth time in 12 seasons as a member of the conference – after posting wins over #3 Johnson & Wales (4-3) and #1 Suffolk (3-1) but stumbled with a 15-2 loss to Johnson & Wales in the first game on Championship Sunday to force a winner-take-all contest between the Monks and Wildcats. Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the ninth, St. Joe's managed to tie the deciding contest to force extras and finally won the game – and the team's seventh GNAC Championship – on a walk-off double from Emanuelson in the 11th inning.
With the conference title comes the GNAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Tournament. The Monks will learn who they will play in the first round when the entire national championship bracket is announced via live selection show on NCAA.com on Monday, May 13th at 12:00 PM.