STANDISH, ME – The 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason baseball awards have been released and five-time GNAC Champion Saint Joseph's College is well represented.

Nine Monks have earned All-Conference honors and four players have earned First Team accolades. Senior outfielder Alex Lorenc (Nanuet, N.Y.), senior pitcher Nick Whittaker (Yarmouth, Maine), junior catcher Joe Coyne (Duxbury, Mass.) and junior first baseman Nic Lops (South Portland, Maine/Cheverus) have collected First Team honors while senior pitcher Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody, Mass.) and freshman shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) have claimed Second Team mention. Senior outfielder Louie Vigars (Stratham, N.H.) and sophomore outfielders Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) and Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) have been listed on the Third Team.

Lorenc earns First Team All-GNAC honors for the second-consecutive season after hitting .357 (40-112) with 23 runs, nine doubles, a home run, 28 RBI and 10 stolen bases through 33 games this season. The four-time All-Conference selection (2011 Second Team, 2012 Third Team) currently leads the Monks in batting average, slugging (.500) and steals and ranks second on the club in RBI and OBP (.431). Lorenc feasted on conference pitching this spring, hitting .511 (23-45) with a .711 slugging percentage and a .531 OBP in GNAC play while leading the league – by a wide margin - in all three categories.

Whittaker, a 2013 Third Team honoree, claims First Team honors and is currently 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. He leads the GNAC in strikeouts and K/9 ratio (11.30) and opposing batters are hitting just .220 off him this spring.

Coyne collects First Team honors for the third-consecutive season and is currently hitting .336 (41-122) with 25 runs, seven doubles, three homers and 21 RBI. He is tied for the GNAC-lead in home runs and ranks second on the team in hits and slugging (.467).

Lops, the 2011 GNAC Rookie of the Year, earns All-Conference accolades for the third time and is batting .308 (36-117) with 17 runs, 12 doubles and 34 RBI over 32 games this season. He leads the conference in doubles and RBI and ranks fourth on the team in slugging percentage (.427).

Listed on the Second Team for the second-consecutive season, Gruntkosky has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the conference this spring. The senior righthander is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 34 K's – against just seven walks – in 32 innings and has not given up a run in his last 25 innings, with his last run allowed coming versus Westfield State on March 11th. The scoreless inning stretch is the longest in program history, surpassing the former record of 21.1 innings held by his former teammate, Chad Rafferty '13.

A fine all-around player as a freshman, McCoomb collects Second Team All-GNAC honors after hitting .341 (44-129) with 29 runs, nine doubles, 16 RBI and three stolen bases over 34 games played this spring. The rookie shortstop leads the team in at bats, runs and hits and is tied for second in doubles and has also been excellent defensively, with just seven errors in 135 chances while manning arguably the most challenging position on the field.

In the midst of a breakout season as a senior, Vigars takes All-Conference honors for the first time in his career and is currently hitting .346 (28-81) with three doubles, two triples, 14 RBI and five stolen bases in 29 contests this spring. He leads the Monks in OBP (.476) and ranks second on the squad in batting average and stolen bases despite missing a handful of games due to nagging injuries. A superior defender, the senior center fielder has not made an error in 53 chances this season and is known to make highlight-reel quality catches look routine.

Reuillard earns All-Conference mention for the first time after hitting .284 (31-109) with 13 runs, four doubles and 11 RBI in 30 starts and 33 games overall. A strong left-handed hitter and much-improved defender, Reuillard is a hitter that opposing pitcher must account for and will be a force in the Monks' lineup for the next two seasons.

Beaudette also claims an All-Conference nod for the first time after hitting .288 (19-66) with 20 runs, three doubles and eight RBI with four stolen bases in 20 starts and 30 games overall. The sophomore has shown great all-around growth in his second collegiate campaign and has been a very valuable player for the Monks this season.

Saint Joseph's (23-12, 12-2 GNAC) defeated Suffolk University, 2-0, in the GNAC Championship yesterday. The Monks have now won five-consecutive GNAC titles – and nine conference championships in the last 10 seasons overall. With Sunday's win over the Rams, Saint Joseph's earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament – which begins on May 14th - for the eighth time in the last nine years.

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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.