STANDISH, Maine – The 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball postseason honors have been released and nine Saint Joseph's College players have earned accolades.
Senior third baseman Taylor Black (Cardiff by the Sea, Calif.) highlights the list as the 2017 GNAC Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection. He is joined on the First team by senior shortstop Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine), senior first baseman Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.), senior designated hitter Jameson Collins (Sandown, N.H.), and junior pitcher Josh Partridge (Deerfield, N.H.).
Junior catcher Jacob White (Salem, N.H.) and senior outfielder Dennis Meehan (Gardiner, Maine) are listed on the Second Team while sophomore utility man Noah McDaniel (Eliot, Maine) and junior pitcher Travis Godbout (Portland, Maine) have earned Third Team mention.
White and Black were also listed on the GNAC All-Defensive Team for their efforts in the field.
Black has been named as the GNAC Player of the Year and collects the third First Team All-GNAC honor of his career after hitting .417 (53-127) with 37 runs, 12 doubles, four triples, four homers, 44 RBI, and four stolen bases during his senior season. He led the conference in batting average and sacrifice hits (11) and tied for the GNAC lead in RBI while ranking second in slugging percentage (.669), hit b y pitch (12), and triples, and third in hits and doubles. He was also fourth in home runs and OBP (.486) and fifth in runs scored.
Black is the fifth Saint Joseph's player to garner GNAC Player of the Year accolades, as he joins Luke Enman '08, Pat Moran '10 (2009), Todd Keneborus '11 (2010 & 2011), and former teammate Joe Coyne '15 on the short list. The senior captain closed out his collegiate career with a .339 (167-492) batting average with 127 runs, 28 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 91 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 155 contests over four seasons. He owns the Monks' career hit-by-pitch record (43) and ranks among the program's all-time leaders in runs scored.
McCoomb, a three-time Second Team All-Conference selection, collects First Team All-GNAC honors for the first time after hitting .467 (43-92) with 35 runs, nine doubles, three triples, a home run, 29 RBI and four stolen bases while playing in 27 games this spring. Despite missing 12 games due to an injury, he finished his senior year ranked among the conference leaders in triples (4th), sac hits (5, 4th), runs (6th), doubles (9th), RBI (9th), total bases (9th), and hits (10).
The four-year starting shortstop finishes his NCAA career with a .349 (178-510) batting average with 117 runs, 28 doubles, four triples, three homers, 69 RBI, and 23 stolen bases in 146 games. In the SJC career annals, he currently ranks 13th in both at-bats and hits.
Barbati earns the second First Team All-GNAC honor of his career after hitting .343 (35-102) with 18 runs, four doubles, a home run, 18 RBI, and a pair of stolen bases in 34 games this season. Also a 2015 First Team All-Conference selection, Barbati hit .317 (131-413) with 57 runs, 18 doubles, two home runs, 69 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 145 career games.
Collins collects First Team All-GNAC acclaim after hitting .326 (44-135) with nine doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 44 RBI in 38 starts as the Monks' designated hitter this spring. The senior captain tied for the GNAC lead in RBI and ranked second in the conference in home runs with the Monks' highest long ball total since Pat Moran '10 launched the same number of jacks in 2010.
For his career, Collins posted a .286 (95-332) batting average with 57 runs, 16 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 86 RBI in 111 contests.
Partridge, a 2016 Third Team All-Conference honoree, garners First Team mention after posting a 1.61 ERA with a 6-2 record and four saves in 21 appearances. The junior southpaw fanned 48 batters while allowing 32 hits – including just three for extra-bases - and 11 walks in 44.2 innings and held opponents to a collective .200 (32-160) batting average. He led the conference in ERA, appearances, and saves, ranked second in wins, third in K/9 (9.67), fifth in strikeouts, and sixth in opponents' batting average.
White collects his first All-Conference award and is listed on the Second Team after hitting .304 (21-69) with 15 runs, three doubles, nine RBI, and two stolen bases as a first-year starter behind the dish. The Gold Glove Team honor is also well-deserved, as the junior receiver made one error in 163 chances with a .994 fielding percentage and threw out 48.3% (14-29) of would-be base stealers this spring. White led the GNAC in both of the aforementioned defensive categories.
Meehan earns his third-consecutive Second Team All-GNAC honor after hitting .343 (34-99) with 27 runs, eight doubles, two triples, two homers, 23 RBI, and four stolen bases in 35 games during his senior season. He capped his career at Saint Joseph's with a .313 (99-316) with 27 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 45 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 110 contests.
McDaniel is listed on the Third Team after hitting .383 (41-107) with 25 runs, five doubles, a homer, 24 RBI, and three stolen bases as a first-year starter. The sophomore proved to be a very valuable player in the Monks' lineup and logged time at first base, third base, left field, and right field this spring.
Godbout, a Third Team honoree, also claims his first All-Conference nod after posting a 2.89 ERA with a 4-1 record in 13 appearances, including six starts. The junior right-hander struck out 39 batters while allowing 48 hits and 14 walks in 46.2 innings this season.
Saint Joseph's posted a 31-8 overall record with a 13-1 mark in GNAC play this spring en route to earning the top seed in the conference tournament. The Monks, regionally and nationally ranked virtually all season, suffered a 6-3 quarterfinal loss at the hands of #4 Johnson & Wales University on May 4th and saw their season come to an abrupt end with an elimination game loss at the hands of #3 Lasell College two days later.
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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.
