J.P. Pyne (SJC '01) has been named Head Coach of the Daniel Webster College (Nashua, N.H.) baseball program. The announcement was made by Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs for Athletics, Phil Rowe.

Pyne returns to New Hampshire after spending the past season as Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Saint Joseph's College, helping the Monks to a 30-12 season record and a return trip to the NCAA DIII Baseball Tournament. 

Prior to returning to Saint Joseph's to coach in 2006, Pyne had been an assistant (2001-04), and then head (2005-06) baseball coach at NCAA DII St. Anselm College (Manchester, N.H.).

The Monks thank Coach Pyne for his contributions to the 2006-07 season and wish him continued success in his new role.

Forty-eight players comprise the first annual D3baseball.com All-American team.  Zack Lutz of Alvernia is the Player of the Year and Jim Dougher of Cortland State is the Pitcher of the Year. Luke Enman of Saint Joseph's College was named to the Second Team.

Season Review: Monks Make 2007 A Year to Remember

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team saw their season come to an end on May 17th at the NCAA New England Regional tournament in Harwich, MA. If you look a little closer at the Monks' season, however, you will see a great deal to celebrate.

On March 11th the Royal Blue opened their season in style with a 19-2 victory over Daniel Webster College in Orlando, FL. The Monks proceeded to run the table in the Sunshine State, returning to New England with a record of 7-0. St. Joe’s went undefeated in Florida for the first time since 2001. On April 1st, the Monks defeated Plymouth State University in their home opener to push their record to an amazing 12-0. The 12-0 start now stands as the best in program history.

On April 15th, the Monks swept a doubleheader against UMaine-Farmington to improve to 20-2 on the season. With the pair of victories, Monks baseball reached the 20-win mark for the tenth time in 15 years under head coach Will Sanborn. Just 10 days later, the team defeated Salem State College to improve to 25-5, and give Sanborn his eighth 25-win season. Perhaps the sweetest milestone, though, came when the Monks collected their 30th win of the season when they downed Husson College, 8-3, to capture the North Atlantic Conference championship and secure a berth in the NCAA tournament. It was the third consecutive 30-win season for the Monks and the fifth time that Sanborn had reached the prestigious mark.

On May 16th, the Royal Blue entered the NCAA New England Regional tournament for the second consecutive year. In the first round, the Monks squared off against national powerhouse Eastern Connecticut State University, dropping a 10-2 decision. The following day the Monks fell to Williams College by a count of 12-7, ending the 2007 campaign with a record of 30-12.

Several individual performances stood out for the 2007 Monks, led by NAC Player of the Year Luke Enman (Milan, NH). The junior shortstop put up monstrous offensive numbers while making things look easy in the field. Enman hit .429 (6th best in program history), blasted 7 homeruns, and posted 50 runs batted in (4th best in program history). Enman went 69-161 on the year, giving him the third highest totals in both categories in Monks baseball history.

Leading the way on the mound was senior ace Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME). Tupper posted an incredible 8-1 record, good for the third highest single-season win total in program history. Tupper struck out 35 hitters in 55.2 innings pitched to produce a 3.07 ERA.

Senior third baseman Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) batted .302 with 22 RBI, including 9 doubles and 9 stolen bases. Classmate Keil Martin (Saco, ME) hit .343 and drove in 16 from the two slot in the Royal Blue lineup. Senior Dan Enman (Milan, NH) posted a .391 on-base percentage, appearing in 28 games. Chris Doughty (Westbrook, ME) pounded 2 homeruns and drove in 15 runs in his final season. Joining fellow senior Sam Tupper on the mound was Westbrook, ME, native Ben Cutter. Cutter posted a career-best 6-2 record. Cutter struck out 32 batters in his 38.2 innings of work while holding opponents to a .218 batting average.

Junior catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) hit .367 with 23 RBI, and classmate Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) hit .344 with 3 homers and 30 runs batted in. Junior Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) posted a .357 on-base percentage and swiped 11 bases for the Monks while playing second base.

Sophomore Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) continued to develop into one of the most feared leadoff hitters in New England in 2007. Oliver hit .364 with a homerun and 25 RBI. The Monks rightfielder was a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts and chipped in 4 outfield assists.

The Monks got numerous contributions from the pitching staff in 2007. Tupper (8-1) and Cutter (6-2) provided veteran leadership to a young and talented group of hurlers. Sophomore Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) anchored the bullpen for Coach Sanborn; appearing in a team-high 17 games. Pooler went 2-0 with 1 save and posted a 3.09 ERA. Southpaw Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) pitched in 14 games for the Monks, going 1-1 with 2 saves and a 3.66 ERA.

A foursome of rookies made a significant impact on the mound in 2007, lead by lefty Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME). Keirstead went 4-2 on the mound and collected 2 saves along the way. He pitched in 14 games (6 starts) and put up a 3.46 ERA en route to being named the teams “Rookie of the Year”. Southpaw Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) went 4-1 on the year in 6 starts, including a win in the season opener against Daniel Webster. Craig Woodbrey (Gorham, ME) went 1-1 on the season in nine appearances and Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) went 2-2. The highlight for Burdin came on May 5th against Castleton State College in the NAC tournament. Burdin allowed just one hit in 7.1 innings of work to earn the win and advance the Monks to the championship game.

Offensively, Travis Adams (Saco, ME) led the rookies with a .364 batting average. Adams started 13 games behind the plate for the Monks. Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) hit .327 with a homerun and 26 RBI. Craig Persechini (Marion, MA) chipped in a .346 average in 16 games and Ricky Sarmento (Lowell, MA) posted a .367 on-base percentage.

As a team, the 2007 Monks hit an impressive .327 with 15 homers and 249 RBI. The team stole an amazing 106 bases in 129 attempts. The 2.55 stolen bases per game ranked them 16th nationally. On the mound, the Royal Blue pitchers posted a 30-12 record with 6 saves. The staff put up a 4.31 team ERA in 324 innings of work, striking out 197 batters and holding the opposition to a .257 batting average.

“I am very excited about the direction in which the program is going,” said Coach Sanborn. “We will miss these six seniors a lot; they have been a major part of our success both on the field and off, but I am excited about the young men who are coming in this fall. We should be very competitive in 2008.”

Let the record show: 2007 was yet another banner year for Saint Joseph’s College Baseball.

2007 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional All-Tournament Team

C – Adam Laplante, Wheaton College
INF – Beau Darak, Keene State
INF – Melvin Castillo, Eastern Connecticut State
INF – Paul Morgan, Williams College
INF – James Chevalier, Keene State
OF – Randy Re, Eastern Connecticut State
OF – Ismael Bolorin, Eastern Connecticut State
OF – Dustin Spiller, Saint Joseph’s College
SP – Josh Moore, Wheaton College
RP – Mike Cook, Keene State
Utility – Shawn Gilblair, Eastern Connecticut State

Most Outstanding Player
Melvin Castillo, Eastern Connecticut State

Harwich, Mass. – The Saint Joseph's College (30-12) baseball squad ended their run in the NCAA New England Regional with a 12-7 loss to #3 seed Williams College (26-9) in the elimination game at Whitehouse Field today. The Monks mounted a fierce four-run rally in the seventh, but couldn’t overcome the deficit.

The Ephs took advantage of back-to-back 2-out doubles down the right field line by Paul Morgan and Sean Gleason to plate two runs in the top of the first.

The Monks (30-12) got one back in the bottom of the frame as SR Keil Martin (Saco, ME) reached on an error by SS Paul Morgan and went to third on a single by SR Luke Enman (Milan, NH). JR Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) scored Martin with a sacrifice fly to left and St. Joe’s made it 2-1.

The Williams’ offense kept working in the second with two hits and a bunt by Ryan Fote to load the bases. James DiCosmo hit an RBI-single to add a run and Morgan ripped a 2-RBI single to put the Ephs up 5-1. The Monks made a pitching change for SR Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) and FR Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) took the mound with runners on first and third and closed out the inning.

The SJC bats responded in the bottom of the second with singles by FR Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) and JR Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME), but SR Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) hit into a double play. With Grant-Roy on third, St. Joe’s plated a run on a wild pitch followed by a walk by JR Brian Schools (Gorham, ME). Schools moved to third on a hit by SO Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) and Martin drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but Enman grounded out to second base.

Burdin looked strong in the third, facing three batters and allowing no hits. Spiller looped a single to right-center to begin the bottom of the stanza but was caught stealing. Clapp singled and went to third on a double by Grant-Roy. Wood reached on a fielder’s choice and Doughty struck out to end the inning.

Williams extended the lead with 3 runs in the fifth to go up 8-2 and the Monks sent SO Andrew Pooler (Somesville, ME) to the mound with one out and runners on second and third. Pooler fielded a hard bouncing shot by DiCosmo to get the second out of the inning and Chris Kenny grounded out to Enman for the third out.

Spiller crushed a solo home run over the fence in right center field in the bottom of the fifth as the Monks worked to chip away at the 8-3 lead. With two outs, Wood drilled a shot to right center but the rally came up short after a fly out to center.

The Ephs added two runs on two hits and two errors in the seventh to make it 10-3. St. Joe’s rallied in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases with two hits and walk and scoring two runs off a double by Doughty to close the gap to 10-5 and force a Williams pitching change. FR Ricky Sarmento (Lowell, MA) drew a walk to load the bases and Oliver hit a sacrifice fly to add a run and the Monks scored again after a failed pick-off attempt at first made it 10-7.

FR Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) took the mound for St. Joe’s in the eighth and Doughty went to right field and made a spectacular catch to begin the inning. After a fly out to center, Keirstead surrendered a double down the left field line to Brown but got the third out on a pop-up to short.

Williams began the ninth with a pair of singles and the Monks intentionally walked Kenny to load the bases but the strategy did not pay off as Morgan hit a 2-RBI single to left to put the Ephs up 12-7. St. Joe’s failed to get on base in the ninth and Williams advances to face the loser of the 1:00 p.m. Western New England College/Eastern Connecticut game tonight at 8:00 p.m.

Harwich, Mass. – Despite holding an 11 to 10 advantage in hits, Saint Joe’s (30-11) was unable to capitalize on runners in scoring position in several innings and dropped a 10-2 decision to Eastern Connecticut (35-10) and will face Williams College tomorrow at 9:30 am. Eastern will take on Western New England at 1:00 pm.

The Monks jumped on pitcher Shawn Gilblair, scoring a run off two hits in the opening frame and SO Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) singled and moved to second on a fielder’s choice. SR Luke Enman (Enfield, NH) pushed him to third with a hit and Oliver went on to score after a sacrifice fly by JR Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME).

The Warriors evened the score in the bottom of the inning after a single and an error put Ismael Bolorin on third and he went on to score on a wild pitch. In the fourth, Randy Re hit a two run shot over the left field fence to put Eastern Connecticut up 3-1 and Zack Thomas hit an RBI-single to make it 4-1. The Monks closed out the inning with a 6-4-3 double play.

St. Joe’s threatened in the fifth after SR Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) singled and JR Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) moved him over with a bunt, but were unable to score. The SJC defense closed out the bottom of the frame with another 6-4-3 double play.

The Monks added two hits in the sixth but once again failed to score after hits by Spiller and SR Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME). In the bottom of the inning, Gilblair singled to center and Melvin Castillo drew a walk. Gilblair moved to third and the Monks turned another double play, 4-6-3. Matt Cooney was safe at first due to a throwing error and Gilblair scored to put the Warriors up 5-1. Cooney moved to second on a wild pitch but SR Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) rebounded and closed out the inning with a strikeout.

St. Joe’s added a run in the seventh after a double by Doughty but the Warriors plated five runs in the bottom of the stanza, including a 3-run homer by Gilblair. The blast prompted a pitching change and FR Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) surrendered a solo home run to Castillo to make it 10-2. Dorr allowed just one more hit and struck out one in the final inning.

Doughty, Clapp and Oliver had two hits apiece for St. Joe’s.

Division III
1. Wheaton (4) 31-11 39 pts.
2. Eastern Connecticut (1) 34-10 36 pts.
3. Williams 25-8 29 pts.
4. Western New England 27-10 20 pts.
5. Keene State 29-13 18 pts.
6. Trinity 28-6 16 pts.
7. Tufts 25-12 8 pts.
8. St. Joseph’s, ME 30-10 5 pts.

Also receiving votes: Curry (4), Southern Maine (4), Babson (1)

HARWICH, Mass. – Defending New England champion, Wheaton College, receives the top seed in the 2007 NCAA Division III New England Baseball Regional to be held at Whitehouse Field in Harwich, Mass., May 16-20. The double elimination tournament, hosted by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) features a seven-team field.

Wheaton, the 2007 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champs, enter the tournament winners of eight of their last nine games, outscoring their opponents 44-17 during the stretch. In the NEWMAC, the Lyons posted a 9-3 record. Wheaton returns to the NCAA’s for the seventh time in eight years.

On Wednesday, May 16th, fourth-seeded Curry College (27-7) takes on fifth-seeded Keene State (29-13) at 9:30 a.m. At 1:00 p.m. No. 3 Williams (25-8) squares off against No. 6 Western New England (27-10). In the 4:30 p.m. match-up, No. 2 Eastern Connecticut State (34-10) faces off against No. 7 Saint Joseph’s (Maine) (30-10). The nightcap features No. 1 Wheaton taking on the loser of the Curry-Keene contest.

In addition to Wheaton, five other teams enter the tournament as automatic qualifiers by winning their respective conferences. Curry topped the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) posting an 18-2 mark in league play. Western New England claimed the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title going 12-2 in league play. The Little East Conference (LEC) crown went to Eastern Connecticut State after finishing with a perfect mark of 14-0 in conference action. Williams took home the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title for the first time since 2001 after going 9-3 in league play. Saint Joseph’s (Maine) won the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) with a 12-3 conference record. Keene State received the only at-large bid into the New England Regional, finishing as the runner-up in the LEC after posting an 11-5 mark.

1. Wheaton (Mass.) (31-11)
2. Eastern Connecticut (34-10)
3. Williams (25-8)
4. Curry (27-7)
5. Keene State (29-13)
6. Western New England (27-10)
7. St. Joseph's (Maine) (30-10)

Opening games, Wednesday, May 16:
Game 1, #4 Curry vs. #5 Keene State, 9:30 a.m.
Game 2, #6 Western New England vs. #3 Williams, 1 p.m.
Game 3, #7 St. Joseph's (Maine) vs. #2 Eastern Connecticut, 4:30 p.m.
Game 4, Loser Game 1 vs. #1 Wheaton (Mass.), 8 p.m.

Standish, ME- For the first time in the 2007 season, the St. Joseph’s College baseball team lost both ends of a doubleheader. The Suffolk University Rams won a pair of games on Thursday at Mahaney Diamond, 8-6 and 6-4. The Monks have played twelve doubleheaders on the year, sweeping six, splitting five and now suffering a sweep at the hands of the Rams.

Suffolk Junior Steve Durant (Malden, ME) went the distance in game one to earn the victory. With the game scoreless through the first three innings, Suffolk used 2 hits and a Monks error to plate 2 runs.

In the bottom of the inning, the Royal Blue mounted a 3-run rally to take the lead. Senior Keil Martin (Saco, ME) led off with a double before advancing to third on a single by shortstop Luke Enman (Milan, NH). Martin came in to score on an RBI groundout to shortstop by centerfielder Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME). After a walk to first baseman Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) rookie catcher Travis Adams (Saco, ME) delivered an RBI single to plate Enman. Grant-Roy scored the final run of the frame when senior DH Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) reached on an error.

In the top of the sixth, Suffolk used a pair of two-run homers to jump out to a 6-3 advantage. Junior Greg DiMarco (Newton, MA) connected for his second homer of the year and then freshman Tom Kelly (Milton, ME) hit his first collegiate homerun. Both blasts came at the expense of Monks reliever Cole Filosa (Milford, MA).

In the seventh, the Rams added two insurance runs off of Monks reliever Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME). Suffolk used 4 hits and a Royal Blue error to expand their lead to 8-3. In the home half of the seventh, the Monks refused to go quietly. Doughty started things off with a double to left, followed by a Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) single. Doughty came in to score on an RBI groundout by Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME). Schools came in to score when Luke Enman’s hard-liner to right field was mishandled. After a walk to Spiller, third baseman Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) delivered an RBI single, scoring Enman and cutting the lead to 8-6. The rally could go no further however, as Durant was able to strike Grant-Roy out to end the game.

In game two, the Monks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning before the Rams struck back to take a 2-1 advantage after two full innings. After six complete innings, Suffolk held on to a 4-3 lead.

In the seventh inning, the Rams pushed their lead to 6-3 on the strength of two hits and an error off of two St. Joe’s relief pitchers. In the bottom of the frame, the Monks again provided a threat. Clapp opened the inning with a triple to the deepest part of the ballpark in centerfield, then scored on a single by Luke Enman to cut the lead to 6-4. Catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) reached on a fielder’s choice and leftfielder Ricky Sarmento (Lowell, MA) drew a two-out walk. Keil Martin hit a chopper to shortstop and hustled hard down the line to make it a bang-bang play. Martin was ruled out ending the Royal Blue comeback attempt.

On the day, the Monks used nine different pitchers. Filosa (1-1) took the loss in game one and first-year RHP Craig Woodbrey (Gorham, ME) suffered the loss in game two to run his record to 1-1 on the year. Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) was outstanding out of the Monks bullpen, tossing three perfect innings in game two.

“A lot of guys got work in today, which is pretty important as we move forward to the next phase of our season” commented head coach Will Sanborn. “I wasn’t very happy with our level of intensity today, we need to play at a certain level every day to be successful and today I just didn’t see it.”

With the losses, the Monks finish the regular season with a 30-10 mark. Suffolk finishes its regular season at 23-14.

The Monks will go on to represent the North Atlantic Conference in the NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament. Details for the tournament have not yet been announced.

Standish, ME - On Sunday afternoon, the Saint Joseph’s College baseball team collected their third consecutive North Atlantic Conference tournament championship. The Monks also gathered several individual accolades. Junior shortstop Luke Enman (Milan, NH) was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament just two days after he was announced as the North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year. Perhaps nobody was happier for Luke than his big brother Dan, a senior utility player for the Monks. “Playing with Luke has always been fun, starting back in farm league until now. We have always competed with each other during games and tried to make others around us better,” said Dan Enman.

Luke Enman may lead the team in just about every offensive category, but if you ask head coach Will Sanborn which Enman is more valuable to his team, it will take him a moment to produce an answer. “That really is impossible for me to say. Sure, Luke is our most talented player, but Danny embodies exactly what is means to play St. Joe’s baseball,” said Sanborn. At a time that saw Luke Enman put together one of the most impressive offensive seasons in program history, not to mention more than a few mind-boggling plays at shortstop, Dan Enman continued to work hard every day and try to take advantage of every opportunity he got. “I have played every position except for catcher here at St. Joe’s. Whenever I had the chance, I tried to make every moment count and perform to the best of my ability,” said the older Enman.

The 2007 campaign saw Luke pile up a .438 batting average (63-144) to go with 8 homeruns and 49 RBI in his 38 games. Luke also drew 20 walks on the season and was 14-16 in stolen base attempts. “Coach Sanborn has helped me a lot with my swing, keeping my weight back,” said Luke Enman. “I am being pitched to a lot tougher; I have had to work hard because I have seen so much off-speed stuff this year.”

Dan Enman played in 27 games for the Monks, mostly at first base, starting 8 contests. Dan also saw significant time as the designated hitter as well as a defensive replacement at first base late in games. “Danny never complained once about playing time; he never allowed his work ethic to waver. When he was given opportunities’ he took advantage of them. He continues to lead this team quietly, by example, and that holds more value to me and this team than a lot of people would expect,” continued Sanborn.

The next stop for the two brothers from Milan, New Hampshire, is the NCAA tournament. The Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Department is eagerly awaiting the announcement of the field and location for the New England Regional Tournament, while the Enman boys, as well as their teammates, concentrate on final exams. “I have been pretty lucky to have been able to play with my big brother for so long. This is his last postseason; hopefully he can go out in style,” added Luke. Monks fans everywhere hope so too.

MONKS AGAIN EARN WEEKLY NAC HONORS

NAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Luke Enman, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
(Junior, Shortstop - Milan, N.H.)

Enman capped off a busy weekend with the NAC Tournament MVP award. For the weekend, Enman hit .538 (7/13) with six runs and six RBI. He added two homeruns to bring his season total to 8.

NAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sam Tupper, St. Joseph's (Maine)
(Senior, Pitcher - Yarmouth, Maine)

Tupper pitched a complete game and earned his 8th win of the season in a 10-1 win over Husson College in Game 2 of the NAC Tournament. Tupper scattered 8 hits and struck out 8 in the win.

5/6/07 - Monks Punch Ticket to NCAA Regional Baseball Tournament

Standish, ME - Saint Joseph’s College (30-8, 12-3 NAC) defeated Husson College (14-22, 8-7 NAC) by a count of 8-3 on Sunday in the North Atlantic Conference championship game. The win gives the Monks a berth in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. The Monks now stand at 30-8 overall, reaching the 30-win plateau for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time under head coach Will Sanborn.

Saint Joseph’s got on the board first when sophomore Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) opened the game for the Monks with a double. Senior captain Keil Martin (Saco, ME) dropped down a sacrifice bunt. On the play, Husson pitcher Andrew Patterson’s (Brewer, ME) throw sailed out of the reach of 1B Brett Garland (Buxton, ME), scoring Oliver and advancing Martin to second. The Monks were unable to tack on any additional runs due in part to a spectacular diving catch by Eagles centerfielder Brian Biggers (Orlando, FL) to rob Luke Enman of extra bases and double off Martin at second base.

In the bottom of the third inning the Royal Blue bats went back to work, scoring one run on two hits. Oliver singled to open the frame, then advance to second on a Patterson wild pitch. Oliver came in to score when junior Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) doubled to centerfield.

Husson got on the board in their half of the fourth inning when Nick Arthers (Belfast, ME) drew a walk then scored on double by Patterson. The Monks would answer though, plating a trio of runs in their half of the fourth. First baseman Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) and catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) started things with a pair of sharp singles. Both men wound up in scoring position when Husson rightfielder Jeff Miller (Veazie, ME) bobbled Wood’s hit. Grant-Roy came in when DH Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) delivered a wall-ball double to deep left, and Wood scored on a Martin sacrifice fly to put the Monks ahead 5-1.

The Eagles took advantage of a pair of walks, a single, and an Arthers sacrifice fly to cut the Monks advantage to 5-2 after five innings.

The Royal Blue would use a two out rally to obtain three insurance runs in the sixth. After a pair of strikeouts, Martin delivered a single. NAC Tournament MVP Luke Enman (Milan, NH) then hit a towering fly ball to deep right field. By the time the the ball came down it was well past the visitors bullpen beyond the rightfield wall. Enman’s eighth homer of the year put the Monks up 7-2, but they weren’t done quite yet. Spiller connected for a line drive triple to right-centerfield then scored on a wild pitch by Husson reliever Chris Pease (Hampden, ME) to give the home team an 8-2 edge.

Husson made it 8-3 in the eighth when Athers ripped a double to right-center off of St. Joe’s reliever Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME). Arthers advanced to third on a single by Patterson and scored on Miller’s sacrifice fly to deep center.

Wade Oliver finished the day 2-5 with two runs scored and Enman wound up 3-5 with 3 RBI. Andrew Wood posted a 3-3 championship game, while Grant-Roy and Spiller each chipped in 2 hits.

Veteran southpaw Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) picked up the win for the Monks on the mound. Cutter held the Eagles at bay for six strong innings, allowing 2 runs on just 4 hits. Cutter recorded 3 strikeouts en route to upping his personal record to 7-1 on the year. Andrew Keirstead went the final 3 innings to earn the save, his second on the year. Keirstead’s final pitch of the afternoon was a called third strike to Husson’s Danny White (Dover, ME) causing the Monks bench to erupt in celebration of the NAC tournament championship.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group” said head coach Will Sanborn, who was showered with a cooler full of ice water not once, but twice, by his players following the game. “Coming into the tournament we had been a little inconsistent, but we were able to get focused and get back to basics. We strung together great at-bats all weekend and got some great pitching.”

The Monks will have to wait to see what lays ahead for them in the NCAA New England Regional Tournament. The field will be announced sometime in the near future by the NCAA. “Winning the NAC was one of our goals coming into the season, but it was not our final goal. We have been to the regional before, now our goal is to win it.”

The Monks will conclude their regular season on Thursday when they will play host to Suffolk University. The non-conference double-header will begin at 1:00 p.m. at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

GAME 6 - #2 seed Saint Joseph's College won the 2007 NAC Championship today by defeating #3 seed Husson College (14-22, 8-7 NAC), 8-3 at Mahaney Diamond. Saint Joseph's record stands at 30-8, 12-3 NAC. With this win, the Monks earn a return trip to the NCAA DIII Baseball Tournament.

NAC ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

MVP Luke Enman - Saint Joseph’s College
Sam Tupper - Saint Joseph’s College
Wade Oliver - Saint Joseph’s College
Sam Adolphsen - Husson College
Nick Arthers - Husson College
Danny White - Husson College
Tom Cummings - Castleton State College
Ron Cahill - Castleton State College
Aaron Wolfe - Maine Farmington
Peter McLaughlin – Maine Farmington

GAME 5 - #1 seed Castleton State was knocked off tonight by #3 Husson College. Castleton finished the season(26-12, 11-4 NAC.  Husson (14-21, 8-6 NAC) will advance in the winner's bracket to face #2 Saint Joseph's College (29-8, 11-3 NAC) at noon tomorrow.

GAME 4 - #1 seed Castleton State (26-11, 11-3 NAC) was defeated today by #2 Saint Joseph's, 12-1. The Monks (29-8, 11-3 NAC) get a break now until noontime tomorrow when they will face the winner of the Husson-Castleton match-up, scheduled for 6 PM this evening.

GAME 3 - Husson College defeated Me.-Farmington 9-2 today in the elimination game of the NAC Tournament at Mahaney Diamond. Husson (13-21, 8-6 NAC) will play the loser of the 2 PM St. Joe's-Castleton match-up at 6 PM this evening.  Farmington finishes the season with an 8-16 overall record, 5-9 in the NAC.

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team defeated Castleton State College 12-1 on Saturday to advance to the North Atlantic Conference Tournament championship game on Sunday. The Monks (29-8, 11-3) pounded out 16 hits on the day and received an outstanding effort on the mound from freshman Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME).

The Monks, who played as the visitors at Mahaney Diamond, got on the board early and never looked back. NAC player of the year Luke Enman (Milan, NH) opened the scoring when he blasted his sixth homerun of year over the visitors bullpen in deep right field. The Royal Blue kept attacking in the second inning; red hot Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) opened the inning with a single, DH Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) followed with a single of his own, both moved into scoring position when catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) executed a sacrifice bunt. Clapp and Grant-Roy both came home when second baseman Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) reached on a costly error by Spartans shortstop Travis Bass (West Hartford, CT). Schools, who advanced to second on the same error, scored on a Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) RBI single.

Luke Enman opened the third inning by singling, then advancing to second on a wild pitch by Castleton starter Jeremy Gilcris (Proctorsville, VT). Enman came in to score when centerfielder Dustin Spiller doubled. Wood knocked in spiller with a sharp single to right field, giving the Monks a commanding 6-0 lead.

Schools and Oliver each singled to open the top of the fourth inning, Keil Martin (Saco, ME) loaded the bases when his chopper back toward Gilcris was mishandled. After Luke Enman walked to score Schools, Spiller unloaded on a Gilcris offering and doubling off the wall in right. Oliver scored on the hit while Martin was thrown out at the plate. Spillers double spelled the end of the day for Gilcris as Castleton State turned it over to reliever Brandon Heck (Forestburg, Alberta). Gilcris went 3.1 innings, allowed 10 hits and 8 runs (5 earned).

In the Monks seventh, Clapp drew a walk, then stole second. He came in to score when Grant-Roy slashed a single through the left side, putting the Royal Blue on top 9-0.

In the top of the eighth Castleton called on Matt Tuthill (Durham, CT) who was greeted by Wade Oliver and Martin, who each singled. Spiller then drew a walk to load the bases. Once again it was Mark Clapp producing offense, this time it was a 2 RBI single pushing the Royal Blue advantage to 11-0.

The Spartans (26-11, 11-3)got on the board in the bottom of the eighth when Tim Zorio (Shaftsbury, VT) drew a lead off walk, then Bass reached on an error which allowed Zorio to reach third. Jon Handy (South Burlington, VT) grounded out to second to score Zorio.

In the final frame Andrew Wood drew a lead off walk before being lifted for pinch-runner Ben Buadanza-Sturks (Rockland, ME). Oliver delivered his fourth hit of the day, a double down the leftfield line to score Baudanza-Sturks all the way from first. On the play the Monks went ahead 12-1.

Mike Burdin was dominant on the mound from the outset. The rookie right-hander did not allow a hit in his first 4.2 innings, and only allowed 1 hit on the day. He finished the day going 7.1 innings allowing 1 run (earned), and striking out 1. Burdin was relieved by Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) who worked out of a jam in the eighth before giving way to rookie Craig Woodbrey. Woodbrey tossed the final frame, allowing 1 hit.

“I can’t say enough about what Mike Burdin did today. For a freshman to be given the ball in such an important playoff game, then respond the way he did! Pretty impressive.” Said head coach Will Sanborn. “Offensively we wanted to get on top early and keep attacking. We had a good approach and we swung the bats well.” Wade Oliver finished the day 4-6 with 2 RBI. Luke Enman, Spiller, Clapp, Grant-Roy, and Wood each had 2 hits in the game. “When we have this kind of approach our lineup gets pretty deep, we need to come out tomorrow and get right back at it” summarized Sanborn.

The Monks will look to capture their third consecutive North Atlantic Conference Tournament championship tomorrow at 12:00 noon. The Monks will take on the winner of the elimination game on Saturday night between Husson College and Castleton State. All of the action will be at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

GAME 2 - In the nightcap, #2 seed Saint Joseph's College (28-8, 10-3 NAC) defeated #3 seed Husson (12-21, 7-6 NAC) at Mahaney Diamond by a score of 10-1 and will face #1 seed Castleton State (26-10, 11-2 NAC) tomorrow at 2 PM.

Husson will face Me.-Farmington (8-15, 5-8 NAC) at 10 AM tomorrow. The winner of that game will go on to face the loser of Castleton-St. Joe's match-up. That game will be played at 6 PM tomorrow.

GAME 1 - #1 seed Castleton State (26-10, 11-2 NAC) defeated #4 seed Me.-Farmington (8-15, 5-8 NAC) today at Mahaney Diamond by a score of 16-1 and will advance in the winner's bracket to face the winner of the Husson vs. St. Joe's game, being played at 6 PM this evening, tomorrow at 2 PM.

Me.-Farmington will take on the loser of the Husson-SJC match-up at 10 AM tomorrow.

Standish, Me. - Senior ace Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) led the Saint Joseph’s College baseball team to a 10-1 victory over Husson College in the opening round of the North Atlantic Conference Tournament on Friday night at Mahaney Diamond.

With the complete game victory, Tupper moves his personal record to 8-0 on the season. Tupper, who was named first team all-NAC earlier in the day, scattered 8 hits and fanned 8 Eagles in his 9 innings of work.

The Monks jumped out early in the first inning when sophomore rightfielder Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) led off with a triple to deep right field. Oliver would score two pitches later when Husson starter Anthony DeRosa (Bangor, ME) uncorked a wild pitch. 2007 NAC player of the year Luke Enman (Milan, NH) singled, then advanced to second on a DeRosa balk. Centerfielder Dustin Spiller’s (Gorham, ME) groundout advanced Enman to third, Enman came home on an RBI single by senior Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME), putting the Monks on top 2-0.

After a scoreless second, the Royal Blue bats went back to work in the third inning. After recording back to back strikeouts to start the frame, DeRosa hit Spiller with a pitch. Spiller immediately swiped second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Husson catcher Joe Robicheau (Bucksport, ME). Mark Clapp delivered again, this time with a sharp double to center. Clapp came around to score on an RBI single by DH Chris Doughty (Windham, ME). Doughty stole second before DeRosa issued a walk to catcher Travis Adams (Saco, ME). Doughty then stole third base, allowing him to come home easily on senior Dan Enman’s (Milan, NH) single through the left side. At the end of the inning the Monks led 5-0.

With Tupper cruising on the mound, the Monks tacked on two more runs in the fourth. Senior Keil Martin was hit by a pitch with one out, he later advanced to second on another Husson wild pitch, he was then thrown out attempting to steal third. It would take another two out rally for the Monks to advance their lead. Spiller singled after a walk to Luke Enman, bringing the red-hot Mark Clapp to the plate with an RBI opportunity. Clapp came through once again with his third RBI hit of the day, delivering Luke Enman to the plate. Spiller came home on a wild pitch to put the Monks up 7-0.

The Eagles scored their lone run in the top of the fifth inning. Robicheau singled then scored when Andrew Patterson (Brewer, ME) doubled down the leftfield line.

In the bottom of the eighth inning the Royal Blue bats would end any thoughts of a comeback. Oliver singled to open the inning, then Martin’s sacrifice bunt was mishandled by Robicheau. Oliver came home when Luke Enman singled back through the middle. Martin and Enman both came home when Spiller delivered a double to deep left-center field, giving the Monks a 10-1 edge.

Mark Clapp finished the day 3-4, with 3 RBI, while Spiller and Luke Enman put up two hits apiece. Oliver wound up 2-4 in the leadoff spot.

“This is how we wanted to start the tournament” said head coach Will Sanborn. “Sam Tupper showed why he is our ace, and we made the plays behind him.” In total the Monks collected 13 hits and took advantage of two Husson errors. “We made a few minor adjustments to our lineup and it paid dividends tonight. Mark Clapp really came through for us, he had a great night and it got everyone going.”

The North Atlantic Conference Tournament continues tomorrow with three games on the schedule. Maine-Farmington will take on Husson beginning at 10:00 am in the elimination bracket game. Saint Joseph’s will take on Castleton State at 2:00 pm. At 6:00 pm the winner of the UMF-Husson game will take on the loser of the SJC-CSC game. All of the action will take place at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

Junior shortstop Luke Enman of Saint Joseph's College was honored as the North Atlantic Conference Baseball Player of the Year in a vote by the conference coaches. Enman was atop the league in runs batted in with 41 and slugging percentage (.734). The junior led the Monks in batting average (.435), runs, (39), hits (54), on base percentage (.503) and total bases (91) as St. Joe's finished 9-3 in conference play and earned the second seed in the NAC Championship.

Castleton freshman shortstop Travis Bass earned Rookie of the Year accolades. Bass was among the conference leaders in nearly every offensive category including batting average (.435), slugging percentage (.609) and on base percentage (.494) while leading the league in runs scored (47) and hits (60). The Spartans enter this weekend's NAC Championship as the number one seed.

Castleton head coach Ted Shipley was selected as NAC Coach of the Year by his peers. Shipley led this year's squad to a 10-2 league mark and the top seed in the upcoming NAC Tournament.

Maine-Farmington was honored with the Team Sportsmanship Award.

NAC all-conference selections are determined by a vote of the conference coaches. Additional players honored are due to ties in the voting.

Defending champion Saint Joseph’s College of Maine secured the number two seed in the upcoming North Atlantic Conference baseball tournament. The Monks (9-3 NAC, 27-8 overall) will host the three-day, double-elimination tournament beginning Friday, May 4.

Castleton State College (10-2 NAC, 24-10 overall) earned the number one seed and will take on fourth seed UMaine-Farmington (5-7 NAC, 9-17 overall) in game 1 at 2:00 p.m. The Monks and third seed Husson College (7-5 NAC, 14-21 overall) will meet in game 2 at 6:00 p.m.

The top four teams qualify for the NAC Championship with predetermined tie-breaking procedures used to seed the tournament field.

Please note that game times are subject to change.

NAC Baseball Championship at Saint Joseph's College

Friday, May 4
GAME 1: (4) Maine Farmington at (1) Castleton State 2:00 PM
GAME 2: (3) Husson at (2) Saint Joseph's College 6:00 PM

Saturday, May 5
GAME 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 10:00 AM
GAME 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 2:00 PM
GAME 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 6:00 PM

Sunday, May 6
GAME 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 12:00 PM
GAME 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 6 4:00 PM (If necessary)

5/1/07 - Monks Split with Eagles at Husson

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team split a doubleheader with Castleton State College on Sunday at a cold and rainy Mahaney Diamond. The Monks took game one by a count of 7-4; the Spartans managed to rebound impressively to knock off their host 14-1 in the nightcap.

It was Castleton State that opened the scoring in game one, plating a run in the third inning to jump out to a 1-0 lead. The Royal Blue answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Chris Doughty (Windham, ME) singled to lead things off, and then stole second. Junior Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) followed with a bunt single, advancing Doughty to third along the way. After Schools swiped second to make it second and third with no outs, RF Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) plated Doughty with a sacrifice fly to leftfield. After stealing third base, Schools came home when 3B Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) hit a sacrifice fly to rightfield.

After the Spartans tied the score at 2-2 in the fourth inning, the Monks jumped out again. Junior SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) led off with a triple to the right centerfield gap, followed by a walk to CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME), a strikeout, and a walk to C Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) to load the bases. A Spartan wild pitch allowed Enman to score to put the Monks back on top 3-2.

Castleton would not go quietly, as they used a hit, an error and a hit batsman to plate two runs and gain a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Once again the Royal Blue would answer.

Oliver singled with one out in the bottom of the fifth, and then stole second base. Oliver advanced to third when SR Keil Martin (Saco, ME) reached on error. Luke Enman laced an RBI single to plate Oliver and knot the score at 4-4. With two on and two out, Dustin Spiller knocked his second homerun of the season to deep rightfield. Spiller’s three run shot put the Monks on top 7-4.

Senior Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) threw five innings, earning the win on the mound and running his personal record to 7-0. Tupper allowed 4 runs (2 earned), on 5 Spartan hits, he walked 3 and struck out 5. Sophomore Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) earned his first save of the season, throwing two scoreless innings to close things out.

Game two was a completely different story. Castleton State came out swinging against Monks starter Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME), scoring three first inning runs. Cutter (5-1) was chased from the game before he could record an out in the second inning, he totaled 1+ innings, 5 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), he walked 2 and struck out 1 in suffering the loss. Cutter was replaced by JR Ryan Boucher (Manchester, NH), who wouldn’t fare much better. Boucher tossed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 3 runs on 1 hit and two HBP before giving way to Andy Pooler, then Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) to get out of the second inning. Filosa managed to right the ship for the Monks, but the damage was done. St. Joe’s trailed 13-1 after the second inning, ultimately dropping a 14-1 decision. Filosa wound up throwing 5.1, scattering 4 hits and striking out 2. Filosa did not allow an earned run.

Freshman pitcher Ken Cook went six strong innings to earn the victory for the Spartans. SS Travis Bass and 3B Phil Puleo each collected 3 hits and 4 RBI in the nightcap.

With the split, the Monks move to 26-7 on the season and 8-2 in North Atlantic Conference play. Castleton State is now 21-10 on the year and the Spartans finish up NAC play with a record of 10-2.

The Monks will travel to Bangor on Tuesday to closeout their NAC schedule against the Husson College Eagles. Doubleheader action is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Standish, ME - The University of Southern Maine used single runs in the fifth, sixth, and ninth innings to defeat the Saint Joseph’s College Monks 3-0 in non-conference action at Mahaney Diamond on Thursday. With the loss, Saint Joseph’s drops to 25-6 on the season, while the Huskies move to 21-7, and sweep the regular season series (3-0).

Junior hurler Adam Ross went the distance for the Huskies. The Spruce Head, Maine, native scattered 5 hits and did not allow a walk, earning the complete game shutout victory.

Sophomore Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME), senior Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME), junior Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME), rookie Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) and junior Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) each collected hits for the Royal Blue. Clapp, Spiller, and Grant-Roy each hit doubles, but were unable to score.

The lone bright-spot for the Monks came on the mound. Senior Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) got the start. Tupper (6-0) retired 6 of the 7 Southern Maine hitters he faced in a tune-up for Sunday’s NAC showdown with Castleton State.

Southpaw Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) suffered the tough-luck loss for the Monks, allowing 1 run on 1 hit in 3 innings of relief work. With the loss, Dorr drops to 4-1 on the year. First-year lefty Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) was equally effective in his 3 innings of work, allowing a run on three hits. Sophomore Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) gave up 1 run, while fanning 2 for the Monks in the ninth.

“I wasn’t very pleased with our approach at the plate today. We were too impatient and we didn’t make (Ross) work,” said head coach Will Sanborn. “I liked the effort we got from some young pitchers today. If we hold a team to three runs, we expect to win the game and today we didn’t.”

The Monks will not return to action until Sunday, when they will play host to Castleton State College in a North Atlantic Conference doubleheader. The start time for game one is set for 12:00 noon at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

Standish, ME - The St. Joseph’s College baseball team defeated Salem State College by a score of 9-3 in non-conference action on Wednesday at Larry Mahaney Diamond. With the victory, the Monks move their overall record to 25-5. Head coach Will Sanborn has now won 25 or more games eight times; he is currently in his 15th season at the helm.

After two scoreless innings it was the Vikings who got on the board first, using a pair of hits to plate 2 third inning runs. The Royal Blue would answer by tying the contest in their half of the frame. Sophomore Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) blasted a one out offering deep and gone to left-centerfield for his first homerun of the year. Senior Keil Martin (Saco, ME) reached on a two-out single, and scored on shortstop Luke Enman’s (Milan, NH) RBI double to right-field to tie the score at 2-2.

The Monks would score two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. DH Rick Sarmento (Lowell, MA) singled through the right side was followed by a Travis Adams (Saco, ME) base hit. After a sacrifice bunt by captain Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) moved both men into scoring position, up stepped Oliver with an RBI opportunity. Oliver wasted no time, delivering a 2 run double sharply down the left-field line to push the St. Joe’s advantage to 4-2.

In the fifth inning the Monks scored a single run to make it a 5-2 game. Keil Martin drew a one out walk and scored on Enman’s second RBI double of the afternoon.

The Royal Blue used three hits and a Viking error to put the visitors away with a 4-run seventh inning. Oliver got things started with a single, then after a groundout, Martin drew a walk. Luke Enman then produced his third RBI double of the game to score Oliver. Martin came home when a Salem State pick-off attempt was thrown into centerfield. Enman then scampered home on a wild pitch to advance the lead to 8-2. Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) then drilled his first homerun of the season off of the scoreboard in left-centerfield to put the home Monks on top 9-2.

Wade Oliver (3-5) and Luke Enman (3-3) each had 3 hits and 3 RBI to pace the Royal Blue offense. Oliver also converted his fourth outfield assist of the season, gunning down a Salem State runner at home plate with a little help from relay-man Brian Schools. Keil Martin chipped in a 2-2 day with 3 runs scored, and catcher Travis Adams was 2-4 with a run.

First Year RHP Craig Woodbrey (Gorham, ME) earned his first collegiate victory on the mound for the Monks. Woodbrey threw 88 pitches during his 5 strong innings of work. He allowed just 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 2. Sophomore Chris Leger (Jaffrey, NH) tossed 2 scoreless innings of relief, giving up 1 hit and striking out 1. Southpaw Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) struck out 2 in a scoreless eighth inning. Junior Ryan Boucher (Manchester, NH) allowed the Vikings 1 run on 1 hits and a walk in the ninth, but managed to preserve the 9-3 victory.

The Monks will be in action next on Thursday when they renew their rivalry with the University of Southern Maine. The action will be at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team used a nine-hit offensive attack and solid pitching to defeat Bowdoin College 9-4 on Monday afternoon. With the non-conference victory, the Monks improve to 24-5 on the season while the Polar Bears drop to 12-12.

The Monks got on the board first when Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) drew a walk to lead off the game for the Monks. Oliver advanced to second on an error, then scored when Keil Martin’s (Saco, ME) sharp grounder got through Bowdoin second baseman Chris McCann.

After a scoreless second, the Royal Blue bats went back to work in the third. Shortstop Luke Enman (Milan, NH) hit a sharp two-out single to right field followed by a walk to first baseman Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME). After a double-steal, Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) delivered a 2-run single. Spiller quickly swiped second base then scored on an RBI single by catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) to push the Monks lead to 4-0.

In the fourth inning, senior Chris Doughty (Westbrook, ME) doubled to open the frame. Junior Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) followed with a walk. Doughty scored and Schools moved to third on a pair of Bowdoin wild pitches, then Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) drew a walk. After a pitching change, Keil Martin was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting the stage for Luke Enman. The standout shortstop proceeded to clear the bases with a towering grand slam well over the 350-foot marker in right centerfield. Enman’s fifth dinger of the year gave the Royal Blue a 9-0 lead.

Enman wound up 3-5 on the day with 4 RBI. Spiller finished 2-4 with a pair of RBI.

First-Year hurler Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) evened his record at 1-1 on the mound going seven strong innings. Burdin ran out of gas in the eighth inning allowing all four Bowdoin runs on five hits before being lifted. On the afternoon Burdin went 7+ innings allowing 4 runs on 9 hits, he issued 3 walks and struck out 2. Sophomore southpaw Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) inherited a bases loaded jam with nobody out in the eighth inning. After allowing a walk, Filosa induced two ground outs and a strike out to end the Bowdoin threat. Andrew Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) finished things off with a scoreless ninth inning.

“I thought Michael Burdin was outstanding today for us” said head coach Will Sanborn. “He got into a little bit of trouble at times, but he kept competing and was able to get out it, I think he just ran out of gas a little bit in the eighth.” When asked about the 4 RBI swing by Luke Enman, Sanborn added “Luke came through for us with a clutch homerun. He has led our offense all year long. He is a special player”

After a day off on Tuesday, the Monks will resume their schedule when theY host Salem State College on Wednesday. The non-conference match up is set for 3:00 pm at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

Gorham, Me. - For the second time in two days the University of Southern Maine used a five-run inning to beat St. Joseph’s College, 9-0. On Friday the rally came in the second inning, knocking Monks starter Chris Leger (Jaffrey, NH) out of the game after 1.2 innings. In total Leger (1-1) allowed 6 runs on 6 hits, the sophomore walked 2 and struck out three. That inning alone would be plenty of support for the Huskies Mark Shmidt who went 7.2 innings without allowing a run to earn the victory.

Leger was replaced by Junior Ryan Boucher (Manchester, NH) with two outs in the second inning. Boucher (1-0) was solid for the Royal Blue out of the bullpen, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up 2 earned runs. Junior David Doucette (Ipswich, MA) pitched into, then out of, a jam to throw a scoreless seventh inning for the Monks. First year RHP Craig Woodbrey was able to work around a hit in tossing a scoreless eighth.

Offensively, the Monks were held to only four hits on the day. RF Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME), 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME), CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME), and 2B Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) each posted base hits for St. Joe’s.

With the loss, the Monks drop to 20-4 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 15-6.

The Monks return to action on Saturday, taking on North Atlantic Conference foe Becker College. The doubleheader is slated to begin at 4:00 PM and will be played at Tivnan Field at Lake Park in Worcester, Mass.

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team dropped a non-conference game to the University of Southern Maine on Thursday, 8-7, at Mahaney Diamond. With the loss the Monks drop to 20-3 on the season, while the Huskies improve to 14-6.

St. Joe’s got on the board in the first inning when SO RF Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) scored on an RBI single by JR catcher Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME), Oliver had walked to open the inning.

After the Huskies knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, the Royal Blue rallied for three runs in their half of the frame. Wood opened the stanza by drawing a walk, then 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) reached on an error by the shortstop. Junior CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) dropped down a perfectly placed bunt for a single, loading the bases for Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME). Clapp came through, scorching a single back through the box to score Wood. Grant-Roy scored moments later on a wild pitch and Spiller came home when 2B Brian Schools reached on an error, pushing the St. Joe’s lead to 4-1.

USM cut the lead to 4-3 by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. The Monks responded with a run in the bottom of the frame to regain a two-run advantage, 5-3.
The St. Joe’s run came on a solo shot hit by SR DH Chris Doughty (Windham, ME). The senior’s second homerun of the year came just moments after a controversial double-play call against the Monks.

In the eighth inning, the Huskies strung together six hits and an error against three Monks relief pitchers to plate five runs and jump out to an 8-5 advantage.

Facing a three-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Schools led off with a bunt single. Wade Oliver followed with a single. After a strikeout by LF Keil Martin (Saco, ME), Luke Enman (Milan, NH) laced a ball sharply down the right field line, scoring Schools and Oliver easily. On the play Enman attempted to advance to third but was thrown out on the play. Andrew Wood extended the game for the Monks when he reached on an error by the Husky shortstop, then was pinch run for by Steve Gorsun (South Berwick, ME). With two outs and the tying run on base Ben Grant-Roy hit a hard ground ball to the shortstop, after a slight bobble there was a bang-bang play at second base, Gorsun was ruled out, ending the Monks' comeback attempt.

FY LHP Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) suffered the loss for the Monks after allowing 3 runs on 3 hits in 2 innings in relief of starter Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME). Burdin pitched well, going 5.2 innings, scattering five hits and allowing 3 runs. Andrew Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) allowed a hit to the only hitter he faced. Sophomore Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) threw the final 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one.

The same two teams will meet again tomorrow in the second game of this home and home series. The start time is set for 3:00 PM on the campus of the University of Southern Maine.

In an 8-1 week, Enman went 12 for 29 (.413) with 14 RBI, 5 Runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 7 walks and 2 stolen bases.

Standish, ME- The St. Joseph’s College baseball team swept a doubleheader on Saturday against the University of Maine at Farmington, winning game one 9-1 and taking the nightcap by a count of 7-2. With the victories, the Monks improve their overall record to 20-2 (4-0 in NAC play), marking the tenth 20+ win season of head coach Will Sanborn’s career.

Senior Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) was the story in game one. The veteran southpaw went 6 strong innings, allowing 1 run on only 2 hits while striking out 6, earning his fourth win of the year (4-0). Sophomore Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) struck out one while tossing a perfect seventh inning to close the door. The Royal Blue offense was led by LF Keil Martin (Saco, ME) who went 3-4 with 3 RBI, including his first roundtripper of the season. SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) drove in a run on his way to a 2-4 contest, and Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) was 2-3 with 3 RBI. The Monks other two runs came by way of a 1-2 effort from Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME).

In game two, the Monks fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but exploded for five runs in the second inning and never looked back. Spiller led off the frame with a sharp double to left field, then SR Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) singled. Spiller scored when C Travis Adams (Saco, ME) delivered a double deep into the left field corner and Clapp came home when captain Brian Schools’ (Gorham, ME) fly ball to left field was dropped. Adams then scored on an RBI groundout by Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) after Martin drew a walk, Luke Enman cleared the bases with a 2-run triple.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Royal Blue struck for 2 more insurance runs, pushing the lead to 7-2. Adams drove in his second run of the game with a single to centerfield, then swiped second base. Senior Dan Enman (Milan, NH) drove the rookie catcher in with an RBI single.

FY Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) improved his record to 4-0 on the mound. The lefty overcame a rocky start, going 4 innings. Dorr allowed 2 runs on 4 Beaver hits. He walked 1 and struck out 4. Sophomore RHP Chris Leger (Jaffrey, NH) earned the save in relief of Dorr. Leger (1-0-1) struck out one and did not allow a hit.

The game was called at the conclusion of the fifth inning due to torrential rain.

The Monks (20-2, 4-0) will be back in action on Monday as the take on Bowdoin College. The non-conference match up will begin at 4:00 pm at Pickard Field on the campus of Bowdoin College.

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team won a pair of games on Saturday evening, defeating Thomas College 7-5, and 14-4. With the two wins, the Monks improve their record to 18-2, and now stand at 2-0 in North Atlantic Conference play.

In game one, the Terriers jumped out to an early two-run lead. Tthe Monks cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the first before putting up a five-run second. The second inning rally was jump-started by a Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) double. After 3B Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) and DH Chris Doughty (Westbrook, ME) walked junior 2B Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) drew an RBI bases-loaded walk to tie the game at two. The Monks used a pair of Thomas errors and a sacrifice fly by 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) to push their lead to 6-2. Doughty would provide an exclamation point by blasting his first homerun of the season in the third inning to finalize the scoring.

Senior captain Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) earned the victory, pushing his record to 5-0 on the season. Tupper went 6.2 innings scattering 12 Thomas hits and struck out two. Tupper was lifted from a jam with two outs in the seventh inning, giving way to Cole Filosa (Milford, MA). After an infield hit to third base Filosa closed out the contest, earning his second save of the season.

In game two it was all Saint Joseph’s as they pounded out nine hits and took eight free passes to whitewash the Terriers 14-4. Junior SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) led the offensive charge with a 2-5 day, including 4 RBI. Mark Clapp completed his day with a 2-3, 3 RBI effort. FY LHP Andrew Keirstead was solid on the mound going 5 innings to earn the win. Keirstead (2-1-1) allowed 11 hits and struck out 2. JR David Doucette (Ipswich, MA) contributed a perfect sixth inning, including a sparkling play on a comebacker to the mound. JR Ryan Boucher (Manchester, NH) threw a scoreless seventh to close the book on Thomas.

“It is important to get off to a good start in conference play. I thought we swung the bats pretty well and our bullpen was excellent today,” said Head Coach Will Sanborn. “It was a long day, after all of the work we did to get this field ready to play today. It is that much more rewarding to win these games.”

The Monks will get right back at it tomorrow as they plan to play host to the University of Maine at Farmington. The North Atlantic Conference doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at beautiful, snow-free Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

Standish, ME - When Saint Joseph’s College baseball coach Will Sanborn arrived at Larry Mahaney Diamond shortly before 7:00 this morning, he wasn’t quite sure his Monks would be playing later today. Moments later, when groundskeeper Jason Chisholm met with the coach, they surveyed a field blanketed by a little more than two inches of snow.

A day earlier, the Monks baseball program had been featured on www.d3baseball.com for their ability to get the field ready to play five games earlier in the week. Add to that the two men, along with the entire roster of players, had put down nearly a ton of black sand to draw in sun to induce melting on Friday and their decision became easy. “We figured we might as well take a shot at it,” said Sanborn. “Even if we came up short today we would be ready to play tomorrow.”

Less than an hour later, the players arrived, shovels in hand ready to begin a tedious snow removal process for the third time in less than two weeks. As the sun peeked through the clouds, the black sand began to do its magic, playing a game today began to look like a reality. “Today has been our biggest challenge by far” said Chisholm as he took a rare water break. “We cleared most of the infield dirt yesterday, but it was really wet. I knew the surface would be ready by this afternoon. Without the players and Will really committing to this, there is no way a game could be played here this weekend.”

At noon today, with the field becoming more and more playable, the decision was made to push the start time for the NAC doubleheader back to 4:00 p.m. Though it is unclear as to how many other local teams will be playing, one thing is for sure; snow is no match for this team.

St. Joe’s will host Thomas College this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the Monks' North Atlantic Conference opener. St. Joseph’s will be sending senior Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) to the mound in game one and rookie Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) in the nightcap.

Standish, ME – It was a tale of two offenses for the Saint Joseph’s College baseball team on Wednesday as they split a non-conference doubleheader with the Husson College Eagles. In game one, the Monks offense was rendered silent by Husson right-hander Andrew Patterson, losing 4-1. In game two the Royal Blue bats awoke to salvage a split, pounding out 10 hits in a 10-2 victory.

In game one, rookie RHP Mike Burdin (Gardiner, ME) pitched well in his first collegiate start allowing 3 runs on 6 hits during his 6 innings of work. He was relieved by SO RHP Andrew Pooler who allowed the Eagles to plate an insurance run in the seventh inning. Offensively the Monks could only manage three hits off of Patterson in his six innings of shutout work. The lone SJC run came on an RBI groundout by SO Wade Oliver (Owl’s Head, ME) in the bottom of the final frame.

In the second game the Monks offense showed signs of life early, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by JR captain Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) and an RBI double by Oliver. The lead moved to 3-0 in the third when a single by 3B Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) scored JR Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) who had walked earlier.

After Husson narrowed the margin to 3-2 in the top of the fourth, the Monks exploded for five run in the bottom. Junior SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) highlighted the rally with a 2 run single. Rookie 1B Ben Grant-Roy laced an RBI single to left field, then executed a flawless delayed steal play before scoring on a Husson error. Senior Keil Martin (Saco, ME) delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to push the lead to 9-2.

The Monks closed out the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when senior Dan Enman (Milan, NH) roped a double to deep left field, then advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Dan Enman scored on an RBI groundout by Clapp, providing the final margin of 10-2.

On the mound FY RHP Craig Woodbrey (Gorham, ME) was solid going 3.2 innings allowing 2 runs on only 1 hit. Woodbrey walked 6 and fanned 3 Eagles. Senior captain Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) inherited a bases loaded jam in the fourth, after allowing a single he induced a ground ball out to end the Husson threat. Tupper (4-0) then pitched a perfect fifth inning to record the win, striking out one. Head coach Will Sanborn called on southpaw Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) to hold the lead, which he did in striking out one in a perfect inning. FY LHP Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) sealed the victory with a scoreless seventh inning.

The Monks resume their schedule on Friday when they will play host to local rival University of Southern Maine. The non-conference match up will begin at 3:00 PM at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph’s College.

Standish, ME - The St. Joseph’s College baseball team defeated Colby College on Tuesday afternoon by a score of 10-2. The Monks needed only five hits to post double digit runs for the eighth time this season.

Sophomore Chris Leger (Jaffrey, NH) improved to 2-0 on the season, earning the win with 6 strong innings. Leger allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 2. Sophomore southpaw Cole Filosa (Milford, MA) tossed a scoreless seventh, and JR David Doucette (Ipswich, MA) a scoreless eighth. FY Chris Nanof (Clinton, MA) shut the door with a perfect ninth inning.

The Monks got on the board in the first inning scoring a pair of runs without the benefit of a hit. SO CF Wade Oliver (Owls Head, ME) broke the ice scoring on an RBI groundout by JR C Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME). Later in the frame SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) came home when SR Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) walked with the bases loaded.

The Royal Blue tacked on four more runs in the fourth inning highlighted by a Wade Oliver RBI single and a sacrifice fly from FY 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME). Later in the sixth inning Andrew Wood stole second base, marking the 50th stolen base of the year for the team. The Monks totaled 40 successful steals as a team in 2006. On the day, the Monks collected 15 walks from six different Colby pitchers and also set a season high using 22 players in the win.

“It was good to get a lot of guys some work late in the game. We are going to need a lot of guys to step up during this stretch of the schedule,” said head coach Will Sanborn. “We did a good job of making adjustments and being patient at the plate today, but I’d like to see us swing the bat a little better.”

With today’s victory, the Monks improve to 15-1. The team returns to action on Wednesday with a non-conference doubleheader against rival Husson College. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph's College.

Standish, ME – After a titanic effort on the part of the Saint Joseph's College baseball players, coaches and grounds crew to get beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond ready to play, the Monks swept the Rivier College Raiders in two hard fought contests.

Senior Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) was the story in game one going 6 strong innings allowing only 1 hit and striking out 10. He saw his teammates plate single runs in the second and third innings before exploding with 4 runs in the fourth. The rally started with a one out double by JR CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME), he then scored on an RBI single off the bat FY 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME). After a Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) single, SR DH Chris Doughty (Westbrook, ME) doubled sharply down the left field line scoring Grant-Roy. After a Wade Oliver (RF, Owl’s Head, ME) sacrifice fly SR Captain Keil Martin (Saco, ME) delivered an RBI single to score Clapp. That would be more than enough for Cutter to work with as he wouldn’t surrender a hit until the sixth inning. He was relieved by sophomore Andy Pooler (Southwest Harbor, ME) who struck out two Raiders in slamming the door shut.

Game two was a classic pitchers' duel plotting FY LHP Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) against Rivier’s Andrew Tiner. The two teams combined for 10 hits and 1 run in the second game. With the temperature dropping into the low thirties the score remained knotted at 0-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning. Wade Oliver singled off of Rivier relief pitcher Isaac Burkett, then stole second base. With Oliver in scoring position and one out JR SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) launched a double into the right-centerfield gap scoring Oliver easily. In the top of the sixth Dorr gave way to SR Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) who pitched out of a bases loaded jam. In the seventh FY LHP Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME) preserved the shutout and earned the save surrendering one hit and striking out one. Dorr went 5 shutout innings striking out 3 to earn the victory and push his record to 3-0.

With the win, the Monks improve to 14-1 on the season. “Those were two good wins,” said head coach Will Sanborn. “We had a lot of work to do just to get the field ready, then get focused on playing baseball. We couldn’t have played here today without all of our guys pitching in. Our Facilities Department really helped out. Jason Chisholm had this place looking great and things worked out.” The field conditions were not a factor at all in either game and it is believed that Larry Mahaney Diamond was the only collegiate baseball facility in use in the entire State of Maine today.

The Monks return to action tomorrow with a 4:00 PM game against Colby College right here at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond on the campus of Saint Joseph's College.

NCAA Division III
1. Trinity (3) 17-3 43 pts
1. Wheaton (2) 16-6 43 pts
3. Eastern Connecticut (1) 13-6 38 pts
4. Tufts 13-5 30 pts
5. Keene State 14-7 23 pts
6. St. Joseph’s, ME 12-1 10 pts
7. Western New England 11-7 8 pts
8. Williams 11-5 7 pts

Others Receiving Votes: Rhode Island College (5), Suffolk (4), Southern Maine (3), and Salve Regina (2).

In a 2-1 week, Enman went 6/12 with his fourth home run of the season in an 11-3 win over Plymouth State and added 5 R, 3 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple, 2 BB and 1 SB.

NAC BASEBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Ben Grant-Roy, St. Joseph's (ME)
(Freshman, First Base - Biddeford, Maine)

Grant-Roy recorded his first intercollegiate home run against Plymouth State and went 4/10 on the week with 4 R, 5 RBI, 1 double, 2 BB, and 1 SB.

Standish, ME - The Saint Joseph’s College baseball team split a pair of non-conference games with Plymouth State University on Sunday, winning game one 11-2 before falling to the Panthers 9-8 in game two. With the victory in game one, the Monks set the program record for consecutive wins to begin a season.

The Royal Blue offense registered 12 hits in the opener led by JR CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) who was 3-3 with a pair of runs scored. JR SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) blasted his fourth homerun of the young season en route to a 2-5, 2 RBI game. SR captain Keil Martin (Saco, ME) was 2-4 with an RBI, and Wade Oliver (SO, Owl’s Head, ME) rounded out the multiple hitters with a 2-5 effort in the lead off spot.

The Monks tacked on 5 insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, three of those runs coming on one of the strangest plays ever witnessed on the field. With the bases loaded, 2B Brian Schools (Gorham, ME) hit a high pop up to the PSU first baseman, Schools was ruled out on the infield fly rule. When Panther 1B Jamie Aceto failed to catch the pop Monks 3B Mark Clapp (Blue Hill, ME) took off from first base, this baserunning mistake caused mass confusion resulting in a throwing error that cleared the bases.

Sr Captain Sam Tupper (Yarmouth, ME) was solid in the opener going 6 innings allowing 6 hits striking out two. Tupper (3-0) was relieved by FY RHP Craig Woodbrey who struck out 1, throwing a scoreless seventh inning.

Game two got off to rocky start for the Monks as FY LHP Kyle Dorr (Berwick, ME) was chased from the game after 2/3 of an inning giving up six runs on 4 hits. He was relieved by JR Ryan Boucher (Manchester, NH) who failed to record an out as he allowed the Panther lead to balloon to 7-0 before giving way to FY LHP Andrew Keirstead (Westbrook, ME). Keirstead was brilliant in relief allowing the Royal Blue to charge all the back to make it a 7-7 game after three complete innings. The PSU offense proved to be too much, though, as they touched the rookie southpaw up for two runs in the top of the fourth inning to take back the lead 9-7. SJC made it a one run game in the bottom of the sixth but could not make a second comeback, falling 9-8.

FY 1B Ben Grant-Roy (Biddeford, ME) led the offense for the St. Joe’s in game two with a 2-4, 2 RBI effort, including his first collegiate homerun. Luke Enman chipped in a 2-3 game, and Schools wound up 2-3 with an RBI.

North Dartmouth, MA - On Friday afternoon the Saint Joseph’s College baseball team defeated U.Mass.-Dartmouth by a count of 11-4. With the win, the Monks push their record to 11-0 which matches the best start in the history of the program (2001).

The Royal Blue bats came alive early, plating 4 runs in the first inning, highlighted by JR SS Luke Enman (Milan, NH) and JR CF Dustin Spiller (Gorham, ME) RBI’s. FY 1B Ben Grant-Roy capped the scoring in the opening frame with a 2 RBI double. Spiller finished the day totaling 3 RBI and Enman crossed the plate 3 times. JR C Andrew Wood (South Portland, ME) finished 2-3 with an RBI and JR captain Brian Schools was 2-4 with a run scored.

On the mound for the Monks, SR LHP Ben Cutter (Westbrook, ME) delivered his finest outing of the young season, going 6 innings allowing only 4 hits and striking out 4 Corsairs. Cutter (2-0) did not allow a base on balls. He was relieved in the seventh by sophomore Chris Leger (Jaffrey, NH) before JR David Doucette (Ipswich, MA) closed out the game.

On the day, the potent Monks' offense pounded out 15 hits and took advantage of 4 U.Mass.-Dartmouth miscues to reach the 11-run mark. “We swung the bats well, especially early on,” said Head Coach Will Sanborn. “Ben Cutter did exactly what we needed him to do on the mound and we made plays defensively.” Sanborn downplayed the significance of the team tying the program record for consecutive wins to begin a campaign (11). “I am happy that we have reached this point but we haven’t accomplished anything yet. We still need to improve in certain areas; we still need to work hard. We have two more important games this weekend, that’s what we are focused on.”

On Sunday, the Monks will look to set the mark against non-conference foe Plymouth State University. The home opener will be a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 pm at beautiful Larry Mahaney Diamond.

An amazing article regarding Saint Joseph's College Baseball appeared today on a major baseball website.  Check it out! 

http://www.d3baseball.com/

In a 3-0 weekend, Oliver helped the Monks improve to 10-0, going 5/10 with 3 RB