2013 All-GNAC Baseball Teams Announced
BOSTON, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference has announced the 2013 All-GNAC Baseball Teams as well as major awards after this weekend’s championship which saw the No. 2 seed Saint Joseph’s College Monks take down the No. 3 seed Suffolk University Rams in dramatic fashion, to claim their fourth consecutive GNAC Championship.
BOSTON, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference has announced the 2013 All-GNAC Baseball Teams as well as major awards after this weekend's championship which saw the No. 2 seed Saint Joseph's College Monks take down the No. 3 seed Suffolk University Rams in dramatic fashion, to claim their fourth consecutive GNAC Championship.
Suffolk University senior outfielder Mike Cunningham (Syosset, N.Y.) has been named the GNAC Player of the Year, after an impressive season for the Rams. The Syosset, N.Y. native helped lead the Rams to a 28-10 regular season record, earning the three seed in the GNAC Playoffs, as well as a run to the tournament final where the Rams would ultimately fall to the champions from Saint Joseph's (Me.). Cunningham hit an astounding .424 on the year, which led all GNAC players. The senior also led the league in homeruns, hitting a total of nine on the season. Additionally, the outfielder was tied for second in the league in RBI'S, with 42 total. In an April 18th victory over Babson, the senior hit for a homerun, pulled in four RBI's and scored three runs en route to a 20-8 win. Cunningham proved to be a great contributor to the success of Suffolk.
The Pitcher of the Year in the GNAC would be awarded to Tyler Laverriere (Biddeford, Maine), from Saint Joseph's (Maine). The senior hurler led the Monks to a solid 28-11 record, the number two seed in the GNAC tournament, and the eventual conference championship. Laverriere was impressive throughout the season, compiling a 1.05 ERA which was the lowest in the GNAC. Additionally, the Biddeford, Maine native tied for second in wins with five on the season, as well as third in the GNAC in strikeouts totaling 52 on the year. In 51.2 innings pitched on the season, the senior allowed just six earned runs. In a must-win playoff match up with top seeded Johnson & Wales, Laverriere went 7.0 innings for the Monks, allowing just two hits while striking out six, en route to a 7-2 victory which propelled the Monks into the final round of play. Laverriere proved to be a crucial component to the Monks success throughout the season.
Johnson & Wales head coach John Larose was named to 2013 Coach of the Year in the GNAC. The veteran coach completed his 14th season at the helm of the Wildcats, leading his team to a 27-14 overall record as well as a GNAC record of 13-3. The solid season put together by Larose and the wildcats was good enough to lead the squad to the 2013 GNAC regular season title, and the top seed in the GNAC conference tournament. The 27 wins compiled this season by Larose were the most since the 2003-2004 campaign for the Wildcats.
Johnson & Wales University Freshman pitcher Jake Marchesseault (Wyoming, R.I.) has been named the 2013 Rookie of the Year in the GNAC. The freshman led his Wildcats to an overall record of 27-14, and the top seed in the GNAC conference tournament. The rookie finished second in the league with five wins on the year. Over the season, Marchessault pitched 44.0 innings, compiling 30 strikeouts as well as a .714 win percentage. In an April 7th match-up with Lasell, the rookie pitched 7 innings, allowing only two hits, while striking out an impressive 10 batters, leading his wildcats to a 4-1 victory. Marchesseault will look to build off of his strong rookie campaign for the wildcats in the 2014 season.