The Suffolk University Baseball team took a total off 11 postseason awards by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) for the 2014 season.
Head Baseball Coach Cary McConnell was named as the league's top skipper for the fifth time as he guided Suffolk to a league best 12-2 mark in GNAC play. Suffolk advanced to the GNAC finals for the eighth consecutive season but fell short to St. Joseph's College 2-0 in the championship game. Suffolk currently stands at a 20-13-1 record on the season. It is the 17th straight season the program has won at least 20 games in a season.
Three players were selected to the league's first team.
Senior Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) was a first team selection as an infielder. Cintolo continues a four year career in which he keeps adding to an impressive statistical resume. Prior to the season Cintolo was a preseason All-American by D3Baseball.com. He set the Suffolk University all-time program record when he recorded his 224th career hit, a double in game two of a doubleheader sweep over Anna Maria College on April 5th. In 34 games this season, Cintolo is hitting .256 (31-for-121) with a team-high 11 doubles on the season and is fourth in the league with 25 RBI. In 167 career games played, Cintolo is 26th all-time among NCAA Division III players with 62 career doubles, a record he holds at both Suffolk and among all GNAC players. Through the weekend he currently has 237 career hits, just seven shy of the all-time GNAC mark. It's the fourth straight season in which Cintolo has earned All-Conference honors by the GNAC. He was tabbed as the league's top first year player in 2011 earning Rookie of the Year honors as he also set the Suffolk single season mark with 77 hits on the year. In 2013 he set the Suffolk single season record with 18 doubles on the year. He has been a three time All-Region selection by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) and a College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) Academic All-District selection in 2013. Cintolo was also named the Male Athlete of the Year by the Suffolk University Student Government Association for 2014 as well as earning the Athletics Department's Charles Law Student Athlete of the Year award marking excellence in academics and athletics.
Senior Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) was also a first-team All-Conference selection as an infielder. Jones has started all 34 games this season hitting at a .297 clip (33-for-111). He is second on the team with 33 hits on the year and two home runs. Jones is tied for fourth all-time with 192 career hits at Suffolk, second all time behind Cintolo with 164 career games played and third all-time with 14 triples.. He is a four-time All-Conference selection by the GNAC and maintains a .323 career batting average with 14 career home runs and 117 RBI.
Junior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) rounded out the first team with a selection at designated hitter. College is hitting .333 in 30 games as he's driven in 16 runs on 28 hits with five extra base hits. He leads all players in the league with a .491 on-base percentage Collette was also an All-Conference selection in 2013 as a DH.
Three players were selected to the GNAC's second team. Freshman Matt Brenner (Eliot, Me.) was both an All-Conference selection and was named to the GNAC All-Tournament team. Brenner has started in 26 games behind the plate for Suffolk hitting at a .287 clip. He has five doubles on the year, the second highest total on the team. Brenner's base hit in the 10th inning on Thursday evening drove in the game winning run as Suffolk defeated Johnson & Wales 2-1 in extra frames in the GNAC Quarterfinals round. He started all four games in the playoffs while logging 39 innings behind the plate.
Senior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) was a second team selection as an outfielder. Jacobson currently leads the team with 34 hits on the season. He's started every game this season primarily as the leadoff hitter in the lineup. Jacobson continues to be a pest as he has collected 14 hit by pitches on the season bringing his career total to 49. It's the first time Jacobson has been recognized by the GNAC with an All-Conference selection. He's played in 120 games over four years scoring 94 runs.
Sophomore Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) rounded out the All-Conference selections as he was named as a second team outfielder. Marks has started 30 games on the season hitting .266 (25-for-94). He's driven in 18 runs while also scoring 19 times. He also has a team-high nine stolen bases on the season.
Senior Jhonneris Mendez (Boston, Mass.) was named to the All-Tournament team. After returning on April 6th after having his 2013 season cut short by Tommy John surgery, Mendez has been dominant on the mound averaging 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Mendez picked up a pair of wins in relief during the tournament, both extra inning victories over Johnson & Wales. He earned the win in Thursday's 2-1 victory as he struck out five in 2 2/3 innings of work. On Sunday he went 5 2/3 innings allowing one run while striking out six as Suffolk outlasted the Wildcats once again 11-3 in 13 innings.
Freshman Tim Conroy (Arlington, Mass.) was also named to the All-Tournament team. Conroy opened the GNAC Tournament with a no-decision in Thursday's victory as he went the first 7 1/3 on the mound allowing one run on six hits. Conroy is 3-2 on the season in five starts with 32 innings pitched. On April 17 he went eight strong in a 5-1 victory over Eastern Connecticut State University, who entered this week as the nation's 24th ranked team in the most recent D3Baseball.com poll.
Senior James McConville (Medford, Mass.) was selected to the GNAC All-Sportsmanship team. McConville has been used primarily as a pinch hitter off the bench this season with 18 at bats. He had a pivotal at bat in Sunday's victory as he drew a walk in the eleventh inning that put Suffolk ahead over Johnson & Wales at the time before they were able to tie the game in their next at bat. McConville has appeared in 57 games over four years for Suffolk with 23 career hits.
Suffolk will be idle during final exams week before picking back up on Sunday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader at Williams College. They'll host MIT on Monday and Bates College in a doubleheader on Tuesday. Suffolk has also declared for the ECAC Division-III New England Tournament and will await to hear if they have been selected on Monday May 5.
For a complete list of the 2014 GNAC All-Conference teams, click here