STANDISH, Maine – The Saint Joseph's College baseball team showed plenty of promise for the future during the 2025 season. Led by 32nd-year Head Coach Will Sanborn '86, the Monks posted a 20-19 overall record with a 10-7 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play and earned the #5 seed in the conference tournament.
REGULAR SEASON:
Saint Joseph's opened the season with five straight wins at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Auburndale, Florida, finishing the spring trip with a 6-3 record.
Later in the year, the Monks sparked a five-game win streak with an 8-3 victory over eventual #2 seed Mitchell College. The run included an impressive 7-4 win over Colby College and a GNAC doubleheader sweep of New England College.
POSTSEASON:
The Monks opened GNAC Tournament play on May 2 against #4 University of Saint Joseph, falling 6-4 and dropping into the elimination bracket. The following day, their season came to an end with a narrow 10-9 loss to Colby-Sawyer College in a game played at Johnson & Wales University.
Despite the early exit, St. Joe's showed offensive firepower, hitting .351 (27-for-77) with 12 extra-base hits over the two postseason games. However, 19 runners left on base underscored how close the Monks were to advancing further.
NOTEWORTHY INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES:
Freshman catcher Nic Frink (Scarborough, Maine) delivered one of the most impressive debut seasons in Saint Joseph's College baseball history in 2025, leading the team in batting average (.390, 57-146), runs (29), hits (57), doubles (10), home runs (8), RBI (38), and slugging percentage (.651). Among all SJC rookies in program history, he ranks first in hits, second in home runs, extra-base hits, and total bases, and third in batting average and slugging percentage. His outstanding performance earned him ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-Region 1 First Team, D3baseball.com Region 1 First Team, D3baseball.com Region 1 Rookie of the Year, and Maine College Baseball & Softball Association (MCBSA) Co-Rookie of the Year honors.
Junior pitcher Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.) enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025, emerging as the Monks' ace with a 4-1 record, a 3.08 ERA, and 48 strikeouts against just five walks over 49.2 innings. He led the SJC pitching staff in ERA, innings pitched, and fewest walks per nine innings (0.91 – the third-lowest rate in team history), while ranking second on the team in strikeouts. For his efforts, Brander earned Third Team All-Conference and Second Team MCBSA All-State honors.
Junior outfielder Jared Wilhelm (Tolland, Conn.) battled through multiple injuries to hit .330 (31-94) with 24 runs, nine doubles, seven home runs, and 25 RBI, earning Second Team MCBSA All-State recognition.
Graduate Dawson Gundlah (York, Maine) capped his collegiate career with his finest season, hitting .345 (40-116) with 21 runs, six doubles, a home run, and 21 RBI while splitting time between the outfield and third base. Over five seasons, Gundlah hit .294 (131-446) with 51 runs, 21 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 70 RBI, and 10 stolen bases across 149 games.
Junior southpaw Padraig Mac Seain (Brookline, N.H.) went 4-2 with a 3.89 ERA and a team-high 48 strikeouts against just 10 walks in 37 innings, while freshman righty William Dionne (Somerset, Mass.) posted a 4-1 record with a 3.16 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.
Freshmen Jake Carlisle (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Nick Villano (Peabody, Mass.) also played key roles in the Monks' success, as Carlisle hit .309 (38-123) with 22 runs, eight doubles, four home runs, and 31 RBI, while Villano hit .297 (35-118) with 24 runs, five doubles, four home runs, and 23 RBI, locking down first base defensively throughout the season.
RECORDS & MILESTONES:
- Freshmen Nic Frink, Jake Carlisle, and Nick Villano combined to hit .333 (129-387) with 75 runs, 23 doubles, 16 home runs, 92 RBI, and a .527 slugging percentage—the most productive freshman trio since 2005, when Luke Enman '08, Brian Schools '08, and Charlie Furbush hit .347 (130-375) with 92 runs, 25 doubles, nine home runs, 72 RBI, and a .507 slugging percentage.
Team Record:
- Most hit-by-pitches in a season – 82 (Villano led the team after being hit 10 times and five players were plunked at least seven times)
Milestones:
- Dawson Gundlah - Reached 100 career hits, finishing with 132
- Jared Wilhelm - Surpassed 200 career total bases (214), becoming the 25th player in program history to do so—and the only one to reach the mark in fewer than 116 games (99). He also homered once every 13.4 at-bats, the 10th-best rate in team history
- Padraig Mac Seain - Reached 100 career strikeouts, finishing with 114
NCAA Rankings:
Triple Play:
- The Monks turned the fourth triple play in program history—and one of just 11 recorded in NCAA Division III Baseball this spring—when Vinny O'Leary (North Quincy, Mass.), Nick Villano, and Brander executed a 4-3-5 trifecta in a win over Elms College on April 10.
