STANDISH, Maine – The 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) baseball postseason accolades have been announced, and five members of the Saint Joseph's College program have earned honors.
Sophomore catcher Nic Frink (Scarborough, Maine/Thornton Academy) has been named GNAC Co-Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection. Co-Head Coaches Will Sanborn '86 and Lincoln Sanborn '14 have been selected as the GNAC Coaches of the Year, while senior pitchers Dylan Brander (Merrimack, N.H.) and Padraig Mac Seain (Brookline, N.H.) and sophomore infielder Nick Brindle (Pittsfield, Mass.) earned All-Conference honors.
Saint Joseph's also claimed the GNAC Institutional Sportsmanship Award for the fourth-consecutive year. Voted on by the conference's head coaches, the award is presented annually to the team that best exemplifies the league's commitment to sportsmanship.
Frink earned GNAC Co-Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors after hitting .382 (66-173) with 46 runs, nine doubles, 11 home runs, 49 RBI, and eight stolen bases during his sophomore campaign. A 2025 Second Team All-Conference selection, Frink led the GNAC in home runs, RBI, and total bases (110), ranked second in hits (66), third in runs scored, and fifth in slugging percentage (.636).
Frink is the seventh Saint Joseph's player to earn GNAC Player of the Year honors and the first since Joey Murphy '19 claimed the award in 2019.
Frink shares the league's top individual honor with Mitchell College junior Michael Ficocelli, who hit .385 (52-135) with 37 runs, 22 doubles, two home runs, 35 RBI, and nine sacrifice flies in 41 games for the GNAC Champion Mariners.
Will Sanborn and Lincoln Sanborn were named GNAC Coaches of the Year after guiding the Monks to a 34-13 overall record and a 14-6 mark in conference play. Saint Joseph's secured the No. 3 seed in the GNAC Tournament and advanced to the championship series after posting a 4-1 record in pod play, including three consecutive elimination-game victories. The Monks opened postseason play with a 12-2 win over Norwich, fell to Lasell, and then rebounded with victories over Norwich (8-0) and Lasell (17-5, 6-3) to claim the Pod B title. Saint Joseph's season concluded Friday at Mitchell College, where the top-seeded Mariners captured the first two games of the best-of-three GNAC Championship Series.
Brander, a 2025 Third Team All-GNAC selection, collected Second Team honors after posting a 7-2 record with a 2.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 69.2 innings. The senior right-hander struck out 35 batters, walked just 10, and led the GNAC in innings pitched, at-bats against (277), wins, and starts (11). He capped his career with a 14-6 record, a 3.09 ERA, 133 strikeouts, and only 30 walks in 180.2 innings pitched.
Mac Seain earned Third Team All-GNAC honors for the second time after recording a 3-0 mark with a 0.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 31 strikeouts, and just 16 hits allowed over 30 innings. The senior left-hander did not allow a run through 25.2 innings before suffering a season-ending injury in late March and ranked nationally among the leaders in ERA, complete games, hits allowed per nine innings, and WHIP at the time of his injury. Over four seasons, Mac Seain posted a 12-5 record with a 3.29 ERA, 134 strikeouts, 42 walks, and a .257 opponents' batting average in 134 innings.
Brindle collected Third Team All-Conference honors after emerging as a key table-setter in the Monks' lineup. The sophomore hit .330 (38-115) with 26 runs, six doubles, one home run, 22 RBI, and eight sacrifice hits. He also posted a .957 fielding percentage as an everyday middle infielder, committing just seven errors in 161 chances.
MAJOR AWARDS
Co-Player of the Year - Nic Frink, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Co-Player of the Year - Michael Ficocelli, Mitchell
Pitcher of the Year - Brandon Cahill, USJ
Rookie of the Year - Andrew Manzo, Mitchell
Coaches of the Year - Will Sanborn & Lincoln Sanborn, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship - Saint Joseph's (Maine)
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
SP - Brandon Cahill, USJ
SP - Thai-ler Sestokas, Mitchell
RP - Marcus Tarfano, USJ
C - Nic Frink, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
1B - Michael Ficocelli, Mitchell
2B - Tyler Carlstrom, USJ
3B - Jack Kane, USJ
SS - Adriel Espada, Albertus Magnus
OF - Mike McLeer, Colby-Sawyer
OF - Declan Silva, Lasell
OF - Chas Terni Jr., Mitchell
DH - Brady Philibotte, NEC
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
SP - Dylan Brander, SJC
SP - Brycen Diaz, Elms
RP - Jacob Quiles, Mitchell
C - Nicholas Bracale, Mitchell
1B - Eric Galazra, Albertus Magnus
2B - Christopher Piscione, Mitchell
3B - Angel Rodriguez Cruz, Mitchell
SS - JJ Fox, USJ
OF - Jacob Paschetto, Dean
OF - Ryan Cote, NEC
OF - Ryan Dennis, Mitchell
DH - Joey O'Hara, Albertus Magnus
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
SP - Carson Rath, Norwich
SP - Padraig Mac Seain, SJC
RP - Dom Yarson, Mitchell
C - Jack Kushman, USJ
1B - Evan Dennis, Colby-Sawyer
2B - Nick Brindle, SJC
3B - Tim Callahan, Lasell
SS - Jacob Putnam, Colby-Sawyer
OF - Tyler Giambra, Dean
OF - Joseph Fritz, USJ
OF - Dom Scalia, USJ
DH - Jesse Chaves, Colby-Sawyer
DH - Connor Freitas, Lasell
