Winthrop, Mass. – Two members of the Albertus Magnus College baseball team earned All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) honors as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
For the Falcons, seniors Mike Saia (Bridgeport, Conn.) and Justin Poirier (Meriden, Conn.) both landed on the third team.
The GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team was also announced on Monday afternoon and senior outfielder Ted Gravel (Morris, Conn.) represented Albertus Magnus on the squad.
Saia ends his three-year career as a Falcon by earning conference-wide recognition for the first time. The 5-11 catcher started 33 games behind the plate and hit .272 with 16 RBIs this spring. He recorded 28 hits during the year and scored nine runs. During the month of April, he batted .300 and hit a pair of doubles. He threw out 13 runners attempting to steal this season, highlighted by gunning down seven in conference play. He is majoring in criminal justice.
Poirier received third-team distinction for the second straight season thanks to a team-leading 38 hits and 24 RBIs. Poirier hit .330 this season and posted a .318 batting average in conference action. Three of his four steals on the season came in league action. He hit a team-best three home runs, highlighted by a multi-homer game against in-state rival Western Connecticut late in the year. Earlier this year, he became the 14th player in program history to record 100 career hits. The third basemen amassed a .902 fielding percentage this spring and played a hand in five double plays. Justin is the son of Judy and Gary Poirier and is majoring in criminal justice.
Gravel had a breakout spring for the Falcons, setting new career bests in batting average (.287), hits (29), home runs (2), RBIs (18), triples (2), doubles (6) and runs scored (13). Ted is the son of James and Almira Gravel and he is majoring in criminal justice.
The Albertus Magnus College baseball team finished the 2016 season with a 13-21 overall record and earned the No. 5 seed in the GNAC Tournament thanks to posting a 6-8 mark in conference contests. The Falcons saw their season to come to an end with a setback against fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales in the opening round of the league tournament.
Founded in 1995, the GNAC is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
For the latest information on the baseball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
