In early April, the Saint Joseph’s College baseball team appeared to be headed for a forgettable 2002 season. The Monks, beset by injuries and trying to integrate several newcomers, had struggled through a seven-game losing streak.

But coach Will Sanborn’s team has made a lot of progress in the last six weeks. Today, Saint Joseph’s plays host to 15th-ranked Ohio Dominican in a best-of-three NAIA Division II Super Regional at Mahaney Diamond in Standish.

The 28-16 Monks, the Maine Athletic Conference, NAIA Region X Independent and NAIA Northeast Regional champions, are two wins away from qualifying for the 10-team NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament.

“To finally be on the verge of that here is a great opportunity,” said Sanborn, Saint Joseph’s 10th-year coach. “Things have really come together for us at the right time.”

The Monks’ resurgence has been decisive as they’ve won eight straight and 16 of their last 18.

“It was a gradual thing where we got healthy, we gained confidence,” said Sanborn, who had two pitchers with shoulder problems and three of four outfielders out with injuries at one point. We seem to be peaking at the right time.”

Among the mainstays for Saint Joseph’s are senior first baseman Jesse LaCasse of Madison and senior shortstop Jim Becvar of Lewiston. LaCasse leads the team with a .417 batting mark that includes 15 home runs and 65 runs batted in.

“He’s the kind of kid that makes hitting .400 a habit,” Sanborn said of LaCasse, who has done so three times in four years. “He’s the guy in the middle that everybody kind of fears.”

LaCasse has been sandwiched in the order between freshman outfielder Howard Rutherford (.314, 32 RBIs, 13 stolen bases) and frosh catcher Derek McIntosh (.364, 6 HR, 41 RBIs), which has made him tough to pitch around.

Becvar, the shortstop, is playing with a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand. He checks in at .400 with 17 RBIs and 14 steals.

“He’s a tough kid and wants to play,” Sanborn said.

Other key hitters include Lucas Hannigan of Cape Elizabeth (.358, 5 HR, 35 RBIs) and Andy Exley of Portland (.321, 4 HR, 15 RBIs).

The pitching staff is headlined by senior righthander Brent Dan, who sports a 6-4 record and two saves with a 3.33 earned run average.

“I think the leadership is there, having a senior on the mound with Brent. That’s really the key spot,” Sanborn said. “He wants the ball and wants those pressure situations.”

Other top contributors include freshman starters Greg Kimball (.5-1, 2.31), Brad Wheaton of Millinocket (3-1, 3.38) and Mike Cowperthwaite of Prospect Harbor (1-1, 6.67) and sophomore reliever Jeremy Dalton of Wiscasset.

The Monks also have stepped up their defense of late after struggling badly prior to the postseason.

“We’re not only playing solid defense, we’ve made some great plays,” said Sanborn, who hopes to take advantage of playing at home.

“The home-field advantage is out,” he said of the annual black fly hatch.

The nationals are scheduled May 24-31 at Lewis & Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Bowdoin men’s tennis in NCAAs

The men’s tennis team at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, coming off its NCAA Division III Regional victory last weekend, is headed for Santa Cruz, Calif., where the Polar Bears will compete in the NCAA national quarterfinals.

Bowdoin, which sports a 17-2 record, the best in the program’s history, is scheduled to face Emory College in Friday’s quarterfinals. If the Polar Bears advance, they would take on either Trinity (Texas) or Gustavus Adophus in Saturday’s semifinals.

The national championship match is slated for Sunday.

Bowdoin is led by Colin Joyner, who also has qualified as an individual competitor in the singles tournament and will team up with August Felker in the doubles event. That action will be held May 20-22.

Other key team members include McAfee Burke, Pat Keneally, Bucky Jencks and Pat Soong.

Four Bobcats All-New England

Four members of the Bates College women’s track and field team earned All-New England status during the New England Division III championships in Springfield, Mass., on May 4.

Anya Belanger, Kelly Puglisi, Liz Wanless and Sarah Tressel combined to score the Bobcats’ 13.20 points. Bates finished 17th of 27 teams.

Belanger, a senior captain from Milbridge, placed eighth in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 1 inch. Belanger is a 1998 graduate of Narraguagus High School in Harrington.

Tressel, a sophomore from Newtown, Pa., was seventh in the high jump, also with a jump of 5-1.

Puglisi, a junior from Scotia, N.Y., was third in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 38.01 seconds. She snapped a 10-year-old school record by 1.1 seconds.

Wanless, a sophomore from Belleville, Ill., placed fourth in the shot put with a best of 42-81/4.