OLD ORCHARD BEACH – The Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide has announced the signing of St. Joseph’s College teammates Nick Whittaker and Nick Lops.

Whittaker will be joining the Tide for the second straight summer and is currently a junior at St. Joseph’s. The 6-foot-4 righthanded pitcher and Yarmouth native made 10 appearances and six starts for the Monks in 2012, going 6-1 with one save and a 2.41 earned run average. Whittaker struck out 36 batters in 41 innings, fanning a career-high 10 batters in 5 innings of work against Gordon College. Whittaker led his team to the NCAA Regional Tournament and suffered his only loss of the season to Western New England. Last summer for the Tide, he was a reliable option out of the bullpen pitching 31.1 innings in 24 appearances, striking out 23 batters with a 4.59 ERA.

Lops will also be signing with the Raging Tide and is currently a sophomore at St. Joseph’s College. Lops is from South Portland and last year, as a freshman for the Monks, was named GNAC Rookie of the Year, All-Conference: Second Team, NEIBA All-New England: Third Team, and GNAC Tournament MVP. His accolades were well deserved as Lops recorded a .389 batting average and a .437 on base percentage. Lops registered 28 RBIs, led the team in multi-hit games (17), and posted a 12-game hitting streak and the game-winning hit in the GNAC Championship victory over Suffolk. Lops played in 40 games, splitting time behind the plate and hitting in the DH spot for 16 games.

The Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide compete in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England. For more information visit www.thefuturesleague.com.

Opening Night for the Raging Tide begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6 at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach against the Seacoast Mavericks.

The Raging Tide is looking for host families for players this summer. If interested in being a host, contact Pam Gallo at pam@oobragingtide.com. Visit the Raging Tide website under the “HOST FAMILY” tab for more information at www.oobragingtide.com.

Lops and Whittaker