St. John's University Athletics
Coaches Association Honors Blankmeyer; Baseball to Host Reunion
1/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 11, 2005
Queens, NY - St. John's University Head Baseball Coach Ed Blankmeyer was honored last weekend by the American Baseball Coaches Association at its annual convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
Blankmeyer, entering his 10th year at the held of the Red Storm program, was one of 57 high school, junior college and college head coaches presented with the ABCA 25-Year Award at its Honors Luncheon on January 8 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. He was one of only eight Division I baseball coaches honored at the luncheon.
The Red Storm's head coach has been one of the most successful in program history, guiding the team to a 276-161-3 record in nine seasons at the helm, an average of more than 30 wins per season. He has a career BIG EAST record of 132-106, with finishes among the top three teams in the league four times.
Blankmeyer was named the BIG EAST's Coach of the Year in 1996, his first season at the helm. The team won the 1997 tournament championship and advanced to an NCAA Regional. In 1999, the team won 32 games and finished as the league's runner-up.
Last year, the Red Storm, picked to finish seventh in the league, posted a 37-23 overall record and a 17-9 league mark, finished second overall, advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament and were the only team from the Northeast selected as an at-large representative for the NCAA Tournament. He was named the ABCA's Northeast Regional Coach of the Year as a result of the team's season.
In other news from the ABCA Convention, former St. John's baseball coach and Athletic Director Emeritus Jack Kaiser was one of 35 members named to serve on the 2005 ABCA Board of Directors.
The 2005 baseball season starts on February 18, when the Red Storm - picked No. 31 in the Baseball America preseason poll - play Northwestern (LA) State.
The St. John's baseball team will also be hosting a reunion prior to the Red Storm men's basketball game against Rutgers on Tuesday, February 2 at Madison Square Garden. The reception will be held in the North Terrace of the Garden and will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., when the game tips off. There is a $30 cost per person for the reception, which includes a complimentary game ticket. Additional game tickets are $40 apiece. For more information, please call Anthony Fallacaro at (718) 990-2548 or Susan Abbott at (718) 990-7566.
