St. John's University Athletics
Baseball Program Holds Annual Alumni Reunion
10/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 19, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's baseball program held its annual alumni reunion on Oct. 16. Though inclement weather cancelled the golf outing in the afternoon, 45 people attended the dinner reception at the Sly Fox Inn.
"It was disappointing that the weather didn't cooperate for the golf outing, but the reception made for a fantastic evening," said head coach Ed Blankmeyer. "It was great to see so many former players come out for the event."
At the reception Blankmeyer discussed the recent improvements to Jack Kaiser Stadium, including a new scoreboard and entranceway, before announcing that the next improvement project will be the team locker rooms. Blankmeyer also reminded those in attendance that Jack Kaiser will be receiving the inaugural Lapchick Leadership Appreciation Award in November. The award, presented by The Lapchick Foundation Committee, is in recognition of individuals who help drive the foundation's purpose forward.
Among the attendees were numerous alumni currently playing in the professional ranks, including Craig Hansen, Rob Delaney, Brendan Monaghan, Scott Barnes, George Brown, Colin Lynch, Brian Kemp and Tim Morris.
"It's great seeing so many of my past teammates," said Barnes, a member of the 2009 Eastern League Champion Akron Aeros (Class-AA). "This is the closest group of guys I've ever been around and the fact that we have guys here tonight from California says a lot about the impact that St. John's baseball has on its alumni."
The 2009 St. John's baseball team finished 30-22 (16-11 BIG EAST) and reached the BIG EAST Tournament for the sixth-consecutive season. A total of five players earned All-BIG EAST honors, while Kemp and Morris were both drafted in the 2009 MLB Draft. The squad was paced by a prolific offense that set new school-records in batting average (.349), runs scored (473), RBI (440) and doubles (149). The Red Storm also played in front of 22,397 fans in the first-ever game at Citi-Field, the new home of the New York Mets.
