St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Baseball Set To Host Wagner
4/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - After a three-game sweep of Rutgers in BIG EAST action, the St. John's baseball team will host Wagner on April 7 in midweek, non-conference play. St. John's (17-10) has won three-straight and four of five, while Wagner (11-10) is 2-3 in its last five contests. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. from Jack Kaiser Stadium.
Inside The Series With Wagner
St. John's and Wagner have met 59 times in a series that began in 1956. The Red Storm leads the series, 51-8, and has won 13 of the past 14 meetings and 23 of the past 25 dating back to 1982. It was the Seahawks, however, that prevailed when the teams met in 2008. The 5-4 win for Wagner snapped a 13-game losing streak in the series.
Scouting The Seahawks
Wagner is 11-10 on the year and is coming off a four-game split against Central Connecticut over the weekend. The Seahawks played Rutgers on March 31, dropping a 5-1 decision. Vin Avella powers the offense, leading the team in doubles (7), home runs (7) and RBI (22). Damien Csakai is 15-for-16 in stolen bases attempts, while Brian Martutartus adds 18 RBI. AJ Pirozzi is slated to start for Wagner. The righty is 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in four appearances, two starts. Andrew Huebner leads the charge out of the bullpen with a 2.35 ERA and three saves in eight appearances.
STORMTRACKER
Kemp Takes Home BIG EAST Player Of The Week Accolades
Junior Brian Kemp has been named the BIG EAST Baseball Player of the Week after helping lead St. John's to a 4-1 week that included a three-game sweep against Rutgers.
Kemp batted a team-best .636 (14-for-22) in five games, while also leading the team in both slugging percentage (.909) and on-base percentage (.667). In addition to scoring 12 runs, Kemp collected 10 RBI, nine of which came in the three-game set with Rutgers. In a double header with the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Kemp totaled eight RBI including a career-high five in the nightcap. Kemp also had the game-tying RBI in the bottom of the ninth in game one, which the Red Storm won 11-10 in 10 innings. In that first game, Kemp had an RBI in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings as St. John's rallied from an 8-3 deficit.
