St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Notre Dame To Close Regular Season
5/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2009
- Baseball Fans Can Watch Online Broadcasts Of The St. John's-Notre Dame Series This Week
- Game Notes (PDF)
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's will close out the 2009 regular season this week, hosting Notre Dame in a three-game BIG EAST series. St. John's (28-18, 15-9) is joined by USF, Louisville and West Virginia as the four teams that have already punched a ticket to the BIG EAST Tournament. Notre Dame (31-20, 13-11), Connecticut, Seton Hall, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are vying for the final four spots in the tournament.
The Red Storm will host the Fighting Irish at 6 p.m. on May 14 before celebrating Senior Day prior to a 6 p.m. first pitch on May 15. The series finale, at 1 p.m. on May 16, will air live on CBS College Sports Television with commentary from Tom Hart and Kevin Stocker.
Inside The Series With Notre Dame
St. John's and Notre Dame have met 34 times in an all-time series that began in 1996. The Red Storm trails in the series, 13-21. St. John's won two of three games at Notre Dame a year ago after the teams did not meet in 2007. The squads met five times in 2006, including a Fighting Irish win in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game. St. John's has three of the past five meetings.
Scouting The Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is 31-20 overall and 13-11 in BIG EAST play. After taking two of three games from USF last weekend, the Irish notched wins against Western Michigan and Illinois State in non-conference action. Notre Dame has won five of its past six games. A preseason All-BIG EAST selection, AJ Pollock leads the team in average (.355), runs (60), doubles (15) and stolen bases (19). Jeremy Barnes, another preseason All-BIG EAST choice, is batting .350 with team-bests in home runs (10), RBI (59) and triples (5).
STORMTRACKER
Thank You Seniors
Prior to first pitch on Friday, the Red Storm will hold Senior Day ceremonies to recognize the contributions of six seniors.
Rich Armento
Armento has posted a 1-4 record with seven saves and a 6.30 ERA in 62 appearances, including one start. In 80.0 innings of work, the righty has tallied 75 strikeouts. The reliever also ranks tied for fifth all-time with seven career saves.
Danny Benedetti
A junior college transfer out of Irvine Valley J.C., Benedetti was a second team All-BIG EAST selection in his first season with St. John's. The catcher has played in 87 games for St. John's, including 70 starts. Benedetti has a .337 career batting average with 18 doubles and 45 RBI. Defensively, Benedetti has thrown out 48.3 percent (28-of-58) of runners attempting to steal.
Carlos Del Rosario
Del Rosario was a third team All-BIG EAST selection a year ago after transferring from Indian River C.C. In 94 games, including 91 starts, Del Rosario has a .341 batting average, 30 doubles, six home runs and 75 RBI.
Nick Luisi
A team captain, Luisi is 8-5 in a Red Storm uniform with a 4.95 ERA in 36 appearances, including 15 starts. In 110.0 innings, the lefty has 69 strikeouts. Luisi sat out the 2008 season recovering from surgery, but returned to the hill this season and set career-highs in innings (49.1), appearances (15), starts (8) and strikeouts (29).
Gino Matias
A four-year member of the Red Storm, Matias has played in 187 career games, including 136 starts. A middle infielder, Matias has a .311 career batting average with 38 doubles and 83 RBI. The senior's 38 career doubles rank tied for ninth all-time, while his 18 doubles this season, rank tied for fifth in a single season.
Kevin Watkins
Watkins has made 61 appearances, including seven starts. The lefty has a .288 career average with two doubles, one home run, 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. The senior set career-highs this season in appearances (26), starts (6), runs (7), hits (11), doubles (2), and RBI (5).
Red Storm Breaks Doubles Record
With a Joe Panik double on May 8, the Red Storm recorded its 127th double, breaking the school-record for doubles in a single season in just the 44th game. The record, 126 set in 2007, was set in 60 games. St. John's finished the weekend with a total of 135 doubles. The Red Storm currently ranks second in the country, trailing only West Virginia, in doubles per game (2.93).
