St. John's University Athletics
Previewing The 2010 St. John's Baseball Team
2/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 16, 2010
QUEENS, N.Y. - After making its 10th-straight BIG EAST Tournament appearance, the St. John's baseball team will look to continue its run of success with head coach Ed Blankmeyer at the helm. In 14 seasons at St. John's, the four-time BIG EAST and ABCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year has brought the Red Storm to five NCAA Tournaments, including four in the past six seasons.
The Red Storm returns 17 letterwinners from a 2009 squad that set new school-records in batting average (.349), runs (473), RBI (440) and doubles (149), and finished the season 30-22 (16-11 BIG EAST). The 2010 squad also welcomes a recruiting class that was nationally-recognized by Baseball America and features four MLB draft picks.
"We are very excited about this year's recruiting class," said Blankmeyer. "We brought in some fine student-athletes and talented ball players that we believe will have an impact on the program."
The team will enter the 2010 season with the slogan "Get Back."
"Our objective this season is to get back to the top of the BIG EAST standings and return to the NCAA Tournament," added Blankmeyer.
The Red Storm was selected fourth in the annual BIG EAST Preseason Poll, while senior right fielder Jimmy Parque was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST squad.
Pitching
A deep pitching staff welcomes back nine arms that accounted for 383.2 innings pitched a year ago, a total that represented 83.0 percent of the innings pitched.
A pair of senior righties, Bruce Kern and Nick Cenatiempo, will lead the rotation. In his first season at the Division I level, Kern was 5-4 with one complete game, while leading the team in both innings (65.0) and strikeouts (57). Cenatiempo, the 2009 opening day starter, was 5-3 in 17 appearances, including seven starts.
Freshmen Matt Carasiti and Sean Hagan could quickly work their ways into the starting rotation. Selected by Texas in the 36th round, Carasiti was an All-American and the Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year as a high school senior. Hagan, meanwhile, was the Section 1 Player of the Year and a first team all-state honoree as a senior at Mamaroneck.
A quartet of sophomores will add depth to the starting rotation, while also solidifying the bullpen. Eddie Medina was 5-3 with a 3.81 ERA, while Brendan Lobban was 4-2 with 30 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. Kevin Kilpatrick posted a 3-2 record with two saves in his rookie campaign, while classmate Stephen Rivera was 2-3, with 27 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.
Senior Miguel Valcarcel, a versatile righty, can serve as a starter or work out of the bullpen. Valcarcel was 1-1 with one save in 2009 and had 21 strikeouts in 24.0 innings of work. Senior Steve Forster had 30 strikeouts in 34.1 innings a year ago in his first season at the Division I level.
Ryan Cole will open the season as the closer. The senior was 2-0 in 23 appearances a year ago and posted a 2-0 record to go along with five saves and a 3.49 ERA.
Freshman Kyle Hansen will start out in the bullpen, but could also have some opportunities to start. Hansen, the younger brother of St. John's alum and first round draft pick Craig, was drafted by Milwaukee in the 40th round and was a two-time first team all-state selection.
Hard-throwing junior Daniel Burawa sat out the 2009 season, but should make an impact this year. Junior Jose Rodriguez and freshmen Cameron Black, Anthony Cervone, Kevin Needham and Sterling Frand complete the staff.
Catcher
Redshirt junior Joe Witkowski will be the starting catcher after splitting time behind the dish in each of the past two seasons. Witkowski batted .357 with six doubles, four triples and a home run last year. In two seasons, the catcher has thrown out 28.6 percent (10-of-35) of potential base stealers.
Junior Josh Daniel earned second team all-conference honors as a sophomore at Feather River College and batted .280 with 54 RBI in two seasons with the Golden Eagles.
Freshmen Robert Case and Mike Lonsdale are also in the mix behind the plate.
Infield
Around the horn, St. John's is solid both in the field and at the plate. Junior Paul Karmas, a Freshman All-American in 2008, will man the first base bag. A two-time All-BIG EAST selection, Karmas batted .331 in 2009 with 16 doubles, a .500 slugging percentage and 31 RBI.
Sophomore Matt Wessinger improved steadily throughout the 2009 season, playing in 46 games and earning 36 starts. The athletic second baseman batted .347 with 15 doubles and 31 RBI.
A Freshman All-American in 2009, sophomore Joe Panik had an impressive season at shortstop. Panik started in 49 games as a rookie, batting .332 with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 47 RBI.
Junior Greg Hopkins is back at the hot corner after another solid season for the Red Storm. Named a Valley League Top-10 Prospect by Baseball America in the off-season, Hopkins batted .349 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 45 RBI and a .550 slugging percentage.
Freshmen Sean O'Hare and Pat Talbut both serve as utility infielders, while Needham could also see time at first base.
Outfield
A 2009 ABCA All-Region selection, Parque leads a talented group of outfielders. Parque, a two-time All-American at Skyline J.C., batted .360 with 17 doubles and 61 RBI in his first season at the Division I level and earned third team All-BIG EAST honors.
Junior Scott Ferrara will patrol center field, while freshman Jeremy Baltz will man left field. A speedy base runner, Ferrara appeared in 40 games a year ago and batted .298. Baltz, meanwhile, was a 45th round draft pick by the New York Yankees.
Selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 45th round, freshman Jimmy Brennan should see time in the outfield as well as at the designated hitter spot. Redshirt freshman Tim McCormick and freshman Kevin Grove round out a youthful outfield.
Schedule
A 55-game schedule that includes four opponents that qualified for the 2009 NCAA Tournament opens on Feb. 19 with a three-game set at New Orleans. St. John's will then play Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois as part of the second annual Big Ten-BIG EAST Challenge.
St. John's then embarks on a seven-game road trip that will feature a three-game set at East Tennessee State, one game at North Carolina and a three-game series at Liberty.
With 13 games in the books, the Red Storm returns to Queens for its home-opener on March 16 against Fairfield.
In BIG EAST play, St. John's will host Seton Hall, West Virginia, Georgetown and USF. The Red Storm will travel to play Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Louisville and Rutgers.
