St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Selected Second In BIG EAST Preseason Poll
1/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 4, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - A season after winning a conference-record sixth BIG EAST Tournament crown, the St. John's baseball team has been picked second in the annual BIG EAST Preseason Poll. Sophomores Jeremy Baltz and Kyle Hansen were both named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Connecticut earned nine first place votes and totaled 117 points to grab the top spot in the poll. St. John's earned two first place votes to finish with 107 points and edge Louisville, which took third with 105 points and one first place vote. USF and Pittsburgh rounded out the top five.
One of five unanimous selections to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, Baltz has already garnered Preseason All-America accolades from both the NCBWA (first team) and Louisville Slugger (second team). A consensus All-American as a freshman, the reigning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year batted .396 with 24 home runs and 85 RBI in his first season with the Red Storm.
The 2010 BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Hansen has already earned third team Preseason All-America honors from Louisville Slugger. A third team All-BIG EAST selection as a freshman, the righty went 8-3 with a 3.71 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 94.2 innings of work.
The Red Storm returns 20 letterwinners from a 2010 squad that made the program's 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, reached the Charlottesville Regional title game, won a conference-record sixth BIG EAST Tournament crown and finished with a school-record 43 wins.
St. John's opens the 2011 season at the third annual BIG EAST-Big Ten Challenge. The Red Storm faces Minnesota, the defending Big Ten Tournament champions, to begin the season on Feb. 18.
