St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Iona To Open Five-Game Homestand
5/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 2, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - After getting swept in a three-game set at USF despite posting a 2.70 ERA, St. John's returns to Queens and opens a five-game homestand by hosting Iona in a 6 p.m. game on May 3.
Leading Off
- St. John's is 12-0 at home this season, including an 8-0 mark in BIG EAST games, and has won 15-straight contests at The Jack dating back to last year.
- As of the May 2 BIG EAST rankings, St. John's ranks fifth in batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.375), runs (248), and RBI (214), tied for fifth in both doubles (74) and home runs (22), and sixth in slugging percentage (.392) and opponent batting average (.265). The squad also leads the conference in fielding percentage (.973).
- Joe Panik, who currently leads the BIG EAST and ranks 18th nationally with a .521 on-base percentage, has reached base safely in 36-of-39 games this season.
- After becoming the all-time leader in doubles, Paul Karmas is now chasing the all-time record for RBI. The first baseman ranks second with 157 RBI in his career. The record, which has stood since 1989, is 181 (Robert Lambraia).
Inside The Series With Iona
- St. John's and Iona have met 54 times in a series that dates back to 1956.
- The Red Storm leads the all-time series 45-9, including a 27-2 record at home.
- St. John's has won 10-straight against the Gaels, including an 11-2 win on May 4, 2010.
Scouting The Gaels
- Iona is 15-26 on the season and is coming off a pair of wins against Saint Peter's in a three-game MAAC series.
- Chris Burke paces the offense, leading the team in average (.367), home runs (8) and RBI (36). James Beck has a team-best 21 doubles and also has 36 RBI to go with a six home runs.
- Nick Rossetti has five home runs and 32 RBI, while Joe Torres is 25-for-30 in stolen bases.
- The pitching staff has a 5.91 ERA and allows a .311 opponent batting average.
Karmas Breaks School-Record For Career Doubles
- With a ninth-inning double against Hofstra (April 27), Paul Karmas set a new school-record for career doubles with 62.
- The first baseman, who matched the school-record earlier in the game with a fifth-inning double, eclipsed the previous school-record of 61 set by Mike Dzurilla (1997-99).
- The first baseman had 17 doubles as a Freshman All-American and second team All-BIG EAST selection in 2008 before adding 16 as a sophomore and 14 as a junior.
Panik Blasts Two Home Runs As part Of Career-High Six-RBI Day
- Joe Panik went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two home runs en route to setting a new career-high with six RBI in a 23-10 win against Hofstra (April 27).
- The shortstop had previously registered five RBI on four occasions in his career, including once earlier this season against Wagner (April 6).
- The two home runs marked the first multi-home run contest for Panik since he launched also launched two against Boston College (May 18, 2010) as part of a five-RBI day.
Fourth Walk-off Win Helps St. John's Improve To 12-0 At Home
- St. John's improved to 12-0 at home this season as a two-run rally in the 10th inning gave the Red Storm a 5-4 win against Boston College (April 25).
- A season after posting six walk-off triumphs, the win against BC marked the fourth walk-off win of the season for the Red Storm.
- The first three batters reached base to open the 10th before a Sean O'Hare groundball tied the game, but was misplayed to allow the winning run to score.
Players Mentioned
St. John's Baseball NCAA Tallahassee Regional Game 3 Final Postgame Press Conference
Monday, June 01
St. John's Baseball Tallahassee Regional Championship vs Florida State Highlights 6.1.26
Monday, June 01
St. John's Baseball NCAA Tallahassee Regional Game 2 Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, May 31
St. John's Baseball NCAA Tallahassee Regional Game 1 Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 29