St. John's University Athletics
CJ Nitkowski To Emcee Ninth Annual Baseball Bullpen Winter Banquet
1/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
QUEENS, N.Y. - Former St. John's standout and longtime Major Leaguer CJ Nitkowski has been announced as the emcee of the ninth annual St. John's Baseball Bullpen Winter Banquet. Featuring guest speaker and NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom as well as special guest and World Series champion Joe Panik, the annual fundraising event will be held on Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Edison Ballroom.
"It is nice to have one of our former players come back to emcee our Bullpen Winter Banquet," said St. John's head coach Ed Blankmeyer. "CJ was an outstanding college player. He also had a long career in the Major Leagues and is now flourishing in the broadcast world. We are excited to have him back and thank him for joining us on such a special evening for our program."
Since retiring from professional baseball, Nitkowski has embarked on a career in sports media. Nitkowski works as a studio analyst for both MLB Whiparound on FOX Sports 1 and the MLB on FOX pregame show, while also writing a column for the FOX Sports MLB microsite JustABitOutside.com. The former big leaguer also appears on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and CBS Sports Radio.
Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round (ninth overall) of the 1994 MLB Draft, Nitkowski made his big league debut on June 3, 1995 and went on to enjoy a 10-year career in the Major Leagues. The lefty worked a combined 479.0 innings in 336 appearances in stints with the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Washington Nationals.
Nitkowski earned both third team All-America and BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year honors in 1994 and collected first team All-BIG EAST honors in each of his two seasons with St. John's. The lefty combined to go 11-7 with two saves and a 2.17 ERA, while striking out 145 batters in 153.1 innings of work for his career. Nitkowski helped St. John's win the 1993 BIG EAST Tournament crown and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The event begins with a 6 p.m. cocktail hour prior to a 7 p.m. dinner and program. Both live and silent auctions will be held, providing the opportunity to bid on a variety of priceless items.
Tickets for the event are priced at $325 per person. G.O.L.D. (Graduates of the Last Decade) guests can purchase tickets at a reduced rate of $275 per person. To register and pay online, visit the event registration site. For more information or to RSVP, contact Paul Sclafani at sclafanp@stjohns.edu or 718-990-5539.
