St. John's University Athletics
Rick Porcello Highlights 11th Annual Bullpen Winter Banquet
1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's Baseball hosted its 11th Annual Bullpen Winter Banquet on Thursday night at Edison Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, a star-studded affair that featured some of the biggest names in New York baseball supporting the Red Storm program.
The evening began with a welcome from emcee CJ Nitkowski, the 1994 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year at St. John's who went on to have a 10-year career in the majors before starting an acclaimed career as a broadcaster for a variety of networks.
Nitkowski then introduced Associate Vice President for Athletics Kathy Meehan, who welcomed distinguished guests in the room before making a major announcement regarding Jack Kaiser Stadium, the home of St. John's Baseball. Meehan told the assembled crowd that "The Jack" would receive a significant upgrade this summer, as the athletic department will install a new synthetic surface, a renovation that will cost more than $1 million to complete.
Next up to the podium was Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer, who introduced a number of honored guests including former baseball coach and Athletic Director Emeritus Jack Kaiser, St. John's University President Conrado "Bobby" Gempesaw, Ph.D, a pair of 18-year major leaguers in Rick Cerone and former Mets manager Willie Randolph, former big league pitching coach Rick Peterson and former St. John's standout and MLB All-Star John Franco.
Some of the honored guests then took part in awarding the team's annual end-of-season trophies to two outstanding members of the 2016 squad, as Randolph and Cerone presented Michael Donadio with the Peter P. Smith Memorial Award as the team's offensive MVP before Peterson and Franco presented the Howie Gershberg Award as the team's top pitcher to Thomas Hackimer.
After dinner, former Red Storm star Anthony Varvaro was bestowed with the team's Alumni Achievement Award. Varvaro, a 2005 draft pick of the Seattle Mariners, recently completed a 10-year professional career, a tenure that included six years in the majors. Upon retiring from the game, the Staten Island native signed on with the Port Authority Police Department and graduated from the academy in December.
Following Varvaro's address, guests were treated to the evening's marquee event, a question and answer session between Nitkowski and 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello. Porcello, an eight-year MLB veteran and Garden State native, detailed his journey from highly-touted high school prospect at Seton Hall Prep to one of the big league's most talented hurlers. Prior to the event, Porcello and the evening's other honored guests held a private forum with the current Red Storm baseball squad, who had the pleasure of holding court with some of the game's most well-known and knowledgeable figures.
The St. John's baseball team will open its 2017 campaign in less than a month, traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for Caravelle Resort's Baseball at the Beach, a tournament that begins on Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. with a contest against Western Carolina.
