St. John's University Athletics
Robbie Knightes Earns the BIG EAST Institutional Scholar-Athlete Award
2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
QUEENS, N.Y. -
After providing the late-game heroics in the Red Storm's win over No. 9 Coastal Carolina on Monday, senior third baseman Robbie Knightes has been honored for his standout efforts in the classroom as well, earning the BIG EAST's Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award, presented by Sunkist.
Knightes, a native of Schenectady, N.Y., was selected from a pool consisting of all male student-athletes competing in BIG EAST sponsored sports at St. John's. As a result, Knightes will receive a $2,000 scholarship that can be used toward either postgraduate or professional study.
A two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, Knightes was tabbed for the award by the Conference's Academic Affairs Committee. A management major, Knightes carries a cumulative 3.48 GPA.
Knightes' selection marks the second-straight year that the Red Storm's BIG EAST Institutional Male Scholar-Athlete Award has come from the baseball team, as Thomas Hackimer took home the accolade in 2016 en route to earning BIG EAST Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
As a freshman in 2014, Knightes was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team and found a spot on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America team after hitting .399 and slugging .457 in 46 games. The following season, Knightes climbed his way onto the All-BIG EAST First Team by helping lead the Red Storm to its conference-record eighth BIG EAST crown, hitting .321 in 48 games with 43 starts. After hitting .274 as a junior last season, Knightes has been on a tear to start his senior campaign, driving home five runs in first four games, including a go-ahead RBI double in the 10th inning of the Red Storm's 7-4 win over defending national champion Coastal Carolina on Monday.
Knightes and the Red Storm return to action on Friday afternoon, traveling to Lexington, S.C., for the Lexington County vs. Cancer Tournament. The Johnnies will kick off the weekend at 2 p.m., taking on Kansas State.
