St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Unanimously Picked to Repeat as BIG EAST Champs; Four Johnnies Earn Preseason Honors
12/18/2018 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
Red Storm picked to win its 10th BIG EAST title by a vote of the league’s coaches
Coming off the program's league-record ninth BIG EAST title this past spring, the St. John's baseball team has been unanimously predicted to repeat as champs in a poll of the conference's coaches, it was revealed this morning. Additionally, a league-high four Johnnies were selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Following a 2018 regular season that saw the Johnnies conclude BIG EAST play with a record of 15-3, the top finish in the conference since Louisville went 20-4 in 2013 en route to a College World Series berth, the Red Storm won three games at Prasco Park to claim its ninth tournament crown. No other active member of the conference has won the league more than three times.
With a victory over Morehead State at the NCAA Clemson Regional, the Red Storm reached the 40-win plateau for the 10th time in program history and the ninth time in the last 14 years under Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer. That regional berth marked the 37th NCAA appearance for St. John's, good enough for the eighth highest total in college baseball history.
Leading the list of individual honorees for St. John's is senior catcher Wyatt Mascarella, who earned unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The 2018 First Team All-BIG EAST pick came on strong in his first year with the program, finishing second on the team with a .340 batting average while also leading the club with a .535 slugging percentage. Mascarella especially excelled during BIG EAST play, hitting a team-best .382 against league opponents, good enough for the second-highest showing in the conference among players with at least 15 appearances. The backstop also left his mark during the NCAA Regional at Clemson, hitting .385 over the three-game stretch and launching two home runs against Morehead State in an elimination tilt.
Sean Mooney has earned his second-straight Preseason All-BIG EAST honor and enters his junior season with one of the most accomplished resumes in all of college baseball. Heading into the year with a career record of 19-5, the 2017 BIG EAST Pitcher and Freshman of the Year sports an ERA of 2.12 to go along with 192 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 195.0 innings of work. This past spring, the unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST selection tied the St. John's single-season wins record with 11 and became just the third hurler in Red Storm history to register that many victories in a campaign. Mooney, a two-time finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, garnered All-
American status from four different publications at the conclusion of the 2018 season, earning second team honors from Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings while finding a place on the Perfect Game All-America Third Team. Following his freshman year, he was named a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings in addition to earning a roster spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA also bestowed Mooney with the honor of National Freshman Pitcher of the Year after he went 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA in his debut campaign. D1Baseball ranked Mooney as the no. 146 draft-eligible prospect in college baseball entering the season.
The third Johnnie to find a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, Mike Antico broke through in the latter half of the 2018 season and quickly established himself as one of the top hitters in the league. Over the team's final 33 games, a stretch that saw the Johnnies go 26-7, Antico led the team with a .377 batting average. On the year, the Colts Neck, N.J., native slashed .308/.390/.504 while blasting five homers and driving in 21 runs. Arguably the conference's fastest base runner, Antico swiped 10 bags and was never caught stealing during BIG EAST play. Much like Mascarella, Antico also came on strong during NCAA play, smashing a pair of roundtrippers and earning a spot on the NCAA Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team.
Gavin Hollowell, a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2018, rounds out the Red Storm's group of preseason honorees. One of the nation's most intimidating relievers, the 6-foot-7 fireballer went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA last season, tallying five saves and limiting opponents to a batting average of just .138. Against league foes, Hollowell went 2-0 with four saves, allowing only one earned run in 13.1 innings of work. Hollowell turned in a 0.68 ERA and a .133 opponent batting average during BIG EAST play, striking out 14 and surrendering just one walk. D1Baseball ranked Hollowell as the no. 84 draft-eligible prospect in college baseball entering the season.
The Red Storm will kick off its BIG EAST title defense on Feb. 15, traveling to UCLA for a three-game set with the Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Johnnies are slated to open the home portion of their schedule with a three-game series against Big 12 foe Kansas beginning on March 15 at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
2019 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Co-Players of the Year – Conor Grammes, Xavier, Jr., DH; Will Robertson, Creighton, Jr., OF
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – Ricky DeVito, Seton Hall, Jr., RHP
Preseason All-BIG EAST *
^ Wyatt Mascarella, St. John's, Sr., C
Ryan Toohers, Villanova, Jr., 1B
Isaac Collins, Creighton, Jr., 2B
^ Chris Givin, Xavier, Jr., SS
Casey Dana, Seton Hall, So., 3B
^ Conor Grammes, Xavier, Jr., DH
Ryan Mantle, Creighton, Sr., OF
Will Robertson, Creighton, Jr., OF
Mike Antico, St. John's, Jr., OF
Allbry Major, Xavier, So., OF
^ Ryan Pepiot, Butler, Jr., RHP
^ Brent Killam, Georgetown, Jr., LHP
Sean Mooney, St. John's, Jr., RHP
^ Ricky DeVito, Seton Hall, Jr., RHP
Gavin Hollowell, St. John's, Jr., RHP (RP)
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. St. John's (6) – 36 points
T2. Creighton (1) – 25 pts.
T2. Seton Hall – 25 pts.
4. Xavier – 24 pts.
5. Butler – 17 pts.
6. Georgetown – 13 pts.
7. Villanova – 7 pts.
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there are four outfielders on the preseason all-conference team
Following a 2018 regular season that saw the Johnnies conclude BIG EAST play with a record of 15-3, the top finish in the conference since Louisville went 20-4 in 2013 en route to a College World Series berth, the Red Storm won three games at Prasco Park to claim its ninth tournament crown. No other active member of the conference has won the league more than three times.
With a victory over Morehead State at the NCAA Clemson Regional, the Red Storm reached the 40-win plateau for the 10th time in program history and the ninth time in the last 14 years under Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer. That regional berth marked the 37th NCAA appearance for St. John's, good enough for the eighth highest total in college baseball history.
Leading the list of individual honorees for St. John's is senior catcher Wyatt Mascarella, who earned unanimous selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The 2018 First Team All-BIG EAST pick came on strong in his first year with the program, finishing second on the team with a .340 batting average while also leading the club with a .535 slugging percentage. Mascarella especially excelled during BIG EAST play, hitting a team-best .382 against league opponents, good enough for the second-highest showing in the conference among players with at least 15 appearances. The backstop also left his mark during the NCAA Regional at Clemson, hitting .385 over the three-game stretch and launching two home runs against Morehead State in an elimination tilt.
Sean Mooney has earned his second-straight Preseason All-BIG EAST honor and enters his junior season with one of the most accomplished resumes in all of college baseball. Heading into the year with a career record of 19-5, the 2017 BIG EAST Pitcher and Freshman of the Year sports an ERA of 2.12 to go along with 192 strikeouts and just 44 walks in 195.0 innings of work. This past spring, the unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST selection tied the St. John's single-season wins record with 11 and became just the third hurler in Red Storm history to register that many victories in a campaign. Mooney, a two-time finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award, garnered All-
American status from four different publications at the conclusion of the 2018 season, earning second team honors from Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings while finding a place on the Perfect Game All-America Third Team. Following his freshman year, he was named a Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings in addition to earning a roster spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA also bestowed Mooney with the honor of National Freshman Pitcher of the Year after he went 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA in his debut campaign. D1Baseball ranked Mooney as the no. 146 draft-eligible prospect in college baseball entering the season.
The third Johnnie to find a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, Mike Antico broke through in the latter half of the 2018 season and quickly established himself as one of the top hitters in the league. Over the team's final 33 games, a stretch that saw the Johnnies go 26-7, Antico led the team with a .377 batting average. On the year, the Colts Neck, N.J., native slashed .308/.390/.504 while blasting five homers and driving in 21 runs. Arguably the conference's fastest base runner, Antico swiped 10 bags and was never caught stealing during BIG EAST play. Much like Mascarella, Antico also came on strong during NCAA play, smashing a pair of roundtrippers and earning a spot on the NCAA Clemson Regional All-Tournament Team.
Gavin Hollowell, a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2018, rounds out the Red Storm's group of preseason honorees. One of the nation's most intimidating relievers, the 6-foot-7 fireballer went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA last season, tallying five saves and limiting opponents to a batting average of just .138. Against league foes, Hollowell went 2-0 with four saves, allowing only one earned run in 13.1 innings of work. Hollowell turned in a 0.68 ERA and a .133 opponent batting average during BIG EAST play, striking out 14 and surrendering just one walk. D1Baseball ranked Hollowell as the no. 84 draft-eligible prospect in college baseball entering the season.
The Red Storm will kick off its BIG EAST title defense on Feb. 15, traveling to UCLA for a three-game set with the Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Johnnies are slated to open the home portion of their schedule with a three-game series against Big 12 foe Kansas beginning on March 15 at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
2019 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Co-Players of the Year – Conor Grammes, Xavier, Jr., DH; Will Robertson, Creighton, Jr., OF
Preseason Pitcher of the Year – Ricky DeVito, Seton Hall, Jr., RHP
Preseason All-BIG EAST *
^ Wyatt Mascarella, St. John's, Sr., C
Ryan Toohers, Villanova, Jr., 1B
Isaac Collins, Creighton, Jr., 2B
^ Chris Givin, Xavier, Jr., SS
Casey Dana, Seton Hall, So., 3B
^ Conor Grammes, Xavier, Jr., DH
Ryan Mantle, Creighton, Sr., OF
Will Robertson, Creighton, Jr., OF
Mike Antico, St. John's, Jr., OF
Allbry Major, Xavier, So., OF
^ Ryan Pepiot, Butler, Jr., RHP
^ Brent Killam, Georgetown, Jr., LHP
Sean Mooney, St. John's, Jr., RHP
^ Ricky DeVito, Seton Hall, Jr., RHP
Gavin Hollowell, St. John's, Jr., RHP (RP)
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. St. John's (6) – 36 points
T2. Creighton (1) – 25 pts.
T2. Seton Hall – 25 pts.
4. Xavier – 24 pts.
5. Butler – 17 pts.
6. Georgetown – 13 pts.
7. Villanova – 7 pts.
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there are four outfielders on the preseason all-conference team
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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