St. John's University Athletics
Mickey Callaway Headlines 13th Annual Bullpen Winter Banquet
2/1/2019 12:10:00 PM | Baseball
Mets manager tops star-studded guest list at Edison Ballroom
With the start of the 2019 season just two weeks away, alumni, friends and supporters of the St. John's Baseball program gathered at Edison Ballroom on Wednesday night for the 13th Annual Bullpen Winter Banquet, celebrating the proud history of the Red Storm while also raising funds and generating interest in the upcoming campaign.
"What makes this event special is the people and more than anything else our alumni," said Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer. "They come back and support, they bond, so without our great baseball alumni it doesn't happen. On top of that we have outstanding support from our University."
Mickey Callaway served as the event's special guest this year, as the Mets manager shared his experiences and insights with more than 200 guests in Manhattan's Theater District.
"The event is such a family event; that's the first thing I felt when I walked into the room," said Callaway. "I got to go in there and talk to the players. Everybody's pulling in the same direction. When you do that you can do something special, so I'm looking for great things out of [St. John's] this year and it's just an honor to be part of this great event."
Callaway was far from the only guest in the room with a connection to the big leagues. Former St. John's great Joe Panik and former Mets manager Willie Randolph, a six-time MLB All-Star, presented the Peter P. Smith Award John Valente. The 21st round selection of the Detroit Tigers took home the team's offensive Most Valuable Player honor after hitting .360 in 2018 and becoming the first player in St. John's history to be named the BIG EAST Player of the Year.
St. John's legend John Franco and former major league pitching coach Rick Peterson presented Sean Mooney with the Howie Gershberg Award as the program's top pitcher for the second straight year. As a sophomore in 2018, Mooney tied the St. John's single season win record with 11 victories and became just the sixth hurler in the century-long history of the program to strike out more than 100 batters in a campaign.
CJ Nitkowski, the highest draft pick in St. John's history and an analyst for FOX Sports, once again emceed the event, which celebrated its 13th year in 2019.
St. John's will kick off the 2019 campaign two weeks from today, traveling to UCLA for a three-game set with the third-ranked Bruins.
"What makes this event special is the people and more than anything else our alumni," said Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer. "They come back and support, they bond, so without our great baseball alumni it doesn't happen. On top of that we have outstanding support from our University."
Mickey Callaway served as the event's special guest this year, as the Mets manager shared his experiences and insights with more than 200 guests in Manhattan's Theater District.
"The event is such a family event; that's the first thing I felt when I walked into the room," said Callaway. "I got to go in there and talk to the players. Everybody's pulling in the same direction. When you do that you can do something special, so I'm looking for great things out of [St. John's] this year and it's just an honor to be part of this great event."
Callaway was far from the only guest in the room with a connection to the big leagues. Former St. John's great Joe Panik and former Mets manager Willie Randolph, a six-time MLB All-Star, presented the Peter P. Smith Award John Valente. The 21st round selection of the Detroit Tigers took home the team's offensive Most Valuable Player honor after hitting .360 in 2018 and becoming the first player in St. John's history to be named the BIG EAST Player of the Year.
St. John's legend John Franco and former major league pitching coach Rick Peterson presented Sean Mooney with the Howie Gershberg Award as the program's top pitcher for the second straight year. As a sophomore in 2018, Mooney tied the St. John's single season win record with 11 victories and became just the sixth hurler in the century-long history of the program to strike out more than 100 batters in a campaign.
CJ Nitkowski, the highest draft pick in St. John's history and an analyst for FOX Sports, once again emceed the event, which celebrated its 13th year in 2019.
St. John's will kick off the 2019 campaign two weeks from today, traveling to UCLA for a three-game set with the third-ranked Bruins.
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