St. John's University Athletics
Tuesday, April 2
Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)
3 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Saint Peter's
St. John’s to Host Saint Peter’s and Columbia in Midweek Action
4/1/2019 2:03:00 PM | Baseball
Red Storm has won nine of its last 10 entering Tuesday’s contest
Fresh off back-to-back road wins at Saint Louis and victorious in nine of its last 10 games overall, the St. John's baseball team will return to action at Jack Kaiser Stadium for a pair of midweek matchups beginning on Tuesday afternoon. The Johnnies will play host to Saint Peter's on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before welcoming Columbia to The Jack for a 3:30 p.m. outing on Wednesday.
The Red Storm (12-10) returned from its second California trip of the season on March 11 having lost nine of its first 12 games. Having played 10 of those contests in the Golden State, including six against national ranked foes, the Johnnies were hitting just .194 as a team and averaging only three runs per game upon touching down in New York. In the 10 games since, the Red Storm's offense has been suffering from no such deficiencies. Beginning with the team's midweek win against Iona on March 13, St. John's is hitting .312 over its last 10 games with eight of the team's nine everyday starters batting .300 or better. Ryan Hogan, the only member of that cohort under the .300 mark, is still hitting a stellar .281 over that stretch.
Leading the way for St. John's during its current 9-1 tear is junior outfielder Mike Antico, who is batting .448 over that stretch with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and six walks for an on-base percentage of .556. Junior shortstop Rudy Aguilar, a product of Ventura College in Southern California, is also hitting .400 with eight RBIs since the squad returned to the Northeast.
This past weekend in Saint Louis, the Red Storm saw a series shortened due to weather for the second time in as many weeks. The Johnnies scored enough the Sunday finale to make up for the missed game, registering season highs with 16 runs and 16 hits as the Red Storm improved to 7-0 in weekend contests since a sweep of Kansas from March 15-17. The Johnnies' pitching also proved dominant in The Show Me State, surrendering just two earned runs in 18 innings of work. Beginning with the Iona victory on March 13, St. John's has compiled a miniscule team ERA of 1.30. On the season, the Red Storm's team ERA of 3.48 ranks 41st in the nation. Tuesday's starter, Jeff Belge, currently sits 17th in Division I with 13.31 strikeouts per nine innings after fanning eight batters in each of his last three appearances. The 6-foot-5 southpaw is the first St. John's pitcher since Kyle Hansen in 2011 to punch out eight or more batters in three-straight outings.
The Red Storm has yet to drop a decision this season inside the friendly confines of Jack Kaiser Stadium, where the team has emerged victorious in all six of its home games. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, St. John's is 40-9 in outings contested on campus.
Saint Peter's enters the week looking for its first win of the season, having dropped 20-straight decisions heading into the team's series finale with Monmouth on Monday afternoon in Jersey City. The Hawks outscored the Peacocks by a combined total of 45-5 in a Saturday doubleheader.
Junior John Gavura leads the team with a .345 batting average while senior Peter Ferony paces the squad with 13 RBIs.
Saint Peter's carries a team ERA of 12.76 into the contest. Only four Peacock hurlers current have an ERA in the single digits.
St. John's and Saint Peter's have met 23 times in the history of the two programs with the Red Storm claiming victory in 22 of those contests. The Johnnies won 20-straight over the Peacocks from 1956-2015 before the lone loss in 2016. Last year, St. John's defeated Saint Peters, 14-2, in a weather-shortened, seven-inning affair.
Columbia will head to The Jack with a record of 8-12, including a 4-2 mark in Ivy League play. The defending conference champions have won six of their last eight, including a win over Miami in Coral Gables. Since beginning league play, the Lions have taken two of three from both Cornell and Dartmouth.
The Lions boast four .300 hitters in their lineup led by senior Chandler Bengston, who is batting .324 with five homers and 16 RBIs despite playing just 10 of the team's 20 games.
St. John's and Columbia share one of the more puzzlingly one-sided series histories in college baseball over the last decade. The two teams have played each other once a year for the last seven seasons, a stretch that has seen the Red Storm win three BIG EAST titles, advance to four NCAA Regionals and earn one berth in the super regionals. During that time, Columbia has won seven-straight over the Johnnies. The only team with a longer active winning streak against St. John's is Nebraska, which has won eight-straight dating back to 1993.
The Lions have also made four NCAA appearances since starting the winning streak in 2012.
The Red Storm (12-10) returned from its second California trip of the season on March 11 having lost nine of its first 12 games. Having played 10 of those contests in the Golden State, including six against national ranked foes, the Johnnies were hitting just .194 as a team and averaging only three runs per game upon touching down in New York. In the 10 games since, the Red Storm's offense has been suffering from no such deficiencies. Beginning with the team's midweek win against Iona on March 13, St. John's is hitting .312 over its last 10 games with eight of the team's nine everyday starters batting .300 or better. Ryan Hogan, the only member of that cohort under the .300 mark, is still hitting a stellar .281 over that stretch.
Leading the way for St. John's during its current 9-1 tear is junior outfielder Mike Antico, who is batting .448 over that stretch with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and six walks for an on-base percentage of .556. Junior shortstop Rudy Aguilar, a product of Ventura College in Southern California, is also hitting .400 with eight RBIs since the squad returned to the Northeast.
This past weekend in Saint Louis, the Red Storm saw a series shortened due to weather for the second time in as many weeks. The Johnnies scored enough the Sunday finale to make up for the missed game, registering season highs with 16 runs and 16 hits as the Red Storm improved to 7-0 in weekend contests since a sweep of Kansas from March 15-17. The Johnnies' pitching also proved dominant in The Show Me State, surrendering just two earned runs in 18 innings of work. Beginning with the Iona victory on March 13, St. John's has compiled a miniscule team ERA of 1.30. On the season, the Red Storm's team ERA of 3.48 ranks 41st in the nation. Tuesday's starter, Jeff Belge, currently sits 17th in Division I with 13.31 strikeouts per nine innings after fanning eight batters in each of his last three appearances. The 6-foot-5 southpaw is the first St. John's pitcher since Kyle Hansen in 2011 to punch out eight or more batters in three-straight outings.
The Red Storm has yet to drop a decision this season inside the friendly confines of Jack Kaiser Stadium, where the team has emerged victorious in all six of its home games. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, St. John's is 40-9 in outings contested on campus.
Saint Peter's enters the week looking for its first win of the season, having dropped 20-straight decisions heading into the team's series finale with Monmouth on Monday afternoon in Jersey City. The Hawks outscored the Peacocks by a combined total of 45-5 in a Saturday doubleheader.
Junior John Gavura leads the team with a .345 batting average while senior Peter Ferony paces the squad with 13 RBIs.
Saint Peter's carries a team ERA of 12.76 into the contest. Only four Peacock hurlers current have an ERA in the single digits.
St. John's and Saint Peter's have met 23 times in the history of the two programs with the Red Storm claiming victory in 22 of those contests. The Johnnies won 20-straight over the Peacocks from 1956-2015 before the lone loss in 2016. Last year, St. John's defeated Saint Peters, 14-2, in a weather-shortened, seven-inning affair.
Columbia will head to The Jack with a record of 8-12, including a 4-2 mark in Ivy League play. The defending conference champions have won six of their last eight, including a win over Miami in Coral Gables. Since beginning league play, the Lions have taken two of three from both Cornell and Dartmouth.
The Lions boast four .300 hitters in their lineup led by senior Chandler Bengston, who is batting .324 with five homers and 16 RBIs despite playing just 10 of the team's 20 games.
St. John's and Columbia share one of the more puzzlingly one-sided series histories in college baseball over the last decade. The two teams have played each other once a year for the last seven seasons, a stretch that has seen the Red Storm win three BIG EAST titles, advance to four NCAA Regionals and earn one berth in the super regionals. During that time, Columbia has won seven-straight over the Johnnies. The only team with a longer active winning streak against St. John's is Nebraska, which has won eight-straight dating back to 1993.
The Lions have also made four NCAA appearances since starting the winning streak in 2012.
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