St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Hosts 14th Annual Bullpen Winter Banquet
1/27/2020 5:01:00 PM | Baseball
Panel of Mets legends highlights annual fundraiser at the Edison Ballroom
QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 27, 2020) – The St. John's baseball program hosted its 14th annual Bullpen Winter Banquet on Friday night at the Edison Ballroom, raising funds and celebrating the program's winning legacy in advance of the 2020 season.
The evening contained several memorable moments, including a panel featuring four Mets legends in John Franco, Dwight "Doc" Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Tim Teufel. The discussion, which was moderated by emcee and television broadcasting titan Dave Sims, touched on a wide variety of subjects with the four former big leaguers, three of whom won a World Series with the Mets in 1986. All four honored guests also addressed the team prior to the start of the event, providing the current Johnnies with wisdom and insights from decades in the professional ranks.
Gallery: (1/27/2020) 2020 Bullpen Winter Banquet
In addition to Franco, several other St. John's big leaguers made appearances at the event, including Joe Panik, Craig Hansen and Frank Schwindel.
The attendees also paid tribute to longtime head coach Ed Blankmeyer, who left the University to take a position in the Mets organization earlier this month. Blankmeyer's son, Ty, who played at St. John's from 2013-16, offered remarks on his father's outstanding career with the rest of his family in attendance.
Mike Hampton, Blankmeyer's longtime assistant and the team's interim head coach, also addressed the crowd and gave a look into the team's prospects for the upcoming 2020 campaign.
The evening saw two awards presented to members of the 2019 Johnnies, as Joe LaSorsa took home the Howie Gershberg Award as the team's top pitcher and Mike Antico was bestowed with the Peter P. Smith Award as the squad's most valuable offensive player. Antico, who hit .386 in 2019, was recently named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year.
The Red Storm will kick off the 2020 campaign in just over two weeks, opening the spring slate with three games in the Atlanta area beginning on Feb. 14.
The evening contained several memorable moments, including a panel featuring four Mets legends in John Franco, Dwight "Doc" Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Tim Teufel. The discussion, which was moderated by emcee and television broadcasting titan Dave Sims, touched on a wide variety of subjects with the four former big leaguers, three of whom won a World Series with the Mets in 1986. All four honored guests also addressed the team prior to the start of the event, providing the current Johnnies with wisdom and insights from decades in the professional ranks.
In addition to Franco, several other St. John's big leaguers made appearances at the event, including Joe Panik, Craig Hansen and Frank Schwindel.
The attendees also paid tribute to longtime head coach Ed Blankmeyer, who left the University to take a position in the Mets organization earlier this month. Blankmeyer's son, Ty, who played at St. John's from 2013-16, offered remarks on his father's outstanding career with the rest of his family in attendance.
Mike Hampton, Blankmeyer's longtime assistant and the team's interim head coach, also addressed the crowd and gave a look into the team's prospects for the upcoming 2020 campaign.
The evening saw two awards presented to members of the 2019 Johnnies, as Joe LaSorsa took home the Howie Gershberg Award as the team's top pitcher and Mike Antico was bestowed with the Peter P. Smith Award as the squad's most valuable offensive player. Antico, who hit .386 in 2019, was recently named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year.
The Red Storm will kick off the 2020 campaign in just over two weeks, opening the spring slate with three games in the Atlanta area beginning on Feb. 14.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
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