St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Sees Two Grab BIG EAST Weekly Honors
2/24/2020 1:58:00 PM | Baseball
Lazzaro named Player of the Week, Rodriguez finds spot on Honor Roll
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 24, 2020) – After leading the Red Storm to its first-ever series victory against a Pac-12 foe, two Johnnies were recognized by the BIG EAST on Monday afternoon for their efforts. Jake Lazzaro was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week while Joe Joe Rodriguez earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Lazzaro, a freshman shortstop from Oceanside, N.Y., hit .400 and reached base at a .538 clip during a 2-1 series win for the Johnnies at Cal. In the series opener on Friday night, a 10-6 St. John's victory, Lazzaro went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. After walking twice and scoring a run during the series-clinching win on Saturday, Lazzaro led the way in the Sunday finale for St. John's, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.
On the season, Lazzaro has recorded three three-hit games in just five appearances in the starting lineup. Before Lazzaro, no St. John's freshman had managed three hits in a single game since Josh Shaw did so six times during his 2016 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year campaign. Since conference realignment in 2014, only one Johnnies freshman, Anthony Brocato in 2015, had registered a three-hit game in the month of February.
Through two weekends of play, Lazzaro leads the BIG EAST and ranks 21st nationally with a batting average of .526. His .609 on-base percentage also sits in the top 30 among all players in Division I.
Rodriguez registered his first win as a Johnnie on Saturday, overcoming a shaky start to shut down the Golden Bears and clinch a series victory for the Red Storm. After the first two batters of the game walked and stole bases to give Cal runners on second and third with no outs, Rodriguez worked three straight groundouts to limit Cal to one run. Over the next five innings, Rodriguez shut out the Golden Bears, scattering just one hit and three walks while striking out two.
Rodriguez came to St. John's from Cumberland Community College, where he led the Dukes to a national championship in 2019. The Vineland, N.J., native was selected in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign with the organization.
The Red Storm returns to action on Friday afternoon, kicking off its spring break trip with a three-game series at Charlotte.
Lazzaro, a freshman shortstop from Oceanside, N.Y., hit .400 and reached base at a .538 clip during a 2-1 series win for the Johnnies at Cal. In the series opener on Friday night, a 10-6 St. John's victory, Lazzaro went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. After walking twice and scoring a run during the series-clinching win on Saturday, Lazzaro led the way in the Sunday finale for St. John's, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.
On the season, Lazzaro has recorded three three-hit games in just five appearances in the starting lineup. Before Lazzaro, no St. John's freshman had managed three hits in a single game since Josh Shaw did so six times during his 2016 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year campaign. Since conference realignment in 2014, only one Johnnies freshman, Anthony Brocato in 2015, had registered a three-hit game in the month of February.
Through two weekends of play, Lazzaro leads the BIG EAST and ranks 21st nationally with a batting average of .526. His .609 on-base percentage also sits in the top 30 among all players in Division I.
Rodriguez registered his first win as a Johnnie on Saturday, overcoming a shaky start to shut down the Golden Bears and clinch a series victory for the Red Storm. After the first two batters of the game walked and stole bases to give Cal runners on second and third with no outs, Rodriguez worked three straight groundouts to limit Cal to one run. Over the next five innings, Rodriguez shut out the Golden Bears, scattering just one hit and three walks while striking out two.
Rodriguez came to St. John's from Cumberland Community College, where he led the Dukes to a national championship in 2019. The Vineland, N.J., native was selected in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign with the organization.
The Red Storm returns to action on Friday afternoon, kicking off its spring break trip with a three-game series at Charlotte.
Players Mentioned
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