St. John's University Athletics

Spring Break Gets Underway at Charlotte
2/27/2020 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
Red Storm will meet the 49ers for the first time beginning on Friday
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 27, 2020) – After a solid weekend out West, the St. John's baseball team will kick off its annual spring break trip with a three-game set against the Charlotte 49ers beginning on Friday afternoon. The team will then remain in the area for a midweek contest against Presbyterian before heading to UNLV for a three-game series with the Runnin' Rebels.Â
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St. John's travels down to the Queen City following a series win over the Golden Bears of California in Berkeley. The Johnnies, who won the first two games of the weekend, looked poised to sweep the set before Cal ended the Sunday finale with seven unanswered runs after the seventh inning stretch. The series victory was the first in program history for St. John's against a Pac-12 opponent and the second in as many seasons against a Power Five foe.
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The BIG EAST honored a pair of first year Johnnies for their efforts at Cal, as Jake Lazzaro was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week while Joe Joe Rodriguez claimed a spot on the conference's weekly honor roll. Lazzaro, a freshman shortstop from Oceanside, N.Y., leads the team and the conference while ranking 14th in the NCAA with a .526 batting average through the first two weeks of the season. Having appeared in the starting lineup five times, Lazzaro has collected three hits on three separate occasions, including a 3-for-4 effort with an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's series finale. Through games played on Wednesday, Lazzaro's .526 batting average is good enough for first among all Division I freshmen.
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Rodriguez earned his first victory as a Johnnie during the Red Storm's Saturday win over Cal. After walking the first two batters of the game and allowing one of those runs to come home in the bottom of the first, Rodriguez one-hit the Golden Bears over the next five innings of scoreless work. The Vineland, N.J., native is no stranger to the big moment, helping lead Cumberland Community College to a JUCO national championship in 2019. The right-hander was selected in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign with the organization.
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Another junior college transfer picked up his first win as a Johnnie last weekend, as Brandon Backman no-hit Cal over 2.1 innings of relief in the series opener on Friday. The Monroe CC product struck out four and allowed only one runner to reach base on balls. In his second year with the program after transferring from Northwest Florida State, Ethan Routzahn made two scoreless appearances and recorded his first St. John's save in the series-clinching win on Saturday.
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The Red Storm's other two weekend starters, Nick Mondak and Ian Murphy, enter the Charlotte series with sub-four ERAs. Both hurlers surrendered their first earned runs of the campaign in Berkeley after proving nearly untouchable on opening weekend. Mondak struck out seven and walked one in five innings during his season debut against Kennesaw State before Murphy fanned nine in five frames during the team's win over No. 19 Georgia Tech on Feb. 16.
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Charlotte will welcome the Red Storm on the heels of a 6-4 loss at UNCG during midweek action. The 49ers, who fell in an early four-run hole, left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth against the Spartans. Prior to that Tuesday falter against an in-state foe, Charlotte had swept a four-game series from UMBC.
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The 49ers enter the weekend hitting .273 as a team, led by freshman outfielder Dominic Pilolli at .514. The Youngstown, Ohio, native ranks third among Division I freshmen in batting average behind Lazzaro and Stetson's Brandon Hylton.
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On the mound, two of the 49ers' three projected weekend starters boast sub-two ERAs, led by Andrew Roach with a 0.90 mark in two starts. The Cowley College transfer also leads the team with 14 strikeouts in 10.0 innings of action.
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St. John's and Charlotte will meet for the first time in the history of the two programs on Friday afternoon. Â
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St. John's travels down to the Queen City following a series win over the Golden Bears of California in Berkeley. The Johnnies, who won the first two games of the weekend, looked poised to sweep the set before Cal ended the Sunday finale with seven unanswered runs after the seventh inning stretch. The series victory was the first in program history for St. John's against a Pac-12 opponent and the second in as many seasons against a Power Five foe.
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The BIG EAST honored a pair of first year Johnnies for their efforts at Cal, as Jake Lazzaro was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week while Joe Joe Rodriguez claimed a spot on the conference's weekly honor roll. Lazzaro, a freshman shortstop from Oceanside, N.Y., leads the team and the conference while ranking 14th in the NCAA with a .526 batting average through the first two weeks of the season. Having appeared in the starting lineup five times, Lazzaro has collected three hits on three separate occasions, including a 3-for-4 effort with an RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's series finale. Through games played on Wednesday, Lazzaro's .526 batting average is good enough for first among all Division I freshmen.
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Rodriguez earned his first victory as a Johnnie during the Red Storm's Saturday win over Cal. After walking the first two batters of the game and allowing one of those runs to come home in the bottom of the first, Rodriguez one-hit the Golden Bears over the next five innings of scoreless work. The Vineland, N.J., native is no stranger to the big moment, helping lead Cumberland Community College to a JUCO national championship in 2019. The right-hander was selected in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign with the organization.
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Another junior college transfer picked up his first win as a Johnnie last weekend, as Brandon Backman no-hit Cal over 2.1 innings of relief in the series opener on Friday. The Monroe CC product struck out four and allowed only one runner to reach base on balls. In his second year with the program after transferring from Northwest Florida State, Ethan Routzahn made two scoreless appearances and recorded his first St. John's save in the series-clinching win on Saturday.
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The Red Storm's other two weekend starters, Nick Mondak and Ian Murphy, enter the Charlotte series with sub-four ERAs. Both hurlers surrendered their first earned runs of the campaign in Berkeley after proving nearly untouchable on opening weekend. Mondak struck out seven and walked one in five innings during his season debut against Kennesaw State before Murphy fanned nine in five frames during the team's win over No. 19 Georgia Tech on Feb. 16.
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Charlotte will welcome the Red Storm on the heels of a 6-4 loss at UNCG during midweek action. The 49ers, who fell in an early four-run hole, left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth against the Spartans. Prior to that Tuesday falter against an in-state foe, Charlotte had swept a four-game series from UMBC.
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The 49ers enter the weekend hitting .273 as a team, led by freshman outfielder Dominic Pilolli at .514. The Youngstown, Ohio, native ranks third among Division I freshmen in batting average behind Lazzaro and Stetson's Brandon Hylton.
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On the mound, two of the 49ers' three projected weekend starters boast sub-two ERAs, led by Andrew Roach with a 0.90 mark in two starts. The Cowley College transfer also leads the team with 14 strikeouts in 10.0 innings of action.
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St. John's and Charlotte will meet for the first time in the history of the two programs on Friday afternoon. Â
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