St. John's University Athletics
Higgins, Murphy and Roche Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors
12/22/2021 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
Red Storm picked to finish fourth in preseason poll of the league’s coaches
QUEENS, N.Y. - Three Johnnies have been tabbed to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, it was announced on Wednesday morning by the league office.
Infielder Marty Higgins, a 2021 First Team All-BIG EAST pick, was unanimously selected while pitchers Ian Murphy and Tyler Roche also garnered preseason all-conference accolades.
Reigning BIG EAST Champion Connecticut was unanimously picked to finish first by a vote of the league's coaches followed Creighton, Xavier and St. John's, respectively. Seton Hall came in one vote behind the Johnnies in fifth while Butler, Georgetown and Villanova, respectively, rounded out the preseason poll. The top four teams in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll account for all of the conference's tournament championships since 2012.
Higgins enjoyed a breakout season as a redshirt freshman in 2021, earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team after hitting .333 with a .404 on-base percentage. The Nutley, N.J., native was especially effective in BIG EAST play, finishing sixth in conference with a .360 batting average. Higgins recorded six multi-hit efforts in BIG EAST play, including four games with three or more hits and a 4-for-4 effort against Seton Hall that included a game-winning knock in the 11th inning. For his efforts against the Pirates, Higgins was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on April 26.
Murphy returns to the Red Storm for a fourth season in 2022 after recording a solid campaign despite battling injuries this past spring. The right-hander from Swedesboro, N.J., made 10 appearances, nine of which were starts, compiling a 2-3 record with a 3.15 ERA. He fanned 45 batters walked 28 in 40.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .197 batting average. Murphy's best outing of the season came in a hard-luck loss to Xavier, as he allowed just one earned run and struck out 11 in 7.0 innings of work.
Roche enjoyed a stellar end to his freshman season, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and a .193 opponent batting average over his final five starts. The local product from the Bronx proved especially effect at Jack Kaiser Stadium, compiling a 1.57 ERA in seven home appearances with 28 strikeouts and 13 walks in 23.0 innings. The former Cardinal Hayes standout saved his best outing of the season for last, picking up the win and fanning eight batters in 6.0 innings of one-run work against Villanova to earn a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Led by their three preseason all-conference honorees, the Red Storm will look to return to the postseason after missing the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2003 this past spring. The Red Storm's 2021 schedule was drastically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a near-three-week pause stretching between March and April.
St. John's has won nine conference tournament titles dating back to 1985, more than double the next highest total of any current league member (UConn-4). The Johnnies have also taken home a league-record nine BIG EAST Regular Season Championships and appeared in 10 of the last 17 NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2004. The Red Storm's 37 NCAA appearances are tied for 10th all-time alongside USC and Oklahoma. Six of those NCAA berths have resulted in a trip to the College World Series.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Creighton (1) – 41
3. Xavier – 36
4. St. John's – 30
5. Seton Hall – 29
6. Butler – 16
7. Georgetown – 13
8. Villanova – 10
Preseason Player of the Year
Alan Roden, So., OF, Creighton
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Dylan Tebrake, Jr., RHP, Creighton
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
C – Jerry Huntzinger, Gr., Xavier
1B – Luke Franzoni, Sr., Xavier
2B – Andrew Meggs, Jr., Creighton
3B – Marty Higgins, RSo., St. John's *
SS – Jack Housinger, Sr., Xavier
DH – Alan Roden, So., Creighton
OF – Erik Stock, Sr., UConn *
OF – Will Gale, RSo., Seton Hall *
OF – Chris Rotondo, Sr., Villanova
OF – Andrew Walker, Sr., Xavier
SP – Austin Peterson, Sr., UConn
SP – Ian Murphy, RJr., St. John's
SP – Dylan Tebrake, Jr., Creighton
SP – Tyler Roche, So., St. John's
RP – Paul Bergstrom, Jr., Creighton
Infielder Marty Higgins, a 2021 First Team All-BIG EAST pick, was unanimously selected while pitchers Ian Murphy and Tyler Roche also garnered preseason all-conference accolades.
Reigning BIG EAST Champion Connecticut was unanimously picked to finish first by a vote of the league's coaches followed Creighton, Xavier and St. John's, respectively. Seton Hall came in one vote behind the Johnnies in fifth while Butler, Georgetown and Villanova, respectively, rounded out the preseason poll. The top four teams in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll account for all of the conference's tournament championships since 2012.
Higgins enjoyed a breakout season as a redshirt freshman in 2021, earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team after hitting .333 with a .404 on-base percentage. The Nutley, N.J., native was especially effective in BIG EAST play, finishing sixth in conference with a .360 batting average. Higgins recorded six multi-hit efforts in BIG EAST play, including four games with three or more hits and a 4-for-4 effort against Seton Hall that included a game-winning knock in the 11th inning. For his efforts against the Pirates, Higgins was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on April 26.
Murphy returns to the Red Storm for a fourth season in 2022 after recording a solid campaign despite battling injuries this past spring. The right-hander from Swedesboro, N.J., made 10 appearances, nine of which were starts, compiling a 2-3 record with a 3.15 ERA. He fanned 45 batters walked 28 in 40.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .197 batting average. Murphy's best outing of the season came in a hard-luck loss to Xavier, as he allowed just one earned run and struck out 11 in 7.0 innings of work.
Roche enjoyed a stellar end to his freshman season, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and a .193 opponent batting average over his final five starts. The local product from the Bronx proved especially effect at Jack Kaiser Stadium, compiling a 1.57 ERA in seven home appearances with 28 strikeouts and 13 walks in 23.0 innings. The former Cardinal Hayes standout saved his best outing of the season for last, picking up the win and fanning eight batters in 6.0 innings of one-run work against Villanova to earn a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Led by their three preseason all-conference honorees, the Red Storm will look to return to the postseason after missing the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2003 this past spring. The Red Storm's 2021 schedule was drastically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a near-three-week pause stretching between March and April.
St. John's has won nine conference tournament titles dating back to 1985, more than double the next highest total of any current league member (UConn-4). The Johnnies have also taken home a league-record nine BIG EAST Regular Season Championships and appeared in 10 of the last 17 NCAA Tournaments dating back to 2004. The Red Storm's 37 NCAA appearances are tied for 10th all-time alongside USC and Oklahoma. Six of those NCAA berths have resulted in a trip to the College World Series.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Creighton (1) – 41
3. Xavier – 36
4. St. John's – 30
5. Seton Hall – 29
6. Butler – 16
7. Georgetown – 13
8. Villanova – 10
Preseason Player of the Year
Alan Roden, So., OF, Creighton
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Dylan Tebrake, Jr., RHP, Creighton
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
C – Jerry Huntzinger, Gr., Xavier
1B – Luke Franzoni, Sr., Xavier
2B – Andrew Meggs, Jr., Creighton
3B – Marty Higgins, RSo., St. John's *
SS – Jack Housinger, Sr., Xavier
DH – Alan Roden, So., Creighton
OF – Erik Stock, Sr., UConn *
OF – Will Gale, RSo., Seton Hall *
OF – Chris Rotondo, Sr., Villanova
OF – Andrew Walker, Sr., Xavier
SP – Austin Peterson, Sr., UConn
SP – Ian Murphy, RJr., St. John's
SP – Dylan Tebrake, Jr., Creighton
SP – Tyler Roche, So., St. John's
RP – Paul Bergstrom, Jr., Creighton
Players Mentioned
St. John's Baseball Media Availability Tallahassee Regional 5.26.26
Tuesday, May 26
St. John's Baseball vs Butler Game 3 Highlights 5.16.2026
Saturday, May 16
St. John's Baseball vs Butler Game 2 Highlights 5.15.2026
Friday, May 15
St. John's Baseball vs Creighton Highlights 5.2.2026
Saturday, May 02