St. John's University Athletics
Friday, February 18
Wilmington, N.C. (Brooks Field)
3 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Middle Tennessee
St. John’s to Open the 2022 Season in Wilmington
2/17/2022 4:42:00 PM | Baseball
Red Storm will play four games in three days starting on Friday afternoon
UPDATE: Due to inclement weather, Friday afternoon's opener against MTSU has been moved to 2 p.m.
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 2022) – The St. John's baseball team will kick off its 2022 campaign on Friday afternoon in Wilmington, N.C., with the first of four games in three days. The Johnnies will face Middle Tennessee State at 2 p.m. on Friday before a split twin-bill on Saturday against MTSU at noon at UNC Wilmington at 4 p.m. The Red Storm will then close out opening weekend with an 11:30 a.m. first pitch on Sunday against the host Seahawks.
Live stats for all games will be available through StatBroadcast.com and the Red Storm's final two tilts of the weekend against UNCW will be streamed on FloSports.
Following a challenging 2021 campaign that saw the Red Storm manage to play just 40 games due to a number of adjustments and cancelations related to COVID-19, the Johnnies will look to return to their winning ways in 2022. Last season, St. John's went 19-21, marking just the third time since World War II that the Red Storm finished with a losing record. In 1951, the Red Storm went 9-10 under Frank McGuire, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who led North Carolina to the 1957 NCAA Championship. In 2013, the Red Storm went 23-35 a year after advancing to a Super Regional and having four players taken in the top six rounds of the MLB Draft. By 2015, the Red Storm returned to form, winning 41 games and claiming both the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament championships.
Despite seeing a conference-record streak of 16 consecutive BIG EAST Tournament appearances come to an end, the Red Storm still placed four players onto All-BIG EAST Teams at the conclusion of the season. Nick Mondak, Carson Bartels and Marty Higgins found spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team while Ethan Routzahn earned a nod to the all-conference second team. Three of those four honorees were lost to graduation. Mondak was selected in the 18th round by the Los Angeles Angels and Routzahn signed a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres.
The lone returning All-BIG EAST pick from last year, Higgins hit a team-best .333, including a .360 clip against BIG EAST opponents, as redshirt freshman in 2021. The Nutley, N.J., recorded six multi-hit games, including four outings with three or more base knocks. Higgins was one of three Johnnies selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team alongside Ian Murphy and Tyler Roche.
Murphy and Roche will bookend the opening weekend rotation, as Murphy will take the ball on Friday afternoon before Roche closes it out on Sunday. Sophomore Ben Adams and grad transfer Oliver McCarthy are scheduled to start Saturday's doubleheader. Last season, Murphy went 2-3 with a 3.15 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 40.0 innings of work. The redshirt junior closed 2021 strong, striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs over his final two appearances (8.1 IP). Roche also ended 2021 on a high note, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his final five starts. Over that stretch, Roche fanned 25 batters in 24.0 innings of work.
In addition to Higgins, two additional returning position players hit .270 or better in 2021. Chris Conniff impressed as a freshman last season, hitting .270 in 14 appearances, 11 of which were starts. The Southern California product reached base at a .372 clip and fielded .925, primarily at shortstop. Vincent Bianchi, a two-way talent who was drafted by the Angels out of high school, batted .270 in 28 appearances, most of which came in right field.
Middle Tennessee State finished 2021 at 24-29-1 and made an appearance in the Conference USA Tournament. Pitching proved the be the strength of the Blue Raiders, as they maintained a staff ERA of 4.19, good enough for second in the conference.
UNCW went 32-22 in 2021 after winning 11 of its first 14 to open the season. The Seahawks reached the CAA Tournament Championship before falling to Northeastern.
The Seahawks return their top three hitters from last season, including preseason CAA Co-Player of the Year Brooks Baldwin, who batted .325 with 15 homers in 2021.
The Johnnies and Seahawks have squared off eight times with UNCW holding a 5-3 advantage in the series, including a win in their last meeting during the opening weekend of the 2016 season.
Friday's season opener will be the first-ever meeting between St. John's and MTSU.
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 2022) – The St. John's baseball team will kick off its 2022 campaign on Friday afternoon in Wilmington, N.C., with the first of four games in three days. The Johnnies will face Middle Tennessee State at 2 p.m. on Friday before a split twin-bill on Saturday against MTSU at noon at UNC Wilmington at 4 p.m. The Red Storm will then close out opening weekend with an 11:30 a.m. first pitch on Sunday against the host Seahawks.
Live stats for all games will be available through StatBroadcast.com and the Red Storm's final two tilts of the weekend against UNCW will be streamed on FloSports.
Following a challenging 2021 campaign that saw the Red Storm manage to play just 40 games due to a number of adjustments and cancelations related to COVID-19, the Johnnies will look to return to their winning ways in 2022. Last season, St. John's went 19-21, marking just the third time since World War II that the Red Storm finished with a losing record. In 1951, the Red Storm went 9-10 under Frank McGuire, the Hall of Fame basketball coach who led North Carolina to the 1957 NCAA Championship. In 2013, the Red Storm went 23-35 a year after advancing to a Super Regional and having four players taken in the top six rounds of the MLB Draft. By 2015, the Red Storm returned to form, winning 41 games and claiming both the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament championships.
Despite seeing a conference-record streak of 16 consecutive BIG EAST Tournament appearances come to an end, the Red Storm still placed four players onto All-BIG EAST Teams at the conclusion of the season. Nick Mondak, Carson Bartels and Marty Higgins found spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team while Ethan Routzahn earned a nod to the all-conference second team. Three of those four honorees were lost to graduation. Mondak was selected in the 18th round by the Los Angeles Angels and Routzahn signed a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres.
The lone returning All-BIG EAST pick from last year, Higgins hit a team-best .333, including a .360 clip against BIG EAST opponents, as redshirt freshman in 2021. The Nutley, N.J., recorded six multi-hit games, including four outings with three or more base knocks. Higgins was one of three Johnnies selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team alongside Ian Murphy and Tyler Roche.
Murphy and Roche will bookend the opening weekend rotation, as Murphy will take the ball on Friday afternoon before Roche closes it out on Sunday. Sophomore Ben Adams and grad transfer Oliver McCarthy are scheduled to start Saturday's doubleheader. Last season, Murphy went 2-3 with a 3.15 ERA, striking out 45 batters in 40.0 innings of work. The redshirt junior closed 2021 strong, striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs over his final two appearances (8.1 IP). Roche also ended 2021 on a high note, going 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his final five starts. Over that stretch, Roche fanned 25 batters in 24.0 innings of work.
In addition to Higgins, two additional returning position players hit .270 or better in 2021. Chris Conniff impressed as a freshman last season, hitting .270 in 14 appearances, 11 of which were starts. The Southern California product reached base at a .372 clip and fielded .925, primarily at shortstop. Vincent Bianchi, a two-way talent who was drafted by the Angels out of high school, batted .270 in 28 appearances, most of which came in right field.
Middle Tennessee State finished 2021 at 24-29-1 and made an appearance in the Conference USA Tournament. Pitching proved the be the strength of the Blue Raiders, as they maintained a staff ERA of 4.19, good enough for second in the conference.
UNCW went 32-22 in 2021 after winning 11 of its first 14 to open the season. The Seahawks reached the CAA Tournament Championship before falling to Northeastern.
The Seahawks return their top three hitters from last season, including preseason CAA Co-Player of the Year Brooks Baldwin, who batted .325 with 15 homers in 2021.
The Johnnies and Seahawks have squared off eight times with UNCW holding a 5-3 advantage in the series, including a win in their last meeting during the opening weekend of the 2016 season.
Friday's season opener will be the first-ever meeting between St. John's and MTSU.
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