St. John's University Athletics
Friday, March 18
Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)
3 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Sacred Heart
St. John’s Set to Host Sacred Heart for Three-Game Series
3/17/2022 5:51:00 PM | Baseball
Red Storm and Pioneers will meet for the second time in as many seasons
QUEENS, N.Y. (March 17, 2022)- After narrowly falling to LIU on Tuesday, the St. John's baseball team will return to Jack Kaiser Stadium to take on Sacred Heart. Friday's opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. while the final two games of the series on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, will start at 1 p.m.
All three games will be live streamed on ESPN3. Live stats will be available for each game of the series on RedStormSports.com.
For the second straight weekend series, Ian Murphy and Dylan Johnson will take the hill for the Red Storm in games one and two, respectively. Sunday's starting pitcher is to-be-determined.
Last time out against Manhattan, Murphy struck out four Jaspers while allowing two runs in 5.0 innings in a no-decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The preseason All-BIG EAST selection lowered his ERA from 5.40 to 4.95 with another strong performance at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
In the second game of the twin-bill on Saturday, Johnson made his first collegiate start and punched out a career-high four batters while only allowing one run in 5.0 solid innings to give St. John's its second win of the season and first win at home. The freshman right-hander out of Selden, N.Y. now owns the lowest ERA on the squad among pitchers who have made more than one appearance at 3.63.
In his first game action since 2020, Brandon Backman gave the Johnnies a big lift in his first start as a Johnnie by tossing 3.0 scoreless innings while striking out three and giving up no walks against LIU on Tuesday.
At the plate, Virginia transfer Tate Ballestero continues to be a critical piece of the puzzle for the Red Storm. The redshirt sophomore paces the team in batting average (.346), on-base percentage (.435) and OPS (.916). Ballestero is also tied for the team lead in extra-base hits with five (three double and two triples). David Glancy joins Ballestero as the only position player to start in every game and is currently hitting .317 in his 16 starts in the outfield and as a designated hitter.
Two other Johnnies are hitting above the .300 mark, and their both freshmen. Rookies Luke Orbon and Jackson Tucker are currently batting .311 and .306, respectively. Orbon leads qualified hitters in slugging percentage (.511) while Tucker slugged his first career home run against LIU to add the St. John's total of six homers.
Sacred Heart enters this weekend's series with a record of 1-14. The Pioneers nearly captured their second win of the year on Wednesday against Rhode Island, but Sacred Heart fell to URI on a walk-off grand slam.
As a team, Sacred Heart is hitting at .212 clip while the pitching staff has a 7.78 ERA.
Sacred Heart's top hitter is graduate outfielder George Sutherland. The East Northport, N.Y., native is currently batting .292 with a double, two RBIs and four runs scored in 13 starts.
On the mound, right-hander Charlie Costello boasts a team-best 2.89 ERA. As a reliever, Costello has struck out seven while only allowing three earned runs in seven appearances.
St. John's and Sacred Heart have met 14 times with the Red Storm leading the all-time series, 12-2.
The Johnnies have taken the last four contests from the Pioneers by a combined margin of 47-9.
All three games will be live streamed on ESPN3. Live stats will be available for each game of the series on RedStormSports.com.
For the second straight weekend series, Ian Murphy and Dylan Johnson will take the hill for the Red Storm in games one and two, respectively. Sunday's starting pitcher is to-be-determined.
Last time out against Manhattan, Murphy struck out four Jaspers while allowing two runs in 5.0 innings in a no-decision in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. The preseason All-BIG EAST selection lowered his ERA from 5.40 to 4.95 with another strong performance at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
In the second game of the twin-bill on Saturday, Johnson made his first collegiate start and punched out a career-high four batters while only allowing one run in 5.0 solid innings to give St. John's its second win of the season and first win at home. The freshman right-hander out of Selden, N.Y. now owns the lowest ERA on the squad among pitchers who have made more than one appearance at 3.63.
In his first game action since 2020, Brandon Backman gave the Johnnies a big lift in his first start as a Johnnie by tossing 3.0 scoreless innings while striking out three and giving up no walks against LIU on Tuesday.
At the plate, Virginia transfer Tate Ballestero continues to be a critical piece of the puzzle for the Red Storm. The redshirt sophomore paces the team in batting average (.346), on-base percentage (.435) and OPS (.916). Ballestero is also tied for the team lead in extra-base hits with five (three double and two triples). David Glancy joins Ballestero as the only position player to start in every game and is currently hitting .317 in his 16 starts in the outfield and as a designated hitter.
Two other Johnnies are hitting above the .300 mark, and their both freshmen. Rookies Luke Orbon and Jackson Tucker are currently batting .311 and .306, respectively. Orbon leads qualified hitters in slugging percentage (.511) while Tucker slugged his first career home run against LIU to add the St. John's total of six homers.
Sacred Heart enters this weekend's series with a record of 1-14. The Pioneers nearly captured their second win of the year on Wednesday against Rhode Island, but Sacred Heart fell to URI on a walk-off grand slam.
As a team, Sacred Heart is hitting at .212 clip while the pitching staff has a 7.78 ERA.
Sacred Heart's top hitter is graduate outfielder George Sutherland. The East Northport, N.Y., native is currently batting .292 with a double, two RBIs and four runs scored in 13 starts.
On the mound, right-hander Charlie Costello boasts a team-best 2.89 ERA. As a reliever, Costello has struck out seven while only allowing three earned runs in seven appearances.
St. John's and Sacred Heart have met 14 times with the Red Storm leading the all-time series, 12-2.
The Johnnies have taken the last four contests from the Pioneers by a combined margin of 47-9.
Players Mentioned
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