St. John's University Athletics
Rich Aurilia to Headline 2025 Bullpen Winter Banquet
10/28/2024 10:29:00 AM | Baseball
Longtime San Francisco Giants infielder and St. John’s Hall of Famer will be the event’s guest speaker at Giando on the Water in Brooklyn
QUEENS, N.Y. – Longtime San Francisco Giants' infielder and St. John's Hall of Famer Rich Aurilia will headline the St. John's baseball team's 18th annual Bullpen Winter Banquet on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Baseball alumni and supporters are invited to the Giando on the Water in Brooklyn.
Aurilia's rise to the Majors started in Queens after spending three seasons (1990-92) at St. John's. The former Johnnie burst onto the scene in his first season under fellow St. John's Hall of Famer Joe Russo, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honor in 1990. The former Johnnie produced a .303 batting average in his first go-around.
His impact continued to grow as Aurilia helped St. John's to a pair of BIG EAST Regular Season Championships in 1991 and 1992. As a sophomore, Aurilia bumped his numbers to .335 with 58 hits, 37 runs scored and 34 RBIs across 45 games played to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors. The following year, Aurilia marked his third straight season batting over .300 with a .323 mark at the dish.
Over his 15-year career in Major League Baseball, Aurilia spent 12 with the Giants while also competing for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.
A lifetime .277 hitter, Aurilia earned one All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger at shortstop, both coming during the Giants' 2001 campaign. Aurilia logged a career-high .324 batting average, 206 hits with 97 RBIs, 37 doubles and 37 home runs that season. The former Johnnie is one of 11 shortstops all-time to smack 37 dingers in a single season and remains the club record holder for the most by a Giants' shortstop in team history, 13 more than Brandon Crawford (2024) and Juan Uribe (2010) in second place with 24 apiece.
Fellow St. John's baseball alumnus and current in-game analyst for the Atlanta Braves CJ Nitkowski will also join the evening's festivities as the emcee. Aurilia and the highest draft pick in Red Storm history both made their MLB debut during the 1995 season and only faced each other one time in their outstanding careers.
A cocktail gathering for all attendees will take place at 6:30 p.m., with the evening's program to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
The night will also feature the recipients of the Jack Kaiser Advocate Award as well as the Howie Gershberg and Peter P. Smith Awards for the team's top pitcher and most valuable offensive player, respectively, from the 2024 campaign.
The 2005 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Johnnies' annual event. The Red Storm topped the program's leading marks up until that point for most runs scored (427), most doubles (118), most strikeouts (499), saves (19) and wins (41). Only strikeouts and saves remain atop the team's all-time leaderboard. The 2005 team also featured 13 players who signed professional contracts, including three Johnnies – Craig Hansen, Anthony Varvaro and Rob Delaney – to reach the Majors.
Early-bird individual tickets to the Bullpen Winter Banquet can be purchased for $300. St. John's GOLD alumni (graduates of the last decade) can secure their seats at the event for just $250. Attendees can also purchase a ticket to the Red Storm men's basketball game against Providence on Feb. 1, 2025, for an additional $40. Registration for the event is now open and can be found by clicking here.
Supporters can also enter a raffle to attend a reigning American League Champion New York Yankees game in a luxury suite at Yankee Stadium during the 2025 season. The raffle starts at $100 per ticket and the winning ticket will be drawn on Feb. 28. To purchase a raffle ticket, select the "Win the 'Perfect Suite' at Yankee Stadium" ticket type in the registration link to enter.
Sponsorship opportunities for the dinner are also available and can be found by clicking here. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities or other questions regarding the Bullpen Winter Banquet, contact Frank Shaffer at shafferf@stjohns.edu.
Aurilia's rise to the Majors started in Queens after spending three seasons (1990-92) at St. John's. The former Johnnie burst onto the scene in his first season under fellow St. John's Hall of Famer Joe Russo, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honor in 1990. The former Johnnie produced a .303 batting average in his first go-around.
His impact continued to grow as Aurilia helped St. John's to a pair of BIG EAST Regular Season Championships in 1991 and 1992. As a sophomore, Aurilia bumped his numbers to .335 with 58 hits, 37 runs scored and 34 RBIs across 45 games played to earn All-BIG EAST First Team honors. The following year, Aurilia marked his third straight season batting over .300 with a .323 mark at the dish.
Over his 15-year career in Major League Baseball, Aurilia spent 12 with the Giants while also competing for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.
A lifetime .277 hitter, Aurilia earned one All-Star selection and a Silver Slugger at shortstop, both coming during the Giants' 2001 campaign. Aurilia logged a career-high .324 batting average, 206 hits with 97 RBIs, 37 doubles and 37 home runs that season. The former Johnnie is one of 11 shortstops all-time to smack 37 dingers in a single season and remains the club record holder for the most by a Giants' shortstop in team history, 13 more than Brandon Crawford (2024) and Juan Uribe (2010) in second place with 24 apiece.
Fellow St. John's baseball alumnus and current in-game analyst for the Atlanta Braves CJ Nitkowski will also join the evening's festivities as the emcee. Aurilia and the highest draft pick in Red Storm history both made their MLB debut during the 1995 season and only faced each other one time in their outstanding careers.
A cocktail gathering for all attendees will take place at 6:30 p.m., with the evening's program to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.
The night will also feature the recipients of the Jack Kaiser Advocate Award as well as the Howie Gershberg and Peter P. Smith Awards for the team's top pitcher and most valuable offensive player, respectively, from the 2024 campaign.
The 2005 BIG EAST Regular Season Champions will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the Johnnies' annual event. The Red Storm topped the program's leading marks up until that point for most runs scored (427), most doubles (118), most strikeouts (499), saves (19) and wins (41). Only strikeouts and saves remain atop the team's all-time leaderboard. The 2005 team also featured 13 players who signed professional contracts, including three Johnnies – Craig Hansen, Anthony Varvaro and Rob Delaney – to reach the Majors.
Early-bird individual tickets to the Bullpen Winter Banquet can be purchased for $300. St. John's GOLD alumni (graduates of the last decade) can secure their seats at the event for just $250. Attendees can also purchase a ticket to the Red Storm men's basketball game against Providence on Feb. 1, 2025, for an additional $40. Registration for the event is now open and can be found by clicking here.
Supporters can also enter a raffle to attend a reigning American League Champion New York Yankees game in a luxury suite at Yankee Stadium during the 2025 season. The raffle starts at $100 per ticket and the winning ticket will be drawn on Feb. 28. To purchase a raffle ticket, select the "Win the 'Perfect Suite' at Yankee Stadium" ticket type in the registration link to enter.
Sponsorship opportunities for the dinner are also available and can be found by clicking here. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities or other questions regarding the Bullpen Winter Banquet, contact Frank Shaffer at shafferf@stjohns.edu.
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