St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Earns BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, Four All-BIG EAST Selections
5/21/2024 10:30:00 AM | Baseball
Head Coach Mike Hampton secures program’s 11 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honor
NEW YORK – St. John's Head Baseball Coach Mike Hampton and the coaching staff, as well as four St. John's student-athletes secured postseason recognition by the BIG EAST following the 2024 regular season, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. Jimmy Keenan, Mario Pesca and Garrett Scavelli earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors while reliever Louis Marinaro captured a second team nod, all of which earned postseason accolades for the first time.
Hampton joined St. John's Hall of Famers Ed Blankmeyer and Joe Russo to lead the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the 11th time in program history a Red Storm head coach has garnered the yearly honor. Hampton, who secured his first at the helm of the program, was also on staff for seven of Blankmeyer's BIG EAST leading eight coaching staff of the year awards. Assistant Coaches George Brown, John Valente and Nate Vigeant also helped guide the Johnnies to a second-place finish in league play while ranking among the nation's best in several statistical categories.
St. John's opened the 2024 campaign with its highest-ranked regular season victory in program history, knocking off 2023 National Runner-up No. 2 Florida, 9-5. Shortly after, the Johnnies rattled off its longest winning streak since 2015, tallying 13 consecutive wins from March 3 to March 22. The Red Storm logged 14 conference wins and 21 victories at Jack Kaiser Stadium, both the most in a season since 2018.
The Johnnies' pitching staff dominated all season, boasting a 4.17 ERA (13th in NCAA) with four shutouts (22nd). St. John's is one of 11 teams at the Division I level that has three pitchers with six or more wins this season - Xavier Kolhosser (8, 22nd in NCAA), Pesca (6), Marinaro (6). Of BIG EAST pitchers to toss at least seven innings this season, the Red Storm have four of the conference's top 10 hurlers in ERA. The Red Storm, who finished with a 34-16-1 record, sits 27th in the country with a .676 winning percentage.
St. John's also ranked among the country's best with 19 triples (17th) and 113 doubles (45th) while managing a .977 fielding percentage (38th) defensively.
Keenan becomes the first Johnnies' catcher to earn a first team selection since Wyatt Mascarella in 2019. The White Plains, N.Y., native saw his responsibilities increase as a sophomore and took full advantage as the team's starting catcher for 44 of his 50 appearances in 2024. Keenan slashed .330/.404/.586 overall, pacing the team with 63 hits, 49 RBIs, nine homers and 18 doubles. His two-baggers ranked third among BIG EAST players and his RBI total finished fifth. Keenan also led the team with 21 multi-hit games this season while managing 12 multi-RBI contests. He is one of two Johnnies this season to log four or more RBIs in multiple games, producing six against Iona (March 5) and four against Stony Brook (March 13).
The 6-foot-3 plate protector added a program-record 24 successful caught stealing attempts, surpassing the previous high mark of 20 set by Tyler Sanchez in 2014 and Joe Witkowski in 2010. Keenan has caught the most runners stealing by a BIG EAST catcher since 2014 when Xavier's Dan Rizzie logged 26 of his own.
Keenan paced the team with five weekly awards, securing four honor roll selections to go with one BIG EAST Player of the Week nod on March 18.
Much like his fellow classmate, Pesca took a giant leap from midweek starter as a freshman to a consistent weekend hurler for the Red Storm all season. Making 13 starts, the 6-foot-8 right-hander unloaded a 6-1 record with a 2.54 ERA, the latter ranking 14th in the nation at season's end. The sophomore also ranked third among league pitchers with 67.1 innings of work while striking out 48 batters.
Pesca emerged as one of the conference's top hurlers during conference play, going 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 35.1 innings of work. The Bronx native also secured one of the team's conference-leading five pitcher of the week honors on May 6. The righty allowed just two hits and struck out seven batters across a career-high seven innings of work to take down Creighton, 7-1, and seal the sweep.
The Johnnies' rubber match starter produced four quality starts this season, going at least six innings and surrendering one earned run or less in all four outings.
Scavelli, who transferred in from Molloy College after earning ECC Player of the Year honors last year, made an immediate impact for the Red Storm in 2024 campaign. His selection to an All-BIG EAST Team marks the second-straight season a Johnnie has jumped from NCAA Division II to Division I and landed on a postseason squad, joining 2023 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Aaron Mann.
The Franklin Square, N.Y., native finished the 2024 regular season with a .328/.416/.505 slash line with 37 runs scored and 33 RBIs. Scavelli also delivered five home runs and three triples, both ranking second on the team. He also logged 18 multi-hit games to go with 10 multi-RBI contests. Similar to Keenan, Scavelli also logged multiple games with at least four RBIs, producing four against both Rider (March 17) and UConn (April 13), the latter being a two-homer performance in Storrs. Scavelli also managed to reach base safely in 28 straight games, a stretch that spanned from March 10 through May 3.
The Red Storm left fielder shined in conference play, leading the team and ranked fourth in the BIG EAST among players to appear in all league games with a .341 batting average. The senior outfielder ranked top five in the conference with two triples (T-1st), 19 runs scored (T-3rd) and 47 total bases (4th) against league opponents.
Marinaro wrapped up the regular season as one of the most impressive relievers in the conference. Boasting a 6-2 overall record and a 2.44 ERA, Marinaro posted the fourth-lowest batting average against with the opposition hitting .150 against him. The southpaw also unloaded 54 strikeouts across 44.1 innings of work, both top marks among relievers in the league.
In BIG EAST play alone, Marinaro found himself ranked top five with a 1.35 ERA (5th) to go along with a .106 batting average against (3rd). Over his final six appearances of the regular season, the lefty allowed just one run on six hits with 19 strikeouts over 16.2 innings of relief.
The Croton on Hudson, N.Y., product secured a pair of weekly honor roll nods. Marinaro picked up his first weekly honor roll nod on March 18 after tossing 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in two appearances against LIU and Rider. The southpaw logged a win, struck out seven and surrendered no walks in his two appearances. Marinaro followed up two months later tossing a career-high four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the team's series opener versus the Hoyas. The 6-foot-1 sophomore allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out four batters.
Second-seeded St. John's will make its return to the 2024 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, presented by JEEP, on Wednesday, facing third-seeded Georgetown. First pitch from Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio is slated for 2:30 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Player of the Year
Christian Ficca, Georgetown, Sr., 1B
Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, UConn, Jr., SP
Freshman of the Year
Kade Lewis, Butler, Fr., 1B
Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John's, Mike Hampton
All-BIG EAST First Team ^
Carter Dorighi, Butler, Jr., SS *
Joey Urban, Butler, So., OF
Brady Afthim, UConn, Jr., RP
Luke Broadhurst, UConn, Gr., 3B
Ian Cooke, UConn, Jr., SP
Korey Morton, UConn, Sr., OF *
Everett Catlett, Georgetown, R-So., SP
Christian Ficca, Georgetown, Sr., 1B
Joe Hollerbach, Georgetown, Gr., DH
Jimmy Keenan, St. John's, So., C
Mario Pesca, St. John's, So., SP
Garrett Scavelli, St. John's, Sr., OF
Michael Gillen, Seton Hall, So., RP
Ryan Reich, Seton Hall, So., SP
Jared Cushing, Xavier, Gr., 2B
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Kade Lewis, Butler, Fr., 1B
Garrett Coe, UConn, Sr., SP
Maddix Dalena, UConn, So., 1B
Matt Garbowski, UConn, Jr., C
Bryan Padilla, UConn, Sr., 2B
Kyle Hess, Creighton, Jr., 2B
Nolan Clifford, Creighton, Sr., SS
Nolan Sailors, Creighton, Jr., OF
Cody Bowker, Georgetown, So., SP
Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown, Jr., C
Jake Hyde, Georgetown, Sr., OF
Louis Marinaro, St. John's, So., RP
Jackson Balzan, Seton Hall, Gr., RP
Connor Misch, Xavier, So., DH
*Unanimous Selection
^Additional member on the All-BIG EAST First Team due to ties
Hampton joined St. John's Hall of Famers Ed Blankmeyer and Joe Russo to lead the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the 11th time in program history a Red Storm head coach has garnered the yearly honor. Hampton, who secured his first at the helm of the program, was also on staff for seven of Blankmeyer's BIG EAST leading eight coaching staff of the year awards. Assistant Coaches George Brown, John Valente and Nate Vigeant also helped guide the Johnnies to a second-place finish in league play while ranking among the nation's best in several statistical categories.
St. John's opened the 2024 campaign with its highest-ranked regular season victory in program history, knocking off 2023 National Runner-up No. 2 Florida, 9-5. Shortly after, the Johnnies rattled off its longest winning streak since 2015, tallying 13 consecutive wins from March 3 to March 22. The Red Storm logged 14 conference wins and 21 victories at Jack Kaiser Stadium, both the most in a season since 2018.
The Johnnies' pitching staff dominated all season, boasting a 4.17 ERA (13th in NCAA) with four shutouts (22nd). St. John's is one of 11 teams at the Division I level that has three pitchers with six or more wins this season - Xavier Kolhosser (8, 22nd in NCAA), Pesca (6), Marinaro (6). Of BIG EAST pitchers to toss at least seven innings this season, the Red Storm have four of the conference's top 10 hurlers in ERA. The Red Storm, who finished with a 34-16-1 record, sits 27th in the country with a .676 winning percentage.
St. John's also ranked among the country's best with 19 triples (17th) and 113 doubles (45th) while managing a .977 fielding percentage (38th) defensively.
Keenan becomes the first Johnnies' catcher to earn a first team selection since Wyatt Mascarella in 2019. The White Plains, N.Y., native saw his responsibilities increase as a sophomore and took full advantage as the team's starting catcher for 44 of his 50 appearances in 2024. Keenan slashed .330/.404/.586 overall, pacing the team with 63 hits, 49 RBIs, nine homers and 18 doubles. His two-baggers ranked third among BIG EAST players and his RBI total finished fifth. Keenan also led the team with 21 multi-hit games this season while managing 12 multi-RBI contests. He is one of two Johnnies this season to log four or more RBIs in multiple games, producing six against Iona (March 5) and four against Stony Brook (March 13).
The 6-foot-3 plate protector added a program-record 24 successful caught stealing attempts, surpassing the previous high mark of 20 set by Tyler Sanchez in 2014 and Joe Witkowski in 2010. Keenan has caught the most runners stealing by a BIG EAST catcher since 2014 when Xavier's Dan Rizzie logged 26 of his own.
Keenan paced the team with five weekly awards, securing four honor roll selections to go with one BIG EAST Player of the Week nod on March 18.
Much like his fellow classmate, Pesca took a giant leap from midweek starter as a freshman to a consistent weekend hurler for the Red Storm all season. Making 13 starts, the 6-foot-8 right-hander unloaded a 6-1 record with a 2.54 ERA, the latter ranking 14th in the nation at season's end. The sophomore also ranked third among league pitchers with 67.1 innings of work while striking out 48 batters.
Pesca emerged as one of the conference's top hurlers during conference play, going 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 35.1 innings of work. The Bronx native also secured one of the team's conference-leading five pitcher of the week honors on May 6. The righty allowed just two hits and struck out seven batters across a career-high seven innings of work to take down Creighton, 7-1, and seal the sweep.
The Johnnies' rubber match starter produced four quality starts this season, going at least six innings and surrendering one earned run or less in all four outings.
Scavelli, who transferred in from Molloy College after earning ECC Player of the Year honors last year, made an immediate impact for the Red Storm in 2024 campaign. His selection to an All-BIG EAST Team marks the second-straight season a Johnnie has jumped from NCAA Division II to Division I and landed on a postseason squad, joining 2023 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Aaron Mann.
The Franklin Square, N.Y., native finished the 2024 regular season with a .328/.416/.505 slash line with 37 runs scored and 33 RBIs. Scavelli also delivered five home runs and three triples, both ranking second on the team. He also logged 18 multi-hit games to go with 10 multi-RBI contests. Similar to Keenan, Scavelli also logged multiple games with at least four RBIs, producing four against both Rider (March 17) and UConn (April 13), the latter being a two-homer performance in Storrs. Scavelli also managed to reach base safely in 28 straight games, a stretch that spanned from March 10 through May 3.
The Red Storm left fielder shined in conference play, leading the team and ranked fourth in the BIG EAST among players to appear in all league games with a .341 batting average. The senior outfielder ranked top five in the conference with two triples (T-1st), 19 runs scored (T-3rd) and 47 total bases (4th) against league opponents.
Marinaro wrapped up the regular season as one of the most impressive relievers in the conference. Boasting a 6-2 overall record and a 2.44 ERA, Marinaro posted the fourth-lowest batting average against with the opposition hitting .150 against him. The southpaw also unloaded 54 strikeouts across 44.1 innings of work, both top marks among relievers in the league.
In BIG EAST play alone, Marinaro found himself ranked top five with a 1.35 ERA (5th) to go along with a .106 batting average against (3rd). Over his final six appearances of the regular season, the lefty allowed just one run on six hits with 19 strikeouts over 16.2 innings of relief.
The Croton on Hudson, N.Y., product secured a pair of weekly honor roll nods. Marinaro picked up his first weekly honor roll nod on March 18 after tossing 5.2 innings of shutout baseball in two appearances against LIU and Rider. The southpaw logged a win, struck out seven and surrendered no walks in his two appearances. Marinaro followed up two months later tossing a career-high four scoreless innings out of the bullpen in the team's series opener versus the Hoyas. The 6-foot-1 sophomore allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out four batters.
Second-seeded St. John's will make its return to the 2024 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, presented by JEEP, on Wednesday, facing third-seeded Georgetown. First pitch from Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio is slated for 2:30 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
Player of the Year
Christian Ficca, Georgetown, Sr., 1B
Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, UConn, Jr., SP
Freshman of the Year
Kade Lewis, Butler, Fr., 1B
Coaching Staff of the Year
St. John's, Mike Hampton
All-BIG EAST First Team ^
Carter Dorighi, Butler, Jr., SS *
Joey Urban, Butler, So., OF
Brady Afthim, UConn, Jr., RP
Luke Broadhurst, UConn, Gr., 3B
Ian Cooke, UConn, Jr., SP
Korey Morton, UConn, Sr., OF *
Everett Catlett, Georgetown, R-So., SP
Christian Ficca, Georgetown, Sr., 1B
Joe Hollerbach, Georgetown, Gr., DH
Jimmy Keenan, St. John's, So., C
Mario Pesca, St. John's, So., SP
Garrett Scavelli, St. John's, Sr., OF
Michael Gillen, Seton Hall, So., RP
Ryan Reich, Seton Hall, So., SP
Jared Cushing, Xavier, Gr., 2B
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Kade Lewis, Butler, Fr., 1B
Garrett Coe, UConn, Sr., SP
Maddix Dalena, UConn, So., 1B
Matt Garbowski, UConn, Jr., C
Bryan Padilla, UConn, Sr., 2B
Kyle Hess, Creighton, Jr., 2B
Nolan Clifford, Creighton, Sr., SS
Nolan Sailors, Creighton, Jr., OF
Cody Bowker, Georgetown, So., SP
Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown, Jr., C
Jake Hyde, Georgetown, Sr., OF
Louis Marinaro, St. John's, So., RP
Jackson Balzan, Seton Hall, Gr., RP
Connor Misch, Xavier, So., DH
*Unanimous Selection
^Additional member on the All-BIG EAST First Team due to ties
Players Mentioned
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