St. John's University Athletics
Serafinko and Jarrard Capture Major BIG EAST Awards; Five Johnnies Earn All-Conference Honors
5/6/2025 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Serafinko earned Pitcher of the Year, while Jarrard was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year
NEW YORK – After winning the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, five St. John's softball players garnered all-conference honors, including a pair of major awards, announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Ana Serafinko was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and tabbed to the conference's first team, while London Jarrard was selected BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year and to the second team. Fellow pitcher Loreley Francia joined Serafinko on the conference's first team, and Jess Bianco and Madison Konopka were tabbed second team selections. The five All-BIG EAST honorees signify the most for the program since the 2019 season, when it was represented by seven players.
Serafinko produced a record-breaking season for both St. John's and BIG EAST standards, setting the program's single-season record and ranking second in the country with 276 strikeouts and counting. Against BIG EAST competition, the left-hander racked up 153 punchouts to set a new conference record during the regular season.
Throughout conference play, Serafinko dominated, going 12-4 inside the circle with 10 complete games and a 2.59 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched to earn BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors four times. The left-hander led the conference by nearly 100 strikeouts and topped the BIG EAST in wins and innings pitched.
Serafinko becomes the third St. John's winner of the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year award, joining Tori Free (2015) and Madison Morris (2019). The Chino Hills, Calif., native's first team selection marks her second career all-conference honor after being tabbed to the BIG EAST Second Team last season.
Jarrard capped her stellar career in Queens by winning BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the award with Creighton's Ashten Pierson. The senior has started all 55 games for the Red Storm at shortstop and held a perfect fielding percentage in conference play, recording 22 putouts and 44 assists. Jarrard becomes just the second BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Gretchen Bowie, who was the inaugural award winner in 2018.
The three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week was also an offensive leader for the Johnnies, leading the squad with a .380 batting average, 27 hits, eight home runs and 23 RBIs against BIG EAST opponents to earn a second team selection. Jarrard finishes her career with three all-conference honors after a pair of nods to the first team in 2022 and 2024.
Francia earns her first career all-conference honor by being selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team following an impressive season on the rubber. The junior went 7-1 with a 2.46 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched against the conference to garner BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week four times throughout the year.
The right-hander ends the BIG EAST regular season tied for second in punchouts, while her ERA comes in at third. The Spring, Texas native's 187 total strikeouts rank 16th in NCAA DI, as Francia and Serafinko have helped lead the Red Storm to rank first nationally with 492 team strikeouts this season.
Bianco was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team for the second consecutive year. The center fielder was a catalyst for the St. John's offense all season, batting .316 with 20 runs scored, 24 hits, one triple, eight RBIs and six stolen bases in conference play. Bianco set the single-season program record for runs scored last weekend with 53 tallies and counting in 2025.
Konopka picked up an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection after starting all 55 games at third base, becoming the first Red Storm freshman since Jarrard in 2022 to win an all-conference honor. In BIG EAST play, the Medford, N.J., product hit .317 with 11 runs scored, 20 hits, four doubles, one home run and five RBIs. On March 17, Konopka earned St. John's first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor since 2023 after going 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, a home run and four RBIs.
The Red Storm will now turn its attention to the BIG EAST Championships, where it enters as the top seed. St. John's is set to square off with the winner of fourth-seeded Creighton and fifth-seeded Butler at noon on Thursday in Villanova, Pa.
The full list of all-conference selections can be found below:
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John's
BIG EAST Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Ashten Pierson, So., SS, Creighton & London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John's
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
All-BIG EAST First Team^
Sydney Carter, Sr., 2B, Butler
Cate Lehner, Jr., OF, Butler*
Kaitlyn Breslin, So., OF, UConn
Rosie Garcia, Sr., 3B, UConn*
Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn*
Payton Kinney, Gr., P, UConn
Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn
Sydney Potter, So.,1B, Creighton
Sydra Seville, Sr., OF, Creighton
Loreley Francia, Jr., P, St. John's
Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John's
Kat Gallant, Jr., P, Villanova
Maranda Runco, So., DP, Villanova
Kelsey White, Sr., UT/P, Villanova*
*Denotes a unanimous selection
^Denotes a tie in voting
All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Lexi Hastings, Sr., OF, UConn
Hope Jenkins, Jr., P, UConn
Kaelan Schultz, So., DP, Creighton
Lily West, Jr., C, Creighton
Baylee Cosgrove, Sr., 2B, DePaul
Victoria Grifone, Gr., P, Providence
Elisa Smith, Jr., OF, Providence
Jess Bianco, Jr., OF, St. John's
London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John's
Madison Konopka, Fr., 3B, St. John's
Kelsey Carr, Gr., DP, Seton Hall
Olivia Gilbert, Sr., 1B, Seton Hall
Caroline Hobbes, Jr., 2B, Seton Hall
Kyra Kreuscher, Jr., P, Seton Hall
^Denotes a tie in voting
Ana Serafinko was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and tabbed to the conference's first team, while London Jarrard was selected BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year and to the second team. Fellow pitcher Loreley Francia joined Serafinko on the conference's first team, and Jess Bianco and Madison Konopka were tabbed second team selections. The five All-BIG EAST honorees signify the most for the program since the 2019 season, when it was represented by seven players.
Serafinko produced a record-breaking season for both St. John's and BIG EAST standards, setting the program's single-season record and ranking second in the country with 276 strikeouts and counting. Against BIG EAST competition, the left-hander racked up 153 punchouts to set a new conference record during the regular season.
Throughout conference play, Serafinko dominated, going 12-4 inside the circle with 10 complete games and a 2.59 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched to earn BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week honors four times. The left-hander led the conference by nearly 100 strikeouts and topped the BIG EAST in wins and innings pitched.
Serafinko becomes the third St. John's winner of the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year award, joining Tori Free (2015) and Madison Morris (2019). The Chino Hills, Calif., native's first team selection marks her second career all-conference honor after being tabbed to the BIG EAST Second Team last season.
Jarrard capped her stellar career in Queens by winning BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the award with Creighton's Ashten Pierson. The senior has started all 55 games for the Red Storm at shortstop and held a perfect fielding percentage in conference play, recording 22 putouts and 44 assists. Jarrard becomes just the second BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Gretchen Bowie, who was the inaugural award winner in 2018.
The three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week was also an offensive leader for the Johnnies, leading the squad with a .380 batting average, 27 hits, eight home runs and 23 RBIs against BIG EAST opponents to earn a second team selection. Jarrard finishes her career with three all-conference honors after a pair of nods to the first team in 2022 and 2024.
Francia earns her first career all-conference honor by being selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team following an impressive season on the rubber. The junior went 7-1 with a 2.46 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched against the conference to garner BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week four times throughout the year.
The right-hander ends the BIG EAST regular season tied for second in punchouts, while her ERA comes in at third. The Spring, Texas native's 187 total strikeouts rank 16th in NCAA DI, as Francia and Serafinko have helped lead the Red Storm to rank first nationally with 492 team strikeouts this season.
Bianco was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team for the second consecutive year. The center fielder was a catalyst for the St. John's offense all season, batting .316 with 20 runs scored, 24 hits, one triple, eight RBIs and six stolen bases in conference play. Bianco set the single-season program record for runs scored last weekend with 53 tallies and counting in 2025.
Konopka picked up an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection after starting all 55 games at third base, becoming the first Red Storm freshman since Jarrard in 2022 to win an all-conference honor. In BIG EAST play, the Medford, N.J., product hit .317 with 11 runs scored, 20 hits, four doubles, one home run and five RBIs. On March 17, Konopka earned St. John's first BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honor since 2023 after going 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs scored, a home run and four RBIs.
The Red Storm will now turn its attention to the BIG EAST Championships, where it enters as the top seed. St. John's is set to square off with the winner of fourth-seeded Creighton and fifth-seeded Butler at noon on Thursday in Villanova, Pa.
The full list of all-conference selections can be found below:
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year: Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John's
BIG EAST Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Ashten Pierson, So., SS, Creighton & London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John's
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John's
All-BIG EAST First Team^
Sydney Carter, Sr., 2B, Butler
Cate Lehner, Jr., OF, Butler*
Kaitlyn Breslin, So., OF, UConn
Rosie Garcia, Sr., 3B, UConn*
Grace Jenkins, Jr., C, UConn*
Payton Kinney, Gr., P, UConn
Cat Petteys, Fr., SS, UConn
Sydney Potter, So.,1B, Creighton
Sydra Seville, Sr., OF, Creighton
Loreley Francia, Jr., P, St. John's
Ana Serafinko, Jr., P, St. John's
Kat Gallant, Jr., P, Villanova
Maranda Runco, So., DP, Villanova
Kelsey White, Sr., UT/P, Villanova*
*Denotes a unanimous selection
^Denotes a tie in voting
All-BIG EAST Second Team^
Lexi Hastings, Sr., OF, UConn
Hope Jenkins, Jr., P, UConn
Kaelan Schultz, So., DP, Creighton
Lily West, Jr., C, Creighton
Baylee Cosgrove, Sr., 2B, DePaul
Victoria Grifone, Gr., P, Providence
Elisa Smith, Jr., OF, Providence
Jess Bianco, Jr., OF, St. John's
London Jarrard, Sr., SS, St. John's
Madison Konopka, Fr., 3B, St. John's
Kelsey Carr, Gr., DP, Seton Hall
Olivia Gilbert, Sr., 1B, Seton Hall
Caroline Hobbes, Jr., 2B, Seton Hall
Kyra Kreuscher, Jr., P, Seton Hall
^Denotes a tie in voting
Players Mentioned
SS/OF
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UTIL
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MIF
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