St. John's University Athletics
Thursday, May 14
Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)
3 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Butler
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
St. John’s Welcomes Butler for Final Regular Season Series
5/13/2026 3:15:00 PM | Baseball
Watch on ESPN+ (Game One)Watch on ESPN+ (Game Two)Watch on ESPN+ (Game Three)Live Stats (Game One)Live Stats (Game Two)Live Stats (Game Three)Game Notes (PDF)
The Red Storm enters the final weekend of conference play in a three-way tie for first place in the BIG EAST standings
QUEENS, N.Y. – In the midst of a race for the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, the St. John's baseball team will host Butler for its final regular season series of the 2026 campaign, beginning on Thursday.
The Johnnies will look to secure their 10th BIG EAST Regular Season crown with the series starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Jack Kaiser Stadium. Friday's contest will begin at 2 p.m. and first pitch in the series finale slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Heading into the final weekend, St. John's is in a three-way tie for first in the BIG EAST standings, knotted with UConn and Xavier at 13-5. The Red Storm holds the tiebreaker over both opponents in addition to fourth-place Creighton and can clinch at least a share of the regular-season crown and the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament with a sweep this weekend.
The St. John's baseball team will be giving away three different items per game to all fans throughout the weekend series. On Friday, all fans in attendance can enjoy free ice cream from Mister Softee. The first 100 fans at Saturday's game will receive a free bagel sandwich, courtesy of Utopia Bagels.
The Red Storm would like to welcome back all alumni, friends and family of the baseball program on Saturday for Alumni Day. Prior to first pitch, baseball alumni can join the team on the field for batting practice at 9 a.m., followed by a pre-game reception held in the Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium suite, starting at 9:45 a.m.
Following last weekend's series win over Villanova, St. John's (28-23, 13-5 BIG EAST) punched its ticket to the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament, for the 31st time in program history. Action from Prasco Park is set to take place from May 20-23 in Mason, Ohio. Head Coach Mike Hampton led the Johnnies to a BIG EAST Tournament Championship in 2024 and the Red Storm is seeking its first regular season crown since 2018.
The Red Storm has won all six of their BIG EAST series' with only Butler left to play. The Johnnies earned one sweep over Seton Hall to open conference play and have taken two out of three in the rest of their three-game sets against league foes. St. John's has dominated series openers, winning six straight and nine of their last 10 Friday contests and holds a 6-1 record on Saturdays during conference action.
In BIG EAST play, St. John's paces the conference in doubles (43), RBIs (128), and runs (139) while ranking second in batting average (.310), hits (196), walks (79) and stolen bases (26). The Red Storm has scored at least seven runs in 11 of its 18 league contests. Five everyday starters are batting .300 or better, led by Lewis Rodriguez, who is hitting .455 in conference action.
On Monday, St. John's collected multiple BIG EAST Weekly Honors for the sixth consecutive week, as Liam O'Leary was named pitcher of the week for the second time this season and Dylan Fitzsimmons earned his first Honor Roll nod. Their performances gave the Red Storm its sixth consecutive BIG EAST series victory, the program's longest streak in eight years.
O'Leary picked up his sixth BIG EAST win and his third outing going the distance last Friday, continuing his role as the team's reliable Friday starter. The junior owns a 2.69 ERA, second-best in the BIG EAST, and is one off 11 hurlers in NCAA Division I to log three or complete games this year.
The Souderton, Pa., native is tied for the conference lead with six wins in 13 starts, ranks first with a 1.09 WHIP and second, limiting opponents to just 2.17 walks per nine innings. He has recorded at least three or more strikeouts in nine of his 13 starts and has gone unbeaten in BIG EAST play with five wins in six outings.
Fitzsimmons had a breakout performance in the Villanova series, slashing .313/.353/.563, going 5-for-16, highlighted by his fourth home run of the year. The freshman recorded his first multi-hit games in league play in back-to-back contests at Villanova and batted in three for the first time since game two of the Seton Hall series on April 4 to help secure the series victory over the Wildcats.
St. John's and Butler (19-32, 8-10 BIG EAST) will meet for 36th time, in a series that dates back to 2014. The Red Storm holds a 27-7-1 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-3-1 mark in Queens. The Johnnies won the series last year and have taken seven of the last nine meetings against the Bulldogs.
Last weekend, Butler was swept by Xavier in a three-game series at Bulldog Park, falling 5-2 in the opener, 12-10 in game two and 9-2 in the finale. The Bulldogs currently sit fifth in the BIG EAST standings and has been eliminated from postseason contention. Butler ranks second in the conference with 61 home runs this season, averaging 1.20 per game, while also turning in the league's second-most double plays with 40.
Following the weekend series, St. John's will travel to Mason, Ohio, for the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP, starting on May 20, at Prasco Park.
Probable Starters
Friday: St. John's #33 RHP Liam O'Leary (7-3), Butler #30 RHP Grayson Bradberry (4-4)
Saturday: St. John's #18 LHP Evan Chaffee (4-4), Butler #35 RHP Max Winders (4-3)
Sunday: St. John's TBD, Butler TBD
The Johnnies will look to secure their 10th BIG EAST Regular Season crown with the series starting at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Jack Kaiser Stadium. Friday's contest will begin at 2 p.m. and first pitch in the series finale slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Heading into the final weekend, St. John's is in a three-way tie for first in the BIG EAST standings, knotted with UConn and Xavier at 13-5. The Red Storm holds the tiebreaker over both opponents in addition to fourth-place Creighton and can clinch at least a share of the regular-season crown and the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament with a sweep this weekend.
The St. John's baseball team will be giving away three different items per game to all fans throughout the weekend series. On Friday, all fans in attendance can enjoy free ice cream from Mister Softee. The first 100 fans at Saturday's game will receive a free bagel sandwich, courtesy of Utopia Bagels.
The Red Storm would like to welcome back all alumni, friends and family of the baseball program on Saturday for Alumni Day. Prior to first pitch, baseball alumni can join the team on the field for batting practice at 9 a.m., followed by a pre-game reception held in the Cox Family Field at Belson Stadium suite, starting at 9:45 a.m.
Following last weekend's series win over Villanova, St. John's (28-23, 13-5 BIG EAST) punched its ticket to the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament, for the 31st time in program history. Action from Prasco Park is set to take place from May 20-23 in Mason, Ohio. Head Coach Mike Hampton led the Johnnies to a BIG EAST Tournament Championship in 2024 and the Red Storm is seeking its first regular season crown since 2018.
The Red Storm has won all six of their BIG EAST series' with only Butler left to play. The Johnnies earned one sweep over Seton Hall to open conference play and have taken two out of three in the rest of their three-game sets against league foes. St. John's has dominated series openers, winning six straight and nine of their last 10 Friday contests and holds a 6-1 record on Saturdays during conference action.
In BIG EAST play, St. John's paces the conference in doubles (43), RBIs (128), and runs (139) while ranking second in batting average (.310), hits (196), walks (79) and stolen bases (26). The Red Storm has scored at least seven runs in 11 of its 18 league contests. Five everyday starters are batting .300 or better, led by Lewis Rodriguez, who is hitting .455 in conference action.
On Monday, St. John's collected multiple BIG EAST Weekly Honors for the sixth consecutive week, as Liam O'Leary was named pitcher of the week for the second time this season and Dylan Fitzsimmons earned his first Honor Roll nod. Their performances gave the Red Storm its sixth consecutive BIG EAST series victory, the program's longest streak in eight years.
O'Leary picked up his sixth BIG EAST win and his third outing going the distance last Friday, continuing his role as the team's reliable Friday starter. The junior owns a 2.69 ERA, second-best in the BIG EAST, and is one off 11 hurlers in NCAA Division I to log three or complete games this year.
The Souderton, Pa., native is tied for the conference lead with six wins in 13 starts, ranks first with a 1.09 WHIP and second, limiting opponents to just 2.17 walks per nine innings. He has recorded at least three or more strikeouts in nine of his 13 starts and has gone unbeaten in BIG EAST play with five wins in six outings.
Fitzsimmons had a breakout performance in the Villanova series, slashing .313/.353/.563, going 5-for-16, highlighted by his fourth home run of the year. The freshman recorded his first multi-hit games in league play in back-to-back contests at Villanova and batted in three for the first time since game two of the Seton Hall series on April 4 to help secure the series victory over the Wildcats.
St. John's and Butler (19-32, 8-10 BIG EAST) will meet for 36th time, in a series that dates back to 2014. The Red Storm holds a 27-7-1 advantage in the all-time series, including an 11-3-1 mark in Queens. The Johnnies won the series last year and have taken seven of the last nine meetings against the Bulldogs.
Last weekend, Butler was swept by Xavier in a three-game series at Bulldog Park, falling 5-2 in the opener, 12-10 in game two and 9-2 in the finale. The Bulldogs currently sit fifth in the BIG EAST standings and has been eliminated from postseason contention. Butler ranks second in the conference with 61 home runs this season, averaging 1.20 per game, while also turning in the league's second-most double plays with 40.
Following the weekend series, St. John's will travel to Mason, Ohio, for the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP, starting on May 20, at Prasco Park.
Probable Starters
Friday: St. John's #33 RHP Liam O'Leary (7-3), Butler #30 RHP Grayson Bradberry (4-4)
Saturday: St. John's #18 LHP Evan Chaffee (4-4), Butler #35 RHP Max Winders (4-3)
Sunday: St. John's TBD, Butler TBD
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
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