St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, May 20
Mason, Ohio (Prasco Park)
2:30 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Creighton
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
Top-Seeded St. John’s to Open 2026 BIG EAST Tournament on Wednesday
5/19/2026 3:05:00 PM | Baseball
The Red Storm claimed its league-record 10th Regular Season Championship
MASON, Ohio – The top-seeded St. John's baseball team will prepare for the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship presented by JEEP at Prasco Park, beginning with its opening round game against fourth-seeded Creighton on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
The Red Storm captured a league-record 10th BIG EAST Regular Season Championship over the weekend, winning all seven conference series for the first time since 2018. The Johnnies finished league play with a 15-6 record, tying with fellow co-regular season champions UConn and Xavier. After starting the 2026 season with a 1-10 mark, St. John's engineered a remarkable turnaround, winning 29 of their last 43 games to conclude the regular season with 30 wins for the second time in the last three years.
Wednesday's contest and the entire tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ with Billy Hatcher and Anthony Mazzini on the call from Mason, Ohio. The four-team double elimination tournament will run from Wednesday to Saturday. The Johnnies, regardless of Wednesday's result, will play again on Thursday against either second-seeded UConn or third-seeded Xavier.
For the second time in the last three seasons, Mike Hampton and his staff were tabbed BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year on Tuesday morning. Additionally, seven players were named All-BIG EAST selections, the program's highest total since nine players were tabbed all-league honorees in 2018. Adam Agresti, Jon LeGrande and Liam O'Leary were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Jayder Raifstanger, Lewis Rodriguez, Shaun McMillan and Evan Hoeckele landed on the league's second team.
O'Leary, who will get the start tomorrow, anchored the pitching staff in his first season with the program, going 7-4 with a 3.03 ERA, three complete games and one shutout. Offensively, Agresti has blasted 17 home runs, which ranks second-most in a season in program history and LeGrande is batting .318 with 42 RBIs and a team-high 22 stolen bases.
St. John's will make its 31st all-time appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament, holding an overall record of 57-44 at the event. The Red Storm enters as the top-seed for the first time since 2018 and has qualified for 19 of the last 22 BIG EAST Tournaments. As the #1-seed, the Johnnies own a 9-11 BIG EAST Tournament record. The Red Storm's 10 BIG EAST Tournament titles are the most in league history, doubling the second-place schools in UConn and Notre Dame, which each have five. Hampton claimed his first conference tournament crown as the skipper two years ago in 2024 and won four conference crowns as a member of Ed Blankmeyer's staff in 2010, '12, '15 and '18. The winner of the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm is seeking its 39th NCAA appearance, ranking in the top 15 for the most NCAA Division I baseball berths in history.
The Red Storm and Bluejays will meet for the seventh time in the BIG EAST Tournament with the series deadlocked, 3-3. Creighton defeated St. John's, 10-8, in the opening round of last year's BIG EAST Tournament on May 21. In the regular season, St. John's won two out of three meetings with both victories coming by a margin of seven runs or more at Jack Kaiser Stadium on May 1-2. The Bluejays lead the all-time series, 26-17.
Creighton enters the BIG EAST Tournament with a 29-26 overall record and a 13-8 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays are seeking to defend their title after winning the BIG EAST Tournament in 2025. Creighton had four players make the All-BIG EAST Teams, including a trio Nate McHugh, Ben North, Isaac Wachsmann as first team honorees.
Prasco Park will host the BIG EAST Baseball Championship for the seventh time. Admission and concessions are free for all fans at the ballpark. For more information about the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, visit the Tournament Central.
Probable Starters
St. John's #33 RHP Liam O'Leary (7-4), Creighton #13 RHP Jack Pineau (7-2)
The Red Storm captured a league-record 10th BIG EAST Regular Season Championship over the weekend, winning all seven conference series for the first time since 2018. The Johnnies finished league play with a 15-6 record, tying with fellow co-regular season champions UConn and Xavier. After starting the 2026 season with a 1-10 mark, St. John's engineered a remarkable turnaround, winning 29 of their last 43 games to conclude the regular season with 30 wins for the second time in the last three years.
Wednesday's contest and the entire tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ with Billy Hatcher and Anthony Mazzini on the call from Mason, Ohio. The four-team double elimination tournament will run from Wednesday to Saturday. The Johnnies, regardless of Wednesday's result, will play again on Thursday against either second-seeded UConn or third-seeded Xavier.
For the second time in the last three seasons, Mike Hampton and his staff were tabbed BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year on Tuesday morning. Additionally, seven players were named All-BIG EAST selections, the program's highest total since nine players were tabbed all-league honorees in 2018. Adam Agresti, Jon LeGrande and Liam O'Leary were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST First Team, while Jayder Raifstanger, Lewis Rodriguez, Shaun McMillan and Evan Hoeckele landed on the league's second team.
O'Leary, who will get the start tomorrow, anchored the pitching staff in his first season with the program, going 7-4 with a 3.03 ERA, three complete games and one shutout. Offensively, Agresti has blasted 17 home runs, which ranks second-most in a season in program history and LeGrande is batting .318 with 42 RBIs and a team-high 22 stolen bases.
St. John's will make its 31st all-time appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament, holding an overall record of 57-44 at the event. The Red Storm enters as the top-seed for the first time since 2018 and has qualified for 19 of the last 22 BIG EAST Tournaments. As the #1-seed, the Johnnies own a 9-11 BIG EAST Tournament record. The Red Storm's 10 BIG EAST Tournament titles are the most in league history, doubling the second-place schools in UConn and Notre Dame, which each have five. Hampton claimed his first conference tournament crown as the skipper two years ago in 2024 and won four conference crowns as a member of Ed Blankmeyer's staff in 2010, '12, '15 and '18. The winner of the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm is seeking its 39th NCAA appearance, ranking in the top 15 for the most NCAA Division I baseball berths in history.
The Red Storm and Bluejays will meet for the seventh time in the BIG EAST Tournament with the series deadlocked, 3-3. Creighton defeated St. John's, 10-8, in the opening round of last year's BIG EAST Tournament on May 21. In the regular season, St. John's won two out of three meetings with both victories coming by a margin of seven runs or more at Jack Kaiser Stadium on May 1-2. The Bluejays lead the all-time series, 26-17.
Creighton enters the BIG EAST Tournament with a 29-26 overall record and a 13-8 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays are seeking to defend their title after winning the BIG EAST Tournament in 2025. Creighton had four players make the All-BIG EAST Teams, including a trio Nate McHugh, Ben North, Isaac Wachsmann as first team honorees.
Prasco Park will host the BIG EAST Baseball Championship for the seventh time. Admission and concessions are free for all fans at the ballpark. For more information about the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, visit the Tournament Central.
Probable Starters
St. John's #33 RHP Liam O'Leary (7-4), Creighton #13 RHP Jack Pineau (7-2)
Players Mentioned
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