St. John's University Athletics
Friday, May 22
Mason, Ohio (Prasco Park)
9:00 a.m.
St. John's University
vs
Xavier
Photo by: D'Andra Seymore / BIG EAST
Top-Seeded St. John’s to Take on Third-Seeded Xavier in Winners’ Bracket on Friday
5/21/2026 10:00:00 PM | Baseball
The Red Storm knocked off Creighton, 4-2, on Thursday afternoon
MASON, Ohio – The top-seeded St. John's baseball team will take on third-seeded Xavier in the semifinals of the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship, presented by JEEP, at Prasco Park on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Friday's contest and the remainder of the double-elimination tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ with Billy Hatcher and Anthony Mazzini on the call from Mason, Ohio. The winner of tomorrow's semifinal matchup will advance to the championship on Saturday, while the loser will face either second-seeded UConn or fourth-seeded Creighton in an elimination game on Friday.
The top-seeded Red Storm opened the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament with a 4-2 victory over fourth-seeded Creighton on Thursday afternoon, advancing to the winners' bracket for the fourth time in its last five tournament appearances. After falling behind 1-0 in the third inning, the Red Storm responded with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Dylan Fitzsimmons that gave St. John's the lead for good. Fitzsimmons and Jayder Raifstanger each recorded two hits while Jon LeGrande scored twice and stole a base. Liam O'Leary delivered a dominant outing in his BIG EAST postseason debut, allowing just two runs over 8.0 innings while striking out six on a season-high 137 pitches. With the performance, the unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection is one of just five pitchers in St. John's history, and the first since Sean Mooney in 2017, to throw 100 or more innings in a single season. Raifstanger added an RBI single in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 4-1 before Victor Frederick shut the door in the ninth with two strikeouts to secure his fifth save of the season.
Evan Chaffee will take the mound for St. John's on Friday morning. The senior southpaw is 5-4 on the season with a 4.29 ERA in 14 appearances, all of which have been starts. In BIG EAST play, the Hamburg, N.Y., native went 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Against league opponents, he struck out a team-high 41 batters and surrendered only 13 walks in 36.0 innings of work.
The Red Storm and Xavier will meet for the eighth time in the BIG EAST Tournament with the Musketeers holding a 5-2 advantage in postseason play. Last time the two teams met in the conference tournament, the Red Storm took down the Musketeers, 9-7, on their way to the program's 10th league title. This season, St. John's won two out of three meetings on the road in Cincinnati late last month. The Red Storm holds a slight 24-19 advantage over the Musketeers in the all-time series.
On Thursday afternoon, a four-run sixth inning powered third-seeded Xavier past the second-seeded UConn, 5-1, to secure a spot in Friday morning's contest again fellow unbeaten, St. John's. The Musketeers, who shared the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship with St. John's and UConn, improved to 28-28 on the season against one of the nation's toughest schedules.
Prasco Park is hosting 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 #18 LHP Evan Chaffee (5-4), Xavier #30 LHP Ashton Chronister (3-2)
Friday's contest and the remainder of the double-elimination tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ with Billy Hatcher and Anthony Mazzini on the call from Mason, Ohio. The winner of tomorrow's semifinal matchup will advance to the championship on Saturday, while the loser will face either second-seeded UConn or fourth-seeded Creighton in an elimination game on Friday.
The top-seeded Red Storm opened the 2026 BIG EAST Tournament with a 4-2 victory over fourth-seeded Creighton on Thursday afternoon, advancing to the winners' bracket for the fourth time in its last five tournament appearances. After falling behind 1-0 in the third inning, the Red Storm responded with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Dylan Fitzsimmons that gave St. John's the lead for good. Fitzsimmons and Jayder Raifstanger each recorded two hits while Jon LeGrande scored twice and stole a base. Liam O'Leary delivered a dominant outing in his BIG EAST postseason debut, allowing just two runs over 8.0 innings while striking out six on a season-high 137 pitches. With the performance, the unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection is one of just five pitchers in St. John's history, and the first since Sean Mooney in 2017, to throw 100 or more innings in a single season. Raifstanger added an RBI single in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 4-1 before Victor Frederick shut the door in the ninth with two strikeouts to secure his fifth save of the season.
Evan Chaffee will take the mound for St. John's on Friday morning. The senior southpaw is 5-4 on the season with a 4.29 ERA in 14 appearances, all of which have been starts. In BIG EAST play, the Hamburg, N.Y., native went 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA. Against league opponents, he struck out a team-high 41 batters and surrendered only 13 walks in 36.0 innings of work.
The Red Storm and Xavier will meet for the eighth time in the BIG EAST Tournament with the Musketeers holding a 5-2 advantage in postseason play. Last time the two teams met in the conference tournament, the Red Storm took down the Musketeers, 9-7, on their way to the program's 10th league title. This season, St. John's won two out of three meetings on the road in Cincinnati late last month. The Red Storm holds a slight 24-19 advantage over the Musketeers in the all-time series.
On Thursday afternoon, a four-run sixth inning powered third-seeded Xavier past the second-seeded UConn, 5-1, to secure a spot in Friday morning's contest again fellow unbeaten, St. John's. The Musketeers, who shared the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship with St. John's and UConn, improved to 28-28 on the season against one of the nation's toughest schedules.
Prasco Park is hosting 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 #18 LHP Evan Chaffee (5-4), Xavier #30 LHP Ashton Chronister (3-2)
Players Mentioned
LHP
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OF
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RHP
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INF
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