St. John's University Athletics
Sunday, May 31
Tallahassee, Fla. (Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium)
2 p.m.
St. John's University
35-24
21
vs
8
Northern Illinois
36-18
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 20 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 |
Photo by: Phil Kelly
Historic Offensive Explosion Powers St. John’s Past NIU, 21-8, and Into Regional Final
5/31/2026 8:22:00 PM | Baseball
Box ScoreBox Score (PDF)Post Game Press Conference NCAA Tournament Central NCAA Tallahassee Regional CentralPhoto Gallery
Red Storm's sets program NCAA Tournament record with nine runs in the fourth
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Trailing 5-0 after three innings on Sunday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium, the St. John's baseball team scored 18 unanswered runs to power past Northern Illinois, 21-8, and advance unscathed into Monday's Tallahassee Regional Final.
The Johnnies' 21 runs scored are the second most in an NCAA Tournament game in program history, trailing only the 23 runs scored in a 23-13 win over Central Michigan in the 1981 Northeast Regional. The 13-run margin of victory is tied for the largest in program NCAA history, matching St. John's 16-3 win over Rider in the 1986 Northeast Regional.
The Red Storm's historic offensive outing saw nine runs cross the plate in the top of the fourth frame. The nine runs were the most scored by St. John's in a single inning of an NCAA Tournament game in at least 40 years and the most by a Red Storm team since scoring 10 against Columbia on April 3, 2019. The Johnnies tacked on six more runs in the fifth.
St. John's will play in its first regional championship game since 2015, when it advanced to the Stillwater Regional final. This season marks the fifth time since 2005 that the Red Storm has won multiple games in the same NCAA Tournament.
A win tomorrow against the winner of tonight's elimination game between No. 10 Florida State and Northern Illinois would send the Red Storm to a Super Regional for the first time in 14 years and for the second time since the Super Regional format was adopted in 1999.
All nine St. John's starters recorded at least one hit, one RBI and scored a run on Sunday afternoon. Jon LeGrande logged the second four-hit game of his career, going 4-for-6 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Rob Mansour reached base five times, going 3-for-5 with two walks, three runs scored and a season-high three RBIs.
Two other Johnnies logged three-hit efforts. Shaun McMillan reached safely six times, going 3-for-4 with three walks, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jayder Raifstanger tallied his second multi-hit effort of the regional, going 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
The hero of Friday's win over Florida State, Dylan Fitzsimmons remained hot from the dish, finishing with two hits, a home run, four RBIs and three runs. His long ball was his second of the regional, his sixth of the season and his fifth in the Red Storm's last 14 games. Cristian Bernardini went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Ayden Frey and Will Cowan each doubled and drove in two runs. Frey scored twice while Cowan crossed the plate three times. Adam Agresti singled and picked up an RBI.
As a team, the Red Storm drew 15 walks, the team's highest total since walking 15 times against Iona on May 15, 2023.
Starter Evan Chaffee pitched 5.1 innings and tied his career high with nine strikeouts, allowing five earned runs on five hits to secure his seventh win of the season. Jack Nestler came in for 1.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs on two hit, followed by Tyler Longoria's 1.0 inning of one-run work. Nick Romer closed the game for the Johnnies with a pair strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.
Chaffee opened the game by striking out the side in the bottom of the first, but NIU got on the board in the second frame with a leadoff solo homer to make it 1-0.
The Huskies rallied in the third and tacked on four runs to take a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.
St. John's completely erased the deficit and exploded for what is believed to be a program record for runs scored in a single inning of an NCAA Tournament game, plating nine in the top of the fourth inning. The Johnnies brought across four runs before recording an out. With runners on second and third, Raifstanger used an RBI groundout to tie the game at 5-5. Adam Agresti then singled to bring home LeGrande and completed the comeback, making it 6-5 in favor of the Johnnies. Cowan and Frey capped the scoring with back-to-back run-scoring doubles for the Red Storm to make it 9-5.
Chaffee settled in and retired the side in the bottom of the fourth to turn the bats back over to the scorching offense. St. John's loaded the bases with one out before Frey skied a ball to right field to bring in the first run and push the lead to 10-5. Bernardini then laced an RBI single to center, and Mansour followed with an RBI double to put runners on second and third. Finally, Fitzsimmons uncorked a three-run homer to cap the inning and make it 15-5.
After a scoreless sixth, the Johnnies plated a trio of tallies in the seventh. Bernardini singled and stole second before Mansour drove him in to make it 16-5. Fitzsimmons doubled to put both runners in scoring position, and LeGrande lifted a sacrifice fly to score Mansour, pushing the lead to 17-5. Fitzsimmons later came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 18-5.
Northern Illinois cut into the lead at 18-7 with a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Both teams notched a run in the eighth inning, and in the top of the ninth, McMillan's two-run single gave all nine starters at least one hit, one RBI and one run scored, bringing the score to its 21-8 final.
St. John's will compete in its first regional final since 2015 and aims to advance to its first Super Regional in 14 years. The Red Storm will play the winner of tonight's elimination game between Florida State and Northern Illinois. First pitch from Tallahassee will be announced later tonight.
2026 NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Friday, May 29
Game 1: #4 St. John's 6, #1 Florida State 5
Game 2: #3 Northern Illinois 12, #2 Coastal Carolina 10
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: #1 Florida State vs. #2 Coastal Carolina – Suspended to Sunday conclusion
Game 4: #3 Northern Illinois vs. #4 St. John's - Postponed to Sunday
Sunday, May 31
Game 3: #1 Florida State 2, #2 Coastal Carolina 1
Game 4: #4 St. John's 21, #3 Northern Illinois 8
Game 5: #1 Florida State 7, #3 Northern Illinois 4
Monday, June 1
Game 6: #4 St. John's vs. #1 Florida State - 12 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 - TBD (If Necessary)
The Johnnies' 21 runs scored are the second most in an NCAA Tournament game in program history, trailing only the 23 runs scored in a 23-13 win over Central Michigan in the 1981 Northeast Regional. The 13-run margin of victory is tied for the largest in program NCAA history, matching St. John's 16-3 win over Rider in the 1986 Northeast Regional.
The Red Storm's historic offensive outing saw nine runs cross the plate in the top of the fourth frame. The nine runs were the most scored by St. John's in a single inning of an NCAA Tournament game in at least 40 years and the most by a Red Storm team since scoring 10 against Columbia on April 3, 2019. The Johnnies tacked on six more runs in the fifth.
St. John's will play in its first regional championship game since 2015, when it advanced to the Stillwater Regional final. This season marks the fifth time since 2005 that the Red Storm has won multiple games in the same NCAA Tournament.
A win tomorrow against the winner of tonight's elimination game between No. 10 Florida State and Northern Illinois would send the Red Storm to a Super Regional for the first time in 14 years and for the second time since the Super Regional format was adopted in 1999.
All nine St. John's starters recorded at least one hit, one RBI and scored a run on Sunday afternoon. Jon LeGrande logged the second four-hit game of his career, going 4-for-6 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Rob Mansour reached base five times, going 3-for-5 with two walks, three runs scored and a season-high three RBIs.
Two other Johnnies logged three-hit efforts. Shaun McMillan reached safely six times, going 3-for-4 with three walks, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jayder Raifstanger tallied his second multi-hit effort of the regional, going 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
The hero of Friday's win over Florida State, Dylan Fitzsimmons remained hot from the dish, finishing with two hits, a home run, four RBIs and three runs. His long ball was his second of the regional, his sixth of the season and his fifth in the Red Storm's last 14 games. Cristian Bernardini went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Ayden Frey and Will Cowan each doubled and drove in two runs. Frey scored twice while Cowan crossed the plate three times. Adam Agresti singled and picked up an RBI.
As a team, the Red Storm drew 15 walks, the team's highest total since walking 15 times against Iona on May 15, 2023.
Starter Evan Chaffee pitched 5.1 innings and tied his career high with nine strikeouts, allowing five earned runs on five hits to secure his seventh win of the season. Jack Nestler came in for 1.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs on two hit, followed by Tyler Longoria's 1.0 inning of one-run work. Nick Romer closed the game for the Johnnies with a pair strikeouts in a scoreless ninth.
Chaffee opened the game by striking out the side in the bottom of the first, but NIU got on the board in the second frame with a leadoff solo homer to make it 1-0.
The Huskies rallied in the third and tacked on four runs to take a 5-0 lead after three innings of play.
St. John's completely erased the deficit and exploded for what is believed to be a program record for runs scored in a single inning of an NCAA Tournament game, plating nine in the top of the fourth inning. The Johnnies brought across four runs before recording an out. With runners on second and third, Raifstanger used an RBI groundout to tie the game at 5-5. Adam Agresti then singled to bring home LeGrande and completed the comeback, making it 6-5 in favor of the Johnnies. Cowan and Frey capped the scoring with back-to-back run-scoring doubles for the Red Storm to make it 9-5.
Chaffee settled in and retired the side in the bottom of the fourth to turn the bats back over to the scorching offense. St. John's loaded the bases with one out before Frey skied a ball to right field to bring in the first run and push the lead to 10-5. Bernardini then laced an RBI single to center, and Mansour followed with an RBI double to put runners on second and third. Finally, Fitzsimmons uncorked a three-run homer to cap the inning and make it 15-5.
After a scoreless sixth, the Johnnies plated a trio of tallies in the seventh. Bernardini singled and stole second before Mansour drove him in to make it 16-5. Fitzsimmons doubled to put both runners in scoring position, and LeGrande lifted a sacrifice fly to score Mansour, pushing the lead to 17-5. Fitzsimmons later came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 18-5.
Northern Illinois cut into the lead at 18-7 with a pair of solo home runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Both teams notched a run in the eighth inning, and in the top of the ninth, McMillan's two-run single gave all nine starters at least one hit, one RBI and one run scored, bringing the score to its 21-8 final.
St. John's will compete in its first regional final since 2015 and aims to advance to its first Super Regional in 14 years. The Red Storm will play the winner of tonight's elimination game between Florida State and Northern Illinois. First pitch from Tallahassee will be announced later tonight.
2026 NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Friday, May 29
Game 1: #4 St. John's 6, #1 Florida State 5
Game 2: #3 Northern Illinois 12, #2 Coastal Carolina 10
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: #1 Florida State vs. #2 Coastal Carolina – Suspended to Sunday conclusion
Game 4: #3 Northern Illinois vs. #4 St. John's - Postponed to Sunday
Sunday, May 31
Game 3: #1 Florida State 2, #2 Coastal Carolina 1
Game 4: #4 St. John's 21, #3 Northern Illinois 8
Game 5: #1 Florida State 7, #3 Northern Illinois 4
Monday, June 1
Game 6: #4 St. John's vs. #1 Florida State - 12 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 - TBD (If Necessary)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Chaffee, Evan (7-4)
L: Cohn, Cooper (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Cowan, Will 1 ; Raifstanger, Jayder 1 ; Fitzsimmons, Dylan 1 ; Mansour, Rob 1 ; Frey, Ayden 1
HR: Fitzsimmons, Dylan 1
RBI: LeGrande, Jon 3 ; Bernardini, Cristian 1 ; Agresti, Adam 1 ; McMillan, Shaun 2 ; Cowan, Will 2 ; Raifstanger, Jayder 1 ; Fitzsimmons, Dylan 4 ; Mansour, Rob 3 ; Frey, Ayden 2
SF: LeGrande, Jon 1 ; Frey, Ayden 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LeGrande, Jon 2 ; Bernardini, Cristian 3 ; Agresti, Adam 1 ; McMillan, Shaun 2 ; Cowan, Will 3 ; Raifstanger, Jayder 2 ; Fitzsimmons, Dylan 3 ; Mansour, Rob 3 ; Frey, Ayden 2
SB: LeGrande, Jon 2 ; Bernardini, Cristian 1 ; Agresti, Adam 1
CS: LeGrande, Jon 1
HBP: Raifstanger, Jayder 1 ; Frey, Ayden 1
Batting:
2B: Couchman, Will 1 ; Mendell, Connor 1 ; Smith, Cole 1
HR: Jennings, Kayden 1 ; Romero, Marcus 2
RBI: Jennings, Kayden 1 ; Parcell, Charlie 1 ; Robertson, Caden 2 ; Romero, Marcus 2 ; Smith, Cole 1
SH: Sandee, Nolan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mendell, Connor 1 ; Jennings, Kayden 1 ; Parcell, Charlie 1 ; Baldwin, Gavin 1 ; Romero, Marcus 2 ; Smith, Cole 1 ; Wawro, Wyatt 1
SB: Parcell, Charlie 1
HBP: Baldwin, Gavin 2
Players Mentioned
C/1B
/ Baseball
OF/C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballSt. John's Baseball NCAA Tallahassee Regional Game 2 Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, May 31
St. John's Baseball NCAA Tallahassee Regional Game 1 Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 29
St. John's Baseball Media Availability Tallahassee Regional 5.26.26
Tuesday, May 26
St. John's Baseball vs Butler Game 3 Highlights 5.16.2026
Saturday, May 16