St. John's University Athletics
Ian Jackson to Throw Out First Pitch at Mets Game on Thursday Night
7/29/2026 1:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jackson will throw to teammate Ruben Prey at Citi Field before the Mets take on the Marlins
QUEENS, N.Y. – The top two returning scorers from last season's St. John's men's basketball team will serve as the battery for a ceremonial first pitch before Thursday night's game between the Mets and the Marlins at Citi Field.
Rising junior guard Ian Jackson will toss the first pitch to his teammate Ruben Prey before the Mets and the Marlins meet at 7:10 p.m. Jackson will take the mound approximately 10 minutes before that scheduled 7:10 start.
In 2025-26, Jackson averaged 9.4 points across 36 appearances, 19 of which were starts. His 49 made 3-pointers ranked second on the team and he led the squad in free throw percentage, converting on 90.0% of his tries from the charity stripe. The Bronx native and former McDonald's All-American finished in double figures 16 times with one 20-point performance.
Prey appeared in all 37 games last season for the BIG EAST champs, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per contest. He finished in double figures four times and connected on 15 of his 24 attempts from long range, good enough for a 3-point percentage of 62.5%. Prey went 8-for-9 from the field during the NCAA Tournament, including a 4-for-4 outing against Duke in the Sweet 16.
Jackson and Prey are two of the Red Storm's five returners from a 2025-26 team that swept the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the second straight year, the first team in BIG EAST history to do so. St. John's has reloaded with one of the nation's top recruiting classes headlined by international standouts Quinn Ellis and Babacar Sane alongside Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou. Yessoufou, the fourth ranked transfer in the nation according to 247Sports, averaged 17.8 points per game as a freshman for the Bears last season.
Season ticket deposits for the 2026-27 campaign are being accepted.
Rising junior guard Ian Jackson will toss the first pitch to his teammate Ruben Prey before the Mets and the Marlins meet at 7:10 p.m. Jackson will take the mound approximately 10 minutes before that scheduled 7:10 start.
In 2025-26, Jackson averaged 9.4 points across 36 appearances, 19 of which were starts. His 49 made 3-pointers ranked second on the team and he led the squad in free throw percentage, converting on 90.0% of his tries from the charity stripe. The Bronx native and former McDonald's All-American finished in double figures 16 times with one 20-point performance.
Prey appeared in all 37 games last season for the BIG EAST champs, averaging 4.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per contest. He finished in double figures four times and connected on 15 of his 24 attempts from long range, good enough for a 3-point percentage of 62.5%. Prey went 8-for-9 from the field during the NCAA Tournament, including a 4-for-4 outing against Duke in the Sweet 16.
Jackson and Prey are two of the Red Storm's five returners from a 2025-26 team that swept the BIG EAST Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the second straight year, the first team in BIG EAST history to do so. St. John's has reloaded with one of the nation's top recruiting classes headlined by international standouts Quinn Ellis and Babacar Sane alongside Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou. Yessoufou, the fourth ranked transfer in the nation according to 247Sports, averaged 17.8 points per game as a freshman for the Bears last season.
Season ticket deposits for the 2026-27 campaign are being accepted.
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