QUEENS, N.Y. – Following a 42-win season that saw the Red Storm makes its 36th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer has released the schedule for his team’s upcoming 2018 campaign, a slate that includes 26 home games at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
In the midst of a million dollar renovation, “The Jack” is scheduled to play host to 26 contests this year, the highest home total for the Johnnies since 2014. Featuring a state-of-the-art artificial field turf surface, the Red Storm’s on-campus home will now be much less susceptible to the capricious weather patterns of early spring in the Northeast.
The Red Storm will begin its season on the road, kicking off 2018 with a three-game series at Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C. (Feb. 16-18).
After taking on the Fighting Camels, the Johnnies will play their next four games in the Tar Heel State, competing in a four-team tournament with Monmouth, Penn State and 2017 America East Champion UMBC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary (Feb. 23-25). With the University on Spring Break, the Johnnies will then play a midweek showdown at national powerhouse North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Feb. 28, 364 days after the Red Storm used a pair of late-game homers to defeat the No. 7 Tar Heels, 5-4, at Boshamer Stadium on March 1, 2017.
Following its showdown with UNC, the Johnnies will hop a flight to Albuquerque for a three-game set with the New Mexico Lobos (March 2-4), the first meetings between the two programs since 1996, the first year of Blankmeyer’s tenure at St. John’s.
The Johnnies will christen the new and improved Jack Kaiser Stadium on Tuesday, March 6 against LIU Brooklyn before traveling to Teaneck, N.J., for a meeting with Fairleigh Dickinson the following day.
After their first games of the season in the New York Metropolitan Area, the Johnnies will travel to Lawrence, Kan., for a three-game series against the Jayhawks, the first contests between the two schools since 1988.
Following a midweek matchup with Iona at “The Jack” on March 14, St. John’s will renew a rivalry with former BIG EAST foe Connecticut in a split series. The opening two games (March 16-17) will take place in Queens before the teams head north to Storrs, Conn., for the series finale on March 18.
The Red Storm will begin its longest home stretch of the year on March 20 against Fairfield before playing host to Saint Peter’s the next day. Binghamton will then come to town for a three-game set the following weekend (March 23-25), the first full series of the season for the Red Storm at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
After traveling to Wagner for a midweek contest on March 27, the Red Storm will head to Minneapolis for a three-game set with the Golden Gophers beginning on March 29 inside U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings and the upcoming site of Super Bowl LII in February.
Following midweek games against Saint Peter’s in Queens (April 3) and Columbia in Manhattan (April 4), the Red Storm will travel to Plymouth Meeting, Pa., for its first BIG EAST series of the year, taking on the Villanova Wildcats (April 6-8).
The Johnnies then return to “The Jack” for four-straight at home, playing host to Albany on April 10 before welcoming Creighton for a three-game conference set (April 13-15). The Red Storm then heads to Long Island for a midweek showdown with Hofstra (April 18) before playing a BIG EAST series at home for the second-straight weekend against the Hoyas of Georgetown (April 20-22).
The Johnnies will then head west to Cincinnati for a three-game set against defending BIG EAST Champion Xavier at Hayden Field (April 27-29).
Prior to the BIG EAST Tournament over Memorial Day Weekend, the Red Storm will play the entire month of May in the New York Metro Area, beginning with a Tuesday night matchup against Iona at Jack Kaiser Stadium on May 1. The Johnnies will then welcome perennial Big South power Liberty to “The Jack” for a three-game series (May 4-6) before taking the week off for final exams.
Following the conclusion of the academic year, St. John’s will close out BIG EAST road action at local rival Seton Hall (May 11-12) before welcoming Minnesota in a return midweek matchup at Jack Kaiser Stadium on May 15.
The Red Storm will then close out the regular season with a three-game set against Butler (May 17-19) before heading to Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, for the 2018 BIG EAST Baseball Championship (May 24-27).
Admission to all St. John’s Baseball home games at Jack Kaiser Stadium is free of charge.
2018 St. John’s Baseball Schedule (PDF)
