May 9, 2012
Game One GameTracker
Game Two GameTracker
Game Three GameTracker
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Game Notes (PDF)
QUEENS, N.Y. -
After winning a series against USF to conclude a 3-1 homestand, St. John's (31-17, 16-5), which holds a two-game lead atop the BIG EAST standings and counts two road sweeps among its seven-straight conference series wins this season, heads to No. 22 Louisville (33-16, 14-7) for a three-game BIG EAST series that includes one televised contest on ESPNU. The Red Storm and Cardinals open the series with a 6 p.m. game on May 11 before an 11:30 a.m. contest on May 12 that airs on ESPNU with Mike Gleason and Kyle Peterson, a three-time All-American at Stanford, on the call. The series concludes with a 1 p.m. game on May 13.
Leading Off
After hitting at just a .210 clip in the first nine games (3-6), the Red Storm is batting .300 in the past 39 games (28-11).
The pitching staff has posted a 2.54 ERA in the past 16 games (13-3), including just a 2.19 ERA in the past 12 games (10-2).
St. John's batters lead the conference in walks (219), while also having the second fewest strikeouts (254)
Already the all-time hit king with 256, Matt Wessinger also ranks second all-time in runs scored (182), third in doubles (57), fourth in RBI (169) and tenth in home runs (20).
Inside The Series With Louisville
St. John's and Louisville have met 19 times in a series that dates back to 2005.
The Red Storm leads the series 12-7, including a 3-3 mark in road games.
St. John's went 4-1 against Louisville in 2011, notching a regular season sweep and splitting a pair of games in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Scouting The Cardinals
Louisville is 33-16 on the year, including a 14-7 record in BIG EAST play after taking two-of-three games against West Virginia.
Ty Young leads the offense with a .347 average and adds six home runs and 34 RBI to go with a team-best .571 slugging percentage.
Stewart Ijames leads the team in both home runs (11) and RBI (52), while Cole Sturgeon has 34 RBI and Jeff Gardner adds 33.
The pitching staff has a 3.33 ERA and allows just a .239 opponent average.
Justin Amlung (7-3, 2.16) paces the rotation, while Derek Self (1-2, 3.12) leads the charge out of the bullpen with seven saves.
O'Hare Nabs BIG EAST Player Of The Week Honors
After helping lead St. John's to a 3-1 week, including a series win against USF, Sean O'Hare was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week.
The weekly accolade is the second of the season for the third baseman, who was also named to the weekly honor roll for the week ending March 18.
O'Hare batted .583 (7-for-12) with five runs scored, two doubles and a team-high six RBI. The junior also totaled three multi-hit games to go along with a .750 slugging percentage and a .643 on-base percentage.
Walk-Off Win No. 3: Schwindel Single In Ninth Gives St. John's Series Win Against USF
Frank Schwindel provided the heroics with a walk-off single in the ninth inning as St. John's won in walk-off fashion for the third time this season with a series-clinching 5-4 win in the finale against USF (May 6).
Schwindel joins Sean O'Hare and Matt Wessinger as this season's walk-off heroes. O'Hare lifted a ninth inning sacrifice fly for a 7-6 win against West Virginia (March 30), while Wessinger launched a two-run home run in the 10th inning for an 11-9 win against Northern Illinois (Feb. 25).
