OMAHA, Neb. - BIG EAST Coach of the Year Ed Blankmeyer and preseason pick St. John's won their eighth BIG EAST Championship title, third in five years, as the top-seeded Red Storm defeated Creighton, 8-7, on Championship Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
With the win St. John's (39-14) extends their season, which currently includes a 15-game winning streak, and earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship and will wait for Monday's NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU to see where they will go.
"We found a way to win. That's the way it's been all season long for us," said Blankmeyer.
St. John's junior outfielder Alex Caruso earned the Jack Kaiser Award for the Most Outstanding Player in the Tournament. Caruso went 6-for-10 in the Championship with seven runs and an RBI.
"He is as good a player as we've seen all season. He is a tough out," said Creighton head coach Ed Servais, who coached the Bluejays to their second BIG EAST runner-up finish in just two years with the conference.
Leading 5-0 going into the seventh inning, Creighton (32-19) did not go away quietly as the Bluejays tied the game, scoring five runs in a two-out rally.
After getting out of the top of the inning with the score tied at five, St. John's scored the go-ahead run during their at bat. They then added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth.
In the ninth inning, Creighton once again rallied scoring two runs with no outs. St. John's brought in their ace, Ryan McCormick, to close out the game. After allowing an RBI single by the first batter he faced, McCormick pitched the next batter into a double play and finished off his first career save with a groundout to shortstop.
"I was sweating pretty good," said Blankmeyer. "Creighton grinds you. They make you work."
Caruso went 1-for-2 in the championship game with one RBI, three walks and two runs. Robert Wayman, Robbie Knightes and Zach Lauricella each had multiple hits. Wayman went 3-for-3, a double, two RBI and two runs, Knightes went 3-for-4 with a run and Lauricella went 2-for-5 with a three-RBI double and a run.
Wayman hit the two-out RBI double to right center in the eighth inning scoring Caruso and Ty Blankmeyer who came in to run for Troy Dixon.
St. John's has won the BIG EAST Championship a league-record eight times: 2015, 2012, 2010, 1997, 1993, 1988, 1986, 1985. Blankmeyer has now won four championship titles and ties St. John's head coach Joe Russo for second-most of any BIG EAST coach.
Press Conference links: St. John's | Creighton
St. John's had a 5-0 lead going into the top of the seventh, thanks to a 4.1 inning outing for St. John's starter Chris Kalica who allowed just four hits with two strikeouts. Kalica was backed up by three RBI from Zach Lauricella who had a third-inning triple. St. John's scored four runs in the third off just two hits, adding another run in the fourth.
In the top of the seventh, Creighton came rallying back and scored five runs on three hits, three hit batters and two walks. Daniel Woodrow led the inning off for the Bluejays with a single toward second. After the Red Storm loaded the bases with a walk and a hit by pitch, St. John's got an out by striking out Harrison Crawford. On the next at bat, Ryan Fitzgerald sent two runners home with a single up the middle.
St. John's saves-leader Thomas Hackimer, who came in for reliever Matt Clancy before the third batter of the inning, walked the next batter Matt Gandy to once again load the bases. A sac hit by Landon Lucansky sent in another run and advanced the base runners for the Bluejays. Kevin Connolly singled to second to for another RBI and advanced Gandy to third for runners at the corners. Hackimer hit the next batter in the foot, loading the bases once again with two outs.
Hackimer, shaken, was taken off the mound as the Red Storm put in their third pitcher of the inning, Joe Kuzia. Kuzia hit his first batter and walked in Gandy for the game-tying run, but the Red Storm was able to get out of the inning even when Nicky Lopez flied out to right field.
St. John's got one back in the bottom of the inning as Wayman led off with a walk. With one out, Lauricella singled to right center on a 1-1 count and advanced Wayman to third. Matt Harris came up to the plate and hit the go-ahead RBI single to right field, scoring Wayman and advancing Lauricella. Jarred Mederos ended the inning for St. John's grounding out to second for a double play.
Kuzia pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth, letting St. John's hold on to the one-run lead.
The Red Storm bats helped with a two-out double by Wayman to right field, scoring Caruso and pinch-runner Blankmeyer.
In what turned out to be the final at bat for Creighton, the Bluejays started another rally with back-to-back singles to start the inning. A wild pitch by Kuzia advanced the runners and brought out ace-starter McCormick for a potential save situation. After giving up an RBI single to Connolly, Kevin Lamb hit into a first-pitch double play, but scored a second runner, cutting the Red Storm lead to one. McCormick and the Red Storm defense preserved the title win as Woodrow grounded out to second, making an easy out for St. John's.
The Red Storm, who defeated Georgetown and Creighton twice for the title, had three additional players in addition to Caruso make the 2015 BIG EAST All-Tournament team. Joining Caruso was pitcher McCormick, Harris (infield) and Lauricella (outfield).
Creighton defeated Seton Hall twice, including a 12-1 victory on Saturday to play on Championship Sunday, had four on the all-tournament team. Gandy, who went 3-for-4 on Sunday with two runs, was voted the designated hitter, along with Fitzgerald, Crawford and Lopez.
Seton Hall had two on the all-tournament squad, pitcher Anthony Elia and outfielder Zach Weigel. Georgetown's catcher Nick Collins, the BIG EAST Player of the Year, also made the team.
Earlier this month, the St. John's softball team won the BIG EAST Championship in Chicago as the No. 1 seed. The last time a BIG EAST school won both the softball and baseball championship was in 2006 with Notre Dame. St. John's becomes the third school to win both the softball and baseball championship title, joining Notre Dame and Connecticut.
2015 Jack Kaiser Award for Most Outstanding Player - Alex Caruso, St. John's, Jr., OF
2015 BIG EAST Baseball All-Tournament Team
P: Ryan McCormick, St. John's
P: Anthony Elia, Seton Hall
IF: Matt Harris, St. John's
IF: Ryan Fitzgerald, Creighton
IF: Harrison Crawford, Creighton
IF: Nicky Lopez, Creighton
OF: Zach Lauricella, St. John's
OF: Alex Caruso, St. John's
OF: Zack Weigel, Seton Hall
C: Nick Collins, Georgetown
DH: Matt Gandy, Creighton