#BIGEASTbase Minute – Friday’s Matchups Mirror 2016
Omaha, Neb. - Day two of the 2017 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Presented by Jeep will have a "Groundhog Day" feel to it as Thursday's wins by Creighton and Xavier set up the exact same matchups from a year ago. No. 2 seed St. John's will square off against No. 4 seed Seton Hall in the tournament's first elimination game; followed by the winners' bracket game of No. 3 seed Xavier against No. 1 seed Creighton.
Xavier defeated St. John's 13-3 in the first game on Thursday; while Creighton beat Seton Hall 4-1. The same result with different scores happened in 2016.
The BIG EAST Digital Network on FOX Sports GO will continue to cover games 3-5 with all the action from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha called by David Gustafson and John Bishop and dugout reporters Megan O'Brien, John Fanta and Matt Schumacker.
Friday's #BIGEASTbase Coverage:
Elimination Game
No. 4 Seton Hall (29-23) vs. No. 2 St. John's (40-10)
3:32 p.m. ET/2:32 p.m. local (coverage begins at 3:25 p.m.)
Watch on BEDN:
http://a.fsgo.com/uaDf/mPk692GpmD
Live Stats:
http://statb.us/b/175425
Why We're Watching:
Friday's first game has the drama as the loser of the contest will be the first team eliminated from this year's tournament. With 40 wins and a national ranking, St. John's may need a victory to remain in the conversation for a potential NCAA tournament bid. Both Seton Hall and St. John's will need four wins to win the tournament. The only team to make it out of the losers' bracket and win since 2014 was Xavier. Last year, Seton Hall was knocked out of the tournament in the first elimination game by the Red Storm who won 4-1. In 2015, the two teams did not face each other. St. John's won the 2017 series against Seton Hall 2-1 in Queens, N.Y. St. John's won the first game 9-2 and the rubber match 2-1. Seton Hall won the second game 7-0, shutting out the high-powered St. John's offense. Seton Hall was the only team to shut out St. John's this year. Friday's potential pitching matchup: St. John's Ryan McAuliffe and Seton Hall's Cullen Dana.
Winners' Bracket
No. 3 Xavier (30-25) at No. 1 Creighton (24-23)
7:32 p.m. ET/6:32 local (or at least 45 minutes after the elimination game)
Watch on BEDN:
http://a.fsgo.com/uaDf/0XrIHSHpmD
Live Stats:
http://statb.us/b/175426
Why We're Watching:
The winner will get a bye on Saturday and will guarantee themselves a spot in Championship Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Xavier and Creighton have had a short rivalry since both teams joined the league in 2014. Xavier has a 3-1 series lead over Creighton in the BIG EAST tournament and has won two titles at Creighton's expense: 8-7 in 2016 and 5-0 in 2014. The Musketeers went 2-0 over the Bluejays in 2016; but in 2015, Creighton won the first game 9-2. That 9-2 loss to Creighton is the Musketeers' only loss in BIG EAST tournament play. This season, Xavier and Creighton only played one game before rain washed out the rest of the series. Xavier won that match up 2-1 (April 28). Creighton was winning 1-0 until Xavier scored in the eighth and ninth innings with fielder's choice RBI in the 8th and a homer by BIG EAST Player of the Year Rylan Bannon in the top of the ninth.