NEW YORK – The Connecticut Huskies, the 2021 BIG EAST regular-season and tournament victors, were unanimously picked as the favorite in the BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was announced by the Conference on Wednesday.
Picked to finish second in the league standings, the Creighton Bluejays swept yearly preseason honors, with sophomore outfielder/designated hitter Alan Roden selected as Preseason Player of the Year and junior pitcher Dylan Tebrake picked as Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Overall, Creighton and UConn combined for six individual spots on the All-BIG EAST team, with the Bluejays tied for first in the conference with four student-athletes selected. Last season the Huskies claimed the regular season title with a 13-4 mark, while Creighton finished closely behind at 15-6.
Xavier, the 2021 BIG EAST Championship runner-up, collected 36 points and has been selected to finish third in 2022. The Musketeers boast four players to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team after a 15-11 conference display a season ago.
One point separated No. 4 St. John’s and No. 5 Seton Hall, with the Red Storm earning 30 points and bolstering a trio of student-athletes on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. A season ago, the Johnnies finished 10-16 in conference play.
With 29 points, Seton Hall had one player named to the All-BIG EAST Team, with redshirt sophomore outfielder Will Gale one of three unanimous selections. The Pirates capped the 2021 campaign tied for third in the league with a 15-11 conference mark.
Rounding out the poll, No. 6 Butler claimed 16 points, No. 7 Georgetown earned 13 and No. 8 Villanova collected 10. The Wildcats are led by Preseason All-BIG EAST Team member Chris Rotondo.
The 2021 Freshman of the Year, Roden ranked second last season in BIG EAST batting with a .421 average (32-for-76). He led the league in doubles (nine), RBI (26) and total bases (56). Roden, from Middleton, Wis., ranked second behind 2021 BIG EAST Player of the Year Kyler Fedko of UConn in on-base percentage (.516) and slugging (.737). Overall, Roden was the Bluejays batting leader with a .381 average. He recorded 51 hits over 134 at bats and crossed the plate 37 times with 46 RBI. Roden committed no errors with 23 putouts and one assist.
The 2021 Pitcher of the Year, Tebrake returns for his junior campaign looking to defend the annual award. The righty led the conference in wins, going a perfect 8-0 from the mound over the course of 11 starts. Tebrake powered the Bluejays with a 2.67 ERA, boasting 70 strikeouts to just 22 walks. Tebrake, from Cold Spring, Minn., pitched to a 1.52 ERA in six starts during league play. BIG EAST batters averaged just .171 against him. He went 5-0 over 41.1 innings pitched, allowing just 22 hits, 13 runs, with 42 strikeouts. He averaged 9.15 strikeouts over nine innings.
Along with the poll, the Preseason All-BIG EAST team was also announced. Redshirt sophomore third baseman Marty Higgins of St. John’s, senior outfielder Erik Stock of UConn and Gale were each unanimous selections. In addition, Roden earned five votes as a designated hitter and two as an outfielder. Of the 15-member squad, 11 received All-BIG EAST honors in 2021 with six on the first team and five on the second team. The coaches’ poll, all-conference team and major awards were voted on by the league’s eight coaches, who could not cast votes for their team or their players.
2022 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Alan Roden, So., OF, Creighton
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Dylan Tebrake, Jr., RHP, Creighton
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Jerry Huntzinger, Gr., Xavier
1B – Luke Franzoni, Sr., Xavier
2B – Andrew Meggs, Jr., Creighton
3B – Marty Higgins, RSo., St. John’s ^
SS – Jack Housinger, Sr., Xavier
DH – Alan Roden, So., Creighton
OF – Erik Stock, Sr., UConn ^
OF – Will Gale, RSo., Seton Hall ^
OF – Chris Rotondo, Sr., Villanova
OF – Andrew Walker, Sr., Xavier
SP – Austin Peterson, Sr., UConn
SP – Ian Murphy, RJr., St. John’s
SP – Dylan Tebrake, Jr., Creighton
SP – Tyler Roche, So., St. John’s
RP – Paul Bergstrom, Jr., Creighton
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there is an extra member on the preseason all-conference team.
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. UConn (7) – 49
2. Creighton (1) – 41
3. Xavier – 36
4. St. John’s – 30
5. Seton Hall – 29
6. Butler – 16
7. Georgetown – 13
8. Villanova – 10