NEW YORK – After another competitive weekend of BIG EAST Baseball, both UConn and Creighton locked up their positions in the 2022 BIG EAST Baseball Championship scheduled to begin May 26. After dropping the opening game of the weekend series against Xavier, UConn (42-10, 16-2 BIG EAST) won the next two to lock up the top-seed in the tournament and at least a share of the 2022 BIG EAST Regular Season crown. Meanwhile, Creighton (28-16, 13-5 BE) swept Butler to clinch the No. 2-seed.
With just one weekend remaining in regular season competition, the final two tournament spots will be decided between five teams – Xavier, Georgetown, Villanova, St. John’s and Seton Hall – by May 22.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
David Smith, UConn, RSo., OF (Collegeville, Pa.)
In four outings, Smith led the Huskies offensive attack, helping UConn lock up the top seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Overall, the redshirt sophomore batted 9-for-16 (.563) with five walks and scoring six times. In addition, Smith earned six RBI, stole a pair of bases, hit two home runs and went 17-for-18 in fielding opportunities. In Saturday’s tilt with the Musketeers, Smith batted 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBI, before capping the weekend with a 2-for-5 performance, scoring three times and collecting two RBI.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Dylan Tebrake, Creighton, Jr., RHP (Cold Spring, Minn.)
Tebrake stepped on the mound Friday night and helped jumpstart a series sweep for the Bluejays, going the distance in the 3-1 series opening triumph. The junior set a Creighton record with 15 strikeouts in a complete-game win over Butler, while allowing just three hits and one walk. Facing 31 batters in the contest, Tebrake needed 117 pitches for the win, sitting down 17 of 18 Butler hitters from the third through the eighth inning. With the win, he improved to 7-2 on the year, while boasting a 2.73 ERA with 99 strikeouts.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Alan Roden, Creighton, So., OF/1B (Middleton, Wis.)
During the Bluejays’ four-game week, Roden hit .625 (10-for-16) with a .813 slugging percentage and a .700 on-base percentage. During the series sweep of Butler, Roden was critical in both close victories scoring the game-winning run on Sunday and scoring one of the Bluejays’ two runs in the sixth that proved to be the difference.
Jake Hyde, Georgetown, So., OF (Darien, Conn.)
Hyde helped the Hoyas to a 2-2 week with wins over Penn State and St. John’s. He compiled a .471/.545/.647 slash line, going 8-for-17 at the dish with three doubles, four RBI and nine runs scored. Hyde put forth a 3-for-4 outing against the Nittany Lions, driving in two runs and registering two tallies.
Zane Probst, Seton Hall, So., RHP (Morristown, N.J.)
Probst struck out four of the eight batters he faced in two innings of relief to record the save and the series victory for Seton Hall in a 3-2 win over Villanova on Sunday. Entering the game with a one-run lead, he struck out two batters in the eighth and two batters in the ninth to register his second save of the year.
Chuck Sanzio, St. John’s, So., RHP (Haddonfield, N.J.)
Sanzio did not allow a run over 4.2 relief innings against Georgetown, compiling nine strikeouts along the way. After fanning two batters in 1.1 innings on Saturday, Sanzio picked up his second win of the season in the Red Storm's walk-off victory on Sunday. The sophomore righthander tossed 3.1 innings with a career-high seven punchouts to deliver a crucial series victory for the Johnnies.
Luke Franzoni, Xavier, Sr., 1B (Robbinsville, N.J.)
Franzoni had a team-high matching six hits with a .429 (6-14) average at the plate this week, helping the Musketeers pick up a pair of wins. Franzoni had a team-best 1.143 slugging percentage, with three home runs among his six hits, helping him break Xavier’s all-time career home run record. In Xavier’s win over Michigan, Franzoni went 2-for-4, driving in two RBI and scoring three runs. In the series opening win over UConn, Franzoni collected his 45th home run of his Xavier career, a new Xavier record, and helped the Musketeers to a 7-2 win.