BIG EAST Player of the Week
Jeff Holtz, Xavier, Sr., DH (Hartland, Wisc.)
Holtz appeared at DH in two of Xavier’s three games last week, batting .900 (9-of-10) with four hits for extra bases, driving in a team-high six RBI. Holtz appeared at DH in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, going 5-of-5 with a walk. Three of those hits went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs, driving in four RBI as Xavier took the 19-8 win. In the series finale, Holtz went 4-of-5 at the plate, collecting two RBI and scoring a run in the 11-2 win to complete the sweep of the Bulldogs. Holtz led the Musketeers for the week in slugging percentage (1.700) and on-base percentage (.909).
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Austin Peterson, UConn, Sr., RHP (Chesterton, Ind.)
Peterson tossed eight innings Friday night against Creighton, striking out nine batters with just one unearned run. The right-hander got into trouble in the fifth with runners at second and third and no outs. The Chesterton, Ind., native induced an RBI groundout before getting a strike out and pop up to keep the game tied, 1-1. Overall, Peterson helped lead the No. 10 Huskies to a 3-1 victory in the series opener, improving to 9-0 as a starter in 2022. The win jumpstarted a series sweep for UConn and helped lock up a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament with a 14-1 conference mark.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Dylan Tebrake, Creighton, Jr., RHP (Cold Spring, Minn.)
Tebrake became Creighton’s first pitcher to toss a complete game since the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament, recording a career-high 13 strikeouts in an eight-inning loss to then-No. 15 Connecticut on Friday. The Bluejay ace allowed seven hits and three runs during the battle, walking just two.
Brandon Backmon, St. John’s, Gr., RHP (Danbury, Conn.)
Backman kept Seton Hall batters off balance all afternoon in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader and pitched a two-hit shutout on 97 pitches. The masterful performance by Backman was the first complete-game effort by a St. John's hurler this season and the first such outing since Joe LaSorsa's winning outing against Kansas on March 16, 2019. Backman's shutout is the first since Sean Mooney blanked Maine on March 25, 2017. The graduate righthander only allowed four batters to reach base and chipped in three punchouts in his second win of the season for St. John's.
Tate Ballestero, St. John’s, R-So., C/INF (Morristown, N.J.)
Ballestero hit .500 (6-for-12) in three games this week with two doubles and a home run, in addition to three RBI. Leading the offense for St. John’s in a 2-0 weekend against Seton Hall, the redshirt-sophomore batted 5-for-8 with three runs and an RBI. In game two of Sunday’s doubleheader, Ballestero went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and two runs scored.
Jonathan Cole, Villanova, Gr., RHP (Cherry Hill, N.J.)
Cole made his first two starting appearances of the season this week in both of his outings against Saint Joseph’s and No. 5 Virginia Tech, pitching eight innings with nine hits scattered, two runs allowed and seven strikeouts. He allowed just one extra base hit on the week, posting a 2.25 ERA with batters hitting .281 against him. On Sunday, he threw six innings against VT for his longest outing of the season. He allowed one run in the first inning before holding the Hokies scoreless in his next five innings, striking out five along the way.
Jared Gagg, Xavier, Jr., RHP (Lexington, Ky.)
Gadd made his first start as a Musketeer on Sunday, going a career-long 5.0 innings in the eventual 11-2 win over the Bulldogs. Gadd allowed just one run on four hits and a walk, striking out a pair along the way. He posted an ERA of 1.80 for the outing and picked up the win, his fifth of the season.