JAMAICA, N.Y. -- When people think of college baseball, more often than not the teams they think of are in the South or the West. This weekend, the eyes of the college baseball world will be focused squarely on St. John's University, as the Red Storm (26-15, 13-7 BIG EAST) host No. 1-ranked Notre Dame (37-6-1, 15-2 BIG EAST) in a crucial BIG EAST series at The Ballpark at St. John's University.

The three-game series will begin on Saturday with a doubleheader slated to start at noon. The teams will play a seven-inning game in the opener, with a nine-inning nightcap scheduled for 25 minutes after the completion of the first game. The series finale, a nine-inning game, will start on Sunday at noon.

The Red Storm enter the weekend having won four-straight games and has won 13 of their last 15 games, including 10 of the last 13 in conference play. Picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST this season, St. John's Head Coach Ed Blankmeyer has his young squad tied for second place overall in the league with nationally-ranked Rutgers.

"There wasn't a lot expected of us, but we've got a great group of kids who come out and work hard every day," the sixth-year head coach said. "We've put ourselves in a position any team would want - to have to win to decide our fate. These last two weekend's of conference play will be a big test for this team, but if we want to reach the BIG EAST Tournament and get an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, we'll have to show we belong." Blankmeyer, who won his 175th career game in an 11-3 decision over Pace on Wednesday night, has brought together a team that lost its entire starting rotation from last season and had only three starters return to the starting lineup.

Leading the way for St. John's has been the pitching staff, which incorporated four new starting pitchers, led by junior Marc Goldberg (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) and sophomore Geno Orsogna (Norfolk, Mass./Bishop Feehan). Joining them in the rotation is sophomore southpaw Tom Klemm (Salem, N.H./Salem) and freshman Joe Reid (Rutherford, N.J./St. Mary's).

Goldberg, a transfer from South Florida, has been outstanding this season. Despite a 4-4 record, the 5-11, 185-pound right-hander has allowed three earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts, including the last six. His 2.05 earned run average ranks third in the conference and 30th nationally. In addition, he is sixth in the league in strikeouts, with 60, a 7.68 per game average, is fourth in innings pitched, with 70.1, and tied for second with five complete games. In BIG EAST games, Goldberg is 3-2 with a 1.58 earned run average, which ranks third in the league. His 38 strikeouts are second and he leads the league with 45.2 innings pitched.

Orsogna, who appeared in 12 games last season, has been a stalwart in the rotation this season, posting a 5-0 record with a 3.51 earned run average. During conference weekends, the sophomore has glittered, carrying a 3-0 record with a 2.83 earned run average, both of which rank among the top-10 in the league.

Klemm has posted a 3-3 record and a 4.26 earned run average, while Reid has moved in recently, with a 3-1 record and a 3.24 earned run average. Reid has started games in the last two BIG EAST series and picked up wins for a 2-0 record and a 3.75 ERA. Last weekend, he helped the Red Storm win the series finale against Seton Hall, throwing a complete game five-hitter while striking out 10 batters.

After struggling early in the season, the Red Storm offense has woken up in the last month. Leading the way is junior centerfielder Charlie Bilezikjian (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond). Rated as one of the top-100 collegiate players in the country by Baseball America at the start of the season, Bilezikjian (pronounced Bil-a-zick-tion) leads the team with a .349 batting average. He leads the team in hits (53), runs (36), doubles (13), RBI (33)and stolen bases (19).

Junior third baseman Jason Kane (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) and second baseman J.P. Cirigliano (Flushing, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) have been steady contributors. Kane is second on the team in batting with a .329 average (eight doubles, two home runs, 27 RBI), while Cirigliano is batting .322, with six doubles, one triple, one home run and 17 RBI.

The young Red Storm lineup features only two seniors, first baseman Chris Fallon (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) and catcher/left fielder Eric Potts (Little Ferry, N.J./Ridgefield Park). Fallon is batting .277 this season and leads the team with five home runs. His next four-bagger will break the school record (35), set by Robert Lambraia in 1989. Potts, an All-BIG EAST selection two years ago, is fourth on the team in batting with a .321 average, and has contributed nine doubles, one triple and 21 RBI.

Notre Dame will enter the weekend after having the nation's longest winning streak - 16 games - ended in the nightcap of a doubleheader with Valparaiso.

The Red Storm and the Irish have met only 12 times since ND joined the BIG EAST. St. John's trails the head-to-head series, 7-5, but the teams have split the last four games.

The Irish have been by a pitching staff that leads the nation with a combined 2.55 team earned run average. Leading the way is three-time All-American, senior Aaron Heilman. A first-round draft pick last season, Heilman passed on the opportunity to turn professional last season and leads the team with a 10-0 record and a 1.32 earned run average. Joining him in the rotation is senior Danny Tamayo, who is 6-1 with a 1.60 earned run average, and sophomore J. P. Gagne, who carries a 4-2 record with a 3.51 ERA.

Offensively, the Irish are just as talented, with a .323 team batting average. Freshman second baseman Steve Sollman leads the team with a .406 batting average. Senior right fielder Brian Stavisky is batting .394 and leads the team with 41 RBI.

Tickets for this weekend;s games are available by calling the St. John's Ticket Office (718-990-6211). Individual tickets are $3, while groups of 20 or more are discounted to $1 apiece.