July 16, 2008

QUEENS, N.Y. - Head baseball coach Ed Blankmeyer has been named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season. The skipper has now received Northeast Region Coach of the Year accolades four times (2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008). Blankmeyer has also earned Coach of the Year honors from both the ABCA Northeast Region and the BIG EAST Conference for two straight seasons and three of the past four.

In 2008, Blankmeyer led St. John's to a school record fourth consecutive 40-win season and to a second-straight BIG EAST regular season title. The Red Storm (42-16, 20-7) set a new school record for wins, tied a school record for conference wins and reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the past five years. A school-record tying eight players also earned All-BIG EAST accolades.

The Red Storm peaked at No. 18 in the Baseball America poll this past season, its highest ranking in the poll since May of 1981. The squad was ranked No. 29 in the final Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll and received votes in the final editions of both the ESPN/USA Today and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) polls.

A four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (1996, 2005, 2007 and 2008), Blankmeyer earned his 400th career win on Feb. 24 with a 4-3 win over Winthrop. The Red Storm opened the 2008 season by winning its first six games, the team's best start since the 1981 season when the team opened 14-0.