St. John's University captured the 2026 BIG EAST Baseball Championship with a 5‑3 win over Creighton University, delivering the program’s 11th conference title and its second in the past three seasons.
Game‑changing moments
The championship contest unfolded in Mason, Ohio, where the crowd’s energy matched the stakes from the first pitch. Creighton struck first in the opening inning when Nick Venteicher’s sacrifice fly plated a run, setting an early tone.
Rocco Gump responded with his third home run of the tournament, extending Creighton’s lead to 2‑0, but Cristian Bernardini’s solo blast for St. John's narrowed the gap, keeping the Red Storm within striking distance.
St. John's tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs, and the momentum shifted decisively in the seventh inning when the Red Storm added two more scores to pull ahead and ultimately seal the victory.
MVP honors
Rocco Gump was awarded the 2026 Jack Kaiser Award as the tournament’s most outstanding player after finishing with 10 hits, three home runs, two triples, nine RBI and six runs scored. His all‑around performance underscored the Red Storm’s championship run.
The win not only highlights St. John's resurgence on the national collegiate stage but also reinforces the program’s recent dominance, having secured titles in two of the last three seasons.