The Red Storm’s diamond teams each have tough non-conference slates in the new season
As bitterly cold as it is now, it’s easy to forget that we are one month away from the start of college baseball and softball season. The St. John’s diamond teams released their 2025 season schedules earlier this week, with opening day scheduled on Friday, February 7 for softball and exactly one week later for baseball.
Unsurprisingly, both teams will once again duck the frigid northeastern winter and start their seasons with long road trips down south.
St. John’s softball will play 25 games away from campus before their home opener versus Iona on Wednesday, March 12, opening their 2025 season with five games in the state of Texas starting with a game against Houston.
The 2025 Schedule is officially here‼️ #GoRedStorm ️ pic.twitter.com/d41lMpRdGH
— St. John’s Softball (@StJohnsSoftball) January 7, 2025
The Red Storm face the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, February 8, who finished as national runner-ups in two of the last three seasons. Later on, St. John’s plays in three different non-conference tournaments hosted by South Florida in Tampa, Florida, Winthrop in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Georgia.
The Red Storm host reigning Big East tournament champions Villanova for a three-game set from April 25-27, when they will also honor their seniors.
Led by second-year head coach Michelle DePolo, St. John’s softball will look to build off their 31-27 finish to the 2024 season, which stands as the third-highest season win total in program history.
Meanwhile, St. John’s baseball opens their season with a ten-game road trip against Liberty, Wake Forest, Louisville, and Ohio State.
2025 Schedule Drop pic.twitter.com/4ycefKsone
— St. John’s Baseball (@StJohnsBaseball) January 8, 2025
The baseball team’s three-game set versus Wake Forest from February 21-23 carries special significance as former Red Storm star Jimmy Keenan faces his old squad again. The 2024 First Team All-Big East catcher transferred to play for the Deacons over the summer ahead of his MLB draft year. Keenan made his unofficial return to Jack Kaiser Stadium last October when St. John’s and Wake Forest split a fall exhibition doubleheader, but their meeting will count next month.
Key games on the Red Storm’s home schedule include standalone games with Big Ten teams Washington (Tue, April 1) and Rutgers (Tue, April 22) and a three-game set versus UConn from April 25-27. In 2024, the Huskies were the only other Big East team to make the NCAA tournament, and they reached their second Super Regional in three seasons.
St. John’s baseball is coming off their Big East record tenth tournament championship and their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2018. The Red Storm finished 1-2 in Charlottesville Regional, defeating Penn on a walk-off in an elimination game but losing twice to Mississippi State to knock them out of the tournament.