They are excited, but not satisfied.
Thrilled to still be playing, but not content.
Cinderella St. John’s, one of two No. 4 seeds to survive the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, is looking to pull another shocker this weekend at national No. 7 seed Alabama in the NCAA Tournament’s Super Regionals and return to the College World Series for the first time since 1980.
“It was immediate. I told them after [winning the Tallahassee Regional], ‘Enjoy it, we’re still playing, but we’re not done yet. This is exactly where we wanted to be,’” coach Mike Hampton told The Post in a phone interview on the eve of the best-of-three Super Regionals. “One of the things we talk about all the time is try to stay level-headed and stay focused on the goal, and that’s to make it to the World Series.”
St. John’s (36-24) has already written an incredible story, going from 1-10 to one of the last 16 teams standing.
It has won eight straight games, is 35-14 since March 6 and is one of only three teams in the country to go undefeated in the postseason, along with SEC champion Georgia and Big 12 champion Kansas.
The Red Storm trailed in all three games of the Tallahassee Regional, and rallied to win each time, twice beating No. 10 Florida State on its home field.
It won’t get any easier this weekend.
Alabama (40-19) is a powerhouse, led by top MLB prospect Justin Lebron, a shortstop, and ace right-hander Tyler Fay, projected to go in the first five rounds of the MLB draft.
The Crimson Tide went undefeated in the Tuscaloosa Regional and are 23-6 at home, losing just two series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium all year.
“My message is, the pressure’s not on us, it’s on the other team to win,” said Hampton, who has heard from alums like John Franco and Rich Aurilia, among others, since St. John’s advanced. “There’s a lot more people thinking that Alabama is gonna win. Just go out and play. It’s fairly simple. Try to embrace the excitement that’s around here. Instead of letting it be pressure, embrace it and enjoy the journey.”
As Hampton alluded to, St. John’s is a considerable underdog, but that was also the case last weekend as well.
The Johnnies believe they can play with anyone.
“We’re coming with the most confidence you possibly could in a matchup like this,” said No. 2 starter Evan Chaffee, an Alabama transfer who is expected to start Game 2 on Sunday.
“A lot of it is kind of riding the wave.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
