Bluejays Picked to Finish Second in BIG EAST Preseason Poll

New York, N.Y. -- Dylan Tebrake and Alan Roden continued to stack up individual honors as the duo were named the BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher and Player of the Year on Wednesday, December 22. Joining Tebrake and Roden on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team are Andrew Meggs and reliever Paul Bergstrom.

As team the Bluejays were picked to finish second with 41 points, including one first place vote. Connecticut was the preseason favorite at 47 points (seven first place votes), while Xavier and St. John's rounded out the top four with 36 and 30 points respectively. Seton Hall (29 points), Butler (16 points), Georgetown (13 points) and Villanova (10 points) completed the BIG EAST Coaches Poll.

Coming off a 2021 season that saw Tebrake earn the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, he is poised to repeat his dominance. The Creighton right-hander closed last season 8-0 with a 2.72 ERA. He tossed 72.2 innings over 12 starts, notching 75 strikeouts and walking 24. In BIG EAST action Tebrake was 5-0 with a 1.52 ERA in 41.1 innings. Tebrake limited BIG EAST opponents to an impressive .171 average, while allowing just .220 overall.

Roden was the 2021 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, hitting .378 with nine home runs, 17 doubles and 47 RBI in 39 games. The Bluejays DH early in the season, the Wisconsin native moved into the outfield for the bulk of BIG EAST action. Roden was almost unstoppable in conference play, hitting .421 with nine doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI in 21 games. He delivered a .737 slugging percentage and a .516 on-base percentage against the BIG EAST.

An All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last season, Bergstrom was Creighton's high-leverage southpaw out of the bullpen last season. The Illinois native posted a 1.12 ERA with over 32 innings. He closed the season with two wins (2-0) with 28 strikeouts in 17 appearances. In BIG EAST play Bergstrom delivered a 1.53 ERA, claiming both victories and limiting conference opposition to a .206 batting average.

Meggs was a consistent force atop the lineup for Creighton, hitting .309 with 46 hits in 39 games. He also collected All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2021, closing the season with 10 extra-base hits (eight doubles, one triple and one home run) with 35 runs scored. Against BIG EAST opponents he hit .304 over 21 games with 19 runs scored.

Creighton opens the 2022 season at Portland from Feb. 18-20.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. Connecticut (7) – 49
2. Creighton (1) – 41
3. Xavier – 36
4. St. John's – 30
5. Seton Hall – 29
6. Butler – 16
7. Georgetown – 13
8. Villanova – 10

Preseason Player of the Year
Alan Roden, So., OF, Creighton

Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Dylan Tebrake, Jr., RHP, Creighton

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
C – Jerry Huntzinger, Gr., Xavier
1B – Luke Franzoni, Sr., Xavier
2B – Andrew Meggs, Jr., Creighton
3B – Marty Higgins, RSo., St. John's *
SS – Jack Housinger, Sr., Xavier
DH – Alan Roden, So., Creighton
OF – Erik Stock, Sr., Connecticut *
OF – Will Gale, RSo., Seton Hall *
OF – Chris Rotondo, Sr., Villanova
OF – Andrew Walker, Sr., Xavier
SP – Austin Peterson, Sr., Connecticut
SP – Ian Murphy, RJr., St. John's
SP – Dylan Tebrake, Jr., Creighton
SP – Tyler Roche, So., St. John's
RP – Paul Bergstrom, Jr., Creighton

*Unanimous Selection

Bluejays Picked to Finish Second in BIG EAST Preseason Poll

Players Mentioned

Paul Bergstrom

Andrew Meggs

Alan Roden

Dylan Tebrake

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