Photo by: Mac Johnson
Bluejay Baseball Picked Fourth, Three Earn Preseason All-BIG EAST Honors
12/18/2024 10:00:00 AM | Baseball
Omaha, Neb. -- The trio of Kyle Hess, Nolan Sailors and Dominic Cancellieri each earned All-BIG EAST Preseason Honors, while the Bluejays were picked to finish fourth by the BIG EAST Coaches on Wednesday, December 18.
Hess and Sailors return to guide the Creighton offense as the duo each hit better than .300 last season. Playing in all 52 games Sailors closed the season with a team-best average of .355, collecting 71 hits including 14 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. Nolan also led Creighton with 55 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Limited to 41 games, Hess hit .302 with 32 hits and 14 RBI in 106 at-bats. Kyle was second on the team hitting .350 with a team-high .525 slugging percentage in BIG EAST play.
Sidelined for the entire BIG EAST slate by an injury, Creighton's ace Cancellieri was 6-0 in seven starts with a 2.83 ERA over 35.0 innings. He notched 35 strikeouts last season and limited opponents to a .235 average.
Creighton closed the 2024 season at 35-17, including a 28-4 mark in non-conference action. The Bluejays did not drop a midweek game, closing the season 12-0 in such contests. The Bluejays also delivered series wins over Stanford, Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern.
Connecticut was slated to defend its BIG EAST crown, while Xavier and St. John's were picked second and third respectively. Georgetown is slated just behind Creighton, while Seton Hall, Villanova and Butler close out the preseason poll.
The Bluejays open the 2025 season from February 14-16 at UNC Greensboro, then head to Portland for a four-game series from February 21-23.
2025 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Maddix Dalena, 1B, Jr., Connecticut
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Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, RHP, Sr., Connecticut ^
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Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown
1B – Maddix Dalena, Connecticut
2B – Kyle Hess, Creighton
3B – Tyler Minick, Connecticut
3B – Luke Hammond, Xavier
SS – Bryan Padilla, Connecticut
SS – Luke Orbon, St. John's
DH – Connor Misch, Xavier
OF – Jack Moroknek, Butler
OF – Caleb Shpur, Connecticut
OF – Nolan Sailors, Creighton ^
OF – Kavi Caster, Georgetown
OF – Jackson Tucker, St. John's
OF – Aedan Anderson, Xavier
SP – Ian Cooke, Connecticut ^
SP – Dominic Cancellieri, Creighton
SP – Andrew Williams, Georgetown
SP – Evan Chaffee, St. John's
SP – Ryan Reich, Seton Hall ^
RP – Brady Afthim, Connecticut
RP – Louis Marinaro, St. John's
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^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there are extra members on the preseason all-conference team.
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BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. Connecticut (7) – 49
2. Xavier – 38
3. St. John's (1) – 37
4. Creighton – 30
5. Georgetown – 25
6. Seton Hall – 24
7. Villanova – 12
8. Butler – 9
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Hess and Sailors return to guide the Creighton offense as the duo each hit better than .300 last season. Playing in all 52 games Sailors closed the season with a team-best average of .355, collecting 71 hits including 14 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. Nolan also led Creighton with 55 RBI and 18 stolen bases. Limited to 41 games, Hess hit .302 with 32 hits and 14 RBI in 106 at-bats. Kyle was second on the team hitting .350 with a team-high .525 slugging percentage in BIG EAST play.
Sidelined for the entire BIG EAST slate by an injury, Creighton's ace Cancellieri was 6-0 in seven starts with a 2.83 ERA over 35.0 innings. He notched 35 strikeouts last season and limited opponents to a .235 average.
Creighton closed the 2024 season at 35-17, including a 28-4 mark in non-conference action. The Bluejays did not drop a midweek game, closing the season 12-0 in such contests. The Bluejays also delivered series wins over Stanford, Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern.
Connecticut was slated to defend its BIG EAST crown, while Xavier and St. John's were picked second and third respectively. Georgetown is slated just behind Creighton, while Seton Hall, Villanova and Butler close out the preseason poll.
The Bluejays open the 2025 season from February 14-16 at UNC Greensboro, then head to Portland for a four-game series from February 21-23.
2025 Preseason Baseball All-BIG EAST Team and Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Maddix Dalena, 1B, Jr., Connecticut
Â
Preseason Pitcher of the Year
Ian Cooke, RHP, Sr., Connecticut ^
Â
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team*
C – Owen Carapellotti, Georgetown
1B – Maddix Dalena, Connecticut
2B – Kyle Hess, Creighton
3B – Tyler Minick, Connecticut
3B – Luke Hammond, Xavier
SS – Bryan Padilla, Connecticut
SS – Luke Orbon, St. John's
DH – Connor Misch, Xavier
OF – Jack Moroknek, Butler
OF – Caleb Shpur, Connecticut
OF – Nolan Sailors, Creighton ^
OF – Kavi Caster, Georgetown
OF – Jackson Tucker, St. John's
OF – Aedan Anderson, Xavier
SP – Ian Cooke, Connecticut ^
SP – Dominic Cancellieri, Creighton
SP – Andrew Williams, Georgetown
SP – Evan Chaffee, St. John's
SP – Ryan Reich, Seton Hall ^
RP – Brady Afthim, Connecticut
RP – Louis Marinaro, St. John's
Â
^ - denotes unanimous selection
* due to a tie in voting, there are extra members on the preseason all-conference team.
Â
BIG EAST Baseball Preseason Poll
First place votes in ( )
1. Connecticut (7) – 49
2. Xavier – 38
3. St. John's (1) – 37
4. Creighton – 30
5. Georgetown – 25
6. Seton Hall – 24
7. Villanova – 12
8. Butler – 9
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Players Mentioned
2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
Friday, October 30
Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
Friday, October 30
CREIGHTON BASEBALL
Thursday, October 15
Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
