Hagan Adjusts to College Baseball at St. John's

Many high school stars struggle with the transition to Division I athletics, and former Mamaroneck standout Sean Hagan was no different during his freshman year at St. John's.

But once the athlete had time to figure things out, he took on the same role he had when the Tigers won back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009 — a winning pitcher in the postseason.

Hagan, who will be entering his sophomore year in a few weeks, earned the win as St. John's defeated VCU 8-6 in the regional round of the NCAA tournament. He wound up making 20 appearances in his freshman year, including six starts, and was 5-1 with a 4.85 ERA. In 55 2/3 innings, he struck out 53 and walked 29.

"The daily grind was a lot to get used to, mentally and physically," Hagan said. "Once I got used to that, everything was smooth sailing."

Hagan made another appearance in the Red Storm's final game, a 5-3 loss to Virginia that left the school one game away from the College World Series.

Hagan began the season in the bullpen, a different role than his days on the mound in Mamaroneck.

"That was new to me," Hagan said. "It was a different mentality that I wasn't used to. When you're starting, you have a half hour at least, and in the bullpen you have 2-3 minutes tops."

Then in his first start, against powerhouse North Carolina in the third week of the season, Hagan allowed six runs in just one inning. His ERA ballooned into the double-digits.

"It was a big adjustment," Hagan said. "The speed of the game was a lot to get used to. And there are some things you don't even think about in high school baseball that's such a big factor in college ball, like opponents trying to steal signs. The positive part was that each time I went out there I was throwing better, and that's why the coaches kept turning to me."

By the halfway point, Hagan was doing much better, and he got another start against Iona. This time he threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and a walk and striking out a career-high seven batters.

Needing to win the Big East tournament in order to qualify for the NCAAs, Hagan got the ball again against No. 9 Louisville. In his first collegiate postseason start, Hagan allowed just one earned run in 4 1/3 innings. Though he didn't factor in the decision, the Red Storm won 5-3 to advance to the conference championship game, where it beat Connecticut.

St. John's lost to Mississippi in its first game at the NCAAs, sending it to the elimination bracket. But with Hagan on the mound, the Red Storm beat VCU 8-6 to survive. The lefty allowed three runs in five innings, striking out six, to record the win.

Editor's Note: Hagan's brother Scott was recently voted top male athlete of the year. Congratulations to both brothers for their accomplishments!