Creighton baseball, the defending Big East regular season and tournament champion, has been selected to finish second in the 2026 preseason poll. UConn tops the poll with seven first-place votes, while three St. John's players earned spots on the preseason All-Big East team.
The Big East Conference released its 2026 baseball preseason poll on December 18, 2025, with Creighton projected to finish second after capturing both the regular season title and tournament championship in the previous season. UConn received seven first-place votes and 49 points to lead the poll, followed by Creighton with three first-place votes and 43 points. Xavier placed third with 37 points, St. John's fourth with 32, Seton Hall fifth with 26, Villanova sixth with 19, Georgetown seventh with 13, and Butler eighth with 8 points.
Xavier's Connor Misch was named preseason player of the year as a senior first baseman, while Seton Hall's Steven Svenson earned preseason pitcher of the year honors as a sophomore right-hander. The preseason All-Big East team featured unanimous selections marked with a caret, including Creighton's junior catcher Connor Capece and sophomore starting pitcher Wilson Magers, as well as St. John's junior outfielder Jon LeGrande and junior third baseman Jauder Raifstanger.
St. John's also had sophomore Shaun McMillan selected at second base/designated hitter. Other honorees included UConn's junior reliever Sean Finn, junior outfielder Tyler Minick, and redshirt sophomore shortstop Rob Rispoli; Georgetown's graduate student starting pitcher JT Raab; Seton Hall's senior reliever John Downing; Xavier's junior outfielder Clay Burdette and junior starting pitcher Ryan Piech; and St. John's sophomore second baseman/designated hitter Shaun McMillan. A tie in voting resulted in extra members on the team.
This preseason recognition highlights the competitive landscape in the Big East, with Creighton aiming to defend its titles and St. John's bolstering its roster with all-conference talents.
