St. John's men's basketball players Ian Jackson, Ruben Prey team up for first pitch at Mets game
St. John's men's basketball player Ian Jackson throws the ceremonial first pitch to teammate Ruben Prey before a game between the Mets and the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Ian Jackson never played Little League and couldn’t remember the last time he’d thrown a baseball. Ruben Prey had never even worn a baseball glove. When the St. John’s juniors teamed up for the ceremonial first pitch before the Mets-Marlins game on Thursday night at Citi Field, it certainly had the ingredients to be the kind of viral video that no one wants to be a part of.
Instead, they had a great moment. Jackson, the guard from the Bronx, delivered a perfect throw with some velocity behind it. Prey, the center from Portugal, gloved it seamlessly. And their teammates and the crowd that waited out a rain delay before first pitch against the Marlins met their moment with laughter and applause.
Jackson was nothing but confident a few hours earlier when the 2026-27 version of the Red Storm arrived for batting practice (which was rained out) in personalized Mets uniforms provided by the team. “I saw [that] Zuby [Ejiofor] did it and Dylan Darling did it,” he said. “Are we going to be better than them? Absolutely.”
But after he came off the mound, he said “my heart was really beating — I’m cool right now, [but] I was a little nervous . . . I’ve still got a little adrenaline going.”
The potential 50 Cent-level disaster from 2014 from that same mound was averted.
The first sight of Jackson and Prey warming up wasn’t exactly inspiring. The 6-11 center was getting used to using a glove that he was given and dropped the first few throws.
“By the fourth or fifth catch, though, he was good,” Jackson said. “Ruben is a natural.”
This latest public appearance for the Red Storm continues what has been a meteoric rise from relative irrelevance to prominence since Hall of Famer Rick Pitino was installed as head coach before the 2023-24 season.
In those three seasons, St. John’s has posted an 81-25 record, regularly packed the Garden, captured a couple of Big East titles and made a pair of NCAA Tournaments. Last spring, St. John’s reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 27 years.
But the Red Storm also have enjoyed a type of celebrity that comes with success in New York. They were followed through a season in a docuseries on Vice TV, were guests on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and have been cheered at Mets and Yankees games.
St. John’s already had slipped from the ranks of the elite when Jackson was growing up, so the popularity and recognition isn’t lost on him.
When asked what it’s like to see the Red Storm a force again on the New York sports scene, he replied, “It’s great, especially being from New York. It’s amazing to kind of build something great here at home. I’m like about 20, 25 minutes away from my house . . . in the Bronx. It’s amazing to be a part of this.”
Prey suspected all along that Jackson would make it a moment to remember, saying beforehand, “I trust him — he’s up for it for sure.”
The team has been participating in summer workouts on campus as it readies for what many expect will be another great season, but Thursday was a night for them to be honored.
Said Jackson, “It was very cool.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
