St. John’s players (AP)
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Matt Wessinger met Stephen Rivera in an embrace after the final out. The two St. John’s seniors had worked four years — and the program had waited 32 — to be in this position. The Red Storm beat mighty North Carolina on Sunday for the second time in two days, sending St. John’s to its first-ever Super Regionals.
When the dogpile had subsided, Wessinger hugged Rivera yet again. This time, what entered his mind was the choice he made last year: go pro or stay at St. John’s for his final season.
“No doubt that was the greatest decision I’ve made,” Wessinger said.
The shortstop from upstate Liverpool rolled the dice last June. He was drafted in the 37th round by the Royals and could have easily signed. But he didn’t leave Queens, because he believed St. John’s had a chance to be special in 2012.
“I knew we had a great team,” Wessinger said. “I knew this was something we were capable of doing.”
The Red Storm left yesterday on a flight to Tucson, where they will meet No. 13 Arizona in the best-of-three Super Regionals beginning tomorrow. They had not made it out of the regional round since 1980 — when the Super Regionals didn’t even exist.
Wessinger’s contributions have been a major factor.
“He just put the team on his back,” pitcher Matt Carasiti said. “We wouldn’t be where we are right now without him.”
The 6-foot senior led the team with a .353 batting average and 34 stolen bases, batting in the middle of the order. Perhaps more important, he shifted from second base to shortstop, replacing Joe Panik, a first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants last year, and provided exceptional defense.
Wessinger’s judgment was rewarded even further Tuesday when he was selected in the fifth round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Rockies, the second of four Red Storm players taken in the first six rounds.
“He took a chance,” St. John’s coach Ed Blankmeyer said. “In the past in the Northeast, we can’t recover like some of these other teams recover. It hurts your program.”
With Wessinger in the fold, St. John’s has had an historic season. But the Johnnies don’t feel like they’re done by any means.
“We’re not just content with it,” said left fielder Jeremy Baltz, who was taken in the second round Tuesday by the Padres. “The beginning of the year, our goal was to get past the regionals and we’ve accomplished that goal. But now we have a new goal and that’s the College World Series.”
Blankmeyer believes with his pitching, St. John’s can beat just about anyone. Sixth-round pick (White Sox) Kyle Hansen will go tomorrow, 29th-round pick (Twins) Sean Hagan throws Saturday and Carasiti, a sixth-round selection (Rockies), will pitch Game 3, if necessary, Sunday.
The coach just wants this group to remain loose and remember all it has accomplished already.
“There’s gonna be some nervousness,” Blankmeyer said. “I just want these guys to go out and have fun and play up to their capabilities. Whatever happens, I’m proud of them.”
mraimondi@nypost.com