PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers baseball program will host the Academy of Baseball of Canada in an exhibition contest Friday, Oct. 9 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be played at Bainton Field, the home of the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers returns eight of its nine starters, including the designated hitter, from a year ago. RU also welcomes back a solid pitching rotation that includes three weekend starters from last spring. Rutgers’ top three hitters are back, headlined by junior first baseman Jaren Matthews (Teaneck, N.J.), a two-time All-BIG EAST selection, who hit .328 with eight doubles, a triple and six home runs in 2009. Junior outfielder Michael Lang (Dumont, N.J.) led the team with a .343 batting average, including 17 doubles, two triples and eight home runs last season. Junior outfielder/designated hitter Pat Biserta (Point Pleasant, N.J.) hit .326 with a team-best 18 doubles and five home runs last spring.
RU returns starters senior righty Casey Gaynor (Toms River, N.J.), sophomore righty Willie Beard (Spotswood, N.J.) and senior lefty Dennis Hill (Hillsdale, N.J.).The Scarlet Knights will also welcome back senior righty Matt Giannini (Millington, N.J.), who missed the 2009 season after a stellar 2008 campaign.
The exhibition contest is part of the festivities associated with Homecoming weekend at Rutgers. Admission to the game is free of charge.
