PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After pitching 6.2 scoreless innings to help Rutgers baseball clinch the weekend series against Penn State,
Harry Rutkowski was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week by the conference office on Monday. It is the second such honor for the Scarlet Knights this season, with
Eric Heatter also collecting the award on Feb. 19.
"I am proud of the way Harry approached his first Big Ten start as business as usual," head coach
Joe Litterio. "He did a great job keeping the Penn State lineup off balance."
Rutkowski earned his third victory as a rookie on Saturday by logging a season-best 6.2 innings with no runs allowed. The left-hander tied his high with seven strikeouts and allowed just four hits in the outing, holding the Nittany Lions to 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. It all came with one run of support, as the Scarlet Knights held on for their first 1-0 triumph since 2006.
The Saturday win helped RU clinch its second-straight Big Ten series over PSU. The team has also claimed each of the last four weekends to move to 13-8 on the season, the best start since 2001.
Rutkowski, who was drafted in the 28
th round by the Cincinnati Reds last summer, has made six starts this season with 32 strikeouts in 32 innings. He has allowed just one run over his last 12.2 innings worked.
Rutgers will be back at Bainton Field Wednesday at 3 p.m. versus Princeton. The next conference series is scheduled at Michigan State.
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