PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball will stay at home during its Big Ten bye to host La Salle in a three-game series starting Friday at Bainton Field. BTN Plus is set to provide a one-camera broadcast for each contest, with WRSU 88.7-FM producing the radio call. This will be the first non-conference home weekend series since welcoming Hartford in April 2014.
 
The Scarlet Knights have not played since last Sunday after Wednesday's game versus Villanova was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. Before that, RU claimed its fifth-straight series victory by taking 2-of-3 at Michigan State. That included winning both ends of a Friday doubleheader to finish March with 12 wins. That was the most in the month since 2001. In addition, the team is 15-10 through 25 games to flip last season's mark at the same point (10-15) and is 4-2 in the Big Ten, the best start since joining the league.
 
Other notable statistics at this juncture in the season compared to 2017 include an uptick in offensive batting average (+.019), runs (+34), on-base percentage (+.019) and pitching strikeouts (+30). Meanwhile, errors (-15), ERA (-1.90) and batting average against (-.023) are down.
 
On the mound, senior John O'Reilly and freshman Harry Rutkowski will lead the weekend rotation once again. O'Reilly will make his 43^rd career start and has worked at least eight innings in each of his last two times out. The right-hander leads the staff with 43.0 innings on the season, ranking eighth in school history with 257.1 innings as a Scarlet Knight. Rutkowski has permitted just two earned runs over his last three starts, which covers 19.2 innings. The left-hander went a season-best seven frames last week at Michigan State, owning a team-high 36 strikeouts this year. RU is 7-0 in games started by Rutkowski in 2018. The Sunday starter will be determined later.
 
Out of the bullpen, junior Serafino Brito leads the unit with 15 games and four saves. Freshman Collin Kiernan is first on the staff with a 2.08 ERA and a .217 batting average against.
 
Fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz led the team with seven hits and five RBIs in four games last week, while junior Carmen Sclafani added six hits. Senior Kyle Walker has reached base 21-straight games played for the longest such streak for a Scarlet Knights since Jawuan Harris had 29 games from the end of 2016 to the start of 2017. Walker's on-base percentage of .463 ranks fifth among Big Ten hitters. Freshman Mike Nyisztor paces the lineup with 20 RBIs.
 
Rutgers traveled to USC Upstate for last season's conference bye and won all three games for a road sweep. In 2016, the team won both parts a home-and-home versus St. Joseph's and secured 2-of-3 against Seton Hall the year before in a series played at three different locations.
 
THE OPPONENT
La Salle overcame a four-run deficit and plated the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to win at Rider on Wednesday, 8-7. In Atlantic 10 play, the Explorers are 1-5 with a win over St. Joseph's. Ben Faso leads the bats with 24 RBIs and 10 extra-base hits on a .380 batting average, while Chase Arnold has a team-high three homers. Michael Jenkins is the listed probable for the series opener with 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. Overall, the team is hitting .266 with a 6.29 ERA.
 
La Salle is a member of the Atlantic 10, but joined the conference just as Rutgers left for the Big East following the 1995 season. Overall, the programs have only met once, a 27-1 rout at a neutral field in Florida on March 14, 1987. That ranks as the second-most runs ever plated by RU in a game.
 
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights will welcome Lafayette the Bainton Field on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Big Ten play resumes the following weekend at Illinois.
 
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