Notebook: Fall Practice Underway
Sep 12 | Baseball
By Brad Derechailo
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Sept. 12, 2014) - Friday’s intrasquad scrimmage began the Rutgers baseball team’s first on-field practice as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and second-year head coach Joe Litterio had a solid first impression of this year's squad.
“We did some things very well on the mound today,” Litterio said. “We also started to swing the bats late in the scrimmage, so all-in-all we’re pretty excited about what went on today.”
The Scarlet Knights broke into two teams, scrimmaging for six innings before calling it a day on their first practice of the fall. Rutgers finished 30-25 last season, finishing tied for third in the conference standings.
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After entering last fall with questions on the pitching staff, Rutgers heads into this year with experience on the mound. That includes junior Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.), who compiled a 6-3 record last season as Rutgers No. 1 starter, producing a 2.36 ERA with 40 strikeouts. His three complete games led the team. Sophomore right-handers Kyle Driscoll (Toms River, N.J.), Kevin Baxter (Waterford, N.J.) and Gaby Rosa (Perth Amboy, N.J.) (more below on Rosa) also bring a year of experience to the starting rotation, something that provides a lot of confidence for Litterio.
“To have all of the guys coming back from last year that put up some good numbers is great,” Litterio said. “Last year was a bit of unknown as far as knowing what we had and we tried to figure it out on the run. Now we know where we’re at. It’s exciting to know what we can do.”
While Brey said he felt more comfortable this fall on the mound, he was happy that Rutgers offense hit well during the scrimmage.
“The hitters hit so well today, that’s what I’m excited about,” Brey said. “It was exciting to see them hit so well today, especially with some of the bats we have to replace.”
The offense graduated the starting bats of Brian O'Grady, Nick Favatella and Pat Sweeney, but bring back senior Vinny Zarrillo (Forked River, N.J.). Zarrillo will enter 2015 with 162 career hits and earned All-NECBL honors this past summer.
“It was good to see everyone working,” Zarrillo said. “Coach wants to see what we’ve been doing all summer and it’s just good to be back on the field. We graduated some big bats and we’re looking for some guys to step up.”
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Rosa burst onto the scene last spring as a rookie pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 30 strikeouts. As the Scarlet Knights’ No. 2 starter throughout most of the season, his efforts landed him on the 2014 Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-America Team as selected by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
But Litterio believes Rosa can also help the team this season up the middle, as the Perth Amboy, N.J., native played second base during the Scarlet Knight’s first scrimmage.
“I’m excited to see what he can do as a position player,” Litterio said. “We recruited him as a second baseman, so we know what he can do as a hitter. He’s a competitor, so no matter where you put him, he’s going to compete.”
Rosa appeared sparingly at second last season, producing an RBI and a walk in limited at bats. But Rosa collected 117 hits as a shortstop at Perth Amboy High School, earning first team all-county as a shortstop his sophomore and junior seasons.
Zarrillo is also excited for the possibilities of Rosa playing both positions.
“It’s rare. It’s hard to do both in college,” Zarrillo said. “But if he could focus on both, he could help the team both in the field and on the mound.”
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With the departure of some of last season’s most experienced hitters, Litterio will look to a pool of transfers to replace the offensive production.
One of those players is junior infielder Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.).
Suseck, who transferred to Rutgers last year after playing his freshman year at Coastal Carolina, will be fully eligible when the Scarlet Knights begin play next year.
“I’m sure he’s eager to play,” Zarrillo said. “He’s a fiery and very vocal player. He brings a lot to the table and he’s a great guy to have in the lineup this year."
As a freshman at Coastal Carolina in 2012, Suseck played in 39 games, making 14 starts at third base and 16 overall. In his lone season with the Chanticleers, Suseck batted .269, driving in three runs and collecting 18 hits.
On the mound, Litterio said Wake Forest transfer Mark McCoy will vie for a starting role.
McCoy, who enrolled at Rutgers this fall, will immediately be eligible for the Knights. After playing his first two seasons with the Demon Deacons, McCoy brings a multitude of pitches to the Rutgers staff, including a fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. He made 18 appearances at Wake Forrest.
“He’ll have a chance to help us right away,” Litterio said.
