Joe Litterio 2016 Season Review
Jun 09 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- The 2016 season marked the second for Rutgers baseball in the Big Ten. The campaign featured memorable victories, standout individual performances and continued progress. Head coach Joe Litterio reflected on the year in the following Q&A with ScarletKnights.com.
Takeaways from the season: "I was very impressed with the way these guys came back after last year. We really had a tough first year in the Big Ten. I thought we made a big jump. We were able to handle the travel demands on us and understand the competition. I was happy with the way we performed throughout the season this year. There are five games here or there that we could have won that could have changed the season around to a 30-win year, but that happens in a year like we had. I'm just happy the way the kids pulled together and got better."
Thoughts on areas of improvement: "I'd say going into the year, I think shortstop and middle positions were question marks for me. Putting Gaby Rosa out there, with Christian Campbell getting hurt, for the first time since high school, I was very happy with the way he played throughout the year defensively. Obviously, I was happy with the way R.J. Devish stepped up this year and was able to be a leader and the same thing with Chris Suseck and John Jennings. I think they all were leaders on the field and in the locker room. And, Howie Brey had the year that we expected him to have being a Friday guy. Also, his leadership on the pitching staff was definitely good to see."
Thoughts on hitting: "We got better as the season went on. I think we hit decently. I expect more from us going down the road. If you take the year on how we performed, I think we did well with two outs. We had a lot of big two-out RBI situations that we came through with late. A lot of freshmen stepped up and put up some big numbers and big hits throughout the year. I expect more from us but was satisfied with what we did."
Thoughts on the pitching: "Howie Brey did an outstanding job setting the tone for us every Friday night, bulldogging his way through four complete games. I was happy with how John O'Reilly elevated himself to be a weekend guy. His record doesn't show it, but he came out of probably three or four games that we didn't win for him. I think Campbell after his knee got a little bit better showed the potential he has. I was happy to see how Max Herrmann, Ryan Fleming and Reed Shuttle were able to become a solid trio out of the pen. To be able to pitch day in and day out and log the innings they did was impressive. Young freshmen were thrown into the fire. Serafino Brito did great on the midweeks and came into the conference and at the end of the year; it's a lot to ask of a freshman coming out of high school pitching that many innings. Dante Scafidi and Kevin Romero also had solid freshman years used in many different situations this season. I have high expectations for both of them."
Thoughts on stealing bases presence: "When I got the head coaching job, we talked about stealing bases. Two years ago with that team I spoke to them about stealing bases, worked on stealing bases and talked about putting pressure on the defense, but we just didn't do it. Last year coming in, the opportunities weren't there enough to do it because of being behind in games early and that kind of stuff. This year, they took to it. I don't know if it's senior confidence, having someone like R.J. and Suseck who go through it for three years and understand what I'm trying to preach. They were more confident with taking bases. Jawuan Harris supplied a speed that we didn't have before. That's a big strength there and it showed other guys like R.J. and Tom Marcinczyk. I think they started to see each other do it, gained the confidence and understood what we talk about and how to steal bases. I definitely preach it and definitely want to create that kind of havoc on the bases. I think this year we had guys in the position to steal. It was good to see we could do it."
Thoughts on senior leadership: "It was outstanding. For those guys to really turn a 180 with the whole team was impressive how they did it. They did it on their own, I didn't have anything to do with it. They took control of the situation and control of the team. They had their respect. I couldn't say more about what they have done to get the team back to where it's supposed to be."
Thoughts on how the underclassmen reacted to the seniors: "I think it was a great mesh of characters. The freshmen all respected the seniors and the seniors didn't play the stern role, they played the teaching role. I think that jelled well. These guys really needed that. We had a lot of freshmen who needed that leadership. Without that it would have been tough. For them to get that kind of leadership when it wasn't a hard love leadership, it was a teaching leadership that showed them how to do the right things and walk them through things. The freshman class really needed it and it jelled really well."
Main highlights of the year: "Obviously, the Nebraska walk-off was something that kind of jumped at you. Taking two out of three from Maryland when we had to, that for me was big going into two weekends left in the season knowing what we had to do and being able to do it against Maryland at their place was special. The Friday night game at Ohio State, the way we came out swinging was impressive, just the whole atmosphere of that game was something like we belong here in the Big Ten. We know we are here. That's the biggest thing that we accomplished this year and the coaching staff saw that the kids feel at home in the Big Ten. Last year, I think it was that we were in a little bit of awe of the whole thing, going to the new stadiums and this year the team thought they were great places but just wanted to play the games. The biggest thing for me was watching our kids understand that they are in the Big Ten and they belong now. That for me was the biggest thing."
How to elevate in the Big Ten standings in the future: "Seeing every team now and what they have and how they do it and seeing their coaching styles is going to be helpful going forward. Now, we know what were up against and how opponents like to attack the game. We have to keep getting better recruiting-wise. Once we get the hitting facility up, I think it will help us in the Big Ten with getting recruits here and show them what we have. It's a great conference. We play in great college baseball atmospheres. We haven't had that before. I think that will just get bigger especially with the Big Ten Network with the opportunity to be on TV a lot. We're being seen a lot. I think it's all going to come into place as we get further into the Big Ten. It's only year two and I think once high school kids see the conference we're in and the conference they can go into and see what the difference is. It's going to make a world of difference for recruiting and everything else."
Thoughts on the program's stability in the Big Ten: "Now, we're home. We're set, we got a place, we know what we're involved in. We know the travel and we know the hotels. We know the ins and outs of the Big Ten now. So as a staff, we're more confident and relaxed. The players feel like they belong now. Now, it's just a matter of getting our team right and talent right to compete in the Big Ten."
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