PISCATAWAY, N.J. - With Big Ten play starting across the league, Rutgers baseball is one of three members on a bye and will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to play USC Upstate in a three-game non-conference series starting Friday at Harley Park. It will be the third-straight weekend the Scarlet Knights will match up with an opponent from the Atlantic Sun.

Rutgers (6-14) at USC Upstate (12-11) - Spartanburg, S.C.
Game 21	March 24 - 6 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	Rutgers - RHP Serafino Brito (0-5, 6.51 ERA) USC Upstate - RHP Sean Hupp (0-0, 7.36 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats
Game 22	March 25 - 2 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	Rutgers - RHP John O'Reilly (1-4, 6.59 ERA) USC Upstate - RHP Kevin Hickey (2-3, 2.28 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats
Game 23	March 26 - 1 p.m. ET
Probable Pitching Matchup	Rutgers - RHP Gaby Rosa (2-1, 3.86 ERA) USC Upstate - RHP Conner Campbell (1-1, 4.62 ERA)
Coverage	Live Stats
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SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights have played 18-of-20 games on the road, but are coming off a 7-2 loss to Rider Tuesday at Bainton Field. Sophomore Jawuan Harris and senior Mike Carter combined to reach base seven times from the top spots of the batting order, stealing five bases. However, the Broncs scored six unanswered runs in the middle of the game to take the win.

Carter continues to lead the offensive attack with a .385 average on 30 hits, which is second-most in the Big Ten, and a .943 OPS (.456 on-base, .487 slugging). Harris is right behind at a .942 OPS (.414 on-base, .528 slugging). The two-sport athlete is also tied for first in the Big Ten and sixth in the country with 13 stolen bases after taking three on Tuesday. Those three swipes upped his career total to 50 in 67 games, tied with former major leaguer David DeJesus (1998-2000) for 10th in school history. Doug Alongi (1991-93) holds the record at 85.

Both Harris and senior Tom Marcinczyk have blasted four home runs, while Carter has the most RBIs at 13.

On the mound, sophomore Serafino Brito is scheduled to make the Friday start for the first time this season. The right-hander has made 15 previous starts in his career and owns a 16-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2017. Junior John O'Reilly will take the ball on Saturday and leads the staff with 28.2 innings worked so far this season. He is inducing 12.87 ground outs per nine innings. Senior Gaby Rosa, who has nine career victories, follows on Sunday, as opposing batters are hitting just .196 against this year.

Fifth-year senior Max Herrmann leads the bullpen with 11 strikeouts and two saves in eight games worked. The left-hander has appeared in 72 career games, which ranks tied for seventh in the program record books. Senior Ryan Fleming paces the staff with nine games pitched this season, with freshman Joe Neglia permitting just one earned run in six outings.

NOTABLE
Rutgers is set to play its sixth consecutive road weekend series to start the season … the Scarlet Knights own the No. 14 strength of schedule nationally according to Boyd's World … Carter leads the team with nine multiple-hit showings and has reached base in 19-of-20 games this year … RU has played 11 contests in the state of Florida … Rutgers is 34-8 since 2015 when scoring at least six runs in a game and 5-0 this year … the Scarlet Knights rank 25th nationally with 33 stolen bases.

SCOUTING USC UPSTATE
A member of the Atlantic Sun, the Spartans came back to beat Presbyterian Wednesday in 11 innings. The team scored three runs in the ninth and plated one on a sacrifice fly two innings later to win. Before that, USC Upstate won 2-of-3 over Quinnipiac last weekend, having already played 21 home games overall. Charlie Carpenter leads the bats with a .341/.467/.565 slash line and five home runs. Friday starter Sean Hupp has permitted 12 earned runs and struck out 15 in 14.2 innings this season. The Spartans are hitting .291 and pitching to a 4.77 ERA as a team.

This weekend's series will be contested at Harley Park, which has a natural grass playing surface and is 335 down the lines, 383 to the alleys and 402 to center. The facility opened in 2004.

Matt Fincher is in his 20th season as head coach. Click here for more on USC Upstate baseball.

THE SERIES
The Scarlet Knights and Spartans have never met on the diamond. However, RU did make a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in 2015 to play Old Dominion after inclement weather moved the series.

UP NEXT
Rutgers will take on Monmouth in a home-and-home midweek series before opening Big Ten play next Friday versus Maryland at Bainton Field.

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