May 15, 2017
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In the midst of playing eight Big Ten games in nine days to close the regular season, Rutgers baseball will head to Minnesota for a Tuesday doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. ET at Siebert Field. The two games were added to make up part of the previously scheduled April three-game series that was called off due to travel issues.
The opener of the twin bill will air live on Big Ten Network with Brandon Gaudin and Scott Pose on the call, while the nightcap will broadcast on delay at 9 p.m. ET. Both games will be available to stream through BTN2Go.
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a home series win over Illinois, storming back with four runs in the bottom of the ninth to take the rubber game, 8-7. The rally included a two-run single from sophomore Mike Martinez, an RBI grounder to tie the game by senior Tom Marcinczyk and a walk-off hit off the bat of senior Christian Campbell. RU overcame a 6-1 hole to seize a game when trailing by five runs for the first time since April 16, 2010 when the team fought back to win from down 7-2 at home versus USF.
RU also won the opener of a Friday doubleheader, 8-3, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to break open a 3-3 game. Junior Chris Folinusz pushed across the go-ahead run with a safety squeeze, as senior Mike Carter blasted his fifth homer later for insurance. Sophomore Serafino Brito provided seven innings on the mound with only two earned runs allowed.
Rutgers is now 3-1 in Big Ten rubber games this season, owning series wins over Purdue, Iowa and Illinois. At 7-11 (.389) in league play, the Scarlet Knights enter the week in 10th place in the standings with five games to go. The top eight will qualify for the conference tournament, as Purdue (10-11, .476), Northwestern (10-11, .476), Michigan State (9-12, .429), Illinois (8-13, .381) and Ohio State (7-14, .333) are also in the mix for the final spots. The order will be determined by winning percentage.
Having previously traveled to 10 other Big Ten destinations, Rutgers will complete the circuit with the two-city trip to Minnesota and Northwestern. That will make it five league games in five days since the Northwestern series will start on Thursday.
Rutgers has the No. 29 strength of schedule nationally this season according to D1Baseball.com and owns an RPI of 101. Out of the 12 previous weekend series, RU has played seven opponents that have seen time in the national rankings this season (Miami, Virginia, Old Dominion, Florida Gulf Coast, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska).
Campbell led the bats last weekend by slashing .455/.500/.636, including the walk-off single to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. That is the longest such streak for a Scarlet Knight this season. Sophomore Carmen Sclafani also notched a .500 on-base percentage versus Illinois and is at .364/.447/.758 over the last 10 games.
For the season, Carter paces the team with a .348 batting average with 69 hits and 32 RBIs. He is tied with Marcinczyk for the top on-base percentage at .407, while sophomore Nick Matera has a .533 slugging percentage. In Big Ten play, Folinusz is fourth in the conference with a .388 batting average.
The starting pitchers are undecided on both sides. Out of the bullpen, fifth-year senior Max Herrmann has pitched in 85 career games, second-most in program history, and has a 2.43 ERA this season. Senior Ryan Fleming is first on the staff with 24 appearances in 2017 and owns an 11-1 career record.
NOTABLE
Rutgers is 45-13 since 2015 when scoring at least six runs in a game and 16-5 this year … the team is hitting .313/.406/.480 since having no games the weekend of April 7-9, averaging 7.85 runs per outing over the 20-game stretch … Sclafani leads the team in that span with a .382 average and 10 doubles … the offense has slugged 37 home runs this season, the most since setting the school record with 71 in 2010 … the Scarlet Knights are fifth in the Big Ten with a .280 team batting average after being at .268 in 2016 (sixth) and .258 (12th) in 2015 … RU ranks No. 31 nationally with 71 stolen bases … Rutgers has had at least 10 hits in six of the last seven contests.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers has a conference bye last weekend and went 1-2 at home versus No. 10 Long Beach State. Prior to that, the team swept Penn State on the road. Toby Hanson leads the team with 47 RBIs with a .487 slugging percentage. Minnesota is first in the Big Ten with a .296 team batting average ranks fifth with a 4.12 staff ERA.
John Anderson has been the head coach since 1982. Click here for the more on Minnesota baseball.
THE SERIES
Rutgers took the first Big Ten series against Minnesota with two wins at Bainton Field in 2015. The Scarlet Knights won 13-6 in the opener and came back to for a 6-5 victory in the finale. The last meetings between the teams in Minneapolis took place in 2005 inside the Metrodome, as Rutgers swept the three-game series. All-time, RU holds a 5-4 advantage dating back to 1991.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will board a bus on Wednesday and travel to Chicago for the final series of the regular season at Northwestern. The three-game set will start Thursday.
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