MACON, Ga. (March 15, 2018) - Rutgers softball plays its final non-conference tournament of the season at Mercer's Bear Classic from March 16-18. The Scarlet Knights, winners of three straight and four of their last five, will face the host Bears twice, with two games against Bucknell and a single contest opposite Austin Peay.
 

THE SLATE | All Times Eastern
Fri. 3/16	vs. Bucknell	1:15 p.m.
Fri. 3/16	at Mercer	5:45 p.m.
Sat. 3/17	at Mercer	2:30 p.m.
Sat. 3/17	vs. Austin Peay	4:45 p.m.
Sun. 3/18	vs. Bucknell	11 a.m.

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HEAD-TO-HEAD


KNIGHT NOTES
• Senior first baseman Rebecca Hall is ranked among the best hitters in the nation and the Big Ten. Hall leads the Big Ten in hits (33) and triples (6), while coming in second in batting average (.402),  RBIs (26) and total bases (61). By the numbers ... 20 RBIs needed for Hall to set a new program career record ... 10 doubles needed to set a new school record ... 6 triples currently ranks second in the NCAA... 61 total bases ranks 24th in the NCAA.

• Through games played on Wednesday, March 14, Rutgers softball ranks second in NCAA Division I in turning double plays at 0.92 per contest, posting 22 in 24 games. The double plays have benefited four different pitchers in the circle this season, with innings leader Cambria Keefer leading the group with nine. Seventeen of the plays came with one out already on the board, hence ending the inning. Hall has been in on 17 doubles plays, followed by nine from freshman second baseman Myah Moy and seven from junior shortstop Jess Hughes.

• Sophomore starting pitcher Cambria Keefer has won five of her last nine starts and leads the team in ERA at 2.28 and innings pitched at 64.1. Spanning three starts and four appearances from Feb. 23 - March 3, Keefer posted 22 straight innings without allowing a run. The streak started with the first complete game shutout of her career against Kennesaw State on Feb. 23 with four strikeouts. In an 8-2 victory over North Dakota, she struck out a career-high six. The only runs scored against her to break the streak came in extra innings with the international tiebreaker rule in effect.

• Junior shortstop Jess Hughes has slashed .357/.413/.595 over the last two tournaments (11 games) with 13 runs and seven RBIs over that span. Her 19 runs scored ranks sixth in the Big Ten.

• Rutgers played the longest game in program history on Wednesday, March 15, a 5-4 victory in 15 innings and three hours and 15 minutes at Florida Atlantic. Myah Moy was 4-for-7 with her first career home run and the game-winning run, which was driven home by another rookie, Erin Collins. Whitney Jones got the win after a gutsy 12-inning relief effort, stamped by a game-ending K.

TRENDING
• Rutgers is 9-0 when scoring six or more runs in a contest.
• The Scarlet Knights are 10-0 when leading after four innings.
• RU's most productive inning has been the final scheduled frame, with 18 runs scored  in the seventh inning.
• Erin Collins reached base safely in each of the first 11 games to start her career.
• Rebecca Hall has 11 of Rutgers' 33 multi-hit performances this season.
• Rutgers is 22-for-26 in stolen base attempts and has stolen a base in eight of its last 11 games.
• The Scarlet Knights are 11-2 when scoring first, and 2-9 when the opponent does.
• Three of Rutgers' 12 wins have been in come-from-behind fashion when trailing after five innings.
• Rutgers has hit a home run in 9-of-13 wins.

HALL OF GAME
Rebecca Hall was named to the 2017 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-Great Lakes Region First Team following her breakout junior season.

The momentum has rolled into 2018. Hall moved up the RU record book in a few categories. With 26 RBIs, she now ranks fourth with 126  career ribbies. She ranks sixth all-time with 190 career hits, her seven doubles place her fifth all-time with 42, and her six triples moved her into sixth place with nine career three-baggers.

She has 11 multi-hit games, eight multi-RBI contests and carries a four-game hitting streak into Georgia.

HUGHES COMES HOME
Junior and Sewell, New Jersey native Jess Hughes transferred in from Fordham and earned the starting nod at shortstop. Hughes set a Fordham record for OBP (.510) in 2017. She hit .370 for the Rams with 12 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs and 41 RBIs en route to NFCA All-Region, All-ECAC and All-Atlantic 10 honors. She ranked 15th in the nation with 0.87 walks per game and 18th with six triples.

RUTGERS RECRUITS
Jay Nelson welcomes 10 newcomers to the squad in 2018, including nine first-years.

Madyson Cole got the call in left field in each of Rutgers' last three games and collected her first three RBIs in the same game, a 7-2 win over UTEP on Sunday. Cole went 3-for-5 over her two games in Boca Raton, both of which were victories for the Scarlet Knights.

Myah Moy has played in all 24 games (23 starts at second base) and leads the freshmen with 21 hits. She hit in all five games at FAU's tournament last weekend, batting 6-for-14 in Boca Raton with two RBIs. 

BOWMAN BREAKS OUT
Nicole Bowman was named to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team by batting 5-for-11 with a walk, including a 2-for-2 mark in the win over Houston. The sophomore accounted for 39 of Rutgers' 97 hits by rookies last year. Bowman slashed .275/.393/.437 as a freshman with three home runs, 12 doubles and 34 RBIs.

She drove in a career-high four RBIs in the win against North Dakota, including a two-run home run to dead center, her fifth career dinger. The sophomore has a hit in eight of her last 10 games to raise her average to .257.

UP NEXT.
Rutgers kicks off Big Ten play on the road at Wisconsin on March 23-25. Friday's game is slated for 5 p.m., Saturday is set for 1 p.m. before Sunday's finale at 11 a.m.