Softball Opens Big Ten Season at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (March 23, 2018) - Rutgers softball begins Big Ten play with a two-game series at Wisconsin on March 24-25. The third game has been canceled and the schedule has been shifted due to challenges surrounding travel plans and Wednesday's nor'easter.

THE SLATE \| All Times Eastern
Sat. 3/24	at Wisconsin	4 p.m.
Sun. 3/25	at Wisconsin	12 p.m.

FOLLOW LIVE
Links for live stats and streaming video: bit.ly/2o1zokY
Twitter | Instagram

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 triples (6), while coming in second in hits (40), RBIs (29) and total bases (74). By the numbers ... 3 hits away from No. 200 ... 17 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... 74 total bases ranks 18th in the NCAA.

• Through games played on Monday, March 19, Rutgers softball ranks second in NCAA Division I in turning double plays at 0.86 per contest, posting 25 in 29 games. The double plays have benefited four different pitchers in the circle this season, with Whitney Jones leading the group with 10. Seventeen of the plays came with one out already on the board, hence ending the inning. Hall has been in on 20 doubles plays, followed by 10 from freshman second baseman Myah Moy and eight from junior shortstop Jess Hughes.

• Following the NCAA's first RPI report of the season, comparing the numbers shows a burgeoning turnaround for the Scarlet Knights. Ranked at 106 in the RPI, Rutgers is 96 points higher than this time last season, and 44 spots better than the previous three years' average (150) at this time of the year. RU has a win over an RPI Top 50 team (Houston) for the first time since 2012, and has seven wins over RPI Top 100 teams this year, one less than the last four years combined.

• Junior shortstop Jess Hughes has slashed .397/.478/.621 over the last three tournaments (16 games) with 17 runs and nine RBIs over that span. Her 23 runs scored ranks fifth 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 11-0 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 24 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 13 of Rutgers' 42 multi-hit performances this season.
• Rutgers is 25-for-29 in stolen base attempts and has stolen a base in 11 of its last 16 games.
• The Scarlet Knights are 12-2 when scoring first, and 3-12 when the opponent does.
• Four of Rutgers' 12 wins have been in come-from-behind fashion when trailing after five innings.
• Rutgers has hit a home run in 11-of-15 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.

Myah Moy has played in all 29 games (28 starts at second base) and leads the freshmen with 25 hits. She hit in all five games at FAU's tournament on March 9-11, batting 6-for-14 in Boca Raton with two RBIs. She also hit her first career home run in extra innings and scored the eventual game-winning run in the 15-inning, 5-4, victory at FAU last Wednesday.

Moy was responsible for 17 outs in the field in the 15-inning affair at FAU with 10 putouts and seven assists without an error. She has been in on 10 double plays in 2018.

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.

After missing the first four games of the Bear Classic at Mercer due to illness, Bowman returned for the finale and made up for lost time with a three-run, game-tying home run in the third inning, part of a four-RBI game. The sophomore has a hit in nine of her last 11 games to raise her average to .260.

UP NEXT
Rutgers theoretically will play its home opener on Friday, March 30 against Penn State at 3 p.m. as part of a three-game Big Ten series during Easter Weekend. Saturday is set for 1 p.m. with the Sunday finale planned for noon.

Schedule

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nicole Bowman

Erin Collins

Rebecca Hall

Jess Hughes

Whitney Jones

Myah Moy

Footer

Upcoming Events