Friday, February 8
Macon, GA
1:15 PM
Rutgers University
vs
Jacksonville State
Softball Launches 2019 Season at Mercer Invitational
Feb 07 | Softball
Scarlet Knights set for five games in Georgia opposite Mercer, Army & Jacksonville State
MACON, Ga. (Feb. 7, 2019) - Rutgers softball opens the 2019 season with five games at the Mercer Invitational from Friday, Feb. 8 through Sunday, Feb. 10. First-year head coach Kristen Butler will make her Rutgers debut in the season opener on Friday at 1:15 p.m. against Jacksonville State.
FOLLOW LIVE
Live Stats | Twitter
HEAD-TO-HEAD
KNIGHT NOTES
• Rutgers softball, which played its first game on April 2, 1975, is one victory away from claiming 1,000 wins in the history of the program. Its first win came on April 6, 1975 in a 28-0 drubbing of Seton Hall.
• Rutgers Athletics announced the hiring of Kristen Butler as the next head coach of the Scarlet Knights' softball program on June 8, 2018. A former SEC Player of the Year and record-setting professional softball player in the United States and Japan, Butler has spent the last four seasons turning around the program as head coach at Toledo while earning the 2018 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honor.
• Rutgers softball ranked second in NCAA Division I in turning double plays at 0.70 per contest last season, posting 35 double plays in 50 games. Twenty-two of the plays came with one out already on the board, hence ending the inning. Sophomore Myah Moy was in on 18 of the double plays, followed by 17 from senior shortstop Jess Hughes.
• Senior shortstop Jess Hughes is ranked 21st among the NCAA Division I softball active leaders in career walks drawn with 119. She also ranks 44th with 155 career runs scored. The New Jersey native has a career on-base percentage of .473.
• Hailey Hoklotubbe looks to carry momentum into her junior season. The lefty slapper strung together a 17-game reached base safely streak from March 30 to April 29, with 16 of those games coming down the stretch in Big Ten action. Over that span, she hit .321 with a .390 on-base percentage. She also saw an increase in power in 2018, with her first four extra base hits coming during her sophomore year.
RUTGERS RECRUITS
• Aleah Marra won an opening day starting job in the middle infield and is set for her collegiate debut after a record-breaking high school career in Michigan, where she was named All-State and State Player of the Year after setting program marks in hits, doubles, runs and batting average.
• Almost immediately upon arrive at her new post, Coach Butler made quick work of signing Corah Price to her 2019 roster. Price is primed to make an immediate impact on the starting pitching staff following a standout high school career in Colorado, where she made consecutive All-State First Teams and was named back-to-back Conference Player of the Year. The Spain-native had 423 strikeouts and 43 wins at the high school ranks.
• Catcher Katie Wingert made quick work of the college learning curve upon arriving on campus. With four straight PA All-State selections – three first teams and an honorable mention as a freshman – Wingert was ready for the next level and the Big Ten. She's known as a true dual threat, with a steady stick and great defensive instincts.
• Penelope Russ adds some new blood to the catching depth chart after batting over .500 and recording a fielding percentage of .994 at Ocean View High School in California. A three-time Golden West League First Team honoree, Russ made a name for herself with standout athleticism as a member of both the softball and volleyball teams, and as a perennial scholar-athlete award winner.
SEASON PREVIEWS
Infield | Outfield | Battery
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights visit the Lone Star State for a five-game set at the Texas A&M Invitational from Feb. 15-17. They will face three teams ranked or receiving votes in the national polls - Liberty, McNeese State and the host Aggies.
| THE SLATE | All Times Eastern | ||
| Fri. 2/8 | vs. Jacksonville State | 1:15 p.m. |
| Fri. 2/8 | at Mercer | 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat. 2/9 | vs. Jacksonville State | 10 a.m. |
| Sat. 2/9 | at Mercer | 4:45 p.m. |
| Sun. 2/10 | vs. Army | 11 a.m. |
FOLLOW LIVE
Live Stats | Twitter
HEAD-TO-HEAD
KNIGHT NOTES
• Rutgers softball, which played its first game on April 2, 1975, is one victory away from claiming 1,000 wins in the history of the program. Its first win came on April 6, 1975 in a 28-0 drubbing of Seton Hall.
• Rutgers Athletics announced the hiring of Kristen Butler as the next head coach of the Scarlet Knights' softball program on June 8, 2018. A former SEC Player of the Year and record-setting professional softball player in the United States and Japan, Butler has spent the last four seasons turning around the program as head coach at Toledo while earning the 2018 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year honor.
• Rutgers softball ranked second in NCAA Division I in turning double plays at 0.70 per contest last season, posting 35 double plays in 50 games. Twenty-two of the plays came with one out already on the board, hence ending the inning. Sophomore Myah Moy was in on 18 of the double plays, followed by 17 from senior shortstop Jess Hughes.
• Senior shortstop Jess Hughes is ranked 21st among the NCAA Division I softball active leaders in career walks drawn with 119. She also ranks 44th with 155 career runs scored. The New Jersey native has a career on-base percentage of .473.
• Hailey Hoklotubbe looks to carry momentum into her junior season. The lefty slapper strung together a 17-game reached base safely streak from March 30 to April 29, with 16 of those games coming down the stretch in Big Ten action. Over that span, she hit .321 with a .390 on-base percentage. She also saw an increase in power in 2018, with her first four extra base hits coming during her sophomore year.
RUTGERS RECRUITS
• Aleah Marra won an opening day starting job in the middle infield and is set for her collegiate debut after a record-breaking high school career in Michigan, where she was named All-State and State Player of the Year after setting program marks in hits, doubles, runs and batting average.
• Almost immediately upon arrive at her new post, Coach Butler made quick work of signing Corah Price to her 2019 roster. Price is primed to make an immediate impact on the starting pitching staff following a standout high school career in Colorado, where she made consecutive All-State First Teams and was named back-to-back Conference Player of the Year. The Spain-native had 423 strikeouts and 43 wins at the high school ranks.
• Catcher Katie Wingert made quick work of the college learning curve upon arriving on campus. With four straight PA All-State selections – three first teams and an honorable mention as a freshman – Wingert was ready for the next level and the Big Ten. She's known as a true dual threat, with a steady stick and great defensive instincts.
• Penelope Russ adds some new blood to the catching depth chart after batting over .500 and recording a fielding percentage of .994 at Ocean View High School in California. A three-time Golden West League First Team honoree, Russ made a name for herself with standout athleticism as a member of both the softball and volleyball teams, and as a perennial scholar-athlete award winner.
SEASON PREVIEWS
Infield | Outfield | Battery
UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights visit the Lone Star State for a five-game set at the Texas A&M Invitational from Feb. 15-17. They will face three teams ranked or receiving votes in the national polls - Liberty, McNeese State and the host Aggies.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/OF
/ Softball
C
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