PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After driving in 12 runs last week, senior Carmen Sclafani of the Rutgers baseball team earned the honor of Big Ten Player of the Week in a Monday announcement from the league office. The third baseman becomes the second Scarlet Knight to garner the award since RU entered the Big Ten in 2015, joining R.J. Devish from Feb. 29, 2016.

Sclafani also was recognized by Collegiate Baseball on its weekly National Players Of The Week list. This is the first weekly national honor for Rutgers since Pat Biserta in 2010.
 
"Carmen has been working hard to get out of his slow start," head coach Joe Litterio said. "He came out of it in a big way this past week. It's great to see the hard work pay off."
 
Sclafani hit 8-for-14 with a walk last week, including 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-3 with bases loaded. He posted a .600 on-base and 1.143 slugging for a 1.743 OPS, hitting a pair of three-run homers and two doubles.
 
In the win over Wagner, Sclafani become only the fourth Rutgers player since 2000 (first since 2010) with seven RBIs in a game. The Big Ten Distinguished Scholar went 4-for-4, establishing a new career high for hits, with a three-run blast and two singles that drove in two runs apiece.
 
Sclafani then collected five more RBIs in the conference series at Iowa. The Toms River native banged a three-run homer in the first inning in the win on Saturday night over the Hawkeyes to help the Scarlet Knights to a 15-3 triumph. It was the largest margin of victory for RU in a Big Ten game since joining the league.
 
This is the first weekly Big Ten award for Rutgers since Harry Rutkowski collected Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 26, 2018. The last Scarlet Knight before Devish to claim a conference player of the week was Brian O'Grady on March 3, 2014 in the American Athletic Conference.
 
Rutgers (9-19, 2-4) is back on the road Wednesday for a 3:35 p.m. game at Lafayette. The next Big Ten series starts Friday versus Michigan State.

CRUSHED! Sclafani lifts a three-run homer to center, fourth of the season.

T1 | Rutgers 5, Iowa 0 pic.twitter.com/4NzgMB5AOz

— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 6, 2019

VIDEO: A look at Sclafani's four hits & seven RBIs from Wednesday! @RVisionRU @BTNStudentU #RBaseball pic.twitter.com/Qu3xKRFimq

— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) April 4, 2019

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