PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Director of athletics Pat Hobbs and head coach Steve Owens announced that Rutgers baseball will retire Glen Gardner's No. 49 on Oct. 11 at Bainton Field. It will be the third number retired in program history, joining Jeff Torborg's No. 10 and Fred Hill's No. 24. The announcement was made Saturday evening to close the inaugural Leadoff Banquet held at The Rutgers Club.

Bridgewater Courier News: Rutgers baseball Leadoff Banquet connects the program's storied past with its bright future
 
"To be going on the wall as a retired number with Jeff Torborg and coach Hill, it really doesn't seem real or that I'm worthy of it," Gardner said in a statement. "This is a great honor and it's one that I'll treasure for the rest of my life. But really, this is a tribute to all the players I had the chance to coach over the years. This is about them. I'll always be grateful for their dedication to Rutgers baseball.
 
"I'm also thankful to coach Hill for giving me the opportunity to come back to Rutgers as a coach. I learned so much from him, on and off the field. Coach Hill always let me be me. He let me be myself and that's the way I coached."
 


A Rutgers baseball legend, Gardner was one of the most prolific hitters in school history and returned to work 29 seasons on staff. He was inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.
 
Gardner spent 18 seasons as an assistant coach under Hill before serving as the director of baseball operations, volunteer assistant coach and senior advisor to the head coach. The Scarlet Knights secured 870 wins, eight NCAA Regional appearances, seven regular season conference championships and five conference tournament titles with Gardner on staff. That included hosting an NCAA Regional in 2000, a rarity for a Northeast school. Gardner played a key role in identifying, recruiting and developing talent.

LEADOFF BANQUET

Rutgers baseball hosted its first Leadoff Banquet inside The Rutgers Club with over 100 players, alumni, donors and supporters of the program in attendance. The event included speeches by Hobbs and Owens to offer insights into the program. In addition, assistant coaches Brendan Monaghan, Kyle Pettoruto and Branden Cogswell addressed the audience. The four captains - Danny DiGeorgio, Eric Reardon, Harry Rutkowski and Kevin Welsh - represented the student-athlete perspective. 

Brian O'Grady then took part in a Q&A with director of operations Peter Barron. O'Grady, who was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason, reflected on being called up to the major leagues and the impact Rutgers has had on his career.
 
Next up, the awards ceremony recognized deserving student-athletes, plus Evelyn Hill was presented the first Fred Hill Award for character, passion for the game and love of Rutgers. Ron and Pat Bainton were bestowed the Game Changer Award for their continuous generous support of the program throughout the years. That includes the new turf at Bainton Field set to debut for the 2020 season.
 
2019 Ron Kish Academic Excellence Award: Tyler McNamara & Carmen Sclafani
2019 Most Valuable Position Player: Mike Nyisztor
2019 Most Valuable Pitcher: Harry Rutkowski
2019 Knight Award for Outstanding Service: Peter Barron
2019 Game Changer Award: Ron and Pat Bainton
2019 Fred Hill Award: Evelyn Hill
 
The Scarlet Knights will open the season Feb. 14 at No. 3 Miami.
 
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