PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Following an offseason of 359 days, Rutgers baseball returns to action this weekend with four games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Scarlet Knights open Friday versus Indiana, take on host Minnesota and Indiana Saturday and wrap up with Minnesota Sunday.
It is the start of a 44-game Big Ten-only schedule that features seven road weekends and six home weekends. The most conference games RU has ever played in a season was 27, done multiple times during the Big East era. The March 5 start date marks the latest for the program since 1985 (March 15).
U.S. Bank Stadium, an enclosed facility, is the home of the Minnesota Vikings and opened in 2016.
Big Ten Network+ is set to broadcast each of the four contests. A
Big Ten Network+ subscription gives access to live streaming produced by the Big Ten Network in partnership with the member schools of the Big Ten Conference. A television provider is not needed to subscribe.
A free radio broadcast for each game this weekend will be available through ScarletKnights.com and the Scarlet Knights App. Live stats links from Sidearm Sports are available as well to follow.
Head coach
Steve Owens enters his second season leading the Scarlet Knights and 30
th overall as a college skipper. He is among the top 15 active Division I head coaches in wins (920) and winning percentage (.651) with 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 conference coach of the year honors and 49 professional players developed. In a spring 2020 vote of 90 head coaches from around the nation, Owens was selected as the most underrated head coach in college baseball in a
Baseball America poll.
In 2020, Rutgers went toe-to-toe with No. 3 Miami on Opening Day, a 2-1 ballgame, before sweeping North Florida on the road during the second weekend. It was the first three-game sweep for the program in February since 2012, as the offense added 15 in the home-opening win over Wagner to make it 52 runs over a four-game stretch, a best since 2010. In addition, Rutgers picked up a win over Washington State in Arizona, the team's first victory ever over a PAC-12 opponent.
The 2021 roster features 15 newcomers (five freshman, four junior college transfers, three grad transfers and three four year transfers) and returns 23 from a year ago. The Scarlet Knights bring back 100 percent of hits from last season's roster and 74 percent of innings pitched.
Hitting: Richie Schiekofer slashed .375/.478/.607 to pace the team in all three categories in 2020. The outfielder also led the offense with seven multiple-hit games, 21 hits, 15 runs, five doubles, 34 total bases and three stolen bases, being tied for first with 11 RBIs.
Chris Brito collected 11 RBIs as well, pacing the lineup with three homers and 12 walks drawn.
Kevin Welsh holds the most experience on the team with 169 games as a Scarlet Knight.
Pitching: Harry Rutkowski is set to make his 32
nd collegiate start and 18
th to begin a weekend on Opening Day. The left-hander leads the active roster with 168.2 innings and 151 strikeouts. In 2020, the two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree recorded a 1.09 WHIP and a 2.74 ERA with a .225 batting average against in four outings. Fellow lefty
Ben Wereski, a transfer from Columbia with 26 starts of experience, takes the ball for game two, while
Brent Teller, a transfer from Sacred Heart with 35 career starts and 183 strikeouts over 222 innings, follows.
Jayson Hoopes, a transfer from Virginia who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 2019 MLB Draft, rounds out the rotation.
In the bullpen,
Eric Reardon leads the staff with 66 games of experience, with 2019 Second Team All-Big Ten selection
Tevin Murray striking out 127 batters in 109 innings of work.
Parker Scott earned two saves in 2020. Overall, the pitching staff includes 10 lefties and 10 righties.
Rutgers opens with the last two Big Ten regular season champions in Indiana (2019) and Minnesota (2018). The Scarlet Knights are 2-8 all-time and 2-7 in conference action against the Hoosiers, with the two wins being part of a 2016 series win at Bainton Field. Against Minnesota, RU is 5-8 and 2-5 in Big Ten play. Rutgers swept three games at the Metrodome in 2005 and won 2-of-3 in the first Big Ten series between the teams at Bainton Field in 2015.
Rutgers is scheduled to travel to College Park for a four-game series against Maryland starting March 12.
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