PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Ryan Lasko represents Rutgers baseball as a member of the 2021 Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American Team, powered by Diamond Sports. The Jackson, New Jersey, native is one of just 16 outfielders nationally to merit the honor and is the first Scarlet Knight to earn All-America status in the Big Ten era.
 
Previously part of the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Lasko led conference freshmen and ranked fifth overall following the regular season with 11 homers. He became the first Rutgers player to reach double digits in a season since Patrick Kivlehan in 2012 and the first RU freshman to crush 11 long balls since Jeff Frazier in 2002. That included two-homer performances in victories at Purdue and Northwestern.
 
Lasko recorded 30 RBIs, 22 walks and 74 total bases for a .474 slugging percentage. He had 10 multiple-hit games and nine contests driving in multiple runs.
 
Defensively, Lasko paced Rutgers outfielders with 122 putouts, making 30 starts in center, eight in right and two in left.
 
Lasko is the first Scarlet Knight to claim All-America honors since 2014 and 13^th in program history to garner a spot on a Freshmen All-America squad. RU now has 29 All-Americans overall. In addition, Lasko marks the 11^th Freshman All-America selection mentored by head coach Steve Owens.


 
Rutgers Baseball Freshman All-Americans (13)
Bobby Brownlie (2000)
Mike Carter (2014)
Jake Daubert (1998)
Jeff Frazier (2002)
Todd Frazier (2005)
Glen Gardner (1986)
Tyler Gebler (2010)
Ryan Lasko (2021)
Jaren Matthews (2008)
Adam Neubart (1996)
Steve Nyisztor (2010)
Mike O'Brien (1997)
Gaby Rosa (2014) 
 
The Scarlet Knights finished 21-23 in playing a conference-only schedule to secure the program's best placement (eighth) and winning percentage (.477) in Big Ten play since joining the conference. That included a 6-4-1 record in series of at least three games and a win over every other team in the league.

BOOM!

Lasko lifts a two-out, three-run homer & the Scarlet Knights have erased a six-run deficit.

B7 | Rutgers 6, Nebraska 6 pic.twitter.com/9tV6csNoVC

— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 10, 2021

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