PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After starting the season winning 9-of-10 road games, Rutgers baseball returns to Bainton Field for its home opener Tuesday versus Wagner. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. The Scarlet Knights have won their past 13 home openers and 19 of the last 20. The team has outscored opponents by a count of 91-33 so far in 2022.
RU is 9-1 for the first time since 1962 leading the nation with nine road victories. The team entered Monday first in the country with four shutouts pitched, fourth in the RPI, third in doubles per game (3.2), 14
th in batting average (.329), 17
th in field percentage and 20
th in on-base percentage (.430).
Admission and parking are free at Bainton Field, but all vehicles are required to be
registered to comply with Rutgers University policy. Only one registration per vehicle is needed for the season.
Big Ten+ will stream the game with Dominick Savino on the call. WRSU 88.7-FM has the radio broadcast, with live stats available at ScarletKnights.com.
- The Scarlet Knights won all three stops in the Central Virginia Classic: 1-0 at William & Mary, 21-3 at Richmond and 8-0 at VCU. The victories increased the winning streak to six, the longest for the program since 2018.
- Brian Fitzpatrick pitched a career-high five innings Friday at William & Mary and Sam Bello followed with three shutout innings of long relief. Dale Stanavich struck out two in a perfect ninth to seal the 1-0 win.
- At Richmond, the bats broke out for five runs in the third on the way to posting 21, the most for RU under head coach Steve Owens. All 13 hitters stepping to the plate notched at least one hit in the 18-hit attack. Nick Cimillo banged three doubles with a walk, while both Danny DiGeorgio and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer knocked in four runs. Jared Kollar dealt six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
- The momentum continued at VCU, as Mike Nyisztor saved a run in the first inning with a diving catch and Cimillo crushed a solo homer in the next half inning. Kuroda-Grauer expanded the lead with a pair of bases-loaded hits and saved two runs with a ranging play at second base. On the mound, Nathan Florence earned his second win dealing 5.1 shutout innings, permitting just three hits, no walks and striking out six. He lowered his ERA to 0.68 through three starts.
- Rutgers has posted double-digit runs in five games with at least 11 hits seven times.
- Cimillo is slashing .500/.614/.853 with eight extra-base hits, nine walks and 14 runs scored.
- Ryan Lasko has had a hit in all 10 games, totaling a .453 on-base percentage so far.
- Rutgers has scored first in 9-of-10 games.
- Rutgers has totaled 50 hits with runners in scoring position, with six each by Chris Brito, DiGeorgio and Richie Schiekofer. The offense has 33 two-out RBIs.
- Fitzpatrick, Kollar and Florence combined to pitch 16.1 scoreless innings over the weekend.
- Rutgers last had a season with four shutouts in 2012.
- Stanavich, a member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list, has recorded 18 outs against the first 17 batters faced, striking out 10 for three saves.
- The staff has five games with at least 10 strikeouts this season with a high of 15.
- Wyatt Parliament pitched 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his first collegiate start last week at Saint Joseph's.
- Rutgers is 27-4-2 all-time versus Wagner in a series that dates back to 1960.
- Rutgers has won the last seven meetings.
- Rutgers won 15-3 in the last matchup on Feb. 25, 2020. The Scarlet Knights totaled 10 hits to go with the 11 walks and four hit batters, plus three reaching on error, to put 27 men on base. Schiekofer tallied four RBIs and four runs scored, blasting his first collegiate homer, while Nyisztor reached base 4-of-5 times with three runs scored. Eight different players had a hit and nine scored a run.
Rutgers treks to Hawaii to face the Rainbow Warriors starting Friday at 11:35 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The series follows with a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday game.
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