PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers senior Kyleigh Sand is ranked at No. 11 on D1Softball's 2024 Preseason Power Rankings at shortstop.

Last season, Sand was a First Team All-Great Lakes Region selection for the second season in a row and a Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree. The Norco, California native led RU batting .374 with a .442 on-base percentage and 26 stolen bases. She totaled 71 hits leading to 13 doubles and a team-leading three triples. Sand led the Scarlet Knights in runs helping score a team-leading 54 of RU's school-record 288 runs. Additionally, she added 14 RBIs.

On defense, Sand helped turn 11 of the Scarlet Knights' 23 double plays.

Among her Big Ten peers, Sand was second in the league in hits and stolen bases and ranked third in runs scored, eighth in batting average and sixth in triples.

Nationally, Sand was 29th in runs per game, 34th in hits and 40th in stolen bases.

Among Rutgers single-season leaders, Sand in 2023 put her name second in hits and at-bats and fifth in stolen bases.

Entering the 2024 season, Sand is the Scarlet Knights' career leader in batting average (.385) and ranks fifth in career stolen bases (48).
 

The Rutgers softball team begins the 2024 season on Feb. 9 at the Houston Tournament and meets the host Cougars along with Indiana State and Colgate during the weekend.

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2023 campaign at 32-35 for the most wins since 1994. RU opened the year at 8-0 for the best start for the program since 1980 and finished the nonconference schedule at 23-11. RU returned to the Big Ten Tournament behind a victory over No. 18/19 and Big Ten champion Northwestern, the squad's first top 25 victory since 2012, along with series sweeps of Illinois and Maryland. The Scarlet Knights earned five conference post-season honors with three named Second Team All-Big along with a nod to the conference's all-defensive unit.  

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