Rutgers University
Purdue
Baseball Hosts Purdue in Big Ten Play
Apr 04 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball plays its first Big Ten home series of the season this weekend when it hosts Purdue for a three-game set at Bainton Field.
Game one, The Blackout, is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday evening, followed by a 3 p.m. start on Saturday and 1 p.m. finale on Sunday.
Rutgers is coming off its Big Ten opener at Michigan State, a series that saw RU drop two-of-three. The Scarlet Knights won 4-2 on Friday before falling 5-2 on Saturday and 3-2 in the rubber game on Sunday.
Purdue already has a pair of Big Ten series under its belt, losing two-of-three at Ohio State last weekend. The Boilermakers also lost two-of-three at home to Iowa in its first conference series of 2024.
All three games of the series will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. Fans can also follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.
| Date | Time (ET) | Coverage | Rutgers (19-9, 1-2 Big Ten) | Purdue (17-12, 2-4 Big Ten) |
| Fri. 4/5 | 6 p.m. | B1G+ | Live Stats | LHP Justin Sinibaldi | LHP Jordan Morales |
| Sat. 4/6 | 3 p.m. | B1G+ | Live Stats | RHP Zack Konstantinovsky | LHP Luke Wagner |
| Sun. 4/7 | 1 p.m. | B1G+ | Live Stats | RHP Christian Coppola | LHP Jonathan Blackwell |
Series History
Rutgers leads the all-time series against Purdue, 11-10. In Big Ten games, the teams are deadlocked at 9-9. The Boilermakers won two-of-three last season in West Lafayette.
Last Time Out
Rutgers most recently dropped two-of-three on the road to Michigan State in its Big Ten-opening series.
The Scarlet Knights won 4-2 on Friday behind a two-run home run from RJ Johnson Jr. in the eighth and a two-run single from Cameron Love in the ninth.
RU dropped a pair of tight contests to close out the weekend, losing 5-2 on Saturday and 3-2 on Sunday.
The Scarlet Knights did not have any midweek games due to weather in the area.
Left Side, Strong Side
The Scarlet Knights boast one of the top left sides of the infield in the entire country. SS Josh Kuroda-Grauer (#5) and 3B Tony Santa Maria (#13) are both ranked among the best at their respective positions by D1Baseball through six weeks of the season.
Kuroda-Grauer was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and a Midseason First Team All-American by Perfect Game.
The duo has been the engine that powers RU's Big-Ten best offense and have the numbers to back it up. Santa Maria is third in the Big Ten with 74 total bases, while Kuroda-Grauer is fourth with 71.
Kuroda-Grauer is batting .413 to rank second Big Ten and his 50 hits lead the conference and are fourth in the country. His 17 stolen bases lead the conference and are 12th in the country.
After missing 2023 with injury, Santa Maria ranks among the Big Ten's best with eight home runs (second), .670 slugging percentage (third), 1.163 OPS (third), 37 runs (second) and 14 hit-by-pitches (first).
Rotation Continuity
After having to replace the entire starting rotation in back-to-back seasons, Rutgers has enjoyed continuity on the mound in 2024.
Justin Sinibaldi, Zack Konstantinovsky and Christian Coppola have started every weekend game this season and are set to do the same for this series.
Sinibaldi has four outings of seven-plus innings, has gone eight-plus in three of his last five stars and was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a shutout against UConn.
Konstantinovsky is coming off his best outing as a Scarlet Knight, pitching a career-high 6.0 shutout innings, allowing six hits and striking out four on 90 pitches.
Coppola was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week in February after a six-inning, nine-strikeout performance at Old Dominion and earned the win against UConn with 5.2 innings, three runs and six strikeouts two weeks ago.
Staff Updates
Head Coach Steve Owens announced a number of changes to his staff ahead of the 2024 season. Mike Garza was promoted to hitting coach after serving two years as a volunteer assistant.
With the NCAA increasing the number of full-time assistant coaches from two to three, Owens added Danny Bethea to the staff from St. John's. In his role, Bethea works with the team's catchers, offense and will coach first base.
Jack Arend also joined the staff as the Director of Player Development, where he oversees video and data collection while also running camps and clinics.
Depth Behind the Dish
RU has a number of quality options at the catcher position for 2024. Hugh Pinkney returns after making 48 starts at catcher and designated hitter last season, hitting .267 with 12 extra-base hits and a .716 OPS in his true freshman season. JD Jones joins the catching corps as a transfer from Miami and provides a veteran presence. True freshman Jackson Natili is primed for a big career "On the Banks" and factors in as well.
Infield Experience
Rutgers returns at least a full season of starting experience at every infield spot, with Jordan Sweeney (108), Kuroda-Grauer (105), Cameron Love (63) and Santa Maria (60) combining for 376 starts for RU.
Outfield Options
Trevor Cohen represents the lone returning starter in the RU outfield, having started all 56 games last season and hitting .298 with 26 walks to 22 strikeouts en route to being named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
Rutgers retooled with the addition of RJ Johnson Jr. from the JUCO ranks, who is expected to start in centerfied. Johnson his .343 with six home runs and 36 RBIs, while leading his Gulf Coast State team with 61 hits and 55 runs scored in 2023.
Transfers Pete Ciuffreda (Lafayette) and Pete Durocher (Manhattan) bring a combined seven seasons of experience to the outfield and can play multiple positions.
Bullpen Arms
Ben Gorski returns for his final season after an All-Big Ten season in 2023 where he locked down eight saves and posted a 3.40 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. He was named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year watchlist ahead of 2024.
Sam Portnoy pitched to a 3.69 ERA across 31.2 innings in 20 appearances and also earned a spot on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watchlist.
Joey DeChiaro joins the bullpen as a graduate transfer from Old Dominion, where he appeared in 50 games across four seasons for the Monarchs. After a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, DeChiaro was named Preseason All-Conference by Perfect Game.
Jake Marshall was third on the Scarlet Knights in 2023 with 51.0 innings as both a starter and reliever and will factor in the team's plans once again. Marshall struck out 60 batters in 51.0 innings a year ago and has 191 strikeouts in his collegiate career.
Joe Mazza was second to only Gorski with 24 appearances for RU last season and pitch 32.0 innings with a 4.78 ERA out of the bullpen.
The bullpen will also receive a boost from the returns of RHP Gavin Stellpflug and LHP Donovan Zsak – neither of whom pitched last season.
A pair of transfers in Jordan Falco (Adelphi) and Sonny Fauci (St. John's) emerged as relievers who can provide length out of the bullpen as well.
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