PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers softball is back on the road and heads to Texas for the Lion Invitational to meet host East Texas A&M along with SIUE and Abilene Christian.
- The Scarlet Knights opened up the 2025 campaign last weekend at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida. Rutgers opened the season with a 6-2 victory over defending Horizon League Champion Cleveland State before falling 8-1 to MTSU,
- Veterans Jillian Anderson and LA Matthews both hit .333 with five hits, including a double on the weekend. Matthews recorded three RBIs while Anderson sent home a pair of Scarlet Knight base runners. Redshirt sophomore Bailey Briggs logged five hits with a pair of RBIs.
- Redshirt freshman Hailey Stripling made her RU debut and finished out the weekend with three RBIs, four runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Stripling was responsible for three of RU's six runs in the 6-3 season-opening victory over Cleveland State.
- Inside the circle, freshman Ella Harrison made three appearances with 14.2 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts, including 10 in her Scarlet Knight debut against MTSU. Her double-digit strikeouts marked the most by a rookie hurler since Jaden Vickers in 2020.
- Classmate Kelsey Hoekstra got the start and the win against Cleveland State and went the distance in Sunday's game with Liberty and totaled 13.0 innings on the weekend with five earned runs allowed.
- Seniors Georgia Ingle and Laurelai DePew also saw time in relief. DePew threw the final inning in the win against the Vikings and struck out two. Ingle made three trips to the circle, including both games with Liberty as well as Louisville. Ingled totaled 4.1 innings of work with one earned run allowed.
- This season, Rutgers softball boasts a youthful squad with 12 newcomers, including Witchita State transfer shortstop Siera Hoekstra along with 11 true freshman. Five members of the freshman class were named to Softball America's Freshmen To Watch list - Infielders Addie Osborne and Baileigh Burtis and pitchers Ella Harrison, Kelsey Hoekstra and Dezaria Johnson.
- Graduate student first baseman LA Matthews, senior outfielder Jillian Anderson and freshman right-handed pitcher Ella Harrison were named Big Ten Players to Watch .
- Also returning to the roster for the 2025 campaign are senior left-handed reliever and designated player Georgia Ingle, senior right-handed pitcher Laurelai DePew, junior catcher Gaelen Kelly, redshirt sophomore infielder Bailey Briggs along with redshirt freshmen Stephanie Kraska and Hailey Stripling.
- A trio of Scarlet Knights were lauded by the Big Ten as Players To Watch in 2025.
- Graduate student LA Matthews begins her second season after starting all 55 games last season for the Scarlet Knights, primarily at first base. She hit .306 in a season that saw RU go 33-22 overall for the Scarlet Knights' second consecutive 30-win season and finish third in the Big Ten regular season standings, RU's best finish since joining the conference in 2014. Matthews totaled 56 hits and 34 runs on 13 doubles, a trio of triples and a home run. She also racked up 34 RBIs, including four contests with three runs batted in.
- Jillian Anderson, also entering her second season at Rutgers, having patrolled the outfield in all 55 games a year ago. Her prowess robbed opponents from home runs and she committed no errors with 60 putouts for a perfect fielding percentage playing both in left and center. At the plate, Anderson batted .288 with 38 hits, 25 runs scored, three doubles and 12 RBIs.
- Ella Harrison is in her first season "On The Banks". A member of the Softball America Freshman To Watch List, Harrison comes to Rutgers having earned 2023 New York State Class AA Player of the Year honors at Clarence High School. During her junior campaign she threw 134 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched with a 1.50 ERA while hitting .382 with 19 singles, six doubles and a triple. Additionally, she pitched 11 innings in a state championship shutout.
- Five members of Rutgers landed on Softball America's Freshmen To Watch list in January.
- Addie Osborne, an infielder from Erie, Colorado, was the 2023 5A State and Conference Player of the Year. During scholastic career, she hit .452 with 134 runs, 131 hits, 160 RBIs , 38 home runs, .993 slugging percentage and 1.509 OPS. She hit .518 as a senior behind 41 runs, 44 hits, 58 RBIs and 19 home run, 1.305 slugging percentage and 1.890 OPS
- Baileigh Burtis, a fellow infielder from Friendswood, Texas was a two-time First Team All-State, three-time First Team All-District and three-time First Team All-County selection. She hit .438 as a senior with 15 doubles, seven triples, and one home run and holds the Friendswood High School Single Season Doubles (15) and Career Doubles (42) records.
- Ella Harrison, a right-handed hurler from Clarence, New York, earned 2023 New York State Class AA Player of the Year honors. During her junior campaign she threw 134 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched with a 1.50 ERA while hitting .382 with 19 singles, six doubles and a triple. Additionally, she pitched 11 innings in a state championship shutout.
- Kelsey Hoekstra, also a right-handed pitcher coming in from Overland Park, Kansas, was the 2023 Sunflower League Pitcher of the Year as well as a two-time First Team All-State and three-time All-League pick. She helped her 20-2 squad to the state quarterfinals and picked up strikeouts in 112 innings pitched with a 1.00 ERA and hit .476 with 21 runs along the way.
- Dezaria Johnson, another right-hander inside the circle hailing from Covington, Georgia, ranked No. 20 in 2024 Extra Elite 100. She was a two-time 8AAAAA All-Region selection, two-time Pitcher of the Year and the 2022 Region Pitcher of the Year.
- A year ago, Rutgers captured back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history, a program record for Big Ten victories and Big Ten series wins and the highest Big Ten Tournament seed since joining the league in 2015.
- The Scarlet Knights set a total of 11 school records - six career (Payton Lincavage - at bats; Kyleigh Sand - batting average, runs; Katie Wingert - home runs, RBIs, walks), four team season (runs, RBIs, walks and total bases) and two individual season (Kyleigh Sand - runs & Morgan Smith - RBIs) along with 23 career top 10 entries.
- Former Scarlet Knight Morgan Smith became the first RU player to earn NFCA All-America distinction with a second-team selection along with first-team honors from Softball America, in addition to being named ECAC Player of the Year. Additionally, three Scarlet Knights were named to NFCA All-Region and All-Big Ten squads in Smith, Sand and Mattie Boyd. After the season Smith and Sand both signed professional contracts following the season and are currently playing professionally in Mexico.
Head Coach: Ben Sorden (Buena Vista '95) - 51-64 overall (Third Season)/51-64 at SIUE (Third Season)
2025 Record: 2-3
All-Time Series: SUIE Leads 1-0 (Last Meeting: February 21, 2009 - L, 0-8)
Top Cougars:
Batting
- Lauryn Yslava - .471 BA, 9 runs, 8 hits, 3 doubles, 2 HRs, 3 RBIs
- Kaylynn Salyars - .364 BA, 4 runs, 4 hits, 1 HR, 1 RBI
- Anna Henderson - .357 BA, 1 run, 5 hits, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs
Pitching
- Emma Henderson - 2-1 W-L, 1.24 ERA, 2 GS, 11.1 IP, 10 Ks
- Avery Arwood - 0-1 W-L, 4.42 ERA, 2 GS, 12.2 IP, 8 Ks
Head Coach: Brittany Miller (Iowa '09) - 20-86 overall (Third season)/20-86 at ETAMU (Third Season)
2025 Record: 0-5
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Top Lions:
Batting
- Emma Rodriguez - .500 BA, 2 runs, 6 hits, 1 HR, 1 RBI
- Maddie Cason - .250 BA. 2 runs, 3 hits,
- Tori Tiumalu - .200 BA, 1 hit, 2 RBIs
Pitching
- Kate Houser - 1-0 W-L, 2.33 ERA, 1 CG, 1 shutout, 15.0 IP, 14 Ks
- Maddie Muller - 1-2 W-L, 4.06 ERA, 10.1 IP, 4 Ks
Head Coach: Jo Koons (Utah St '15) - 0-5 overall (First Season)/0-5 at Abilene Christian (First Season)
2025 Record: 0-5
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Returning Wildcats:
Batting
- Taylor Haywood - .417 BA, 1 run, 5 hits, 1 double, 3 triples
- Audrey Lacina - .333 BA, 2 runs, 5 hits, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs
- Rachel Cook - .286 BA, 2 hits, 3 RBIs
Pitching
- Lina Russo - 0-2 W-L, 3.77 ERA, 1 CG, 13.0 IP, 7 Ks
- Chase Mueller - 0-0 W-L, 6.10 ERA, 10.1 IP, 7 Ks
The Rutgers softball team returns to the prestigious Mary Nutter Softball Classic in Cathederal City, California. On deck for the Scarlet Knights will be Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Bethune-Cookman, Oregon State and UC Riverside.
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