Friday, February 13
Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (Patriots Point)
4:00 PM
Rutgers University
at
College of Charleston
Baseball Opens 2026 Season at Charleston
Feb 12 | Baseball
MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Rutgers baseball is set to open the 2026 season with a four-game series at College of Charleston this weekend in South Carolina.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 29-28 campaign that saw them advance to the Big Ten Tournament, where they upset Indiana and clinched a fourth straight winning season under head coach Steve Owens.
The Cougars went 37-22 a year ago including a 15-12 mark in the CAA, good for a fourth-place finish. They advanced the semifinals of the CAA Tournament.
All three games this weekend will be streamed on Flo College. Fans can also follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.
| Date | Time (ET) | Coverage | Rutgers (0-0, Big Ten) | College of Charleston (0-0, CAA) |
| Fri. 2/13 | 4 p.m. | Flo ($) | Live Stats | LHP Joe Mazza | LHP Hayden Thomas |
| Sat. 2/14 | 1 p.m. | Flo ($) | Live Stats | RHP Zack Konstantinovsky | RHP Carson Bryant |
| Sat. 2/14 | 4:30 p.m. | Flo ($) | Live Stats | RHP Dallin Harrison | RHP Jace Stancil |
| Sun. 2/15 | 12:00 p.m. | Flo ($) | Live Stats | TBD | TBD |
Series History
This weekend marks the first all-time meeting between Rutgers and College of Charleston.
The 2026 Scarlet Knights
- The 2026 roster features a total of 39 players, with 15 returners and 24 newcomers.
- Of the 24 newcomers, 11 are true freshmen and 13 are transfers.
- Head Coach Steve Owens enters his seventh season at the helm of the program and has accumulated four consecutive winnings season with RU.
- Ryan Fecteau joins the program as associate head coach/pitching following an eight-year stint at Virginia Tech as pitching coach.
- Former major leaguer Frank Schwindel also joins the staff as director of player personnel.
Roster Reloaded
- Rutgers recruited the top transfer portal class in the Big Ten, per 64Analytics, with the haul consisting of 13 players (5 pitchers, 8 position players).
- Among in the incoming transfers, INF Charlie Meglio and OF Chase Krewson were both named Big Ten Players to Watch,
- The Scarlet Knights also welcome the top ranked recruiting class in program history, consisting of 11 true freshmen ready for their debut season on the Banks.
Returning Up the Middle
- The Scarlet Knights return all three starters up the middle in C Matt Chatelle, SS Yomar Carreras and CF Peyton Bonds. Bonds was named a Big Ten Player to Watch and the No. 9 2026 MLB Draft Prospect in the conference by D1Baseball.
- Carreras was also named the No. 9 2027 MLB Draft Prospect in the big Ten by D1Baseball.
Rotation Diversity
- Rutgers will use the trio of LHP Joe Mazza, RHP Zack Konstantinovsky and RHP Dallin Harrison as its starting rotation week one.
- Mazza is the most experienced player on the roster, set for his fifth season as a Scarlet Knight after receiving a medical redshirt last season.
- Mazza has pitched in 70 games over four seasons, logging 100 career innings and posting a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances in 2025 before missing the remainder of the season.
- Konstantinovsky returns to the rotation after missing 2025 due to injury. As a true freshman in 2024, Konstantinovsky started the first eight weekends with 37 strikeouts in 34 innings and a 5.29 ERA.
- Harrison joins the rotation after pitching in various roles for San Diego in 2024 and 2025. He pitched in 24 games with four starts in 2025, posting a 4.78 ERA in 37.2 innings of work.
Lineup Experience
- In addition to three returning starters, the RU lineup projects to feature loads of experience.
- Behind the dish, Matt Chatelle (129) and Trey Wells (114) have a combined 243 games of collegiate experience.
- Infield transfers Ryan Jaros (56), Charlie Meglio (102) and Quinten Perilli (130) combine for 288 games of collegiate experience.
- In the outfield, Chase Krewson (91) and Tristan Salinas (55) both offer plenty of starting experience.
Defensive Excellence
- Rutgers has been among the best defensive teams in the country the last four seasons. RU is one of just six teams with a .976 fielding percentage in each of the last four seasons (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Oregon, Vanderbilt)
- In that timeframe, a pair of shortstops in Danny DiGeorgio (2022) and Josh Kuroda-Grauer (2024) were both All-Americans and Brooks Wallace Award finalists for the best shortstop in the country.
- n the country. His 6.0 K% is the second-lowest in the Power Four.
Professional Development
- Rutgers is the only team in the Big ten to have a top-three round pick in the MLB Draft in each of the last three seasons: Trevor Cohen (2025, R3 - Giants), Josh Kuroda-Grauer (2024, R3 - Athletics) and Ryan Lasko (2023 - R2 - Athletics)
- In total, RU has seen 16 players either drafted or signed to MLB organizations since 2021.
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