Rutgers University
Virginia Tech
Baseball Visits Virginia Tech
Feb 19 | Baseball
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Rutgers baseball renews an old Big East rivalry this weekend when it travels to Blacksburg for a three-game set against Virginia Tech.
The Scarlet Knights won three-of-four opening weekend at College of Charleston, dropping the opener 8-3 before winning the next three, including a 14-4 run-rule victory in Sunday's finale. RU hit .347 as a team with five home runs and five doubles, while the pitchers struck out 39 batters in 32 innings and posted a 3.94 ERA, allowing just four runs total in Saturday's doubleheader.
The Hokies are 4-0 with an opening weekend sweep over William & Mary at home and a midweek victory over ETSU Tuesday afternoon.
Virginia Tech is unable to stream this weekend's games. Fans can follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.
Series History
Rutgers is 8-5 all-time against Virginia Tech. The last meeting was a 6-3 win for the Hokies in 2014. In the last series, the Scarlet Knights took two-of-three in Blacksburg in 2004.
Opening Weekend Wins
- After dropping the season opener 8-3, RU responded with three straight wins to take the four-game set at College of Charleston.
- Zack Konstantinovsky, Dallin Harrison and Chris Sand all earned win on the mound, with Konstantinovsky and Harrison going five innings in their starts on Saturday and Sand throwing three scorleess innings of relief on Sunday.
- Peyton Bonds, Chase Krewson, Quinten Perilli, Charlie Meglio and Trey Wells all hit home runs over the weekend, with Perilli and Bonds having five RBIs apiece to pace the team.
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.
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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