Friday, April 17
State College, Pa. (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park)
5:30 PM
Rutgers University
at
Penn State
Photo by: Colin Noftsier
Baseball Visits Penn State
Apr 16 | Baseball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Rutgers baseball is on the road this weekend for a three-game series at Penn State.
The Scarlet Knights (18-19, 5-10) were swept at home by No. 1 UCLA over the weekend before splitting a pair of midweek games against Marist (L) and at St. Joe's (W).
The Nittany Lions (10-24, 4-11) dropped two-of-three last weekend at Ohio State before falling to No. 15 West Virginia in a neutral site game on Wednesday by a score of 3-1.
All three games this weekend will be streamed on B1G+. Fans can follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.
Series History
Rutgers holds a 42-53 mark all-time against Penn State. The Nittany Lions took two-of-three last season in Piscataway as well as in the last meeting in University Park in 2024.
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.
Bonds at the Top
- Peyton Bonds has been the team's top hitter, starting 33 games in centerfield and batting leadoff.
- Bonds leads RU with a .358 average, 49 hits, 31 runs, 13 stolen bases, 75 total bases and is second with six home runs and 28 RBIs.
- This season at Illinois, Bonds hit a 121 mph double, one of hardest-hit balls in the BBCOR era of college baseball.
- The catching duo of Matt Chatelle and Trey Wells has proven to be one of the top strengths for RU – both offensively and defensively.
- Chatelle (.340) and Wells (.298) are two of the team's top three hitters by average, combining for 79 hits, 49 runs scored and 42 RBIs.
- Behind the dish, the duo has helped RU control the running game, throwing out 16 baserunners to just 29 stolen bases allowed.
Emerging Arms
- A number of new Scarlet Knights have emerged as reliable arms for new pitching coach Ryan Fecteau.
- Jordan Savinon (2.42) and Jacob Pederson (3.52) have both been strong in relief, pitching a combined 45.1 innings with 44 strikeouts.
- True freshman Chris Sand has started and come in as a reliever, posting a 4.76 era in 28.1 innings, the third most on the team.
Veterans in the 'Pen
- Andrew Rondini and Joe Mazza have both proven to be ultra-reliable arms out of the bullpen.
- Mazza has emerged as the top high-leverage arm, posting a 3.04 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings with a save.
- Rondini owns a 2.16 ERA across 25.0 innings, having retiring all 10 batters faced against Hofstra and striking out three in the ninth in the win at Indiana.
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.
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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C
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