Friday, April 3
Bloomington, Ind. (Bart Kaufman Field)
6:00 PM
Rutgers University
at
Indiana
Baseball Set for Road Series at Indiana
Apr 02 | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Rutgers baseball hits the road this weekend for a three-game series against Indiana.
The Scarlet Knights (15-13, 4-5) dropped two-of-three at home to Michigan over the weekend before losing its lone midweek to Hofstra by a score of 3-2.
The Hoosiers (10-18, 3-9) were swept on the road by No. 24 Nebraska last weekend and fell on the road to Evansville, 5-4, in 11 innings on Tuesday.
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 is 10-16 all-time against Michigan, including a 7-15 mark in Big Ten play. The last time the two teams met was in 2023, with the Scarlet Knights winning two-of-three in Piscataway.
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 all 28 games in centerfield and batting leadoff.
- Bonds leads RU with a .376 average, 44 hits, 29 runs, 12 stolen bases, 70 total bases and is tied for the team lead with 28 RBIs and eight doubles.
- 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 (.338) and Wells (.330) are two of the team's top three hitters by average, combining for 61 hits, 37 runs scored and 33 RBIs.
- Behind the dish, the duo has helped RU control the running game, throwing out 13 baserunners to just 22 stolen bases allowed.
Emerging Arms
- A number of new Scarlet Knights have emerged as reliable arms for new pitching coach Ryan Fecteau.
- Jordan Savinon (2.63) and Jacob Pederson (2.81) have both been strong in relief, pitching a combined 29.2 innings with 36 strikeouts.
- True freshman Chris Sand has started and come in as a reliever, posting a 4.94 era in 23.2 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 3.06 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 17.2 innings with a save.
- Rondini owns a 1.37 ERA across 19.2 innings, most recently retiring all 10 batters faced against Hofstra.
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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