Rutgers University Athletics

An alumnus of the program and a New Jersey native, Joe Litterio has guided Rutgers baseball into the Big Ten Conference after taking over for the legendary Fred Hill in 2014. Now in his sixth year as the Scarlet Knights’ skipper and 18^th overall as a head coach at the collegiate level in 2019, he spent the two prior seasons (2012-13) on Hill's staff as an assistant coach before being elevated. Litterio ranks third in program history in wins.
 
"I am honored and excited to be taking over the Rutgers University baseball program," Litterio said upon being promoted to the role Feb. 20, 2014. "Having had the privilege to be around coach Hill as a player, a peer and an assistant has been beneficial to me. Being an alumnus, I will take pride in keeping the Rutgers baseball family together and will work hard to continue the success of the program to bring it to the next level."
 
The 12th leader in program history and only the third since 1961, Litterio has installed an aggressive approach during his tenure. The Scarlet Knights set a school-record with 121 stolen bases in 2016 to rank fourth nationally, led by 37 by Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree Jawuan Harris. Litterio also moved senior catcher R.J. Devish to the leadoff hitter in the lineup that season and he responded with a .524 on-base percentage (sixth nationally), 56 runs scored and 24 stolen bases to earn National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) District II Player of the Year. Devish also joined senior pitcher Howie Brey as an All-Big Ten pick, as Brey worked 100.1 innings as the Friday starter with four complete games and 84 strikeouts. The left-hander was selected by the Houston Astros in the MLB Draft.
 
With Harris (San Diego Padres) and Nick Matera (Philadelphia Phillies) both being selected in the 2018 MLB Draft and John O'Reilly (Pittsburgh Pirates) signing, the Scarlet Knights have had a player drafted or signed by a MLB organization in each of the seven seasons Litterio has been on staff. In addition, three recruits were drafted in the last two years.
 
The 2018 team underwent a culture shift that included Litterio hiring Phil Cundari, who was the 2011 National Pitching Coach of the Year, to revitalize the pitching staff and former Manhattan head coach Jim Duffy to set the tone with an aggressive and energetic offensive approach. It paid dividends as the pitching staff lowered its ERA from 6.11 to 4.82 and the lineup produced 111 RBIs with two outs. Also worth noting, the defense led the Big Ten with 50 double plays.
 
The strides sparked the Scarlet Knights to a six-win improvement, including a streak of six-straight series wins, winning seven-of-eight weekends during a stretch into mid-April, and a 6-1 spring break trip in Florida. That propelled RU to 12 victories in March, the most since 2001, and later to as high as seven games over .500 for the first time since 2012.
 
Off the field, Litterio played an integral role in the creation and design of the Fred Hill Training Complex, a facility that allows the program to practice indoors. The building is equipped with state-of-the-art pitching machines, numerous batting cages, bullpen mounds and a full turf infield. Litterio has also built up the annual Rutgers baseball golf outing, which raised $25,000 for the program in 2017, and supported the program’s involvement with the Vs. Cancer Foundation. The team has raised over $43,000 towards pediatric cancer research and treatment since 2013.
 
Academics are a priority in the program, as Rutgers has earned public acknowledgment for Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores the past three years. That puts the Scarlet Knights in the top 10 percent of college baseball in academic achievement regarding eligibility, graduation and retention each term. A total of 43 student-athletes garnered Academic All-Big Ten status the last four years, with nine deemed Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for a GPA of at least 3.7. All seven seniors in the 2018 class were named academic all-conference during their careers.
 
Litterio transitioned the Scarlet Knights into the Big Ten in 2015. RU earned series victories over Purdue, Minnesota and No. 13 Iowa in league play, and beat Ohio State on a thrilling walk-off home run. In addition, Rutgers won two-of-three against in-state rival Seton Hall. Following the year, sophomore outfielder Tom Marcinczyk was named All-Big Ten Third Team after hitting .337 in the conference with seven home runs overall. Then in the MLB Draft, junior pitcher Mark McCoy was selected in the 29th round by the Kansas City Royals.
 
Litterio officially took the reins of the program on Feb. 20, 2014 and led the Scarlet Knights to a 30-win season with 19 newcomers on the roster. The team finished in a tie for third in the American Athletic Conference standings and won 10 of its last 11 games to finish the regular season. In addition, Rutgers made Bainton Field into one of the best home-field advantages in the nation with a 19-4 home record, including three conference sweeps.
 
The 2014 squad finished second in the conference with a .283 team batting average with 5.53 runs per game, while the pitching staff worked to a 3.41 ERA in league games with a rebuilt weekend rotation. Six players earned all-conference honors to reflect the success of the year, the most for a Rutgers team since 2007. Additionally, both Mike Carter and Gaby Rosa, who also won American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, earned Freshman All-America accolades. The duo was part of the large incoming class Litterio recruited to replace 12 seniors from the 2013 roster.
 
The program also saw Brian O'Grady selected in the eighth round of the MLB Draft following the season. He served as a captain and the third hitter in the lineup for the Scarlet Knights all season.
 
Returning to his alma mater as the lead assistant in 2012, Litterio spent two seasons on staff as the recruiting coordinator, third base coach, scheduler and more. He helped mentor seven all-conference selections during that time, including 2012 Big East Player of the Year Patrick Kivlehan, who was a fourth round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners and made his MLB debut in 2016 with the San Diego Padres. Litterio's title was elevated to associate head coach for the 2013 season and he took over the day-to-day operations of the program in the fall of 2013 after Hill took a leave of absence.
 
Litterio played for the Scarlet Knights and Hill as an infielder from 1990 to 1993. His teams won the Atlantic 10 regular season title all four years and earned bids to the NCAA Regionals in 1990, 1991 and 1993. The 1990 Rutgers team came within one win of advancing to the College World Series and recorded the most wins (four) in a single NCAA Tournament in school history. A Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection at second base after his junior season, Litterio recorded a .976 fielding percentage for a team that was ranked fourth in the nation in fielding.
 
Prior to returning to Rutgers, Litterio spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Wagner. He left the program as the winningest coach in school history (240) in 2012, guiding eight players to contracts with Major League teams, including 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and MLB All-Star Andrew Bailey. Litterio led the Seahawks to seven postseason appearances after the program had only qualified once previously in school history.
 
A tireless worker and recruiter, he won the 2009 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year after leading WC to a school-record 31 wins and the program's first NEC Regular Season Championship. He coached 22 of the Seahawk's 44 members of the 100-hit club, including the first seven members of the 200-hit club, and mentored numerous players to All-NEC honors.
 
The Cranford, New Jersey, native started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Hill immediately following his playing career for the Scarlet Knights before taking a job as coach at Immaculate Conception High School (N.J.). Litterio moved back to the collegiate ranks the following season, landing a job as an assistant coach under Dean Ehehalt at Monmouth University where he spent the next four seasons. The 1998 MU team won the NEC Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals.
 
After spending one season at Winthrop University and earning the Big South Championship and subsequent NCAA Regional spot, Litterio accepted the head coaching job at Wagner - reaching the NCAA Regionals in his first season - and has gone on to earn a reputation as one of the top coaches in the Northeast region.
 
Litterio and his wife, Michelle, reside in Wall, New Jersey, with their children - Frances, Mia and Joe. He earned his degree in sociology from Rutgers University in 1994.