April 2, 2015
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Wrapping up a 10-game homestand, Rutgers baseball will welcome Minnesota to Bainton Field for a three-game series starting with a Saturday doubleheader. The Friday game was postponed due to inclement weather.
SCARLETKNIGHTS.COM FEATURE: DEVISH CATCHING ON BEHIND THE PLATE
| Minnesota (9-15, 1-5) at Rutgers (8-18, 3-3) - Bainton Field |
| Game 27 | April 4 - Noon ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Rutgers - LHP Mark McCoy (0-5, 6.16 ERA) vs.
Minnesota - RHP Ben Meyer (1-3, 4.62 ERA) |
| Coverage | WRSU 88.7 FM | |
| Promotions | Egg Hunt | "Pink Out" T-Shirt Giveaway |
| Game 28 | April 4 - 30 minutes after first game |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Rutgers - LHP Howie Brey (1-3, 3.25 ERA) vs.
Minnesota - RHP Toby Anderson (0-0, 6.60 ERA) |
| Coverage | |
| Promotions | Egg Hunt | "Pink Out" T-Shirt Giveaway |
| Game 29 | April 5 - 1 p.m. ET |
| Probable Pitching Matchup | Rutgers - RHP Gaby Rosa (1-2, 5.68 ERA) vs.
Minnesota - RHP Tim Shannon (1-3, 5.72 ERA) |
| Coverage | WRSU 88.7 FM | |
| Promotions | Postgame Run the Bases |
SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights (8-18, 3-3) look to return to the win column after dropping home midweek contests to Manhattan and Monmouth. RU has played 10 games since March 20, owning two Big Ten wins over Purdue and one against Ohio State.
Sophomore Mike Carter (Bloomfield, N.J.) broke through for his first three-hit game of the season Wednesday against the Hawks, while classmate Chris Folinusz (Cranford, N.J.) went 3-for-5 in midweek action with a two-run single. For the season, sophomore Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) leads Rutgers with a .320/.404/.515 slash line and has reached base in 20 consecutive games. Breaking down league games, junior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) paces the team with nine hits in six games. RU leads the league with nine stolen bases in conference games.
Rutgers will stay with the same pitching rotation of junior Mark McCoy (Barnegat, N.J.), junior Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.) and sophomore Gaby Rosa (Perth Amboy, N.J.) for the third-straight conference series. McCoy will look to bounce back and has the second-most strikeouts on the staff with 19. Fellow left-hander Brey leads with 33 punchouts and produced 7.1 scoreless frames last week versus Ohio State, stranding 10 runners on base. In the Sunday role, Rosa took a hard-luck loss against the Buckeyes with just one run allowed over seven innings. Senior Jon Young (Old Bridge, N.J.) and sophomore Max Herrmann (Rutherford, N.J.) lead the team with 11 appearances out of the bullpen. The Scarlet Knights have pitched to a 3.74 ERA against Big Ten competition.
NOTABLE
Rutgers is 6-3 this season when scoring first in a game and 4-0 when scoring at least six runs ... the offense has scored more in the third inning (23) than any other frame and has reached double-digit hits eight times ... the defense has played errorless baseball nine times ... the staff has hit just two batters over the last four games ... RU has a steal in 11 of the last 13 games, totaling 22 in that span ... the Scarlet Knights have nine home runs in 26 games, needing 34 games to reach that mark last year ... Marcinczyk is hitting .360 with 16 RBIs during his 20-game on-base streak ... senior Vinny Zarrillo (Forked River, N.J.) needs eight hits to reach 200 for his career ... freshman Milo Freeman (Millburn, N.J.) leads the team with a .429 average (6-for-14) with runners in scoring position (minimum 10 at bats) ... Rosa is averaging 13.26 fly outs per pitching appearance after inducing 15.01 last year ... Rutgers has played seven games against a ranked opponent, having the No. 32 strength of schedule nationally by Boyd's World ... thirty-two of the 35 players on the roster hail from the state of New Jersey.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers (9-15, 1-5) are coming off a 9-8 home win over St. John's (Minn.) Tuesday, having dropped two-of-three to Northwestern last weekend. Minnesota won the opener, 8-3, against the Wildcats but fell 2-1 in 13 innings on Saturday and 19-7 in the Sunday finale. The team plays its home games at the new Seibert Field, which costs $7.2 million and opened in 2013.
Matt Fielder leads the offense with a .363 average in 24 games, while Tony Skjefte matches him for the team high with 18 RBIs. Friday starter Ben Meyer worked 8.1 innings last week to earn his first win of the season versus Northwestern. The Golden Gophers have used 17 pitchers overall this season.
Head coach John Anderson is in his 34th season at the helm of the program, having won Big Ten Coach of the Year six times. Click here for the full Minnesota weekend preview.
THE SERIES
Minnesota will be making its first trip to Rutgers, but the teams have previously met six times on the diamond. The series is tied at three, but the Scarlet Knights swept the last three-game series held in 2005 at the Metrodome. The programs first met in 1991 in Florida when head coach Joe Litterio was an infielder for RU.
UP NEXT
Rutgers will head to the road for the first time since March 22 to face Fordham Wednesday at 6 p.m. The next Big Ten series is scheduled at Indiana the following weekend.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding baseball, follow the program on Twitter (@BaseballRU), Instagram (@rutgersbaseball) and Tumblr.
