FORT MYERS, Fla. - Wrapping up a seven-game spring break trip, Rutgers baseball will head north from Florida for a pair of games in Annapolis, Md., against Navy and NJIT. It will be the first trip to the United States Naval Academy for the Scarlet Knights since 1954.

SCOUTING RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights most recently split a pair of midweek games in Fort Myers, Fla., against Florida Gulf Coast to bring the road trip to a 2-3 record so far. After taking a 9-6 loss Tuesday, RU rebounded with a convincing 9-2 victory Wednesday versus the Eagles. Led by three hits and two RBIs by senior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.), Rutgers had a balanced offensive attack with all nine starters reaching at least once. Freshman Luke Bowerbank (Bernardsville, N.J.) also contributed with four times on base and three runs, while junior Tom Marcinczyk (Middlesex, N.J.) stroked his third home run of the season. On the mound, junior Christian Campbell (Sayreville, N.J.) earned the win with three innings of relief, as four pitchers permitted just four hits in the ballgame.

The midweek set followed a closely-contested three-game series at No. 16 Florida Atlantic. Each game was decided by one run, with RU pulling out a 5-4 victory in the middle meeting to collect a win over a ranked opponent.

For the road trip, Devish leads the offense with a .500 average on nine hits. Overall, he ranks second in the nation and is first in the Big Ten with a .594 on-base percentage, while sitting second in the conference with a .440 batting average in 15 games. The catcher also paces the league with 18 runs scored, is tied for first with 13 walks and six times being hit by pitch, tied for third with seven stolen bases and tied for eighth with 13 RBIs. Marcinczyk is also the Big Ten leader with 17 RBIs and fifth-year senior Chris Suseck (Flemington, N.J.) is tied for eighth at 13 in the category.

Rutgers continues to sit first in the conference with 31 stolen bases, nine more than second-place Michigan. Freshman Jawuan Harris (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), who is also tied for sixth with 14 runs, is the league leader with 10 swipes in 11 attempts. Following Devish with seven, freshman Mike Martinez (West New York, N.J.) and Marcinczyk each have four in as many tries. The team total is 17th-most in the country.

After permitting just one earned run Wednesday, the Scarlet Knights lowered their team ERA to 4.29. Senior Howie Brey (Middletown, N.J.) is slated to make the start on Friday versus Navy. The left-hander left in line to win last time out at Florida Atlantic, striking out seven over six innings. He has pitched the last 112.0 innings without surrendering a stolen base, the longest streak of its kind in the nation. For the season, the staff has combined for 117 strikeouts and 66 walks.

NOTABLE
Rutgers has played to a 7-6 record since dropping three to start the season at No. 4 Miami … the four opponents RU has played on the weekend so far have combined for a 44-22 record … Devish is on a 15-game on-base and 11-game hitting streak, while Suseck has reached safely in the last 13 games … Devish and Suseck both have seven multiple-hit games … RU is averaging 1.94 stolen bases per game, including four games with at least four swipes … the catchers have combined for just one passed ball … the seventh inning has been the most productive with 24 runs across … six different Scarlet Knights have hit one home run … the offense has reached double-digit hits six times … Rutgers has five road wins, matching last season's total.

SCOUTING NAVY
The preseason Patriot League favorite, the Midshipmen have won 12 games so far, including recent midweek victories over Buffalo and Towson. The team took three games and tied another last weekend versus Yale to improve to a 6-3-1 record at home. Robert Currie is hitting .441 to spark the offense, while Travis Blue has 18 RBIs. Right-hander George Coughlin is slated to get the start on the mound. He has pitched to a 2.75 through four starts with 16 strikeouts and eight walks.

Head coach Paul Kostacopoulos is in his 11th season at the helm of the program. Click here for more information on Navy baseball.

Navy has won eight of the 11 games in the all-time series against Rutgers, which dates back to 1909, but the game has not been played since 1954. The Scarlet Knights last won in 1951. The programs did also meet in the 1948 district playoffs, a game the Midshipmen took in 11 innings.

This weekend's games will be played Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium, which was renovated in 2005. The surface is FieldTurf.

SCOUTING NJIT
The Highlanders are in their first season as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The team is currently on a four-game winning streak after sweeping a series at Coppin State and picking up a 6-0 win over George Washington on Tuesday. Stephen Halibej leads the team with a .341 average, while Evan Pietronico has driven in 13 runs. The pitching staff has combined for a 5.11 ERA with a .280 average against.

Head coach Brian Guiliana is in his fourth season leading the Highlanders. Click here for more information on NJIT baseball.

Rutgers has won all five meetings versus NJIT, including a 5-3 victory last season at Bainton Field. Marcinczyk drove in three runs, with Kevin Baxter (Waterford, N.J.) pitching 5.2 innings for the win on the mound. Saturday will mark the first game between the teams on a neutral field.

UP NEXT
The Scarlet Knights will head back to New Jersey to play Rider in a Wednesday road game at 3:30 p.m. That will be the final tune-up before Big Ten play starts next weekend at Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The Friday game of that three-game series will air live on Big Ten Network.

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