EVANSTON, Ill. – Rutgers baseball plays the first of back-to-back Big Ten road series this weekend when it visits Northwestern for three games at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park in Evanston.
The Wildcats are 6-25 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten, which includes a series victory over Illinois. They most recently were swept at Nebraska.
Rutgers now sits at 21-16 and 4-5 in the Big Ten. RU has won six-of-seven and is coming off a series win at home against Michigan and a midweek win at Monmouth.
The Scarlet Knights will roll out the same starting rotation as last week, with reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Christian Coppola getting the start on Friday, Grant Besser going on Saturday and Drew Conover getting the ball for the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
All three games of the series will be streamed on B1G+.
Fans can also follow along on Twitter for live updates. Live stats will be available for all three games.
Series History
Northwestern holds a 10-5 advantage all-time against Rutgers, including an 8-4 mark in Big Ten play. RU took two-of-three to win the last series in Evanston in 2021.
Team Notes
The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten in a number of key situational stats.
Their 35 doubles plays turned on defense are the best in the conference and the 10th-most in the country. The team's 29 sacrifice bunts are also best in the Big Ten and rank 15th nationally, while their 33 sacrifice flies are not only the most in the Big Ten but also the most sac flies in the country.
Additionally, RU's three shutouts on the mound are the most in the conference.
In the Box
True freshman outfielder Trevor Cohen has emerged as a rising star for the Scarlet Knights, leading the team with a .340 batting average and striking out just 14 times in 177 plate appearances, while his 52 hits are the most on the team.
Junior outfielder Evan Sleight continues his strong season at the plate for RU, ranking second on the team with a .338 batting average, while leading RU with a 1.084 OPS and nine home runs.
Junior centerfielder Ryan Lasko, who has a penchant for heating up during Big Ten play, has done just that through three weekends in conference play. He belted two home runs at Maryland and leads RU in Big Ten play with a .452 average, 19 hits, four doubles, 12 RBIs and a 1.251 OPS.
Junior first baseman Jordan Sweeney continues to improve every season on the Banks. He is hitting a career-best .290 in 37 games (all starts), while ranking second on the team with 30 RBIs.
Junior Cameron Love has emerged as the everyday starter at second base and has started 33 of 37 games for RU. He is fourth on the team with a .317 batting average and has eight doubles. Love has also provided elite defense at second base with a .984 fielding percentage.
Sophomore Josh Kuroda-Grauer has been a model of consistency in his new role as starting shortstop. Kuroda-Grauer has started all 37 games for RU, is hitting .295, has 14 extra-base hits and has drawn 20 walks to just 17 strikeouts.
On the Mound
True freshman RHP Christian Coppola is coming off a career game against Michigan, where he tossed 8.0 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts and zero walks. He was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week, NCBWA National Co-Pitcher of the Week and was among the Collegiate Baseball National Players of the Week.
After exclusively serving as a reliever, junior LHP Grant Besser will make his third start in as many weekends. He made his first weekend start at Maryland and went a career-high five innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) and striking out three with no walks.
Junior RHP Ben Gorski is having a breakout season in the bullpen for the Scarlet Knights. Gorski leads the team with a 1.82 ERA across 24.2 innings and has only allowed one extra-base hit to the 101 batters he has faced.
Junior RHP Drew Conover has seen action as both a starter and reliever this season. Conover moved back to the rotation against Michigan, throwing 7.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to lead Rutgers to a series-clinching win over the Wolverines in the rubber game on Sunday.
