WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Rutgers baseball plays the second of back-to-back Big Ten road series this weekend when it visits Purdue for three games at Alexander Field in West Lafayette.
The Boilermakers are 19-21 overall and 8-7 in the Big Ten, which includes series wins over Northwestern, Illinois and Penn State. They most recently lost two-of-three at Maryland.
Rutgers sits at 25-16 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten. RU has won six straight, 10 of its last 11 and is coming off a weekend sweep at Northwestern and midweek win at St. John's.
The Scarlet Knights will roll out the same starting rotation as the last two weeks, with 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.
Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed on B1G+, while the Big Ten Network will broadcast Saturday's game, with Shane Sparks (PxP) and Jeff Leise (Analyst) on the call.
Fans can also follow along on Twitter for live updates. Live stats will be available for all three games.
Series History
Rutgers holds a 10-8 advantage all-time against Purdue, including an 8-7 mark in Big Ten play. The last meeting was a 10-3 RU win in the first round of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament.
in the Rankings
The Scarlet Knights lead the Big Ten in a number of key situational stats.
Their 40 doubles plays turned on defense are the best in the conference and the 8th-most in the country. The team's 32 sacrifice bunts are also best in the Big Ten and rank 12th 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.
Outfield: The Catalysts
The starting outfield for RU also makes up the top three hitters in the lineup.
Ryan Lasko (.327), Evan Sleight (.327) and Trevor Cohen (.322) have been the starting outfield for all 41 games and combine to hit .325 as a unit.
Lasko leads the team with his 56 hits, 13 doubles, 38 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. In conference games, Lasko leads the Big Ten with a .436 average, 24 hits and 46 total bases. Sleight's 24 extra-base hits are tied with Lasko for the team lead and his 11 home runs are the most on the Scarlet Knights.
Brito: Rewriting Record Books
Chris Brito has put together one of the most prolific offensive careers in Rutgers baseball history. He recorded his 200th career hit at Northwestern last week -- an RBI double. He currently has 41 career home runs, one shy of tying and two shy of breaking Todd Frazier's program-record of 42. Brito also has 181 career RBIs, making him 11 shy of the program record of 192, shared by Pete Zoccolillo and Jake Daubert.
JKG: Mr. Every Day
Sophomore
Josh Kuroda-Grauer has been a model of consistency in his new role as starting shortstop.
Kuroda-Grauer has started all 41 games for RU, is hitting .305, has 18 extra-base hits and has drawn 25 walks to just 19 strikeouts. He was recently named to the watchlist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the top shortstop in the country.
Starting Rotation: B1G Time
The new-look starting rotation has been stellar for RU in Big Ten play.
True freshman RHP Christian Coppola has excelled as the new Friday night ace and has thrown a combined 14.0 innings, giving up just one run with 17 strikeouts and two walks in his two Friday starts. He has a 2.38 ERA and 24 strikeouts to eight walks in conference play.
Junior LHP Grant Besser has made the transition from bullpen to starter and has already logged two strong starts in Big Ten play. He earned his first win as a starter at Northwestern and has a 2.57 ERA and .167 BAA against conference opponents.
Junior RHP Drew Conover briefly pitched out of the bullpen before returning to the rotation as the Sunday starter. He has thrown seven innings in back-to-back starts, leading RU to series finale wins over Northwestern and Michigan. Conover boasts a 1.86 ERA in Big Ten play.
Gorski: Nails Out of the 'Pen
Junior RHP Ben Gorski is having a breakout season in the bullpen for the Scarlet Knights. Gorski has five saves and leads the team with a 1.63 ERA across 27.2 innings. He has allowed a miniscule .136 batting average against and has only given up one extra-base hit to the 112 batters he has faced.
