PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball returns home this week for the start of a six-game homestand beginning with a pair of midweek games against Rider and Lafayette on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The Scarlet Knights (13-6) are back at Bainton Field after a 10-day, eight-game spring break trip that saw them go 4-4 with a series loss at High Point, two midweeks at No. 13 North Carolina and a sweep at Delaware. The Broncs (2-13) were most recently swept on the road by St. John's, while the Leopards (3-15) just dropped two-of-three on the road to Penn. 

Both games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. Tuesday's game will have Dom Savino and Ralph Bednarczyk on the call. Wednesday's game will feature Dom Savino and Pat Boyle. Fans can follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.

Series History
Rutgers is 45-30 all-time against Rider and 67-29-1 all-time against Lafayette. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Broncs 4-2 last season and the Leopards 13-8, with both games taking place at Bainton Field. 

Last Time Out
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a three-game sweep at Delaware over the weekend that featured 56 runs and 64 hits from the RU lineup. After winning Friday's opener 15-10, Rutgers blew past the Blue Hens 27-13 to win the series on Saturday and 14-3 to complete the sweep on Sunday. 

Josh Kuroda-Grauer was named Big Ten Player of the Week after going 12-for-17 (.706) with a home run, five doubles, eight RBIs and nine runs scored in the series. Ty Doucette was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after going 8-for-11 (.727), hitting three home runs, driving in 10 and scoring five runs in the series. 

In The Rankings
As a team, RU is batting .330 which is tied for 11th-best in the country and best in the Big Ten by 26 points (Purdue, .304). The Scarlet Knights also lead the Big Ten with 56 hit-by-pitches (3rd nationally), 238 hits (t-4th nationally), a .424 on-base percentage, 9.3 runs/game and 39 stolen bases.

Individually, Tony Santa Maria leads the conference with seven home runs and 11 hit-by-pitches. Josh Kuroda-Grauer leads the country and conference with 38 hits, while his 10 doubles rank third in the conference and eighth in the nation. Trevor Cohen's 35 hits trail only Kuroda-Grauer on the conference leaderboard and are fifth in the country. 

SEASON NOTES
Staff Updates
Head Coach Steve Owens announced a number of changes to his staff ahead of the 2024 season. Mike Garza was promoted to hitting coach after serving two years as a volunteer assistant. 

With the NCAA increasing the number of full-time assistant coaches from two to three, Owens added Danny Bethea to the staff from St. John's. In his role, Bethea works with the team's catchers, offense and will coach first base. 

Jack Arend also joined the staff as the Director of Player Development, where he oversees video and data collection while also running camps and clinics. 

Rotation Continuity
After having to replace the entire starting rotation in back-to-back seasons, Rutgers will enjoy continuity on the mound in 2024. 

Christian Coppola is set to reprise his role as the team's Friday night ace after making 13 starts and being named All-Big Ten First Team and Freshman All-America in 2023. 

Justin Sinibaldi is primed for the role of Saturday starter after making 8 starts last season, including the final two Big Ten weekends after missing time due to injury. Sinibaldi owns 20 career starts in his career as a Scarlet Knight.

Depth Behind the Dish
RU has a number of quality options at the catcher position for 2024. Hugh Pinkney returns after making 48 starts at catcher and designated hitter last season, hitting .267 with 12 extra-base hits and a .716 OPS in his true freshman season. JD Jones joins the catching corps as a transfer from Miami and provides a veteran presence. True freshman Jackson Natili is primed for a big career "On the Banks" and factors in as well.

Left Side, Strong Side 
The Scarlet Knights boast one of the top left sides of the infield in the entire country. SS Josh Kuroda-Grauer (#11) and 3B Tony Santa Maria (#16) are both ranked among the best at their respective positions by D1Baseball. 

Kuroda-Grauer is set for his third straight season as an everyday starter and is looking to build on a season that saw him named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, collect 26 extra-base hits and have more walks (27) than strikeouts (24). 

Santa Maria returns after missing the majority of 2023 with injury. He had a monster 2022 for RU, hitting .303 with 10 home runs and 69 RBIs, which were the third-most in a season in program history. 

Infield Experience
Rutgers returns at least a full season of starting experience at every infield spot, with Jordan Sweeney (108), Kuroda-Grauer (105), Cameron Love (63) and Santa Maria (60) combining for 376 starts for RU. 

Outfield Options
Trevor Cohen represents the lone returning starter in the RU outfield, having started all 56 games last season and hitting .298 with 26 walks to 22 strikeouts en route to being named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team.

Rutgers retooled with the addition of RJ Johnson Jr. from the JUCO ranks, who is expected to start in centerfied. Johnson his .343 with six home runs and 36 RBIs, while leading his Gulf Coast State team with 61 hits and 55 runs scored in 2023. 

Transfers Pete Ciuffreda (Lafayette) and Pete Durocher (Manhattan) bring a combined seven seasons of experience to the outfield and can play multiple positions. 

Bullpen Arms
Ben Gorski returns for his final season after an All-Big Ten season in 2023 where he locked down eight saves and posted a 3.40 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. He was named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year watchlist ahead of 2024.

Sam Portnoy pitched to a 3.69 ERA across 31.2 innings in 20 appearances and also earned a spot on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watchlist.

Joey DeChiaro joins the bullpen as a graduate transfer from Old Dominion, where he appeared in 50 games across four seasons for the Monarchs. After a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, DeChiaro was named Preseason All-Conference by Perfect Game.

Jake Marshall was third on the Scarlet Knights in 2023 with 51.0 innings as both a starter and reliever and will factor in the team's plans once again. Marshall struck out 60 batters in 51.0 innings a year ago and has 191 strikeouts in his collegiate career. 

Joe Mazza was second to only Gorski with 24 appearances for RU last season and pitch 32.0 innings with a 4.78 ERA out of the bullpen. 

The bullpen will also receive a boost from the returns of RHP Gavin Stellpflug and LHP Donovan Zsak – neither of whom pitched last season. 

A pair of transfers in Jordan Falco (Adelphi) and Sonny Fauci (St. John's) emerged as relievers who can provide length out of the bullpen as well. 

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