PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball opens conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Michigan State in East Lansing. It marks the second straight season RU will open the conference slate with the Spartans.
Game one is set for a 3:35 p.m. first pitch on Friday afternoon, followed by another 3:35 p.m. start on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Rutgers is coming off a home series win over UConn at Bainton Field, taking the first two games 3-0 and 13-6 before the Huskies avoided the sweep on Sunday. RU then handled business in its midweek against NJIT with an 8-3 victory.
Michigan State opened up Big Ten play last weekend at Maryland, dropping two-of-three against the Terrapins. The Spartans split their midweeks, winning at Michigan Tuesday and losing to Oakland Wednesday.
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Series History
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Rutgers 17-9 overall and 11-7 in Big Ten games. The Spartans won two-of-three in Piscataway last season and also beat the Scarlet Knights in the Big Ten Tournament, 6-4.
Last Time Out
Rutgers has won eight of its last nine games and most recently won two-of-three against UConn and cruised to an 8-3 midweek win against NJIT.
Justin Sinibaldi was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a complete-game shutout against the Huskies in a 3-0 win on Friday.
The Scarlet Knights scored multiple runs in five of eight innings they came to bat in a 13-6 win on Saturday ninth, with Trevor Cohen and Jackson Natili each hitting their first home runs of the season.
In Tuesday's win over NJIT, RU stole nine bases, threw seven straight shutout innings on the mound to close the game and also scored in each of the final six innings it came to bat.
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 (#5) and 3B Tony Santa Maria (#13) are both ranked among the best at their respective positions by D1Baseball through six weeks of the season.
The duo has been the engine that powers RU's Big-Ten best offense and have the numbers to back it up. Santa Maria is first in the Big Ten with 71 total bases, while Kuroda-Grauer is second with 68.
Kuroda-Grauer is batting .435 to lead the Big Ten and his 47 hits lead the country. His 16 stolen bases lead the conference and are seventh in the country, while his 12 doubles are second in the Big Ten and eighth in the country.
After missing 2023 with injury, Santa Maria's eight home runs, .717 slugging percentage, 1.221 OPS and 14 hit-by-pitches all lead the Big Ten.
Rotation Continuity
After having to replace the entire starting rotation in back-to-back seasons, Rutgers has enjoyed continuity on the mound in 2024.
Justin Sinibaldi, Christian Coppola and Zack Konstantinovsky have started every weekend game this season and are set to do the same for this series.
Sinibaldi has four outings of seven-plus innings, has gone eight-plus in three of his last four stars and is the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after a complete-game shutout against UConn.
Coppola was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week in February after a six-inning, nine-strikeout performance at Old Dominion and earned the win last weekend against UConn with 5.2 innings, three runs and six strikeouts.
Konstantinovsky is coming off his best outing as a Scarlet Knight, pitching a career-high 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
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.
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.
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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