MARIETTA, Ga. – Rutgers baseball opens the 2025 season with a three-game series at Kennesaw State. It marks just the second meeting between the programs, with the Scarlet Knights taking the 5-4 win over the Owls in Kennesaw in 2023.

Rutgers is coming off a 28-25 season that saw the team pick up series wins against NCAA Tournament qualifiers Nebraska and UConn, while shortstop Josh Kuroda-Grauer was named Big Ten Player of the Year. 

Kennesaw State went 32-24 with a 19-10 record in the A-Sun, advancing all the way to the A-Sun Championship Game before falling to Stetson. The Owls now compete as a member of Conference USA. 

All three games will be streamed on ESPN+. Fans can also follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.

Series History
Rutgers is 1-0 all-time against Kennesaw State. The Scarlet Knights defeated the Owls 5-4 at Stillwell Stadium in Kennesaw in 2023. Ryan Lasko drove in a pair of runs, Justin Sinibaldi earned the win on the mound and Sam Bello got the save.

Rutgers Notes

• The 2025 roster features a total of 38 players, with 11 returners and 27 newcomers.
• Of the 27 newcomers, 13 are true freshmen, 12 are four-year transfers and two are junior college transfers.
• Head Coach Steve Owens enters his sixth season at the helm of the program and has accumulated three consecutive winnings season with RU. 
• Mike McRae joins the program as pitching coach after three years as the head coach at William & Mary, where he posted three straight winning seasons and three straight CAA Tournament berths.
• Jordan Falco has the most returning innings on the mound after pitching 42 innings last season as a starter and reliever.
• Joe Mazza is the most experienced returning pitcher on the roster with 63 career games, including a team-high 24 appearances last year – all out of the bullpen.
• Redshirt freshman Justin Shadek is primed to lead the starting rotation after missing last season rehabbing from injury.
• True freshman Landon Mack will assume the Saturday starter role after a strong fall and winter ramp up.
• Niagara transfer Preston Prince will make the start on Sunday. The junior made 11 starts for the Purple Eagles last season, including an NCAA Regional game against No. 11 Oklahoma State.
• Quinn Berglin, Mike Timberlake, Dillon Ryan and Zach Gleason are a quartet of experienced right-handed transfers with a combined 120 games and 530.2 innings pitched between them. Berglin was a DIII All-American at Lawrence and Ryan is the career strikeout record holder at DIII UMass Boston with 242.
• Bryant transfer Ryan Bradley is another left-handed reliever who is coming off a strong summer in the NECBL where he had a 2.03 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 13.1 innings for the North Shore Navigators.
• Hunter Hoxie and Cameron Johnson are the program's two freshman left-handers and will also compete for immediate action.
• A two-way transfer from Rhode Island, Connor Grotyohann can serve as another right-handed arm out of the bullpen and provide power from the right side of the plate. 
• First baseman Ty Doucette is the team's leading returner in the lineup, who posted a .321 average as a true freshman and was second on the team with nine home runs and 49 RBIs last season.
• True freshman Yomar Carreras has emerged as the leading option at shortstop, with junior college transfer JT Thompson holding down the second base spot.
• Returners Pablo Santos and Nick Tomasetto, as well as junior college transfer Jan Avila, are a versatile trio, with each being able to play any infield position and competing for the job at third base.
• Junior outfielder Trevor Cohen returns as the most experienced player on the roster, having started the first 106 games of his career before missing the last three with injury last season. A career .311 hitter and All-Big Ten Freshman honoree in 2023, Cohen will hold down the right field spot in 2025. 
• Peyton Bonds, local product from Franklin, New Jersey, transferred back home from Campbell in the summer and earned the starting centerfield job in the fall. Bonds had five home runs and 25 RBIs for the Fighting Camels in 2024 and was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.
• Brennan Hyde, an incoming transfer from DIII Nichols, won a gold glove in 2024 while hitting .401 with nine home runs and 55 RBIs.
• RJ Johnson Jr. started 35 games for RU last season before missing the remainder of the year with an injury. Both Hyde and Johnson will factor into the 2025 lineup.
• Catcher JD Jones is the lone returner behind the dish, seeing action in 12 games with four starts last season.
• Merrimack transfer catcher Matt Chatelle was named First Team All-NEC in 2024 after hitting .319 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs.