Softball Travels To Indiana

Friday, March 13

Bloomington, Ind.

6:00 PM

Rutgers University

Indiana

Makenna Coleman warming up prior to Rutgers softball's doubleheader with FGCU at the Unconquered Invitational at JoAnn Graf Field in Tallahassee, Florida

Photo by: Tanner Pavlovsly

Mar 12 | Softball

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers softball heads back out onto the road for another Big Ten weekend. The Scarlet Knights will meet the Indiana Hoosiers at Andy Mohr Field for a three-game series beginning Friday.

Rutgers Softball This Week Schedule Graphic featuring Marley Caldwell

SERIES INFO

Series Info:	at Indiana Andy Mohr Field - Bloomington, Ind.
Game Notes:	Ru tgers \| Indiana
Statistics:	Ru tgers \| Indiana \| Big Ten
Live Stats & Video:	Friday, March 13 6:00 p.m. - Stats \| Video (B1G+) Saturday, March 14 2:00 p.m. - Stats \| Video (B1G+) Sunday, March 15 1:00 p.m. - Stats \| Video (B1G+) * - All times listed ET
Social Media:	Facebook \| X \| Instagram

ABOUT RUTGERS

Head Coach: Kristen Butler (Florida '06) - 274-321 overall (12th Season)/170-199 at Rutgers (Eighth Season)
2026 Record: 13-10 overall, 2-1 Big Ten

Top Scarlet Knights:
Batting

Riley Hwang - .414 BA, 15 runs, 24 hits, 4 double, 3 HR, 14 RBIs
Charleigh Schuettler - .400 BA, 10 runs, 14 hits, 3 doubles, 8 RBIs
Sam Rohwer - .313 BA, 12 runs, 21 hits, 5 doubles, 4 HRs, 15 RBIs

Pitching

Kelsey Hoekstra - 3-2 W-L, 1.66 ERA, 1 CG, 1 shutout, 1 save, 46.1 IP, 48 Ks
Kassandra Gewecke - 5-5 W-L, 3.67 ERA, 1 CG, 47.2 IP, 35 Ks
Brooke Shifflett - 5-3 W-L, 4.59 ERA, 1 CG, 1 shutout, 39.2 IP, 39 Ks

ABOUT INDIANA

Head Coach: Shonda Stanton (UNCG '96) - 868-623-2 overall (28th Season)/263-164 (Ninth Season)
2026 Record: 19-5 overall, 2-1 Big Ten

All-Time Series: Rutgers Trails 10-13 (Last Meeting: April 23, 2024 - L, 4-5; April 22, 2023 - L, 0-9 (5); April 21, 2023 - L, 3-7)

Top Hoosiers:
Batting

Aly Van Brandt - .494 BA, 36 runs, 41 hits, 8 doubles, 4 triples, 9 HRs, 34 RBIs
Cassidy Kettleman - .435, 24 runs, 20 hits, 11 RBIs
Avery Parker - .422 BA, 15 runs, 27 hits, 4 doubles, 8 HRs

Pitching

Aubree Hooks - 5-0 W-L, 1.35 ERA, 1 CG, 1 shutout, 26.0 IP, 14 Ks
Ella Troutt - 4-4 W-L, 1.85 ERA, 1 CG, 2 shutouts, 41.2 IP, 29 Ks
Taylor Hess - 5-1 W-L, 3.67 ERA, 2 CG, 1 shutout, 34.1 IP, 29 Ks

SAINT PETER'S RECAP

Rutgers softball swept a road afternoon doubleheader with Saint Peter's on Tuesday afternoon, taking a 16-8 victory in game one behind three home runs, including a grand slam from Riley Hwang, and a 12-3 run-rule win led by four RBIs and the third home run of the year from Sam Rohwer.
In game one, Riley Hwang, Kelsey Hoekstra and Rachel Millan all powered the Scarlet Knights with home run. Hwang belted RU's second grand slam of the year and her third of the year. Hwang and Hoekstra belted back-to-back home runs for the first time since Morgan Smith and Payton Lincavage against Wisconsin on April 7, 2024, in a 4-1 series finale victory. The Scarlet Knights also tied their season-high with three home runs. RU also had a trio of home runs in a 10-7 win over FGCU on Feb. 27.
Hwang hit 4-for-5 with six RBIs, a grand slam, two doubles and four runs scored. Her six RBIs were the most by a Scarlet Knight since Rebecca Halt's six RBIs at Penn State back on April 21, 2017. Milan finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hoekstra went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Altogether, eight different Scarlet Knights batted a run in and five scored on two or more occasions.
Right-hander Brooke Shifflett improved to 5-3 overall, totaling 4.2 innings in the circle. The junior gave up two earned runs on nine hits while striking out six.
The Scarlet Knights scored three runs to open and held a 10-0 lead after two and a half innings of play. The Peacocks cut their deficit behind a run in the third and six run on seven hits in the fourth.
In game two, Rutgers got onto the scoreboard in the second inning with a trio of runs and never looked back. Sam Rohwer and Hwang went yard in game two as Hwang made it back-to-back games with a dinger while Rohwer posted her fourth of the year.
Rohwer finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Charleigh Schuettler went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. She pushed across a pair of runs on a double and stole home for RU's early edge. Hwang and Bailey Briggs were responsible for two RBIs each as well.
Kassandra Gewecke upped her mark to 5-5 on the year. She allowed two earned runs on six hits while recording five strikeouts in four innings of work. Freshman Marley Caldwell pitched the fifth, fanning the three batters she faced.

MARYLAND SERIES RECAP

Rutgers softball took the series from Maryland for a seventh time to open up Big Ten action this season. The Scarlet Knights took a 6-5 victory in 12-innings to open play. While the Terps topped RU 2-1 in game two, RU came back with a 9-3 victory in Sunday's finale.
It was a marathon start to the Big Ten season for Rutgers softball, but after three hours and 51 minutes and 12 innings, the Scarlet Knights topped Maryland, 6-5. Kelsey Hoekstra delivered 17 strikeouts, tying for the most by a pitcher in D1 this season, the most by a Big Ten Pitcher and most by a Scarlet Knight since 2022. Brooke Shifflett, meanwhile, added another five Ks in the start as the staff totaled 22 total strikeouts, the most in a game in any division this year. The tie was broken in the top of the 12th as Riley Hwang led off with a walk and advanced into scoring position off of Hoekstra's sac bunt and came on a Siera Hoekstra single to left.
On Saturday, Maryland took a lead they would not lose in the bottom of the first. While Addie Osborne's fifth home run of the season knotted the score at 1-1 on the first pitch of the fifth inning, the Terps pushed across the go-ahead run on a sac fly in the sixth.
In the series finale, it took all of five pitches for the Scarlet Knights to go and stay in front. Sam Rohwer knocked in her third home run of the season with the fifth pitch of the game and Osborne added three runs in a 9-3 victory.

NEW HOME SWEET HOME

The RU Softball Complex will have a new look when the Scarlet Knights take the field in 2026 with the addition of new dugouts, grandstand and press box, all constructed during the off-season. Additionally, lights were installed at the complex as the Scarlet Knights will take to the field for night games at home for the first time in the program's 52-year history.
The new grandstand features chairback and bench-style seating, as well as ADA accommodations, and a state-of-the-art sound system.
The new press box houses a dedicated broadcast booth, a two-tiered working press, game presentation and operations area and two covered outdoor areas for additional workspace.
Rutgers Athletics' commitment to the student-athlete experience is not only showcased by the current complex upgrade, but by the numerous enhancements over the last several years.
The facility has already seen the addition of all-weather turf, updated bullpens, new fencing and backstop and a new video scoreboard. Additionally, the field was upgraded for prime-time network capability for the Big Ten Network and national television networks to broadcast games live from Piscataway, New Jersey.
Rutgers softball unveiled a state-of-the-art locker room in the fall of 2020 at Jersey Mike's Arena, featuring all-new amenities. The Scarlet Knights' home away from home features modern individual wardrobe-style lockers with charging stations and ample personal storage, a nutrition area, surround video, sound and LED lighting system and a dedicated space for equipment.
The Fred Hill Training Complex opened in January of 2017, spanning 22,500 square feet and equipped with state-of-the-art pitching machines, six batting cages, bullpens and a full turf infield. The facility provides the team with a dedicated home for workouts and practices year-round.

Rutgers Softball Complex Upgrade Rendering

UNCONQUERED INVITATIONAL RECAP

Rutgers went 2-2 at the Unconquered Invitational at JoAnn Graf Field in Tallahaasee, Florida with a doubleheader sweep of FGCU and a pair of losses to #10 Florida State, RU's second ranked opponent of the 2026 season.
The Scarlet Knights topped FGCU 10-7 in game one behind a trio of home runs, the most for Rutgers since the Illinois series in March of 2023 and took game two 9-1 as RU exploded for nine runs on six hits, including a grand slam from Mia Mitchell, in the fourth inning en route to the run-rule victory.
Rutgers and FSU went toe-to-toe in game one with a bottom of the seventh two-run home run ultimately lifting the Seminoles to the 2-0 walk-off win and dropped game two, 5-1, despite taking the early 1-0 lead.
On the weekend, Mitchell finished 5-for-11, hitting .455, with four runs, two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and a 1.182 slugging percentage. Jayla Fuller collected a pair of doubles and three runs scored. Baleigh Burtis plated twice along with a home run and three RBIs. In the circle, Kassandra Gewecke got a complete game victory over FGCU, while Brooke Shifflett also took a win over the Eagles and totaled eight strikeouts across 6.2 innings of work.
In the 10-7 game one win over FGCU, Sam Rohwer, Burtis and Mitchell all belted home runs in the victory, the most home runs RU in a game since cracking four at Illinois back on Mar. 24, 2023 in a 7-5 win in the B1G opener. Burtis hit 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Mitchell finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs on a home run, a double and two runs scored. Hailey Stripling batted 2-for-3 with an RBI triple and a run scored. Brooke Shifflett who threw 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out eight for the win. Shifflett improved to 4-2 in the circle. RU overcame a 4-0 Eagle lead after a half-inning of action, coming back to tie the game in the top of the third and ultimately taking the lead for good on a Burtis solo HR in the fourth.
In game two with the Eagles, Rutgers pushed across nine runs on six hits, including a double and grand slam from the bat of Mitchell, in the fourth inning en route to the 9-1 win in five innings. Mitchell finished game two 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored.Jayla Fuller and Riley Hwang were both 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored. Baileigh Burtis and Charleigh Schuettler also had an RBI and a score in the fourth inning barrage. Kassandra Gewecke got the complete game win, allowing one run on four hits. She walked one while fanning three in her 5.0 innings of work to improve to 3-3.
In game one with No. 10 Florida State, it was a 0-0 stalemate until the bottom of the seventh when the Seminoles used a two-run walk-off home run to top the Scarlet Knights 2-0. Defensively, Rutgers out of a based loaded jam in the bottom of the first and second and gave up only one hit in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The Scarlet Knights loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but the side would be retired without Rutgers plating. Marin Heller led off the bottom of the seventh for the Seminoles with a walk and Jaysoni Beachum followed with a home run over the left field wall for the walk-off win. Rohwer was 1-for-2 with a walk, while Mitchell and Fuller each went 1-fof-3. Kelsey Hoekstra got the start, tossing 4.1 innings in holding FSU scoreless, while giving up four hits and four walks and striking out a pair of Seminoles. Gewecke fell to 3-4 in the loss.
In game two with the Seminoles, RU took an early 1-0 lead after their first at-bat, but Florida State came back with two runs in the bottom half en route to the 5-1 win. Riley Hwang was 3-for-3 scoring RU's lone run and Makenna Coleman garnered the RBI on the bases-loaded walk that scored Hwang. Charleigh Schuettler was 2-for-3 with sophomore Kelsey Hoekstra and senior Siera Hoekstra each posting up hits. Shifflett fell to 4-3 with the start, giving up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of work. Marley Caldwell and Gewecke also saw time in the circle.

NCAA LINEUP OF THE WEEK

Senior Mia Mitchell was named to Michella Chester's Starting Lineup for week four following her performance against FGCU and No. 10 Florida State at the Unconquered Invitational.
The Scarlet Knight transfer hit .455 with five hits, four runs, six RBIs, two doubles and two HRs, including a grand slam, in Rutgers' sweep of FGCU and two appearances against No. 10 Florida State.
Mitchell helped RU a 10-7 win and 9-1 run-rule victory over FGCU finishing the day 4-for-6 with two doubles, two home runs, six RBIs and four runs scored.
In the 10-7 game one win, she was 2-for-3 with two RBIs on a home run and a double and two runs scored. Mitchell was one of three Scarlet Knights with an HR in the game.
In game two, Rutgers pushed across nine runs on six hits, including a double and grand slam from the bat of Mia Mitchell, in the fourth inning. She finished game two 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Michella Chester's Starting Lineup for Week 4️⃣ 🥎

P: Maya Johnson - @BelmontSoftball
C: Sarah Gordon - @UGASoftball
1B: Lexi McDaniel - @OU_Softball
2B: Aly VanBrandt - @IndianaSB
3B: Bella Cabral - @UVASoftball
SS: Gabbie Garcia - @OU_Softball
OF: Mia Mitchell -… pic.twitter.com/ufH4AKbAJG
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) March 4, 2026

MARY NUTTER COLLEGIATE CLASSIC RECAP

Rutgers appeared at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Invitational for a third-straight season going 2-3 on the weekend along with a game against Team Japan, the No. 1 team in the world.In the circle, Brooke Shifflett went 2-0 with wins over Bethune-Cookman and UC-San Diego. The junior held down a 1.40 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched. Of her 12 hits allowed, only one was for extra bases. At the plate, Sam Rohwer finished hitting .500 (5-for-10) with two runs, a double, a home run and five RBIs. Addie Osborne battd .357 (5-for-14) with six runs scored, a double, a home run and two RBIs. Altogether, the Scarlet Knights hit five home runs on the season, including Osborne's team-leading fourth of the season.
RU kicked off the weekend with Shifflett delivering a complete-game shutout in a 6-0 victory over Bethune-Cookman. Baileigh Burtis posted a career-high four RBIs and registered her first home run of the season with a three-run shot going 2-for-3 on the afternoon. Jayla Fuller was 2-for-3 with a triple and pair of runs scored. Addie Osborne and freshman Eva Garofalo also scored runs in the victory.
The Scarlet Knights dropped a 8-5 decision to Cal State - Fullerton. The Scarlet Knights came back against the Titans in the bottom of the third to knot the score at 3-3, but Fullerton added two runs in the fourth and a trio in the sixth and staved off a seventh-inning rally fueled by a two-run home run by Osborne. Osborne went 2-for-4 with a double and two-run home run, her fourth of the season.
Siera Hoekstra hit 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Mia Mitchell and Sam Rohwer both collected doubles. Mitchell finished 2-for-4 while Sam Rohwer added a run. Kelsey Hoekstra dropped to 2-2 going 3.0 innings in the circle, giving up four earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout. At the plate, Hoesktra batted in a run. Kassandra Gewecke tossed three innings and Marley Caldwell saw action in the final inning. Both Scarlet Knights fanned a pair of Titans.
Day two opened with a 7-0 setback to LMU. The Scarlet Knights got hits from Hailey Stripling and Osborne and Rohwer. Gewecke got the start. She gave up three runs on four hits and struck out seven. She dropped to 2-2. Shifflett pitched the final two innings of action.
In game two of day two, Utah came back to hand RU a 3-2 loss. Riley Hwang was 2-for-2 with her first home run of the season and second of her career giving the Scarlet Knights a 2-0 edge in the fifth, but the Utes came back with a pair of walks followed by an RBI triple and RBI single to take the lead. Hoesktra started in the circle, going 4.0 innings and giving up a pair of hits with a pair of strikeouts. Gewecke dropped to 2-3 on the year, allowing three runs on two hits with one Ute down on strikes. Marley Caldwell picked up an inning's worth of work, fanning two.
The weekend came to a close as Rutgers picked up a 10-3 win over UC-San Diego to leave the west coast in the win column. Rohwer and Makenna Coleman both collected their first Scarlet Knight home runs, both recording three-run shots in the bottom of the fifth that saw RU collect seven runs on five hits. Shifflett, meanwhile, delivered six strikeouts in the victory, one shy of tying her career high. Mia Mitchell drove in two runs on a double and sac fly. Burtis and Hwang also sent in a run apiece and Osborne and Rachel Milan added a run each in the victory.

TEAM JAPAN

Rutgers faced Team Japan with members of the No. 1-ranked team in the world for five innings in an exhibition game. The Scarlet Knights faced a roster with all-star Misaki Katsumata, 2025 World Games bronze medalist Sakura Miwa and 2020 Olympian Miu Goto as Japan collected 14 runs on 13 hits. RU saw hits from Baileigh Burtis, Bailey Briggs, Riley Hwang and Rachel Millan.
Among head coach Kristen Butler's stops as a professional was in the Japan National League with Denso Softball, where she set a Japanese national record with three home runs in one game.

THE SNOWMAN: ALEX WILCOX MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT RECAP

Rutgers went 2-2 in week two at Nusz Park in Starkville, Mississippi with an 8-0 loss in six innings to host No. 19 Mississippi State and an 8-2 extra-inning victory over North Texas on Friday and an 8-5 victory over Murray State and a 7-2 loss to the Bulldogs on Saturday. Rutgers and Murray State on Sunday was canceled in the top of the first with RU leading 3-0 after rain entered the area.
In the first meeting with Mississippi State, Kassandra Gewecke got the start and went. 3.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. Riley Hwang kept the Bulldogs from the no-hitter with a two-out single in the third.
In game two on Friday, North Texas knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the seventh, but the Scarlet Knights made a comeback in the ninth, generating six runs on six hits and an error. Siera Hoekstra was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored and Addie Osborne collected her third home run of the season and finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Kelsey Hoekstra started in the circle, going seven innings with six strikeouts, but it was Gewecke picking up the win, hurling the final two innings and allowing only one hit in the seven batters faced, along with a pair of strikeouts.
On Saturday, Rutgers opened with an 8-5 win over Murray State as the Scarlet Knights took the lead for good in the third, scoring two runs off two Racer errors for an 6-4 edge. RU added insurance runs in the fifth on a Hailey Stripling sac fly to left and a Baileigh Burtis double while Murray State plated its only other run in the fifth. Burtis finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI doubles with Bailey Briggs and Stripling also punching in a pair of RBIs. Jayla Fuller also collected a double and added two runs. Brooke Shifflett earned her first Scarlet Knight victory, going 4.1 innings in the start with seven strikeouts and Kelsey Hoesktra picked up the save, tossing the final two innings and sending down one Racer on strikes to end a bases-loaded fifth.
The Scarlet Knights came back twice in their second match-up with No. 19 Mississippi State before the Bulldogs took the game with five runs on a pair of home runs in the sixth inning. Kelsey Hoestra belted her first home run of the season and got the start against the Bulldogs. She tossed. 2.1 innings, giving up one earned run and striking out three, and finished 2-for-3 at the plate. Burtis went 2-for-3 and Stripling added a run.

NFCA LEADOFF RECAP

Rutgers opened the 2026 season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida at 3-2. The Scarlet Knights posted a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over North Carolina Central, an 11-3 win over South Alabama in six innings and a 6-4 victory over Notre Dame for the first win over the Fighting Irish since 2012.
In the 5-0 win over NCCU, sophomore right-hander Kelsey Hoesktra delivered a no-hitter for the Scarlet Knights behind a career-high nine strikeouts. The no-no has given the Scarlet Knights a no-hitter in each of the last three seasons. Her sister, Siera Hoekstra, captured RU's first home run of the year and finished the game with a pair of runs, sophomore Riley Hwang punched in the first RU run of the year on a stolen base and added a sacrifice fly and freshman Etta Garofalo pinch hit to knock in a a pair of runs.
No. 4 Tennessee picked up a 9-1 win in five innings in the nightcap of day one. RU's lone run came off the bat of sophomore Addie Osborne with a home run in the top of the fourth.
Rutgers rebounded with an 11-3 run-rule victory over South Alabama to open up day two. Kelsey Hoesktra improved to 2-0 going four scoreless innings with four strikeouts in the circle, while at the plate she was 2-for-3 with a two-RBI double to put the Scarlet Knights up in their first at-bat. Sister Siera went 2-for-2 with a two-run walk-off single in the sixth. Sophomore Bailey Burtis batted 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs while Osborne collected a two-run double and scored on Hoesktra's walk-off.
RU pulled within a run and had two aboard in the bottom of the seventh against defending Southland Conference Champion Southeastern Louisiana, but came up short in a 4-3 loss. Kelsey Hoesktra, who was the designated hitter, was 2-for-3, knocking in a run for an early 1-0 Scarlet Knight edge in the first, and also registered a double. Sophomore Kassandra Gewecke tossed 5.2 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits while fanning three.
Osborne captured five RBIs on a two-run home run and a bases-loaded clearing double in a 6-4 win over Notre Dame. It was Osborne's second home run of the weekend. Gewkecke picked up her first Scarlet Knight victory with 5.2 innings of work and giving up only one extra base hit. Sam Rohwer sent in RU's other run of the game on a single.

B1G PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Kelsey Hoekstra was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on February 9. The Overland Park, Kansas native was named to the NFCA Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team after going 2-0 in the circle with a no-hitter and batted .556 with three runs and three RBIs in leading Rutgers to a 3-2 opening weekend.
Hoekstra collected her first career no-hitter in a 5-0 victory over North Carolina Central, striking out a career high nine Eagles. She also tossed four scoreless innings versus South Alabama in the 11-3 five-inning run-rule win. The right-hander is currently holding down a 0.60 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work.

ROSTER FUN FACTS

Rutgers is back with a balanced roster of returnees, newcomers and transfers. The Scarlet Knights welcome back eight letterwinners and six starters from last year's youthful squad while adding 11 newcomers to the mix, including six transfers.
Etta and Eva Garofalo are one of 15 sets of twins, and four freshman twins, playing Division I softball this season. The Scarlet Knight twins will also be taking on twin sisters from three other teams this season including Tennessee, Nebraska and FDU.
The duo, however, are not the only sisters on the roster as they join senior Siera Hoekstra and sophomore Kelsey Hoesktra as sisters in Scarlet. Together, the two sets of sisters are among the 27 sets of sisters who are teammates. Rutgers joins North Alabama and South Florida with multiple sets of sisters on a squad.

UP NEXT

Rutgers softball is home for the first time in 2026 next week. The Scarlet Knights will play their first game at the newly upgraded Rutgers Softball Complex on Wednesday, Mar. 18, in a doubleheader with FDU at 3:30 p.m. RU will host No. 7 UCLA in the first Big Ten series. The Scarlet Knights will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to first pitch with the Bruins on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 6 p.m., while the games on Sunday, Mar. 22, at 5 p.m. and Monday, Mar. 23, at 6 p.m. will be televised on BTN.

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