Rutgers University
Michigan
Baseball Set for Big Ten Tournament
May 18 | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – Rutgers baseball is set for the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field. The Scarlet Knights are the 10 seed and will face the 7-seed Michigan at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday.
All games at the Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast on Big Ten Tournament. Fans can follow along on X (@RutgersBaseball) for live updates. Live stats will be available here.
Tournament Format
Rutgers will need to win two games in three days against the group of Michigan, Ohio State and Washington. If Rutgers beats Michigan, it will face the winner of Ohio State/Washington, with the winner of that game advancing to the quarterfinals. If Rutgers loses, it will face the loser of that game and need to win Wednesday and Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals.
Tournament history
This season marks Rutgers' fourth trip to the Big Ten Tournament in the last five seasons after previously not qualifying since joining the league for the 2015 season. The Scarlet Knights advanced to the championship game in 2022, went 0-2 in 2023 and went 1-1 last season, beating No. 6 Indiana in pool play before losing to No. 3 Iowa.
The 2026 Scarlet Knights
- The 2026 roster features a total of 39 players, with 15 returners and 24 newcomers.
- Of the 24 newcomers, 11 are true freshmen and 13 are transfers.
- Head Coach Steve Owens enters his seventh season at the helm of the program and has accumulated four consecutive winnings season with RU.
- Ryan Fecteau joins the program as associate head coach/pitching following an eight-year stint at Virginia Tech as pitching coach.
- Former major leaguer Frank Schwindel also joins the staff as director of player personnel.
Bonds at the Top
- Peyton Bonds has been the team's top hitter, starting 33 games in centerfield and batting leadoff.
- Bonds leads RU with a .355 average, 50 hits, 31 runs, 13 stolen bases, 76 total bases with six home runs and 29 RBIs.
- This season at Illinois, Bonds hit a 121 mph double, one of hardest-hit balls in the BBCOR era of college baseball.
- The catching duo of Matt Chatelle and Trey Wells has proven to be one of the top strengths for RU – both offensively and defensively.
- Chatelle (.308) and Wells (.302) are two of the team's top three hitters by average, combining for 109 hits, 70 runs scored and 65 RBIs.
- Behind the dish, the duo has helped RU control the running game, throwing out 28 baserunners to just 42 stolen bases allowed.
Emerging Arms
- A number of new Scarlet Knights have emerged as reliable arms for new pitching coach Ryan Fecteau.
- Jordan Savinon (3.66) and Jacob Pederson (4.63) have both been strong in relief, pitching a combined 55.1 innings with 53 strikeouts.
- True freshman Chris Sand has started and come in as a reliever, posting a 6.58 ERA in 39.2 innings, the fourth most on the team.
Veterans in the 'Pen
- Andrew Rondini and Joe Mazza have both proven to be ultra-reliable arms out of the bullpen.
- Mazza has emerged as the top high-leverage arm, posting a 3.08 ERA with 45 strikeouts to just 13 walks in 38 innings with four saves.
- Mazza's 83 career appearances rank fourth all-time at Rutgers.
- Rondini owns a 2.16 ERA across 25.0 innings, having retired all 10 batters faced against Hofstra and striking out three in the ninth in the win at Indiana.
- Rutgers recruited the top transfer portal class in the Big Ten, per 64Analytics, with the haul consisting of 13 players (5 pitchers, 8 position players).
- Among in the incoming transfers, INF Charlie Meglio and OF Chase Krewson were both named Big Ten Players to Watch,
- The Scarlet Knights also welcome the top ranked recruiting class in program history, consisting of 11 true freshmen ready for their debut season on the Banks.
Lineup Experience
- In addition to three returning starters, the RU lineup projects to feature loads of experience.
- Behind the dish, Matt Chatelle (129) and Trey Wells (114) have a combined 243 games of collegiate experience.
- Infield transfers Ryan Jaros (56), Charlie Meglio (102) and Quinten Perilli (130) combine for 288 games of collegiate experience.
- In the outfield, Chase Krewson (91) and Tristan Salinas (55) both offer plenty of starting experience.
Defensive Excellence
- Rutgers has been among the best defensive teams in the country the last four seasons. RU is one of just six teams with a .976 fielding percentage in each of the last four seasons (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Oregon, Vanderbilt)
- In that timeframe, a pair of shortstops in Danny DiGeorgio (2022) and Josh Kuroda-Grauer (2024) were both All-Americans and Brooks Wallace Award finalists for the best shortstop in the country.
Professional Development
- Rutgers is the only team in the Big ten to have a top-three round pick in the MLB Draft in each of the last three seasons: Trevor Cohen (2025, R3 - Giants), Josh Kuroda-Grauer (2024, R3 - Athletics) and Ryan Lasko (2023 - R2 - Athletics)
- In total, RU has seen 16 players either drafted or signed to MLB organizations since 2021.
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