Rutgers baseball sets sights on 2023 NCAA Tournament
The Rutgers baseball team is set to start its season this Friday. The Scarlet Knights are opening up their much-anticipated year with a three-game series in Buies Creek, North Carolina, against Campbell.
Rutgers has a lot to prove after the stellar run it had last year, with a 44-15 overall record and a 17-7 record in the Big Ten Conference.
The Knights are entering their fourth season led by head coach Steve Owens. He is coming off his first winning season with Rutgers, which was notable due to the team earning a program record in victories. The veteran collegiate coach has had an obvious impact on the team and has recently brought in top recruits and transfers, along with a bunch of fresh faces.
Amongst those returning is junior outfielder Ryan Lasko who has been a hot topic for the Knights since he joined the club. Lasko had an outstanding year in 2022, leading the Big Ten with 90 hits and 81 runs scored. He also tied the team record in home runs with 16.
Lasko collected several accolades after his impressive year, earning two Big Ten Player of the Week awards while also being named to the All-Big Ten First Team. In addition, he was a 2022 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and has already been named to the 2023 Watch List for the award.
The ECAC also recognized Lasko as Player of the Year while naming Owens Coach of the Year for the 2022 season.
Rutgers is welcoming back other familiar faces with senior infielder Chris Brito and junior outfielder Evan Sleight. These two athletes have contributed largely to the Knights' successes in the past year and are expected to do the same for the 2023 season.
Brito had a career season for Rutgers in 2022 and set a milestone by breaking the program's regular season RBI record with 74 runs batted in. He also led the Knights with 16 home runs.
Brito and Sleight were among some of the most impactful players over the summer, as both players had an impressive stint in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves.
Sleight made his mark as a Cape Cod All-Star starter representing Rutgers in great fashion.
As for new faces at Bainton Field on Livingston campus, the Knights added several signees and transfers.
Freshman catcher Hugh Pinkney is one of the most notable players to be added ahead of the 2023 season. Pinkney was selected in the 17th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres but decided against signing and kept his commitment to Rutgers.
The Toronto, Canada native has been named the preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year, as well as a top impact Big Ten Freshman.
The Knights have added on substantially in the pitching department, bringing on transfers junior pitchers Drew Conover and Gavin Stellpflug. Conover had a stellar summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Harwich Mariners and is expecting to make an impact in Piscataway.
Rutgers has its work cut out for them this season and aims to compete at the highest level possible. The team’s goal is to continue last spring's winning culture with Owens and will surely fight for its spot in the NCAA postseason after just missing that mark in 2022.
The Knights will take on the Camels in a three-game weekend series that will begin with a 5 p.m. game on Friday, a game on Saturday at 3 p.m. and the series’ final game on Sunday at noon. The Friday and Sunday games will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
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