Rutgers women's softball prepares for upcoming NorCal Kickoff to begin 2023 season
The Rutgers softball team is currently preparing for the start of its next season after ending the 2022 season with an overall record of 25-30 and a conference record of 3-17. The Scarlet Knights will host a total of 23 home games and will play in four non-conference tournaments throughout the season.
Rutgers ultimately secured a losing season in 2022, but it was also one of its best in recent years. Throughout the Knights' past seasons with head coach Kristen Butler, the team has shown improvement under her coaching and has been gradually working its way up. With a record of 8-36 in the 2021 season, Rutgers has made significant strides in just one year and have high expectations for 2023.
Several of the team's key players will be returning to the field this year. Junior shortstop Kyleigh Sand led the team last year with a batting average of .398, 68 hits and 23 stolen bases. Sand was named as one of the Knights' softball's first-ever First Team All-Big Ten honorees in May 2022, along with former utility Gabrielle Callaway.
Leading behind Sand is senior in-fielder Payton Lincavage who will trot back on the field for another season after holding a .288 batting average with 47 hits, five home runs and a team-leading four triples in the 2022 season.
Junior pitcher and outfielder Morgan Smith will be joining Rutgers after transferring from LSU. Smith had a batting average of .303 during her second season with the Tigers. She finished the season with 11 runs, eight RBIs, 10 hits, three doubles and two home runs. Smith may be the ideal candidate that the team needs to achieve a better record during the upcoming season.
With a few non-conference games to start off, the team has a great opportunity to pick up some wins before the start of conference games on March 25, which will kick off with a three-game series against Illinois. The Knights have previously struggled when it came to dominating games that were played within the Big Ten, but the team hopes to defeat more conference opponents to gain a significant edge. Last season, the team was able to gain a win against Minnesota, Purdue and Penn State.
Rutgers is searching for a winning season, and it has been preparing over the past few months by recruiting four new freshman players: two pitchers and two infielders. The new team had an opportunity to play with one another on the field during local games that took place in September and October of last year.
The Knights will start their season off this weekend at the NorCal Kickoff in Sacramento, California. They will be facing Utah Valley and Santa Clara on Friday and will take on Seattle and UC Davis on Saturday. Rutgers is set to face off against Sacramento State on Sunday, with the game starting at 12:30 p.m. and being broadcasted on ESPN+.
"Our roster features experienced veterans and newcomers that will factor into our line-up immediately," Butler said. "The fall schedule gave this group the chance to come together and continue to develop as a team, and we're excited about how we can demonstrate our growth and skill in the spring season."
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