Rutgers softball begins Big Ten play with road series against Illinois
The Rutgers softball team is gearing up for its first Big Ten matchup of the season. The Scarlet Knights (23-10, 0-0) will be traveling to Champaign, Illinois, this weekend to play in three scheduled games against Illinois.
Thus far, Rutgers has had a successful season during which it has been able to grab numerous wins throughout previous tournaments. Last weekend, the Knights hosted the Rutgers Tournament, going a perfect 6-0 against Iona, Saint Peter’s, UMass-Lowell and Holy Cross.
The Knights gained some of their season’s game highs against the Peacocks (13-6, 0-0) last weekend. The team totaled 15 hits and two triples against St. Peter's, and also set a season-high in home runs with 2 a piece in games against the Gaels (6-15-1, 0-0) and the River Hawks (9-12-1, 0-0).
Adding onto the historical records the team has set this season, Rutgers is currently ranked 8th in the country in doubles. During last weekend’s tournament, senior catcher Katie Wingert totaled four doubles and junior shortstop Kyleigh Sand got 3 out of the team's 16 doubles.
Besides upcoming games against Monmouth next month, the Knights only have Big Ten matchups left for the remainder of their season. Rutgers has been able to prove its strong capabilities as a team thus far and will look to bring home victories this weekend.
The Knights have struggled in recent years against the Fighting Illini (17-9, 0-0).
Rutgers fell to Illinois in all three of its matchups during the 2022 season. The Fighting Illini have won 7 out of 9 games previously played against the Knights.
During this season, Illinois has collected 12 home runs, 89 runs batted in (RBI) and 106 runs. Rutgers nearly doubles the Fighting Illini totaling 22 home runs, 172 RBI and 191 runs.
Illinois' Kelly Ryono currently leads her team with a .345 batting average. Sand surpasses her with a current batting average of .419 and leads the Knights in that category.
The Fighting Illini recently set a season-high for strikeouts during their recent double-header against Mizzou. Illinois' pitcher Sydney Sickels struck out nine during the first game of the doubleheader. Sickels will likely face off against Rutgers in the pitcher’s circle this weekend.
Totaling 149 strikeouts this season as a team, the Fighting Illini boast strong pitchers that could also be placed in the circle this weekend. Illinois holds a 2.66 earned run average (ERA) and a 1.04 Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) through 174.0 innings.
Winning Big Ten games have been a struggle for the Knights over the years. Rutgers will search for new ways to change that pattern as conference games begin.
The weekend series between the Knights and the Fighting Illini will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday evening at Eichelberger Field in Champaign, Illinois. Saturday’s contest will start at 2 p.m., while the first pitch on Sunday will be thrown at 1 p.m. The games will be available to stream on Big Ten Network +.
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