Recapping Rutgers baseball's busy summer offseason
As usual, the Rutgers baseball team has had a busy offseason this summer. The Scarlet Knights have a new pitching coach, brought in 12 transfers and secured the commitments of two top prospects.
Here’s a rundown on everything that’s happened since Rutgers defeated Ohio State 12-1 on Senior Day.
New pitching coach
Former pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Brendan Monaghan announced his resignation from the program in late May. Monaghan spent five seasons on the Banks and helped lead the Knights to a 132-95 record overall.
In mid-July, head coach Steve Owens announced the hiring of Mike McRae as the program's new pitching coach and associate head coach. McRae previously served as the head coach at William & Mary for two seasons. He was also the pitching coach for VCU but found the most success as the head coach of Canisius for 13 years, where he was named MAAC Coach of the Year three times and led the Golden Griffins to three regular-season titles and two tournament championships.
Twelve incoming transfers
Rutgers has been active in the transfer portal, bringing in seven pitchers, two catchers, two outfielders and one infielder.
Michael Timberlake, a 6-7 right-handed pitcher from Montclair State, had a 2.47 ERA in 51 innings last season and a 5-1 record. Another right-handed pitcher, Zach Gleason, comes to Piscataway after striking out 30 batters in 27.1 innings last season at Stonehill. Preston Prince, a left-handed pitcher from Niagara, boasted a 4.11 ERA with the Purple Eagles last season.
Justin Herbstman, a left-handed pitcher from Old Bridge, New Jersey, most recently pitched for Virginia Tech. Herbstman did not appear in his freshman season with the Hokies but has four years of college eligibility remaining. He set a record for his high school after throwing 18 strikeouts in one game and pitched for the Sportika Baseball Academy. Dillon Ryan, a right-handed pitcher from Umass-Boston, had a 6-1 record and a 3.81 ERA last season.
Perhaps the most impressive incoming pitcher, Quinn Berglin, joins the Knights after an All-American season at Lawrence, where he had a 9-0 record and was named MWC Pitcher of the Year. Berglin has one year of college eligibility remaining and will likely be a key starting pitcher in Rutgers’ rotation due to the departure of ace Christian Coppola, who transferred to Arizona this summer.
The Knights lost both of their catchers, Hugh Pinkney and Jackson Natili, to the transfer portal this offseason. Rutgers swiftly replaced both of them with the additions of Matt Chatelle and Mark Gialluisi. Chatelle, who was named First Team All-NEC last season, will likely be the starting backstop for the Knights after slashing .319 and hitting 11 home runs at Merrimack. Gialluisi, a top-10 recruit out of St. Joseph’s (Metuchen), New Jersey, did not see any game action at Virginia last season but had a highly decorated campaign at his alma mater.
Rutgers also added two outfielders to its roster: Brennan Hyde and Peyton Bonds. Hyde, an All-American from Nichols College, hit .401 last season, with 24 extra-base hits, 38 walks, and just nine strikeouts. Bonds made a mark in his first season at Campbell, slashing .267, hitting five home runs, scoring 21 runners and being named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.
The final two transfers, Connor Grotyohann and Tony Rossi, are both infielders. Grotyohann is a two-way player, throwing 52 strikeouts in 47.1 innings while also blasting six homers. Rossi, an All-American at Susquehanna last season, hit .402 with seven home runs, 17 doubles and went 26-27 on stolen base attempts.
Two key recruits
While hauling in some talented transfers, Owens also secured the commitments of two highly-touted recruits, Charles Batista and Andrew Rondini.
Batista, a two-way player, hails from Weehawken, New Jersey. In his senior high school season, he hit .433 in 67 at-bats, logging 29 hits, 34 RBI and six homers. As for his pitching, Batista had a 6-0 record and owned a 0.21 ERA. Expect Batista to make a serious case as the Knights’ ace next season.
Rondini hails from New Milford, Connecticut, and is one of the top freshman pitchers from New England. In his senior season at his alma mater, Rondini went 5-1 with a 1.84 ERA, throwing 60 strikeouts in 38 innings. This summer, Ronidni has pitched for the Norwich Sea Unicorns in the Futures Collegiate League, owning a 0.60 ERA in three starts.
McRae played an influential role in bringing Rondini to the Banks. He initially recruited Rondini to play for William & Mary when he was the program's head coach. When McRae was hired as Rutgers' new pitching coach, he brought Rondini with him.
With many new talented additions, Owens and the Knights will look to improve next season after finishing with a 28-25 record and missing out on the Big Ten Tournament in 2024.
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