After gaining a bid to the NISC Tournament in recognition of their outstanding season, the Scarlet Knights unfortunately dropped their first two games of the double-elimination tournament, effectively ending their 2022 campaign.
It’s been a rollercoaster season for the Scarlet Knights in 2022, and all things considered, the ride has been enjoyable.
After a fast start, Rutgers ran through a rough patch mid-season before rallying down the stretch to be in contention for a Big Ten Tournament bid. Unfortunately, the Knights fell short against Purdue, and the final series at home against Michigan State was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.
That cancellation robbed the Knights of their Senior Day celebration and left a feeling of an incomplete end to a nice, bounce-back year. But just days later, the Knights gained a bid to the National Invitational Softball Championship in Colorado, and a chance to extend the season.
Things started off well for the Knights in game one against U.C. San Diego, but soon went south. Powered by home runs off the bats of Payton Lincavage and Kayla Bock, Rutgers held a 5-0 lead at the end of five innings, off a strong start by pitcher Jaden Vickers.
But in the fifth inning, the Tritons mounted a comeback, knocking Vickers from the circle with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Ashley Hitchcock replaced Vickers, but she was unable to stop the Tritons’ offense, which pushed across another three runs over the final two innings to take the win, 7-5.
Facing elimination, Rutgers next took the field against UNLV, with Hitchcock getting the start. Home runs by first baseman Mia Trejo in the first and shortstop Samantha Diaz in the second quickly got the Rebels out to a 3-0 lead. After a triple by second baseman April Visser, UNLV was up 4-0.
Freshman pitcher Georgia Ingle replaced Hitchcock, and held the line into the fifth inning, when the Knights scratched out a run to cut the lead to 4-1. But, in the bottom of the inning, the Rebels got the run back to extend the lead to four once again. Vickers replaced Ingle for the final two innings, but the Scarlet Knights could not muster any offense against Rebels’ starter Jenny Bressler and fell to UNLV, 5-1.
The Scarlet Knights finished the season 25-30, but the strides made this season were notable. Being invited to a post-season tournament is significant, as it raises the exposure of the university, which helps with recruiting. Moreover, the additional games played helps underclassmen and next year’s returning players to gain more experience, especially in an elimination tournament setting.
Several players broke out as genuine stars this season, as well. In addition to being First Team All-Big Ten starters, both Gabrielle Callaway and Kyleigh Sand were recently honored with First Team All-Region status by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). While Callaway is a graduate student, Sand is only a sophomore, and emerged as the true sparkplug of the offense in 2022. Sand batted .398 this season, with 23 extra-base hits and 23 stolen bases, and is the true leadoff hitter the Knights need going forward.
Junior Payton Lincavage (.288 batting average with five home runs) and sophomore Kayla Bock (.284 batting average with four home runs) added some much-needed punch to the lineup in 2022, while junior Taylor Fawcett (.277 batting average) contributed with 16 extra-base hits.
But perhaps the nicest surprise was freshman Maddie Lawson. The North Carolina native started 51 games this season, and while she batted just .261, she collected 41 hits and finished third on the team with 25 RBI. In addition, her .966 fielding percentage shows that she was a solid performer on defense, as well.
While Vickers (14-11) and Hitchcock (11-19) saw the bulk of the work from the circle this season, freshman pitcher Georgia Ingle showed promise in her limited action in 2022. Vickers excelled at striking out opponents (181 in 174.1 innings pitched), averaging more than one per inning, while Hitchcock recorded 120 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched.
The next hurdle for the Knights will be to improve in conference play, as they were just 3-17 against the Big Ten this season. Hopefully, the new video scoreboard, approved this spring, will be lighting up more regularly next year, with plenty of video highlights of the Scarlet Knights in 2023.
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