The Rutgers Baseball program's 2025 season is less than a month away from Opening Day versus Kennesaw State and the Scarlet Knights will have a brand new roster filled with tons of new names and faces.
This year's team has added 28 newcomers to their 38-man roster and one position that was a major focus was the pitching staff. With that being said, here are three newcomers on the pitching staff that you need to know.
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LHP PRESTON PRINCE
One of the biggest additions that Steve Owens and the Scarlet Knights made this offseason was adding left-handed pitcher Preston Prince. The Niagara University transfer is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound southpaw pitcher who should be in the weekend rotation to begin the season.
Prince pitched for two seasons with Niagara before entering the Transfer Portal. As a freshman in 2023, he made 11 appearances and two starts and struggled throw strikes as he walked 23 batters in 13.2 innings pitched. During the 2024 season, Prince made 12 appearances and 11 starts and showed some improvement, pitching a 0-2 record, 6.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched.
If Prince can cut down on his walks, he could be one of the better pitchers on Rutgers roster this season. He sports a three-pitch mix, including a mid-90s fastball, along with a cutter and changeup. The Niagara transfer pitcher has pitched well in the fall and could be a big addition to the Rutgers pitching staff, if he can find that consistency.
RHP MIKE TIMBERLAKE
The Rutgers pitching staff has had success bringing in Division III transfers previously and will look to do so again with Montclair State transfer Mike Timberlake might be one of the best available.
In his two seasons at Montclair State, he was very successful and improved a bunch from his freshman season to his sophomore season. This past season, Timberlake posted an 8-2 record with a 2.69 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and struck out 85 batters in 83.2 innings pitched.
While Timberlake might be competing for a starting role, it’s more likely that he’ll be used as a bullpen arm for now. He has some natural sink with his pitches, which forces a lot of weak contact and grounders. He also has a slider in his pitching arsenal.
RHP DILLON RYAN
The sixth-year senior right-handed pitcher Dillon Ryan joins the Scarlet Knights after five seasons at UMass-Boston, Ryan makes the jump from DIII to D1 high major baseball.
Dillon Ryan is a 6-foot, 205-pound right-handed pitcher from Sandwich, Massachusetts and pitched sparingly over his first two seasons before becoming a starter for UMass-Boston over the past three years.
In his collegiate career, Ryan has posted a 12-8 record with a 4.66 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, and has struck out 242 batters in 183.2 innings pitched. Ryan is expected to be used out of the bullpen, but could get some spot starts for the Scarlet Knights if needed.
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