Rutgers Baseball faced off against one of the toughest opponents in recent history this past weekend, as they traveled to Eugene, Oregon for a three-game weekend series versus the No. 9 ranked Oregon Ducks.
While the Scarlet Knights lost the series, they competed against one of the top programs in the nation. Here are three takeaways from the series between Rutgers and Oregon.
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RUTGERS PITCHING STAFF FINDS CONTROL
The Scarlet Knights pitching staff struggled with command for most of this season so far, but this weekend they found the zone and pitched very well against the Ducks.
In the series, they walked eight batters in 27 total innings pitched and in the series finale, Rutgers only walked six batters. Most of them came from their starter and the bullpen limited the free passes, which gave their offense a chance to win the series.
This was very encouraging to see from their pitching staff after all of their issues with throwing strikes this season. The Scarlet Knights need to carry this over for the rest of the season by continuing to throw strikes and trust their defense.
LANDON MARK THROWS ANOTHER GEM
True freshman right-handed pitcher Landon Mack was once again the star for the Scarlet Knights last weekend. The Bishop Eustace product led the Scarlet Knights to a huge victory over the Top 10 ranked Oregon Ducks.
He pitched seven innings, allowing two hits, no runs, no walks, and four strikeouts. Mack has easily been the most consistent starter for the Scarlet Knights this season, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.86 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 28.1 innings pitched.
While Mack wasn’t the only Rutgers starter who pitched well against Oregon, it might be time for him to be the Friday starter going forward. He has pitched so well this season and could be a Freshman All-American if this trend continues.
NEED MORE POWER FROM THE OFFENSE
The Scarlet Knights offense continues to lack in the power department outside of sophomore first baseman Ty Doucette, as the Canadian-born infielder has half of the team’s home-runs this season.
In the Big Ten, Rutgers currently ranks last in home runs with 10 total and they are second to last in the conference in both slugging percentage and OPS. Right now there are three batters in the Big Ten Conference with more home runs than the entire Scarlet Knights roster combined.
The Rutgers pitching staff did their job this past weekend and gave their offense a chance to steal the series from the College World Series contender. In the end, the Scarlet Knights need to improve their offense and score more runs to have a chance to compete in the Big Ten this season.
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