Rutgers’ Ryan Lasko and Evan Sleight - Scott Faytok/NJ Advance Media
After a loss against Michigan State, the Rutgers Big Ten tournament run is officially over. The tournament plays by a double elimination, and the Scarlet Knights officially lost two days in a row. Rutgers had a strong year and was expected to make a push in the tournament. Here is a look as to why the Rutgers Big Ten tournament run is over, and how it reflects on their season.
Rutgers Big Ten Tournament
The Season
The Rutgers season comes to an end after having an overall record of 33-23. They also had a conference record of 14-10. What really stood out about this Scarlet Knights team was how well they managed to play at home. The team’s home record was 16-4, the real issue was how they played away from their home stadium.
According to the Scarlet Knights’ website, the team went 16-15 in away games and 1-4 in neutral settings. As the entire tournament is played in Nebraska, it adds up that the team did not do well. Hopefully, this baseball team can fix this major issue ahead of next season.
The Tournament
The tournament did not go well for the Scarlet Knights. The team had a tough loss in game one against the Nebraska Huskers. More of the game can be read here, but the biggest issue by Rutgers was their own mistakes. The pitching by the end was sloppy, Nebraska began to walk too many times. This gave the Huskers a strong lead.
Rutgers ranking for the 2023 season is fifth. The team they faced in the second round was Michigan State. Nebraska is fourth, meaning the two schools are an even matchup. It is fair that they lost against the Huskers. Michigan State on the other hand is the lowest seed in the tournament at eight. The Scarlet Knights should have been fine, but the game ended 6-4 in favor of the Spartans.
In the bottom of the 5th, the game was looking well for the Scarlet Knights. The score was 4-3 in their favor. Just as the game against Nebraska went, the score shifted as the game moved on. Rutgers allowed two walks in the 8th that resulted in scores. This is a big issue that the team will need to fix before next season.
Overall, the 2022-2023 season is something for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to be proud of. They started off looking as though it would be a rough season, but that changed as they ended as the fifth seed. The team has a young squad that will only get better, they need to hope to retain their players and recruit strong talent before next season.
