Following an early exit from the Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers baseball’s season is now over. But the program is nonetheless heading in the right direction according to Big Ten Network analyst Michael Huff.
It was a bit of a disappointing season for the Scarlet Knights, who were receiving some top 25 buzz in preseason. But a poor start to the season and then a rocky close to the regular season (where they lost two of their last three at Minnesota) doomed Rutgers to another season without a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Rutgers lost both of their games in the Big Ten Tournament to effectively end their season at 33-23 (14-10 Big Ten).
For Huff, the direction for Rutgers baseball is still pointed in the right direction.
“As I look at this season for Rutgers it left me wanting more. Felt like they had a better pitching staff than last year but…Felt like a couple of injuries hurt more than I thought,” Huff told Rutgers Wire.
“Felt like they got some bad breaks in big series and lost just to many close games. It would have been interesting to see what the NCAA Committee would have done if Rutgers got to Sunday with zero or on loss as projections still had them as (a) first four out heading into the Big Ten Tournament.”
Rutgers will likely have some big losses this offseason with infielder Chris Brito and outfielder Ryan Lasko likely heading to professional careers. But Huff believes that Steve Owens, the Rutgers head coach, has the compass pointed in the right direction.
“Losing Brito and Lasko will be really hard next year but I really like Steve Owens and no doubt the team will be strong in 2024,” Huff said.
Hiff played seven seasons in the Major Leagues and is a former standout at Northwestern. He now works for the Chicago White Sox and is an analyst on the Big Ten Network.
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