During the first few weeks of the 2023 softball season, Rutgers has been one of the best teams in the Big Ten. With a 17-10 record and ahead of conference play, they are seventh in the conference trailing Penn State, Maryland, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. During their promising start, they have been led by Kyleigh Sand.
In 27 games this season, the California native has posted a .432 batting average and stolen a team-high 22 bases. She has been an on-base machine and recorded 41 total bases, which is second on the team. Although she has shown little power, Sand makes a difference with her legs.
Due to her ability to get on base, Sand is a threat whenever she steps in the box. The talented Junior has only gone hitless in seven games during the 2023 campaign and added two multi-hit games to her resume this month. The Rutgers shortstop has also come through with runners in scoring position as she has ten runs batted in this season.
[lawrence-related id=25028]
As the Scarlet Knights look to move up in the Big Ten standings, Sand will be a crucial piece. The Norco High School product creates opportunities for her teammates with her speed and has been solid defensively. Those qualities will be critical as Rutgers looks to earn a playoff berth later this season.
T5 | Infield ground out … just means Kyleigh Sand is going to show you her speed#GoRU | #ChallengeAccepted pic.twitter.com/w6PMcRVj61
— Rutgers Softball (@RUSoftball) April 8, 2022
Although she has struggled recently, Sand has already shown how valuable she can be.
[lawrence-related id=25025]
[mm-video type=video id=01gvh68pd1h48vjftzt6 playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gvh68pd1h48vjftzt6/01gvh68pd1h48vjftzt6-7742431b8a5da1865db4d915f6750c2b.jpg]