As Rutgers baseball’s 2023 season concluded, the Scarlet Knights quickly started their off-season recruitment for next season, recruiting 2024 transfer Pete Ciuffreda via the transfer portal.
Ciuffreda is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior outfielder who started three years at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The New Jersey native from Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, guided the Leopards to a 15-37 record in his final season at Lafayette, finishing fifth in the Patriot League’s standings.
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In 2023, Ciuffreda started all 52 games for the Leopards, recording 50 hits, 39 runs, 29 RBIs, five doubles, a .265 batting average, and a .895 OPS. Also, Ciuffreda broke the school’s record for most home runs in a single season with 13. For his efforts last season, Ciuffreda earned All-Patriot League First Team honors.
During the 2022 season, Ciuffreda started all 50 games, logging 58 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, and five home runs. Also, he recorded 38 runs, 42 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases. He ended his junior season with a .330 batting average, a .494 slugging percentage, and a .438 on-base percentage. The new Rutgers transfer led the Leopards in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, and stolen bases as a junior.
Welcome to the Banks, Pete Ciuffreda!
Pete joins us from Lafayette, where he set the single-season home run record this year 💥
Why Rutgers? "Being a baseball player from New Jersey, playing for Rutgers has been a dream of mine all my life."
Let's get to work, Pete 💪#TCD pic.twitter.com/AWEnPwVDdx
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 30, 2023
Ciuffreda started to break out for the Leopards during the 2021 season, playing in 31 games. Ciuffreda recorded 23 runs, 31 hits, nine doubles, and two home runs during his sophomore season. Also, He logged 28 RBIs and stole 12 bases, finishing the season with a .304 batting average.
Ciuffreda will likely compete for a starting position in the outfield next season as Rutgers could lose a few players to the MLB Draft this offseason.
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