Softball Opens B1G Tournament Play Thursday Night

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The postseason begins Thursday for the Rutgers softball team at Bob Pearl Field on the campus of the University of Iowa.

The Scarlet Knights enter the 2024 Big Ten Tournament as the three seed – it’s highest seed since joining the conference starting with the 2015 season – in the the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. (ET) awaiting the winner between the Wednesday evening first round matchup between No. 6 Ohio State and No. 11 Wisconsin.

  

• Rutgers enters the Big Ten Tournament with its highest-ever tournament seed since joining the conference in the 2015 season. The Scarlet Knights enter with a 33-20 record, one win shy of tying the school record set in 1993, and a 14-9 Big Ten record for the number three seed. 
• The Rutgers softball program is currently playing in its 50th season “On The Banks”. The 2024 Scarlet Knights captured the first-ever back-to-back 30-win season, the most wins in Big Ten play and the most Big Ten series wins in program history. As a team, Rutgers has captured school records in runs scored and runs batted in while individually, Katie Wingert set the school’s career home run, RBI and walks records, Kyleigh Sand has established new benchmarks for runs scored in a season and career and Morgan Smith bested the season RBI record.
• The Scarlet Knights have picked up series wins against Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State – all for the first time in program history – and also has captured series wins at Michigan State and versus Penn State as well as a double-header sweep at Maryland. 
• Rutgers has racked up four new school individual career records this season with Katie Wingert in home runs (42), RBIs (148) and walks (109) and Kyleigh Sand in career runs scored (165). Both Sand and Morgan Smith both hold the top two career batting averages heading into the tournament. 
• In addition to the career records, RU has set two new individual season records. Morgan Smith bested the RBI record back on April 10 and currently has 66 runs batted in. Sand established a new season records in runs scored (62). Also keep an eye on the home run record as Smith with her 19 home runs on the year is four away from breaking the record, while Mattie Boyd’s 19 victories are two shy of tying the season record. 
• As a team, the Scarlet Knights have established new…