PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Under the direction of head coach Joe Litterio, the Rutgers baseball program announced its 2016 schedule Wednesday. The slate includes 56 games overall, 24 against Big Ten competition and 19 versus teams that qualified for the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
“I am very happy with the way the schedule came together,” Litterio said. “As we usually do, the schedule includes tough competition at the beginning to prepare for conference games. That starts with a trip to Miami, which always provides a good test right away. We learned how deep the Big Ten is as a league last season and look forward to our second year.”
The campaign will start with a weekend in South Florida for the eighth consecutive year, taking on Miami, a 2015 College World Series participant, for the seventh time in that span. The Scarlet Knights will return to Florida for spring break in March, playing Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast and FIU over a 10-day period.
Rutgers will open Big Ten play on the road with a series at Michigan State, also playing road conference weekends later in the year at Ohio State, Michigan and Maryland. The home league slate includes visits from Indiana, Penn State, Nebraska and Northwestern to Bainton Field.
Other highlights to the calendar include a midweek home-and-home series versus in-state rival Seton Hall in April and a home non-conference weekend set against St. Joseph’s later that month. The opener at Bainton Field is scheduled for March 2 versus Iona.
The Big Ten Tournament will be held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., home of the College World Series, from May 25-29. The event features a double-elimination format with eight teams.
