PISCATAWAY, NJ – Sophomore right-hander Jack Egbert (Rutherford, NJ) pitched a complete game one-hitter with a career-high eight strikeouts to beat Seton Hall, 5-1, on Sunday and for his efforts, he was named the BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week. The award is the first for a Scarlet Knight player this season. Egbert also received the same honor from the New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association.

After 22-straight road games to open the season, Egbert earned the start in Rutgers’ home opener and did little to disappoint the plentiful crowd in attendance. He allowed a one-out, solo home run in the second inning, which gave Seton Hall a brief 1-0 lead, but from that point on, he was near-flawless. He fired 5.2 hitless innings to end the game, faced just one hitter over the minimum, retired seven of the last eight hitters he faced and finished the game with a flourish, striking out the side in the seventh for his fourth-straight win.

After opening the season 0-3, Egbert has won his last four starts, posting a 3.60 ERA during the winning streak. He is now
4-3 overall with a 6.14 ERA, but has a 3-0 record in BIG EAST play and owns half of Rutgers’ six league victories.

“I was able to mix my curveball and fastball effectively in the early innings of the game,” said Egbert. “Then, in the later innings, I started using my change-up more. All three pitches were working for me and once I got the lead in the fifth, I wanted to finish the game strong.”

Pittsburgh’s Stuart Rykaceski and St. John’s Mike Rozema shared Player of the Week honors.

Rutgers’ BIG EAST Statistical Leaders (Through Games of April 14):

Overall Games
Matt Wolski Batting Average .392 Sixth
Matt Wolski On-Base Percentage .479 Third
Graig Badger Stolen Bases 15 Second
Steve Normane Slugging Percentage .613 Fifth
Sean Atchison Appearances 17 Second
Rutgers Team Fielding .969 First

BIG EAST Games
Steve Normane Batting Average .452 Seventh
Steve Normane Home Runs 3 T-First
Steve Normane Total Bases 28 Second
Matt Wolski On-Base Percentage .529 Ninth
Steve Normane On-Base Percentage .526 10th
Steve Normane Slugging Percentage .953 Second
Rutgers Team Fielding .977 Second