There are sometimes in sports when eyebrows are raised. And this is one of those times.
The 2022 Rutgers Scarlet Knights baseball team, a program that won a record 45 games, rolled through the Big Ten in the regular season with a record of 17-7, and ran all the way to the Big Ten title game will not make it to the NCAA Tournament. It was a surprising move to many.
As has been pointed out by many publications, Rutgers was considered a team that would make the tournament this season, its first bid since 2007. By Memorial Day Monday, they were out simply because they lost the automatic bid by losing to Michigan in the Big Ten title game.
Despite a program-record 45 wins and a second place finish in the Big Ten, we have not been selected for this season’s NCAA Tournament.
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 30, 2022
Proud of this group for all they have accomplished. pic.twitter.com/A2AdaF9tD7
Wow. Rutgers baseball did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
— Dom Savino (@DominickSavino) May 30, 2022
Rutgers has a 44-15 record. Finished 2nd in the Big Ten and Runner-Up at the Big Ten Tournament. 42nd in RPI.
For the last month, Rutgers has been solidly in, according to D1Baseball and Baseball America.
Absurd.
Being a Rutgers fan is never easy. The Baseball team having an historic season ended by getting eliminated with one loss in a double elimination B1G Tournament followed by getting snubbed by NCAA Tournament with a 44-15 record is the latest chapter. A tortured fan base laments.
— Aaron Breitman (@aaron_breitman) May 30, 2022
NJ.com suggested that Rutgers’ “low RPI” of 42 and a “weak non-conference slate” may have played a role in keeping the Scarlet Knights out of the dance this summer. Only two Big Ten teams qualified for the tournament: Michigan, who beat Rutgers 10-4 on Sunday night, and Maryland, who was the number 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament going in.
The 2022 bracket! ⚾️#RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/t2fagB2Fk0
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 30, 2022
How good was this year’s Scarlet Knights team? Here are the numbers from NJ.com: “The Scarlet Knights led Division I baseball in runs scored per game (9.7) and rank among the best teams in the nation in a number of other offensive categories, including doubles (second nationally), hits (third), batting average (fifth), slugging percentage (eighth), on-base percentage (11th) and home runs (17th).”
Senior catcher Nick Cimilio was 18th in the nation in slugging percentage .707 and 23rd in on-base percentage .492. Five players had double-digits in home runs with Cimilio and Chris Brito tied for the team lead with 16. Grad student Nathan Florence was one of the best pitchers in the Big Ten with a 3.36 ERA in 15 starts and a record of 6-2.