Three years later, Hill eyes return to summit

It was just three years ago when the Rutgers baseball team was crowned king of the Big East in both regular season play and the conference tournament.
Since then, things have not exactly gone according to plan for the Scarlet Knights, culminating in an 8-19 finish in conference play last year.
“Obviously there aren’t a lot of positives to take away from last season,” said senior outfielder Jarred Jimenez. “My first year was the year that we won the Big East. I was able to see the talent that it took to get there. I think this year we have the experience and the talent to be on top of the [Big East.]”
In his third season, Jimenez saw action in all but three games and started all but four. The outfielder batted .311 with 39 RBI and also scored 29 runs of his own.
“I swung the bat alright but not as well as I thought I would,” the Monroe native said. “Anytime you are over .300 that’s a good thing but I’ll be looking to improve on that.”
In the preseason poll conducted by the league’s coaches, RU was tabbed eighth out of 12 teams, with Louisville leading the pack. The Cardinals are the only Big East team ranked in the national preseason polls — No. 19 — after a 47-18 season.
“Just like every other year, our conference schedule will be a tough one,” said head coach Fred Hill Sr. “Louisville is the only ranked team but I think South Florida is another good team, as are a handful of other clubs. There is going to be some competition, no doubt about that.”
During last year’s campaign, the Knights did not sweep any conference opponent and only twice did they take two out of three games away from their opponents. One of those teams, Georgetown, is slated last in the conference, and the other, Cincinnati, is ranked one above RU, at seventh.
Both of those series wins came within the confines of Bainton Field on the Livingston Campus.
Three opponents — Louisville, St. John’s and South Florida — swept the Scarlet Knights during the regular season — RU faces Louisville and St. John’s again in 2010.
“I think this year we can compete with the best of them,” said junior first baseman Jaren Matthews. “We all had great summers this year all around and we will stay with them this year.”
For the Knights to maintain success not only in the Big East but the entire season in general, the pitching staff has to close out games.
The entire staff last season had a combined 6.24 ERA and a 22-31 record.
“I think we need to improve in all aspects from last year, pitching especially,” said senior reliever Kevin Lillis. “We had some injuries but that is no excuse. The past few years we have gotten off to a slow start in the Big East but we are looking to get a much better start this year. I speak for everybody when I say that we want to get back to the Big East Tournament and finish first.”
In 25 appearances last season, Lillis had a 2-2 record with a 5.35 ERA and 27 strikeouts compared to 12 walks.
“I think that our pitching staff has more experience this year,” Hill said. “We just have to find a closer. We want to have Kevin Lillis be our setup man and we need someone who can come in after him and close out the game. There were about six or nine games last season that we should have won but we didn’t close them out.”

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