Rutgers University Men's Baseball

Litterio said upon being promoted to the role Feb. 20, 2014. "Having had the privilege to be around coach Hill as a player, a peer and an assistant has been beneficial to me. Being an alum, I will take pride in keeping the Rutgers baseball family together. I would like to thank Julie Hermann for giving me this opportunity. I will work hard to continue the success of the program to bring it to the next level." The 12th leader in program history and only the third since 1961, Litterio transitioned the Scarlet Knights into the Big Ten in 2015. RU earned series victories over Purdue, Minnesota and No. 13 Iowa in league play, and beat Ohio State on a thrilling walk-off home run. In addition, Rutgers won two-of-three against in-state rival Seton Hall. Following the year, sophomore outfielder Tom Marcinczyk was named All-Big Ten Third Team after hitting .337 in the conference with seven home runs overall. Then in the MLB Draft, junior pitcher Mark McCoy was selected in the 29th round by the Kansas City Royals. In the classroom, Rutgers improved its multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) to 978, a mark ranked higher than the average Division I baseball score (967). Additionally, nine members of the 2015 team earned Academic All-Big Ten status. Litterio officially took the reins of the program on Feb. 20, 2014 and led the Scarlet Knights to a 30-win season with 19 newcomers on the roster. The team finished in a tie for third in the American Athletic Conference standings and won 10 of its last 11 games to finish the regular season. In addition, Rutgers made Bainton Field into one of the best home-field advantages in the nation with a 19-4 home record, including three conference sweeps. The 2014 squad finished second in the conference with a .283 team batting average with 5.53 runs per game, while the pitching staff worked to a 3.41 ERA in league game with a rebuilt weekend rotation. Six players earned all-conference honors to reflect the success of the year, the most for a Rutgers team since 2007. Additionally, both Mike Carter and Gaby Rosa, who also won American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, earned Freshman All-America accolades. The duo was part of the large incoming class Litterio recruited to replace 12 seniors from the 2013 roster. The program also saw Brian O'Grady selected in the eighth round of the MLB Draft following the season. He served as a captain and the third hitter in the lineup for the Scarlet Knights all season. Returning to his alma mater as the lead assistant in 2012, Litterio spent two seasons on staff as the recruiting coordinator, third base coach, scheduler and more. He helped mentor seven all-conference selections during that time, including 2012 Big East Player of the Year Patrick Kivlehan, who was a fourth round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners and is now in the Texas Rangers organization. Litterio's title was elevated to associate head coach for the 2013 season and he took over the day-to-day operations of the program in the fall of 2013 after Hill took a leave of absence. Litterio was officially hired as head coach prior to the second weekend of the 2014 season. Litterio played for the Scarlet Knights and Hill as an infielder from 1990 to 1993. His teams won the Atlantic 10 regular season title all four years and earned bids to the NCAA Regionals in 1990, 1991 and 1993. The 1990 Rutgers team came within one win of advancing to the College World Series and recorded the most wins (four) in a single NCAA Tournament in school history. A Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection at second base after his junior season, Litterio recorded a .976 fielding percentage for a team that was ranked fourth in the nation in fielding. Prior to Rutgers, Litterio spent 12 seasons as the head coach at Wagner. He left the program as the winningest coach in school history (240) in 2012, guiding eight players to contracts with Major League teams, including 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and MLB All-Star Andrew Bailey. Litterio led the Seahawks to seven postseason appearances after the program had only qualified once previously in school history. A tireless worker and recruiter, he won the 2009 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year after leading WC to a school-record 31 wins and the program's first NEC Regular Season Championship. He coached 22 of the Seahawk's 44 members of the 100-hit club, including all seven members of the 200-hit club, and mentored numerous players to All-NEC honors. The Cranford, N.J., native started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Hill immediately following his playing career for the Scarlet Knights before taking a job as coach at Immaculate Conception High School (N.J.). Litterio moved back to the collegiate ranks the following season, landing a job as an assistant coach under Dean Ehehalt at Monmouth University where he spent the next four seasons. The 1998 MU team won the NEC Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals. After spending one season at Winthrop University and earning the Big South Championship and subsequent NCAA Regional spot, Litterio accepted the head coaching job at Wagner - reaching the NCAA Regionals in his first season - and has gone on to earn a reputation as one of the top coaches in the Northeast region. Litterio and his wife, Michelle, reside in Wall, N.J., with their children - Frances, Mia and Joe. He earned his degree in sociology from Rutgers University in 1994. Overall Record: 289-428-3 (14 Seasons) Rutgers Record: 49-56-1 (Two Seasons) Mike Carter broke an 8-8 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a booming solo home run to help the Scarlet take game two of the Rutgers Fall Series, 11-9. AJ Gallagher hit a bases-clearing double in the third to help the Knights win game one of the Rutgers Fall Series, 14-3. Adding another chapter to a remarkable story, former Rutgers baseball and football standout Patrick Kivlehan was promoted to the San Diego Padres in a roster move announced Saturday. The Scarlet Knights have 12 remaining scrimmages that are open to the public. In addition, the program recently announced the details for its annual golf outing. After winning the MLB Home Run Derby last year, former Rutgers standout Todd Frazier looks to defend his title tonight at Petco Park in San Diego. The event is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Rutgers baseball head coach Joe Litterio reflected on the year with ScarletKnights.com. Led by Todd Frazier of the Chicago White Sox, five former Scarlet Knights are currently playing with MLB organizations. Rutgers baseball alumnus R.J. Devish recently signed a professional contract with the Eastside Diamond Hoppers of the United Shore Professional League.