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Rutgers baseball announced an intriguing addition through the transfer portal on Wednesday, welcoming former Seton Hall pitcher Drew Conover to the program. The 6’5” righthander from Pittstown, New Jersey just completed his sophomore season for the Pirates.
Drew Conover comes from strong Rutgers bloodlines.
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) June 8, 2022
His mom Beth Starr ran Track and XC for RU and his dad Kevin Conover played baseball from 1986-89 and was drafted by the White Sox in 1989.
Why Rutgers? "The coaches prepare us to win and care about player development."#TCD pic.twitter.com/kZUd7IXNks
Conover had a slow start to the 2022 season that saw the hard throwing righthander struggle with his control. In his first five appearances of the season, four of which were against power five foes, Conover walked 14 batters over 13 1⁄3 innings. This contributed to allowing 15 earned runs before turning his season around.
He followed up the poor stretch to start the season by walking just 11 batters over his last 19 2⁄3 innings pitched in the spring. Conover surrendered just six earned runs over those last 13 appearances which included a 12 1⁄3 inning scoreless stretch over eight straight outings.
For the season, Conover had 43 strikeouts and 25 walks with a 5.73 ERA along with a 2-2 record over 18 appearances. All but one came out of the bullpen.
The physical tools are there for Conover, as he has an electric arm and his fastball clocks in the mid-90’s. He also throws a sinker and a slider as part of his arsenal.
Drew Conover (@SHUBaseball ) 93-96 today in his final pen before he heads back to school. Stuff is off the charts. 5VB 22H, SL w -20H and CH at 86 with 0VB. Lethal, have a year @conover_drew pic.twitter.com/92FEIzDfon
— Baseball Performance Center (@The_BPCsj) January 14, 2022
Nasty stuff from @SHUBaseball RHP Drew Conover. A plus sinker with 21 in on HB and 9VB, and the SL with -17HB at 2900 RPMs. This is going to be a lethal combo in the big East. #Dude pic.twitter.com/J578PagVZe
— Baseball Performance Center (@The_BPCsj) December 23, 2021
Rutgers pitching coach Brendan Monaghan mentored two transfer starting pitchers this past season, Nathan Florence and Jared Kollar, and they each had very successful campaigns. Both earned All-Big Ten honors and combined for a 14-4 record as the top two starters on the club. Monaghan has done a great job with the pitching staff overall that includes several promising arms that shined as freshmen in Sam Portnoy, Joe Mazza and Wyatt Parliament.
Adding Conover to the mix gives Monaghan and head coach Steve Owens another quality option for next season. Conover will benefit by pitching in the prestigious Cape Cod League this summer as a member of the Harwich Mariners.
We will provide continued coverage of any roster news for Rutgers baseball during a pivotal offseason for the program after a 44-15 campaign and second place finish in the Big Ten.
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