MAHWAH, N.J. (April 28, 2026) – Junior ace Austin Wokock hurled a seven-hit shutout as the Rutgers University-Camden baseball team opened the defense of its 2025 New Jersey Athletic Conference championship with a 4-0 victory over Ramapo College here Tuesday.
 
Rutgers-Camden, the fifth seed in the six-team NJAC playoffs, improved to 19-21 overall after posting a 10-8 record during the conference regular season.
 
Fourth-seeded Ramapo, which went 12-6 during the NJAC regular season and beat the Scarlet Raptors twice in Camden, fell to 27-12.
 
The Scarlet Raptors advance to Thursday's semifinal at top-seeded Rowan University for a 3 p.m. game.
 
The Scarlet Raptors struck quickly when Ramapo sophomore opener Michael Zalinkanskas, the first of three Roadrunner pitchers, walked the bases full in the first inning. Sophomore right fielder Gavin McCaffrey drew a leadoff walk and was followed by walks to junior second baseman Austin Dubler and sophomore designated hitter Jake Slusarski. One out later, sophomore first baseman Ryan Joseph continued his late-season offensive surge with a two-run single through the right side, extending his hitting streak to seven games.
 
Rutgers-Camden added two more runs in the fourth inning, starting with a one-out walk to sophomore catcher Mason Blizzard. After junior left fielder Matt McAleer reached on a fielder's choice, forcing Blizzard, McCaffrey ripped an RBI double to right center and then scored on a single by Dubler.
 
Ramapo threatened to end Wokock's shutout bid in the ninth inning when freshman center fielder Julian Schultz led off the inning with a double. One out later, sophomore second baseman Jack Tallent singled him to third. Wokock induced a fly out for the second out and then got a pinch-hitter looking at a third strike to end his playoff shutout.
 
Wokock finished with a seven-hitter, walking three and striking out three as he raised his record to 7-1. He stranded a pair of runners in the third, sixth and ninth innings. It was the Scarlet Raptors' first complete game shutout since a three-hitter by John Kasper in a 3-0 win over Stevenson University on March 13, 2022. The only other shutout the Raptors had this season was a two-pitcher effort in a 3-0 blanking of York College on March 4. Freshman Gabe McCracken and junior Michael Whitmore combined in that shutout.
 
McCaffrey finished with a 3-for-4 game, stroking a double and adding a walk and a stolen base. He scored two runs and drove home one.
 
Watson went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and Joseph had two RBIs on the hit that put Rutgers-Camden ahead to stay.
 
Sophomore first baseman Nick Pellegrino and Schultz had two hits apiece for Ramapo.
 
Zalinkanskas (6-2) worked one inning for Ramapo, allowing one hit, five walks and one earned run. He struck out one.