BALTIMORE, MD – The 11
th-ranked Johns Hopkins baseball team opened the 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion Friday afternoon, routing Rutgers-Newark, 24-0, to hand head coach
Nate Mulberg a dominant victory in his debut at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium.
The 24 runs marked Hopkins' highest total in a season opener since 1946, when the Blue Jays defeated Catholic, 27-4. It was also the program's fifth all-time 20-plus run performance on Opening Day—and the first since 2007.
Hopkins wasted no time seizing control.
After starter
Ryan Anderson retired the side in order in the top of the first—punctuated by a strikeout to close the frame—the Blue Jays erupted for seven runs in the bottom half and never looked back.
Graduate transfer
William Jaun made an immediate impact in his Hopkins debut, lining a two-run single to center to ignite the scoring.
Aaron Bock followed with a bases-clearing double down the left-field line to stretch the lead to 6-0, and he later crossed the plate to cap the seven-run inning.
The offensive avalanche continued in the second when
Lukas Geer launched a three-run home run into the left-field bushes to push the margin to 10-0. Two more runs crossed in the third, and by the time
Luke Baker ripped a two-run double into the right-center gap in the fourth, Hopkins had built a commanding 16-0 advantage.
The Blue Jays put the finishing touches on the rout with an eight-run fifth inning.
Shane Keough belted his first collegiate home run, Geer drove in two more, and Keough later added an RBI single to cap the scoring at 24-0—all of it coming within the first five innings.
While the offense dominated, Anderson was equally sharp on the mound. The right-hander earned the win with 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out six. He set the tone early and never allowed the Scarlet Raiders to generate any sustained momentum.
The bullpen preserved the shutout in dominant fashion.
William Moell,
Gavin Simurdiak,
Joseph Rainbolt and
Alex Larson each tossed a scoreless inning. The quartet combined to allow no hits, striking out five and retiring 12 of the 14 batters they faced to secure Mulberg's first victory at the helm.
Johns Hopkins returns to action Saturday, February 21, at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium for a doubleheader against Baldwin-Wallace and St. John Fisher. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with game two set to begin approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Hopkins scored 24 runs on 19 hits, all within the first five innings.
• Six Blue Jays recorded multi-hit games, five of them finishing with three hits.
• Geer led the offense with five RBIs and two doubles, going 3-for-4 with a walk. Jaun finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored and a walk in his Hopkins debut. Geer and Keough each connected for multi-run home runs.
• The 24 runs were the most scored on Opening Day since 1946 and the most in a season opener since that same 27-4 win over Catholic
• It marked the first 20-plus run performance since a 20-8 win over Arcadia in the 2024 NCAA Regional
• It was the fifth shutout in a season opener in program history and the first since 2024—also against Rutgers-Newark.
Gallery: (2-20-2026) Baseball vs. Rutgers-Newark
