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Profile of the Week

Luis Rojas

  • Award
    Profile of the Week
  • Week Of
    3/20/2019
  • Sport
    Baseball
  • Bio
    View Full Bio
By Jim Hague

Kevin Kelley arrived in Newark as the new head baseball coach at Rutgers-Newark last fall, knowing very little about the position and the roster he was inheriting. So when a knock on his office door came from a friendly face, Kelley gladly welcomed the person standing there.

The person at the door was senior pitcher Luis Rojas.

"I never met him before," Kelley said of that first meeting. "He came to me and said that he wanted to assume the leadership role on the team. And I was ready to let him run with it."

"I was excited to turn the page and see what a fresh face had to offer," Rojas said. "For me, it was like getting a fresh start with a new coach. I definitely thought it was important to meet the new boss. I'm the oldest guy on the team, a fifth-year senior. I was willing to help the new coach out. I was excited to see who the new guy was."

Kelley had a lot of respect for Rojas right away.

"I liked his leadership ability," Kelley said. "Any time that a player comes to you and displays that blue-collar mentality, you have to respect that. He was willing to go the extra mile. I like what I've seen from him."

It won't take long for Kelley to realize that Rojas is one of the most versatile pitchers in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Two years ago, Rojas was one of the top relief pitchers in the NJAC, seeing action in 14 games, collecting seven saves. Last year, Rojas was one of the Scarlet Raiders' top starters, getting action during the key NJAC games on weekends while getting an inning here and there in relief in non-conference action during the week. The tall right-hander stands 6-foot-6 and delivers an assortment of different pitchers from all kinds of arm angles. So Rojas is about as valuable and as reliable as it gets, a steady pitcher who can take the mound as either a starter or reliever and can bring it from over the top, three-quarter and sidearm while throwing fastballs, curves, sliders and changeups.

Sounds pretty promising.

"I've always thought of myself as being a team guy," Rojas said. "If the coach needs me to close, I'll be the one. I never had an issue with that. Being coachable was always one of my important traits. I just liked getting the opportunity to pitch. I'm always eager to get into the game. Being a starter or being a reliever, it didn't matter to me. The title means absolutely nothing to me. At the end of the day, I'm a pitcher. I'm going to do my best."

Kelley likes being able to use Rojas both as a starter and a reliever.

"He'll start this season as a starter," Kelley said. "He's a Saturday starter. He's earned that right. But we'll use him during the week to close games for us as well. I think his versatility is his biggest asset. He's able to throw all of his pitches in any count. I think that's going to make him more successful. Being able to change arm angles and speeds makes him especially effective. It's tough to pick up what pitches are coming."

Rojas always had the same approach.

"I always try to attack the hitter," Rojas said. "More often than not, the hitter is going to fail more than he succeeds. As a pitcher, I have to play to the statistics. My job is to stay in the game as long as possible. It helps the entire staff to go lengthy in a game."

Rojas said that he throws two different types of breaking pitches, a hard slider and a long breaking curveball.

"Any ways I can to fool the hitter, I'm going to try," Rojas said. "I work as hard as I can to get guys out. I want to be the guy who starts the game and who ends the game. Sometimes, it works out that way."

Kelley is grateful to have Rojas' leadership.

"He's well respected by his teammates," Kelley said. "He's very accountable of himself. He leads by example and that's the best thing you can ask for, I think he's respected and not feared. I can't even put into words how much I appreciate all he's done for me. I've actually looked to Lou for guidance."

Rojas is a sociology major, but he plans to go to nursing school after graduation this May.

"I always liked being able to help people," Rojas said. "I also like getting to know people."

Rojas is ready to have a great senior year.

"As a senior, I want this season to be my best ever," Rojas said. "I even look forward to the 6 a.m. practices. We deserve it as a team. We've worked hard and been through a lot."


Athlete Awards
Date Athlete Sport
1/22/2020 David Logan Men's Basketball
1/2/2020 Elisha India Cross Women's Basketball
12/5/2019 Quincy Rutherford Men's Basketball
10/30/2019 Ana Silveira Women's Soccer
10/18/2019 Sara Manning Women's Cross Country
10/10/2019 Alexa Rivera Women's Volleyball
9/24/2019 Andres Medina Men's Soccer
5/16/2019 Dana Duffield Women's Track & Field
5/1/2019 Connor Clare Baseball
4/18/2019 Sebastian Narath Men's Tennis
4/3/2019 Jackie Lara Softball
3/20/2019 Luis Rojas Baseball
3/5/2019 Chaheen Payne Men's Track & Field
2/18/2019 Dorian Capurso Women's Basketball
2/12/2019 Nessie Joseph Women's Track & Field
1/28/2019 Mike Vick Men's Basketball
12/17/2018 Louise Ann Borja Women's Basketball
11/26/2018 Chase Barneys Men's Basketball
11/19/2018 Pape Yanka Men's Cross Country
10/29/2018 Ariel Parada Men's Soccer
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