TOLEDO, OH – Toledo softball (15-31, 6-11 MAC) will host MAC West Division leader Northern Illinois (32-13, 12-5 MAC) in a three-game conference series on Friday-Saturday, April 29-30 at Scott Park. Friday's contest will begin at 3:00 p.m., while Saturday's twinbill is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
      Saturday will also be alumnae day for the Midnight Blue & Gold. Past UT players are welcome to participate in batting practice on the field at 10:30 prior to the Rockets' doubleheader vs. Northern Illinois. In between games, the alumnae will be recognized on the field. Following game two, the alumnae are invited to enjoy a catered-in dinner with the current players and staff in the Toledo baseball and softball hitting facility at Scott Park.
    For any softball alumnae who are interested in attending, please email Danielle.Zymkowitz@utoledo.edu for more information.
      The softball program will also be holding a garage sale during Saturday's twinbill. Old and new items that will be available for purchase include old uniforms, t-shirts, softball equipment, bags, uniforms and more. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Rocket softball program.
      Senior OF Jessica Lemieux remains one of Toledo's top offensive threats this season. The Banks, OR native holds a .366 batting average with 52 hits through UT's 46 games. Lemieux has scored a team-high 30 runs and recorded 77 total bases. The senior leads the team in stolen bases (28), triples (3), and slugging percentage (.542).
    Junior 2B Chandler Rice holds a .318 batting average. She has tallied a team-high 23 RBI and five home runs, while also recording 42 hits and scoring 21 runs.
    In the circle, senior Marla Gooding leads the Rockets with a 3.75 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 164.1 innings pitched. Gooding has made 34 appearances, hurling for 17 complete games and winning 12. The senior has only allowed three earned runs in her last six appearances.
    Freshman RHP Heather Webb (3-10) leads the pitching staff with 66 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched. Webb recorded her first victory in Toledo's five-inning shutout against Eastern Michigan (April 5).
      Junior Chandler Rice was selected as the MAC West Player of the Week (April 11) for her performance in Toledo's doubleheaders vs. EMU and Ohio. Rice posted a .545 batting average (6-for-11), while recording, one double, one triple, two homeruns and 15 total bases. She scored five runs, tallied five RBI and swiped three bags.
    Seniors Marla Gooding and Jessica Lemieux were selected as the MAC West Division Pitcher and Player of the week (April 25), respectively, for their performances against IPFW and Western Michigan.  
    Lemieux started all five games as the lead-off hitter. She posted an impressive .611 (11-for-18) through its five games and recorded two doubles, two triples, scored seven runs and one RBI. She swiped five bags this past week, which brings her total to 27 on the season. In Toledo's series with the Broncos, the senior posted a .545 average (6-for-11) and went 3-4 in stolen bases. After this week, Lemieux is on a six game hitting streak and a seven game reached base streak.
    Gooding appeared on the rubber during all five contests and made three starts during the week. The senior picked up four wins in a big week for the Rockets in the MAC Standings. Gooding took down the MAC West leader WMU three times with a 0.40 ERA. The Tigard, OR native threw 26.2 innings during the week and allowed just two earned runs while fanning eight batters. Gooding also had a minuscule 0.8250 WHIP while scattering 21 hits over the five outings.
      Northern Illinois enters the weekend series with a 32-13 overall record and a 12-5 record in the MAC. The Huskies are coming off of a 2-0 victory against UIC on Wednesday. Last weekend, NIU swept Eastern Michigan in three, 5-1, 1-0, 6-1.
    Senior Emily Naegele is leading the NIU offense with a .405 batting average and an impressive 16 home runs throughout the season. Naegele has recorded 113 total bases and has posted a .897 slugging percentage.
    Freshman P Alex Frenz (14-4) has posted a 2.50 ERA and has recorded 103 strikeouts through her 19 appearances.
      The Huskies lead the all-time series with the Rockets, 21-36. Last season, Toledo dropped both contests with NIU, 6-5, 14-5.
      Toledo swept a non-conference doubleheader over Bowling Green, 2-1, 6-2, on Wednesday afternoon at Scott Park. Chandler Rice went 3-for-5 on the day with a double, two RBI, four stolen bases and three runs scored.
    G1: Marla Gooding collected her fourth straight win and 12^th of the season by pitching all seven innings. Gooding allowed just one run, walked two and struck out four. The senior has only allowed three earned runs in her last six appearances.
    G2: Heather Webb (3-10) claimed the victory in game two by going the entire seven innings in the circle. Webb allowed two earned runs, walked one batter and struck out five Falcons.
  "Our team has really come together these last two weeks," said head coach Kristen Butler. "We have focused on doing the little things correct at practice and it is showing in our games. Winning is contagious, so I know we are feeling good going into a tough weekend against NIU. Marla has been a spark for us in the circle and we will continue to ride her the rest of the season. "
      The Midnight Blue & Gold will conclude their regular season next weekend when they host Ball State on May 6-7. Saturday will be senior day for the Rockets' three seniors.
 
Follow along to this weekend's actions on Twitter @ToledoSoftball, or click the live stats link provided.