TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo will open its 2016-17 Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend when it travels to Athens, OH on March 24-25 to face off against East Division foe Ohio. The Rockets will first battle the Bobcats on Friday at 5:00 p.m. at Ohio Softball Field. UT will return the next day for a doubleheader with the first game scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
 
ROCKET LEADERS
    Senior 2B Chandler Rice has been Toledo's top offensive threat this season. The Louisville, OH native holds a .383 batting average and 41 hits through UT's 32 games. Rice has scored a team-high 21 runs and recorded 70 total bases. The senior leads the team in slugging percentage (.654), doubles (7), home runs (6), RBI (20) and stolen bases (11).
     Junior OF Ashley Rausch trails Rice with 26 hits, six doubles, 19 runs scored and 10 swiped bags, while senior C Ashley Maynard has posted a second-best five home runs and 18 RBI.
     In the circle, sophomore RHP Heather Webb (7-6) paces the pitching staff with a 3.67 ERA and 58 strikeouts in a team-high 87.2 innings of work. Webb has made 24 appearances during the non-conference stretch, hurling for four complete games and recording one shutout.
 
RICE, WEBB SWEEP MAC WEEKLY HONORS
    Rice and Webb were named the MAC West Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. The weekly honor is Rice's second of the season and the fifth of her career, while this is the first ever weekly accolade for Webb. It is also the third week a Toledo player has earned this award (Cozy Feb. 14, Rice Feb. 21), and the first week for the Rocket pitchers.
     Rice started all four games for the Rockets at the SIUE Tournament and is now riding a season-high and team-leading nine-game hitting streak. Highlighting the senior's weekend at the tournament was her perfect 4-for-4 performance at the dish vs. SIUE. Rice quickly ignited the Rockets' offense with a triple off the first pitch of the game. The Louisville, OH native also collected three doubles, three runs scored, two RBI and a swiped bag over the weekend.
     Webb went a perfect 2-0 at the Cougars' tournament. In a team-high four appearances in the circle for UT, Webb pitched for a team-pacing 15 innings. The sophomore fired a two-hit complete-game shutout in Toledo's 6-0 victory over Butler. Webb only faced 25 batters and struck out four in the contest.
 
OHIO BREAKDOWN
    Ohio enters MAC play with a league-best 19-6 overall record. Ohio boasts a 2.23 ERA thanks to its star pitcher, Savannah Jo Dorsey. Dorsey (11-3) has a 0.85 ERA, pitched for 10 complete games and recorded two shutouts. The redshirt senior has notched 131 strikeouts in 90.2 innings pitched. Junior Danielle Stein (6-2) has tallied 80 strikeouts in 52.1 total innings while pacing the team with three shutouts.
     The Bobcats top the conference with a .298 team batting average and they average 5.1 runs per game. Sophomore Alex Day tops the team with a .400 batting average (34-for-85), 21 runs scored and 41 total bases. Most recently, Stein and Day swept the MAC East Pitcher and Player of the Week honors.
     Ohio holds a 40-35 edge over the Rockets in the all-time series. Last season, the Bobcats downed UT twice, 4-2, 8-0.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
    Toledo will host its home opener next weekend vs. Buffalo. UT will face the Bulls on Friday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m. at Scott Park. The following day on April 1, the Rockets will host a doubleheader with Buffalo with the first game scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.