Rockets Visit Michigan State this Wednesday

Wednesday, April 25

East Lansing, Mich.

3:05 p.m.

University of Toledo

Michigan State

Toledo visits Michigan State on Wednesday at 3:05 p.m.

4/23/2018 4:26:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)

Toledo, Ohio— Toledo makes a trip to Michigan State on Wednesday for a 3:05 p.m. game against the Spartans. The Rockets originally had a Tuesday home game scheduled against Lawrence Tech, but that has been canceled.

Live stats for Wednesday's game in East Lansing are available here and, as always, follow along on Twitter at @ToledoBaseball for any and all updates.

Wednesday's Live Stream ($)

Probable Starters (will be updated as starters are announced)
Wednesday: vs. Michigan State, 2:05 p.m. (LHP Jesse Heikkinen vs. RHP Bryce Davis)

After the game against the Spartans, the Rockets return home to host Kent State for a three-game MAC series.

Last Time Out
Toledo took two out of three games from Eastern Michigan at home last weekend.

UT and EMU were tied at 2-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth on Friday. With two men on base, sophomore Michael Ryan squared up and laid down a sacrifice bunt that was fielded cleanly, but the throw sailed over the first baseman and allowed freshman Chris Meyers to score from second base, handing UT its first walk-off win of the year.

After falling to the Eagles on Saturday, 6-3, Toledo registered a 9-5 comeback win on Sunday. The Rockets trailed, 5-3, heading into the bottom of the seventh. The bats then tallied four runs in that frame and two in the eighth to secure the win and the series for the Midnight Blue and Gold.

Hatfield Named MAC Player of the Week
Freshman Trace Hatfield was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Hatfield led the Rockets in nearly every offensive category last week. He hit .471 (8-for-17), drove in four runs, and slugged .765 over Toledo's four games, leading the team in each statistical metric. In the series against Eastern Michigan he hit his first career home run on Friday, went 4-for-4 on Saturday, and made a highlight-reel diving catch on Sunday.

Rocket Notes

Toledo is slugging .460 at home this season, and its pitchers are holding opponents to a .225 batting average at Scott Park.
Hatfield is the fifth freshman in the MAC this season to earn a weekly award. NIU's Michael Lasiewicz (2X), Miami's Parker Massman, Ohio's Aaron Levy, and Ball State's Drey Jameson are the others.
Sam Shutes has made 50 starts in his career, tied for fourth among active Division I pitchers.
First baseman Dalton Bollinger has been heating up at the plate in April. He is hitting .396 with a team-best 21 hits and five doubles.
Alex Wagner has been a crucial weapon out of the bullpen for Toledo in conference games. The senior has thrown 15.2 innings against MAC opponents and owns a miniscule 0.57 ERA to go along with 10 strikeouts and just one walk.

Scouting the Competition

Michigan State is 14-21 after last weekend and will play Eastern Michigan at Comerica Park on Tuesday before playing the Rockets. The Spartans have won four in a row, beating Western Michigan last Wednesday prior to a series sweep at Northwestern. MSU is one of the speediest teams in the nation, its 74 stolen bases lead the Big Ten and are eighth in the country. Justin Antoncic is the team's leading hitter at .319, while Bryce Kelley is seventh in Division I with 24 stolen bases.