Rockets Fly Down to Florida for UCF Invitational

Toledo, Ohio - The Toledo softball team (4-5) flies down to Orlando, Fla. to play in the UCF Invitational this weekend. The Rockets will face competition from No. 1 Florida State, Dartmouth, UCF and Louisiana Tech in UT's first of two Florida tournaments over spring break. Toledo will also play at the USF Tournament in Tampa on March 8-10.

Full tournament information including live stats, schedules, parking, and ticket prices can be viewed here; Toledo's game times are pasted below. Live streaming for the tournament is limited to UT's game against UCF, that game can be viewed with a subscription here.

Last time out
The Midnight Blue and Gold is coming off the UT Chattanooga Challenge (Feb. 15-16) where they went 3-1 over two days of action. UT topped Dayton (6-5), Kennesaw State (4-3) and Tennessee Tech (7-4), with the lone loss coming against Indiana State (5-1).

The Rockets had a number of accolades over the weekend. Sophomore pitcher Erin Hunt improved her record to 3-1 after beating out Dayton (7 IP, 9 SO) and Tennessee Tech (7 IP, 7 SO). Sophomore Maggie McGurk earned her first collegiate victory when she relieved senior Heather Webb in the third inning of the KSU contest. With UT down 3-0, McGurk stepped into the circle and threw six strikeouts through 2.1 innings that allowed Toledo's batter's to fight back into the lead before the game was called for rain.

The KSU victory was highlighted by senior catcher Kaitlyn Bergman who came through big in the fifth inning. Bergman stepped up with the bases loaded and hit the Rockets' second grand slam of the season to secure the win.

Senior Megan Choate closed out the tournament with a big game against Tennessee Tech. She had two hits, one run, and three RBIs with one homer in two at bats.

Scouting Toledo
The Rockets are led in the circle by sophomore Erin Hunt who is 3-1 on the year. Hunt holds a 4.38 ERA through 24.2 innings and has given up 16 hits, 12 runs, 12 walks and one homer thus far. Toledo's lineup is led by Brittney Davis, Raelyn Nyren and Kylie Norwood who all have at least 13 at-bats and who are all hitting above 400.

Davis (.462, six-for-13) has four runs, one double, one homer and three RBIs. Nyren, who shifted from a pinch runner last season to a regular in the lineup this year, is hitting .438 and is seven-for-16 with two RBIs and seven total bases. Norwood (.400, 12-for-30) has five runs, one double, two homers (including a grand slam), 10 RBIs and 19 total bases.

Scouting Florida State
The No. 1 Seminoles are sitting at a perfect 17-0 record this season and are led in the circle by the duo of Meghan King and Kathryn Sandercook. King (8-0) holds a 0.79 ERA through 44.1 innings and batters have only hit .149 off of her. Sandercook (7-0) holds a 1.31 ERA through 32 innings and has held opposing batters to a .228 average.

FSU is led at the plate by Cali Harrod who holds an impressive .563 batting average through 48 at-bats. Harrod has 24 runs, four doubles, one triple, four homers and 14 RBIs through 17 starts. She's backed by a loaded lineup that features seven players hitting over .400.

Scouting UCF
The Knights are 9-4 on the year and are led by pitchers Breann Vasquez (4-1) and Alea White (5-3). Vasquez holds a 0.93 ERA through five starts and 30 innings. Opposing batters have hit .190 off her. White holds a 2.30 ERA through 51.2 innings, and batters have hit .249 off of her.

UCF's lineup is led by Denali Schappacher who holds a .375 batting average through 32 at-bats, recording eight runs, 12 hits and one double with 13 total bases. The Knights have nine batters hitting about .320 this season, and have a team average of .280 with 47 runs, 90 hits and 41 RBIs.

Scouting Dartmouth
The Big Green i 2-3 on the year. Dartmouth's main pitchers are Madie Augusto (1-1) and Shelby Wilkison (1-0). Augusto holds a 1.17 ERA and batters have averaged .308 off of her this year. Through 12 innings she's given up 16 hits and three runs. Wilkison holds a 6.42 ERA through 12 innings and has an opposing batting average of .407. She has given up 22 hits and 16 runs.

Dartmouth's lineup is led by Bryce West who has a .357 batting average with four runs, fuve hits, one triple, one home run and five RBIs through 14 at-bats. West is one of four batters who are hitting above .300.

Scouting Louisiana Tech.
The Lady Techsters (12-3) top pitchers are Preslee Gallaway and Krystal de la Cruz. Gallaway (4-2) holds a 2.77 ERA and has given up 40 hits, 19 runs and 8 walks through 43 innings; opposing batters have averaged .241 off of her. De la Cruz (4-1) holds a 2.86 ERA and through 29.1 innings has given up 24 hits, 20 runs and 11 walks; her opposing batting average is .214.

At the the top of the lineup is Kimmie Atienza who is hitting .438 through 32 at-bats. Atienza has hit 14 runs, 14 hits, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs. Eight of LA Tech's hitters are batting over 300 and the team averages .316 having totaled 94 runs, 123 hits, 11 homers and 77 RBIs in 2019.

UCF Invitational
Orlando, Fla. - March 1-3
Toledo Game Times:
Fri. vs Louisiana Tech - 2:30 p.m.
Fri. vs UCF - 7:30 p.m.
Sat. vs Dartmouth - 10:00 a.m.
Sat. vs No. 1 Florida State - 12:30 p.m.
Sun. vs Dartmouth - 9:30 a.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kaitlyn Bergman

Megan Choate

Brittney Davis

Erin Hunt

Maggie McGurk

Kylie Norwood

Raelyn Nyren

Heather Webb

Footer