Toledo, Ohio - The Toledo softball team (15-20, 4-4 MAC) heads out to DeKalb, Ill. this weekend for a conference matchup against Northern Illinois (18-20, 5-6 MAC) at Mary M. Bell Field. UT and NIU open with a single game at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday followed by a 2:00 p.m. EST doubleheader on Saturday.
 
Toledo at Northern Illinois
Mary M. Bell Field | April 12-13
Weekend Live Stats
Weekend Live Stream
Toledo Game Notes
 
Last Time Out
The Rockets are coming off a mid-season grind that saw them play seven games in six days, facing competition from Michigan, Akron, Wright State and Oakland. Toledo went 5-2 over the stretch and established a four-game winning streak to close out the stint. UT scored 33 runs in the seven games last week with impressive contributions coming up and down the lineup.
 
Last week's stretch was topped off with a big day from junior Morgan Paaverud and senior Kaitlyn Bergman against the Golden Grizzlies on April 9. Paaverud knocked in a three-run homer while going 6-for-7 with five RBIs and two runs while Bergman also left the park to bring in three runs.
 
Last Time against the Huskies
UT and NIU last met in round two of the 2018 Mid-American Conference tournament. The Huskies run-ruled Toledo in five innings, winning the game 10-2. The Rockets' runs came from Katie Cozy and Kylie Norwood in the third and fourth innings.
 
The Midnight Blue and Gold took a pair of wins from NIU during the 2018 regular season, winning 3-0 and 5-3 almost a year ago to the day at home in a Friday doubleheader. Kailey Minarchick was the pitcher of record and moved to 15-4 after the victories.
 
 Scouting the Rockets

• Kaitlyn Bergman has reached base in her last 17 outings, the most in at least a decade at UT (reached-base records prior to the 2008 season are not readily available).
• Raelyn Nyren has been hit by pitchers 11 times this season, the most in the conference and seventh-most times in the nation. She also ranks fourth all-time at UT for most HBP in a single season.
•  Sophomore Erin Hunt is three wins shy of entering UT's record book for most wins in a season; three previous Rockets are tied for ninth place with 12 wins. Hunt is also four strikeouts away from tying for 10th-most strikeouts in a year (118).

 
All-time record vs NIU: 27-38
2018 record and RPI: 35-23, 16-7 MAC | 120
2019 record and RPI: 15-20, 4-4- MAC | 181
Top pitchers:

• Erin Hunt (9-8), 2.69 ERA, 99.0 IP, 75 H, 50 R, 38 ER, 52 BB, 114 SO, .208 Opp. b/avg
• Maggie McGurk (4-3), 2.68 ERA, 44.1 IP, 57 H, 29 R, 17 ER, 20 BB, 22 SO, .313 Opp. b/avg

Top batters:

• Kylie Norwood (43-for-125, .344), 22 R, 12 2B, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 64 TB, 7 BB, .512 SLG%, .381 OBP
• Katie Cozy (35-for-119, .294), 13 R, 8 2B, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 55 TB, 6 BB, .462 SLG%, .341 OBP

Batters over .300: Three
Team Slash Line: .270/.365/.389
 
   
 
Scouting the Huskies

• NIU opened this week with a midweek matchup at Ball State where the Huskies won 4-2.
• Northern Illinois is led at the plate by a trio of batters in Kattie Keller, Jenny Van Geertry, and Anne Allen who are all hitting over .333 with at least 27 hits. Keller paces the team in doubles with 15, Van Geertry leads in homers with eight, and Allen's 12 steals lead her side.
• The Huskies' pitching staff has struck out 155 batters through 38 games and is led by Mackenzie Bryan who owns 105 of those Ks.

 
All-time record vs UT: 38-27
2018 record and RPI: 24-31, 11-11 MAC | 142
2019 record and RPI: 18-20, 5-6 MAC | 144
Top pitcher(s):

• Mackenzie Bryan (11-10), 3.41 ERA, 117.0 IP, 113 H, 69 R, 57 ER, 63 BB, 105 SO, .246 Opp. b/avg

Top batters:

• Katie Keller (37-for-85, .435), 20 R, 15 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 63 TB, 11 BB, .741 SLG%, .510 OBP

Batters over .300: Five
Team Slash Line: .277/.366/.410