TOLEDO, Ohio - University of Toledo softball coach Joe Abraham announced his program's 2021 schedule today, a 51-game slate that begins at Mercer's Black & Orange Challenge on Friday-Sunday, Feb. 26-28.

The Rockets will meet Alabama A&M, Pittsburgh and the host Bears during the three-day event in Georgia before competing in The Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla. on Friday-Sunday, March 5-7.

Toledo will open its 40-game Mid-American Conference campaign with a road series at Kent State (March 19-21). The format of the conference's weekend series this season will feature a Saturday doubleheader sandwiched between single games on Friday and Sunday. In previous years, teams played a three-game set.

"With us playing so many conference games and four on each weekend, it will be a big advantage to have a deep pitching staff," Abraham said. "One pitcher will not get a team through four games, so the number two and three on each staff become even more important."

The Rockets will host Northern Illinois (April 2-4), Ohio (April 9-11), Miami (April 23-25) and Akron (May 14-16) in four-game series this season. In addition to its MAC-opening series with the Golden Flashes, Toledo will visit Buffalo (March 26-28), Western Michigan (April 16-18) and Ball State (April 30-May 2). Bowling Green (May 14-16), and Central Michigan (May 28-30). The Rockets will also play mid-week home-and-home doubleheaders vs. Bowling Green (April 20, April 28) and Central Michigan (May 4, May 12).

Last spring, the MAC made postseason changes to several sports, including softball, which included the removal of the conference tournament. The winner of the MAC's regular season will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

"A 40-game conference schedule with no tournament is not what any of us coaches would choose, but at least we're going to have a season," Abraham said. "I think all of us in the MAC are hoping we can get our games in between COVID and trying to play 40 games in the Midwest in mostly March and April."

The 2021 campaign will be Abraham's third in the Rockets' dugout. Toledo returns 17 letterwinners and welcomes a talented group of newcomers.

"We're going to be a really balanced team this season that has a lot of speed," Abraham said. "I think we'll be able to hit for some power and play good defense behind our deep pitching staff."

Toledo posted an 11-12 win-loss mark last year before its season was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. In Abraham's first year at the helm in 2019, the Rockets won the MAC Tournament for the first time in program history.