TOLEDO, Ohio – Having won seven of its last eight games, the Toledo baseball team will face two-time reigning Horizon League Champion Wright State on Wednesday in a midweek battle between in-state foes. First pitch at Nischwitz Stadium is set for 3:00 p.m.
The Rockets have been on a tear as of late and recently capped their 11-day road trip with a series sweep at Miami to open Mid-American Conference play. Toledo and Kent State were the only two teams to escape the first weekend of conference play unscathed.
The pitching staff stymied the RedHawk hitters all weekend long, allowing just seven runs in three games and striking out 28. Cal McAninch, Brennan McCune, and Camryn Szynski were all excellent out of the bullpen, combining to throw 10.2 scoreless innings and hold Miami to a .139 batting average. Toledo's three starters – Matt LeLito, Noah Johnson, and Jack Walker – all turned in solid outings as well.
McAninch ranks fourth in the MAC in both ERA (2.12) and batting average against (.203) and Johnson sits seventh in the league in strikeouts (25).
At the plate, Owen Jackson has proven himself to be one of the top sluggers in the MAC in his first season in a Rocket uniform. His seven home runs are tied for most in the league, and his .763 slugging percentage ranks third. Jackson has driven in a run in 11 straight games.
Garret Pike has been Toledo's top hitter through the first month of the season, leading the team in batting average (.368), on-base percentage (.478), and RBIs (17), the latter of which ranks tied for fourth in the MAC.
As a team, the Rockets' 26 home runs are more than any other MAC team, and its .497 slugging percentage rank second behind only Kent State.
MAC play continues this weekend with a three-game series at Ball State.
About Wright State
Wright State enters play Wednesday with a 5-9 record playing a difficult early-season schedule. The Raiders have played nine total games against 2022 College World Series participant No. 6 Arkansas, 2022 NCAA Tournament team army, and SEC foe Kentucky this year. Wright State was picked to win the Horizon League this year, garnering five of six first-place votes. Andrew Patrick leads the team in both hitting (.356) and slugging (.667), and Justin Riemer sports a strong .563 on-base percentage.
