TOLEDO, Ohio – Mid-American Conference play continues this weekend for the Toledo baseball team with a three-game series at Ball State.

The series will begin with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and conclude with one game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's weather forecast forced a change from the original weekend schedule.

The Rockets (9-6, 3-0 MAC) are coming off a tough 6-2 loss at Wright State on Wednesday afternoon. UT struck first with a run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead, but that would be its only lead of the game. The Raiders answered with a run in the bottom half of the first and took the lead for good in the third. Toledo added a late run to its total in the eighth inning, but couldn't get much going on offense against the two-time defending Horizon League champs.

Despite Wednesday's defeat, Toledo has still won seven of its last nine games heading into this weekend's clash with Ball State. The Rockets have been led by one of the top offenses in the MAC through the first month of the season, ranking atop the league in home runs (27) while sitting second in slugging (.490) and third in batting average (.285).

Individually, three of the top eight home run hitters in the MAC are Rockets. Owen Jackson (seven home runs) is in a four-way tie at the top of the MAC rankings and Garret Pike (five) and Mason Sykes (five) are both tied for sixth in the league in homers.

Jackson and Jeron Williams both enter this weekend with double-digit hitting streaks. Williams has hit safely in all 15 games this year and is currently riding a 23-game streak dating back to last season. Jackson has a hit in 12 straight games.

On the mound, Toledo ranks second in ERA (4.78) and fourth in strikeouts (131). Three Rockets rank among the top six pitchers in the conference in ERA: Cal McAninch (2.12, fourth), Brennan McCune (2.94, fifth), and Noah Johnson (3.66, sixth).  

Following this weekend's series at Ball State, Toledo visits Ohio State on Wednesday, March 22 before hosting Akron the following weekend for its first home games of the 2023 season.

About Ball State

The preseason favorite to win the MAC, Ball State brings a 10-6 record into this weekend's series and took two out of three at home vs. Western Michigan last weekend. The Cardinals rank second in the MAC in on-base percentage (.394) and third in slugging (.450) as a team and boast one of the top hitters in the league. Ryan Peltier rans atop the MAC in slugging (.823), second in runs scored (21), third in batting average (.419) and on-base percentage (.493), and tied for fifth in home runs (6).