Toledo Opens MAC Play this Weekend at Miami

Friday, March 10

Oxford, Ohio

3:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

Miami

Garret Pike is among the MAC leaders in RBIs (16), home runs (5), walks (10), and slugging percentage (.721).

Photo by: Alex Boggis | UTM Sports Information

3/9/2023 10:44:00 AM | Baseball

Three-game series begins on Friday at 3:00 p.m.

TOLEDO, Ohio – Mid-American Conference play begins this weekend for the Toledo baseball team with a three-game series at Miami beginning on Friday.

The series opener on Friday will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 2:00 p.m. game on Saturday. The Rockets and RedHawks will conclude their series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on YouTube via Chatterbox Sports.

Toledo has won four of its last five games and is coming off a two-game series split at UT Martin. The Rockets won on Tuesday, 8-3, but the Skyhawks prevailed in Wednesday's game by a score of 10-6.

UT's offense is firing on all cylinders at the moment, averaging just over nine runs per game over the last seven games. This recent stretch has put Toledo among the MAC leaders in several offensive categories:

First in home runs (22); Toledo ranks 18^th in the country in home runs per game (2.0)
Tied for first in slugging (.505)
Second in batting average (.288)
Third in on-base percentage (.387)
Second in hits (113)

Three Rockets are among the top hitters in the MAC through the first month of the season:

Garret Pike ranks second in RBIs (16), tied for third in home runs (5), tied for sixth in walks (10), and seventh in slugging (.721).
Owen Jackson ranks tied for third in home runs (5), fourth in slugging (.745), tied for seventh in hits (16), and ninth in OPS (1.160)
Jeron Williams is tied for the MAC lead in stolen bases (7) and ranks fifth in hits (18) and tied for eighth in runs scored.

On the mound, the starting rotation has been led by Noah Johnson. He has struck out 18 in 14.2 innings of work, boasting a 2-0 record and a 3.68 ERA through three starts. Among his MAC peers he ranks tied for eighth in strikeouts and ninth in ERA. The bullpen has been held down by Cal McAninch, who sports a 2.92 ERA in five outings.

Following this weekend's series at Miami, Toledo will visit Wright State on Tuesday, March 14 before continuing MAC play next weekend at Ball State. The Rockets' home opener is set for Friday, March 24 vs. Akron, the first game in a three-game series against the Zips.

About Miami
Miami enters the weekend with a 2-11 record, having played Power Five programs Georgia Tech and Indiana as well as Cincinnati and Wright State. The RedHawks have been solid offensively, hitting .265 as a team while ranking atop the MAC in slugging (.505, tied with Toledo) and on-base percentage (.403). Ryland Zaborowski leads the MAC and ranks eighth in the country with seven home runs and also leads the league in slugging (.822). Pitching, however, has been a different story for the RedHawks, who rank last in the MAC in team ERA (9.98). They have allowed 10 or more runs in eight games and allowed a season-high 23 in a loss at Wright State on March 7.