TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team begins a stretch of eight straight road games this weekend when it takes a break from Mid-American Conference play to head to Samford for a three-game series.
The Rockets (15-17) and Bulldogs (18-15) will kick off their weekend with a 6:00 p.m. CT contest on Friday evening. Saturday's game is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. CT, and Sunday's finale will begin at noon CT. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Toledo is coming off a par of high-scoring midweek contests vs. in-state foes. UT defeated Youngstown State, 18-9, on Tuesday before falling at home to Wright State, 18-4, on Wednesday.
Rocket Notes
- One of the best base stealers in the country, Jeron Williams is tied for second in the nation with 27 stolen bases this year. He has already bested his total of 23 thefts from last year and is nine away from tying Tyler Grogg's single-season school record of 36 stolen bases set in 2013.
- Williams has seven stolen bases over his last four games.
- Mason Sykes hit his 33rd career home run in Wednesday's game vs. Wright State, putting him just two home runs away from tying Dan Sherwood's (2008-11) school record of 35 career home runs.
- Sykes' 33 career homers are the most among active MAC players.
- Toledo has hit 58 home runs as a team this year and will likely shatter the single-season program record of 65 home runs set in 2002. UT has four seasons with at least 60 home runs in its history, including each of the last two years.
- The Rockets lead the MAC in homers and rank 17th in the country in that category.
Battle of I-75 at Fifth Third Field: Part III
For the third straight year, the Toledo and Bowling Green baseball programs will face off at Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo. The Rockets and Falcons will play at the home of the Toledo Mud Hens on Friday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Toledo and BGSU have each won one meeting at Fifth Third Field. The Rockets won the first game, 5-2, in 2021 before the Falcons won, 5-4, in 2022.
This year's Battle of I-75 matchup will be the second game in a three-game Mid-American Conference series between the two rivals. Toledo and Bowling Green will open their series at Scott Park on Thursday, May 18 and conclude on Saturday, May 20.
Tickets are on sale now through the Toledo Mud Hens Ticket Office. Visit utrockets.com/FifthThirdField to purchase tickets.
About Samford
Samford brings an 18-15 overall record into this weekend's series and sports a strong 14-3 home record this season. The Bulldogs most recently lost a 7-6 midweek contest at Troy (23-11) on Tuesday. Stephen Klein is Samford's top hitter, leading the team with a .382 batting average and a .700 slugging percentage. Klein is one of five Bulldog hitters batting above .300 and one of three with at least seven home runs. On the mound, Jacob Cravey sports a 5-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and a team-best 62 strikeouts.
Next Up
Toledo will head to Ann Arbor, Mich. on Wednesday, April 19 for a mid-week tilt with Michigan before resuming MAC play next weekend at Eastern Michigan.
