Toledo Opens 2024 in South Carolina This Weekend

TOLEDO, Ohio – Second-year head coach Jessica Bracamonte and the Toledo Softball 24-player roster will open the new season in South Carolina for the third straight year. The Rockets, who were picked to finish seventh in the 2023 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, will play four games in USC-Upstate's Spartan Classic in Spartanburg, SC on Feb. 9-11.

Spartan Classic (Spartanburg, SC)
Friday, Feb. 9
vs. Towson | 12:30 p.m. | LiveStats
vs. USC-Upstate | 3:00 p.m. | LiveStats and ESPN+
Saturday, Feb. 10
vs. Loyola Chicago | 10:00 a.m. | LiveStats
Sunday, Feb. 11
vs. USC-Upstate | 10:00 a.m. | LiveStats

Last Season
Toledo finished its first season under Bracamonte with a 21-25 record, 14-14 in MAC play. The Rockets closed out the season with back-to-back wins over Western Michigan. Highlights from the season include the first win over a ranked opponent, a 5-2 triumph over No. 22 Northwestern on March 5 at the Louisville Classic.

The Rockets hit .284 last year, with 58 doubles, nine triples, and 26 home runs. Their .408 slugging percentage ranked second in school history.

Toledo's Additions
Bracamonte added seven freshmen and three high-profile transfers to the roster this spring.

Shortstop Eli Enriquez: A junior transfer from Sierra College, Enriquez had a .537 average, a .681 slugging percentage, scored 55 runs, hit seven triples and six doubles, stole 44 bases, and drove in 26 RBIs in 2023.
Left-handed pitcher Kylee Graham: A junior transfer from Florida Southwestern State College, Graham tallied 116 strikeouts in 130.0 innings pitched with a 1.83 ERA in her career.
Third baseman Emily Bracamonte: A graduate student from Central Michigan and younger sister of head coach Jessica Bracamonte, Bracamonte totaled 84 hits, 20 doubles, and six homers in 165 games. She was named to the 2021 MAC All-Defensive Team and helped the Chippewas to back-to-back appearances in the conference tournament in 2022 and 2023.

Top Toledo Returners
Toledo returns 14 players from last season including First-Team All-MAC selection Riley Mohr and Second-Team All-MAC honoree Jenna Kroll.

First baseman Riley Mohr: A fifth-year senior from Bellevue, Ohio, Mohr crushed 48 hits with nine doubles in 140 at-bats. The fifth-year senior drove in a team-high five RBIs against rival Bowling Green (Mar. 19) and her walk-off home run gave Toledo a 3-2 (8 inn.) victory vs Western Michigan (May 6).
Third baseman Jenna Kroll: A senior from Commerce, Mich., Kroll hit .348, drove in 29 runs, crushed eight balls out of the park, drew 19 walks, and had a .568 slugging percentage last season. The senior hit a grand slam to propel UT ahead of Bellarmine, 6-5, for the first win of the season and the first victory for Bracamonte on Feb. 11.
Right-handed pitcher Sophia Knight: A junior from New Philadelphia, Ohio, Knight was the second-leading pitcher last season, appearing in 25 games and recording a 3.82 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 121 innings of work.
Outfielder Lauren Erickson: A senior from Dublin, Ohio, Erickson was second on the team with a .529 SLG%, 20 runs scored, five home runs, and three triples. She hit a career-high two triples against Northern Kentucky (Mar. 5).

Bracamonte has noticed how much work her team has put into training during the off-season and the sportsmanship they have shown one another leading up to this weekend.

"Tomorrow is just the beginning. This team has been working extremely hard and we can't wait to watch that hard work pay off for them in big ways this season. They have shown up to practice each day with heart, a competitive mindset, and a commitment to do whatever it takes to put this team in the best position to succeed. They play for, support, and root for one another in a very special way and we can't wait to see where that will take us this year."

About Towson

Towson ended the last season with a 30-25 overall record, a 14-10 league mark, and a runner-up finish in the 2023 CSS Softball Tournament going in as the No. 5 seeded team. The Tigers fell to Hofstra with a pair of losses in the championship title round.
The Tigers had a cumulative .286 average, with a .404 slugging percentage, scored 256 runs in 427 runs, were 51-55 in stolen base attempts, and held opponents to a .277 batting average.
Catcher/ utility player Madyson Peters earned All-Eastern College Athletic Conference after the season.
Towson was picked fifth in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason Poll), while shortstop Mackenzie Lake and catcher Addie Ferguson were placed on the CAA Preseason Watch List.

About USC Upstate

USC Upstate finished 38-17 last season with a 13-8 Big South record, and third in the conference tournament.
The Spartans hit .304 (.468 SLG%) at the plate last year, connected on 422 hits, drilled 54 homers, and held their opponents to a .250 average.
The Spartans had numerous players earn Big South postseason honors with outfielder Denver Lauer and right-handed pitcher Maddie Drerup earning All-Tournament nods.
sUSC-Upstate was tabbed to win the Big South regular season and tournament this season. Lauer was picked preseason Big South Player of the Year while Drerup was tabbed preseason Pitcher of the Year.

About Loyola Chicago

Loyola Chicago was 27-23 last season with an 18-6 Atlantic-10 mark. The Ramblers, a No. 2 seed in the A-10 Championships for the first time since 2014, forced a winner-take-all game vs. No. 4 seed George Mason and fell 6-3 in 10 innings.
The Ramblers went .360 at the plate a season ago, with 343 contacts including just 12 homers. The bullpen fanned 38 batters and held the opposing team to a .244 average.
Assistant coach Beth Wallace was promoted to the Rambler's head coach in the off-season and will make her head coaching debut this weekend.

On Deck
Toledo will head down to Murray, Ky. on Feb. 23-25 to play five games in Murray State's Velvet Milkman Tournament.

Follow the Rockets
Be sure to follow the Rockets' softball team on social media for any schedule updates and information:

X (Formerly Twitter): @ToledoSoftball
Instagram & Threads: toledosoftball
Facebook: Toledo Softball

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Players Mentioned

Emily Bracamonte

Eli Enriquez

Lauren Erickson

Kylee Graham

Sophia Knight

Jenna Kroll

Riley Mohr

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