TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team will wrap up a seven-game homestand this weekend when it faces Miami in Mid-American Conference action at Scott Park. The two teams will open the three-game series on Friday at 3:00 p.m. with the first pitches on Saturday and Sunday set for 1:00 p.m.  All three contests will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
The Rockets (19-18, 12-6 MAC) won two of three in the Glass City against Kent State last weekend, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader for the series victory. The Rockets dropped a 6-4 decision on Tuesday to Michigan at Fifth Third Field.
 
The RedHawks (15-19, 8-10 MAC) are looking to get back on track after getting swept last weekend at Western Michigan. Miami won 6-4 at Butler on Wednesday.
 
Toledo is third in the MAC standings while Miami sits in seventh place, trailing Eastern Michigan and Kent State by 1.5 games for the final spot in the tournament.
 
LAST WEEKEND
After Friday's matchup was postponed, Grant Umberger pitched 6.0 scoreless innings and Garret Pike went 4-for-5 with three home runs and four RBIs as Toledo blew out the Golden Flashes 12-1 in game one.
 
The Rockets jumped out to a 5-1 lead in Saturday's nightcap. After KSU rallied to tie the game, the Rockets scored two runs each in the seventh and eighth for an 11-7 victory. Jacob Tabor turned in 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to close out the victory.
 
Kent State won the weekend finale in 10 innings, 18-12. The two teams combined for 15 home runs, with KSU hitting 10. Brayden White contributed two home runs on the afternoon for Toledo.
 
TOLEDO'S MAC HITTING LEADERS

• Toledo leads the MAC in home runs (66) and is second in the league in total bases (596).
• Currently, Toledo has four of the top 10 home-run hitters in the league in Pike (14, 2nd), Owen Jackson (11, T-5th), Scott Mackiewicz (9, T-8th) and Luke Walton (9, T-8th).
• UT has two of the top three players in the MAC in slugging percentage – Pike (.696) ranks second and Walton (.692) ranks third. Walton is also third in the league in OPS at 1.137, while Pike is fifth at 1.130.
• Pike is also second in the MAC in total bases (103), tied for second in RBIs (41), fourth in runs scored (38), tied for fourth in hits (53) and 10th in average (.358).
• Walton sits third in the MAC in doubles (12) and eighth in total bases (83).
• Jackson, Mackiewicz and Caden Konczak have each drawn 23 walks, tied for ninth in the MAC.

TOLEDO'S MAC PITCHING LEADERS

• The Rockets hold the top opponent batting average in the conference, with opposing hitters batting just .277.
• Grant Umberger holds a 3.00 ERA, the lowest in the league entering the weekend, and opposing hitters have batted just .200 against him, the second-lowest average among all MAC pitchers.
• Umberger enters the weekend tied for the fewest runs allowed in the league (17) and the second-fewest hits allowed (33). He is ninth in the league with 46 strikeouts.
• Noah Johnson has allowed just 14 walks, tied for seventh-fewest in the MAC.

ROCKET NOTES

• Toledo has won five of its six MAC series this season, including four straight.
• The Rockets have scored 30 or more runs in three series this season, scoring 32 against Western Michigan (March 15-16), 34 against Northern Illinois (March 28-30) and 35 against Kent State (April 13-14).
• Brayden White is on a 15-game hitting streak, batting .451 (28-for-62) and raising his season average from .246 to .344 in that stretch.
• Jacob Tabor has pitched 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit across his last two appearances.
• Grant Umberger has totaled 18.0 innings across his last three starts, giving up just two runs and totaling 20 strikeouts in that span. He was named the MAC Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
• Toledo has hit 28 home runs in its 12 games at Scott Park, averaging 2.33 home runs per game at Scott Park as compared to 1.52 per game at all other venues this season.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS

• Miami is 3-3 in MAC road games in 2024 after sweeping Akron March 28-30 and getting swept by Western Michigan April 12-14.
• Zach McDonald holds a .680 slugging percentage, fifth-highest in the MAC. He has hit 11 home runs, most on the team and tied for fifth in the MAC.
• Ryan Novak has walked 30 times, the most in the conference.
• Carson Byers is tied with Umberger for the fewest runs allowed in the league, giving up 17.
• Miami ranks second in the league with a .975 team fielding percentage.

UP NEXT
Toledo hits the road for five straight games, beginning with a midweek match-up at Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, April 24 followed by a three-game MAC series at Ohio on April 26-28. The Rockets will conclude the road trip at Bowling Green on April 30.