Toledo Looks to Continue Their Climb Up the MAC Ladder

The Toledo softball team opens the 2025 season on Friday, Feb. 7 in Columbia, S.C.

Toledo Looks to Continue Their Climb Up the MAC Ladder

2/5/2025 2:01:00 PM | Softball

Seven starters return for the Rockets, who were picked to finish third in the MAC in 2025

TOLEDO, Ohio – Head Coach Jessica Bracamonte and the Toledo softball program are looking to take another step forward in 2025 and continue building on the success they have had over the past two seasons.

Toledo followed up a 21-win season in 2023, Bracamonte's first as head coach, with an appearance in the 2024 Mid-American Conference Championship, its first postseason appearance since 2019. The Rockets earned the No. 4 seed after posting a 15-10 mark in conference play. They also finished the season ranked second in the league in batting with a .303 team average, third in fielding with a 0.964 percentage and fourth in pitching with a team ERA of 3.72.

The Rockets have even higher goals set for this season. In the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Toledo was selected to finish third with one first-place vote and one vote for tournament champion. This marks their best preseason ranking in program history.

With the momentum of last season behind them, a core group of veterans returning and a large freshmen class are prepared to take on the 2025 campaign.

"To say that I am excited about the upcoming season would be an understatement," said Bracamonte. "We have a great set of pre-season tournaments lined up to help prepare us for conference play. This group has been working extremely hard from day one and I'm really looking forward to finally being able to watch that hard work pay off on the field.

"This is a squad that shows up every day, takes care of the little things, plays for each other, and does what they say they're going to do. Between the core of our starting lineup returning and the addition of some extremely talented underclassmen to the order, this is going to be an incredibly fun group to watch. They are eager and determined to continue raising the bar of what Toledo Softball is capable of and I can't wait to watch them compete and do just that."

Four position players return as starters for their senior season, with all playing 44 or more games last season. Shortstop Eli Enriquez and 2024 First Team All-MAC second baseman Sidey Griffith saw action in all 49 games during the 2024 campaign. Outfielder Kendra VanderLugt played and started in 48 games while catcher Maris Barbato started 42 games and played in 44 games.

"The entire middle of the field from our catcher all the way out to center field is our core group of returning starters," Bracamonte explained. "Maris played a pivotal role and was extremely solid for us behind the plate for us last year and we are looking for her to do this same this year. Eli and Sidney up the middle is tough for any offense to beat. They work so well together and are seasoned vets who do a great job leading the defense. Kendra will be back in the outfield for us this year. She did an incredible job learning and exceling at a brand-new position last year, we are excited to have her back out there."

Three starting pitchers from last season return to the circle for the Rockets. Senior Sophia Knight had a staff-best 3.18 ERA through 35 appearances. Senior Kylee Graham was second on the team with a 4.20 ERA in 27 games played. Joining Knight and Graham is 2024 MAC All-Freshman Team honoree Mady Yackee.

"All three of our starting pitchers have returned which is very exciting and will be a huge advantage for us," said Bracamonte. "Each of them offers experience, confidence, and a variety of looks that will play well for us again this season."

The Rockets welcome eight freshmen into the fold for the 2025 campaign, including three infielders, one pitcher, two outfielders and two utility players.

"Payton Abiley and Samantha Bolding are two freshmen who will have a tremendous impact in our lineup on both sides of the ball," Bracamonte said. "They came in with experience playing at a high level and have shown they have what it takes to contribute to the on-field success we will have this year."

The following is a look at the Rockets by position:

Infielders
Toledo's deep core of infielders is led by seniors Eli Enriquez at shortstop and 2024 First Team All-MAC honoree Sidney Griffith at second base. Enriquez led the team in batting average last season, hitting .385 with 38 runs, six triples and a MAC-leading 34 stolen bases. Griffith was second on the squad with a .372 batting average to go along with 32 runs and 24 RBIs.

Other returning infielders include juniors Grace O'Malley and Larren Rounds and sophomore Jenna Bloomfield. O'Malley saw action in 26 games throughout her sophomore campaign, scoring eight runs, crossing the plate in all three games of the MAC Tournament.

Also in the position group are freshmen Payton Abiley, Payton Pudlowski and Alexis Shepherd. Abiley earned second-team all-conference her senior season and played travel ball with the ai Bandits in Washington. Pudlowski earned all-state and all-region honors as well as a pair of all-league and all-district honors during her high school career at Bedford High School in Temperance, Mich. Shepherd comes to Toledo from Gaylord, Mich. where she earned First-Team All-BNC, second-team all-district and regional honorable mention throughout her career.

Outfielders
Senior right fielder Kendra VanderLugt returns after starting 48 games in 2024 campaign, hitting .336 with 45 hits and 33 RBIs. The senior had a .493 slugging percentage which ranked third on the team.

VanderLugt is joined by sophomores Maggie Roh, Reis Sjoholm, and Eliza Maloney. Sjoholm saw action in 35 games, scoring 11 runs to go with five stolen bases while Maloney appeared in 19 games during the 2024 season, scoring five runs.

The four veterans are joined by freshmen Audrey Miller and Jayleigh Thomas. Miller is from Hartville, Ohio and was a three-time all-state, first-team all-district and first-team all-conference honoree while helping the Marlington High School team to two district championships in 2021 and 2023. Thomas hails from Miamisburg, Ohio where she earned first-team and second-team all-conference honors, the 2022 Golden Glove Award and recorded over 106 hits and 40 stolen bases during her career.

Pitchers
The Rockets have four pitchers who saw action last season, with seniors Sophia Knight and Kylee Graham returning after serving as the two main pitchers on staff in 2024. Knight tallied 163.0 innings pitched over 35 games and recorded 112 strikeouts with a 3.18 ERA, good for 10^th in the conference and an overall record of 15-12. Graham tossed 106.2 innings over 27 games to go with a 4.20 ERA.

MAC All-Freshman Team honoree Mady Yackee returns for her sophomore season with the Rockets. Yackee appeared in 15 games and made seven starts while compiling a 4-3 record and combining for a perfect game with Knight. The sophomore had a 3.96 ERA and tossed two complete games and recorded 42 strikeouts. Junior Madison McKay appeared in three games in the circle and had one start.

Reese Poston is the lone freshman on the pitching staff. Poston was a first-team all-state and two-time all-state honorable mention and 2023 OCC Player of the Year selection, while also earning four First Team All-OCC, all-district honors.

Catchers
Senior Maris Barbato returns behind the plate for the second consecutive season after starting 42 contests a year ago. She finished the season with a .265 average with a career-best 30 hits. Barbato drove in 17 runs and tallied three stolen bases.

Emma Ody also returns for her sophomore season with the Rockets.

Utility Players
The Rockets have two utility players on the roster, freshmen Samantha Bolding and Marissa Warren.

Bracamonte believes Bolding could have a big impact this season. Bolding led Eastern Hancock High School in Greenfield, Ind. in RBIs, runs scored, steals, batting average, on-base percentage and career home runs. She earned all-state honors three times and was named an Underclassmen All-American in 2022.

Warren is a freshman from Big Rapids, Mich. where she led her high school in runs, hits, RBIs, batting average and on-base percentage for three seasons. In addition, Warren broke the school and career record for batting average and home runs in a single season while collecting all-conference, all-district, all-regional and silver slugger honors each year.

Schedule
Toledo begins its season with five non-conference tournaments, beginning at the Gamecock Invitational on Friday, Feb. 7 in Columbia, S.C. The Rockets open MAC play at Scott Park on Friday, March 14 against Western Michigan.