Rockets Sweep Major Pitching Awards; Earn Eight Total MAC Postseason Selections

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team took both major Mid-American Conference pitching awards and totaled eight postseason honors, the league announced ahead of the start of the MAC Tournament on Wednesday.

Rocket senior Nathan Leininger was named the MAC Pitcher of the Year and freshman Hayden Frey was named the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Leininger, junior Charlie Scholvin and redshirt junior Troy Sudbrook each took First Team All-MAC honors, Frey and freshman Liam Arsich were tabbed Second Team All-MAC, while Sudbrook also earned an All-Defensive Team nod at third base.

The pitching awards marked the fifth major league award under Head Coach Rob Reinstetle and the second-straight season in which Toledo has earned the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year distinction (Brady Sasse, 2025). Three of the program's four all-time major pitching awards have come under Reinstetle.

Leininger became the ace of the starting rotation this season and dazzled with an 8-1 record in 14 starts, a 2.90 earned run average, a .208 opponent average, 87.0 innings pitched and 82 strikeouts to 33 walks. Leininger allowed just 12 extra base hits for the regular season, fewer than one per start. Leininger ranks first in the MAC in ERA, opponent average and innings pitched and second in wins and strikeouts. The Powell, Ohio native pitched at least 7.0 innings in five starts and struck out at least eight batters four times. He earned the win in seven consecutive starts between Feb. 28 and April 10.

Frey made an immediate impact after moving into the rotation in March, with a 6-3 record, a 3.72 ERA, a .224 opponent average and 62 strikeouts to 24 walks in 72.2 innings. He appeared in 14 games with 10 starts on the season. Frey is fifth in the league in ERA, sixth in the league in opposing average and 10th in innings pitched. Frey threw 7.0 or more innings four times and piled up at least eight strikeouts three times. He won three-straight starts between April 25 and May 9.

Both Leininger and Frey received weekly MAC pitching honors this season. Leininger was selected as the MAC Pitcher of the Week after throwing 8.0 innings, not allowing an earned run and totaling 10 strikeouts in a March 20 win over Central Michigan. On April 25, Frey stunned Bowling Green in the Battle of I-75 with a one-hitter through 8.0 innings, with eight strikeouts to one walk in a Rockets' victory. He was then named the MAC Co-Pitcher of the Week.

Sudbrook is coming off a record-setting regular season. The Avon, Ohio native is slashing .367/.466/.660 with 9 home runs, 66 RBIs, 60 runs scored and 32 doubles entering MAC Tournament play. The 32 doubles leads all of Division I. Sudbrook has already broke single-season program records in doubles and RBIs. He leads the MAC in doubles, ranks second in RBIs and is third in OPS (1.126) and hits (47). Nationally, Sudbrook also sits tied for 26th in RBIs and 36th in hits. He has 27 multi-hit games in 55 contests this season.

Sudbrook also established himself as one of the top defensive third basemen in the league, with a .945 fielding percentage on 145 chances this season. He earned two MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors for his performances on the field combined with academic success.

Scholvin started every game at shortstop, hitting .374 with a .507 on-base percentage, 77 hits, 47 RBIs, 64 runs scored, 16 doubles and four home runs. He was walked or been hit by a pitch 59 times to just 20 strikeouts. Scholvin also stole a team-leading 24 bases, going 24-for-28 on swipes. Scholvin's 31 hit by pitches leads the MAC and is tied for third in the country. He is also second in the MAC in runs scored, fourth in the MAC in hits and stolen bases, fifth in on-base percentage and eighth in average. The Lewis Center, Ohio native tallied 27 multi-hit games, tied with Sudbrook for the most on the team. Defensively, Scholvin totaled a .966 fielding percentage from the shortstop position. Scholvin also earned his first MAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor of his career on May 6.

Arsich is hitting .340 this season with 65 hits, five home runs, 38 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 15 doubles and 15 stolen bases. He tallied 18 multi-hit outings in 49 games during the regular season and has a 13-game hitting streak entering the conference tournament. Arsich went 4-for-6 for a season high in hits against Bowling Green on April 26, including the game-winning two-run single in the ninth inning. Arsich also played an error-free season in center field.

The Rockets (29-27, 21-12 MAC) played their way to a No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament, their second top-three league finish in the last five years. The Rockets open the MAC Tournament on Wednesday, May 20 against Ball State.

Toledo 2026 MAC Postseason Honors
Pitcher of the Year – Nathan Leininger
Freshman Pitcher of the Year – Hayden Frey
First Team All-MAC – Nathan Leininger, Charlie Scholvin, Troy Sudbrook
Second Team All-MAC – Liam Arsich, Hayden Frey
MAC All-Defensive Team – Troy Sudbrook

Major MAC Awards Under Rob Reinstetle
Chris Meyers – Player of the Year (2021)
Jeron Williams – Player of the Year (2023)
Brady Sasse – Freshman Pitcher of the Year (2025)
Nathan Leininger – Pitcher of the Year (2026)
Hayden Frey – Freshman Pitcher of the Year (2026)

Players Mentioned

Liam Arsich

Hayden Frey

Nathan Leininger

Brady Sasse

Charlie Scholvin

Troy Sudbrook