Saturday, May 23
Avon, Ohio
6:00 p.m.
University of Toledo
32-29
1
vs
5
Northern Illinois
35-17
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Illinois | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Toledo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cooper Cohn (2-0)
L: Giesige, Cole (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Cole Smith 1 ; Marcus Romero 1
3B: Wyatt Wawro 1
HR: Gavin Baldwin 1
RBI: Cole Smith 2 ; Gavin Baldwin 3
SH: Wyatt Wawro 1
SF: Cole Smith 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wyatt Wawro 1 ; Nolan Sandee 1 ; Gavin Baldwin 1 ; Caden Robertson 1 ; Charlie Parcell 1
SB: Cole Smith 1 ; Nolan Sandee 1
HBP: Gavin Baldwin 1
Batting:
RBI: Sudbrook, Troy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Walton, Luke 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
Redshirt junior Luke Walton reached base three times in the MAC Championship game against Northern Illinois.
Photo by: David Dermer
Rockets' MAC Tournament Run Concludes in 5-1 Championship Game Defeat to Northern Illinois
5/23/2026 9:54:00 PM | Baseball
Toledo finishes 2026 season with 32-29 record, wins 32 games for third time in five years
AVON, Ohio – The Toledo baseball team concluded its 2026 season in the MAC Tournament championship game, falling to Northern Illinois, 5-1 at ForeFront Field on Saturday night.
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Toledo appeared in the tournament title game for the second-straight season and fourth time in program history. Toledo concludes its season with a 32-29 record, the third time in the last five seasons with at least 32 wins.
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The appearance also marked Toledo Athletics' fifth trip to the conference championship game in the 2025-26 athletics year. The baseball program joined the volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball and women's tennis programs with tonight's championship game appearance. The five appearances in this athletic year are the most in the MAC.
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Both teams scored in the third inning to tie the game, 1-1. The Huskies took the lead in the fourth on a solo home run. Then, NIU tacked on two key insurance runs in the seventh inning and another in the ninth inning for the final margin.
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Offensively, redshirt junior Troy Sudbrook went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, finishing his program-record season with 71 RBIs. Junior Luke Walton went 1-for-2 with two walks and scored.
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Senior Cole Giesige started and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Sophomore Braden Curry worked the final 4.2 frames, with three runs allowed on three hits and 10 strikeouts. The 10 strikeouts were a career high.
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Starting pitchers Michael Fliss and Nathan Leininger, and infielder Troy Sudbrook were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
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Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"I'm very proud of this team for what they accomplished this season, highlighted by some special personal seasons by numerous players, more school records falling and overall team success. That's two years in a row we have been in the championship game. The foundation for this program is extremely strong and I have no doubt that our time to be champions is very soon."
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Top Rocket Hitters
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Toledo appeared in the tournament title game for the second-straight season and fourth time in program history. Toledo concludes its season with a 32-29 record, the third time in the last five seasons with at least 32 wins.
Â
The appearance also marked Toledo Athletics' fifth trip to the conference championship game in the 2025-26 athletics year. The baseball program joined the volleyball, women's basketball, men's basketball and women's tennis programs with tonight's championship game appearance. The five appearances in this athletic year are the most in the MAC.
Â
Both teams scored in the third inning to tie the game, 1-1. The Huskies took the lead in the fourth on a solo home run. Then, NIU tacked on two key insurance runs in the seventh inning and another in the ninth inning for the final margin.
Â
Offensively, redshirt junior Troy Sudbrook went 1-for-4 with an RBI single, finishing his program-record season with 71 RBIs. Junior Luke Walton went 1-for-2 with two walks and scored.
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Senior Cole Giesige started and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Sophomore Braden Curry worked the final 4.2 frames, with three runs allowed on three hits and 10 strikeouts. The 10 strikeouts were a career high.
Â
Starting pitchers Michael Fliss and Nathan Leininger, and infielder Troy Sudbrook were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
Â
Quoting Head Coach Rob Reinstetle
"I'm very proud of this team for what they accomplished this season, highlighted by some special personal seasons by numerous players, more school records falling and overall team success. That's two years in a row we have been in the championship game. The foundation for this program is extremely strong and I have no doubt that our time to be champions is very soon."
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Top Rocket Hitters
- Luke Walton – 1-for-2, 1 run, 2 BB
- Troy Sudbrook – 1-for-4, 1 RBI
- Cole Giesige (L, 0-4) – 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 Ks
- Braden Curry – 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 Ks
- Northern Illinois put two runners on to start the third, then brought home a run on a sac fly for a 1-0 lead.
- Toledo responded in the bottom half of the third, with Luke Walton and Ryan Sudbrook connecting on back-to-back singles. Then, Troy Sudbrook brought home Walton on an RBI single to tie the game, 1-1.
- Gavin Baldwin homered to left field to give NIU a 2-1 lead in the fourth.
- A two-run, two-out single extended Northern Illinois' lead to 4-1 in the seventh.
- The Rockets put two runners on to bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but a flyout ended the inning.
- An RBI bunt single added another run in the ninth.
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