TOLEDO, OH - Mid-American Conference West Division leader Toledo (18-15, 7-2 MAC) will look to remain atop the league standings this weekend, April 15-17, with a three-game series at arch-rival Bowling Green (11-18, 5-4 MAC). The opening pitch from Warren Steller Field on Friday is slated for 3:00 p.m., while Saturday's and Sunday's contest will commence at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's game will also be broadcast via tape delay on BCSN.
The Rockets are in the midst of an 11-game win streak, their longest unbeaten stretch in the program's history over the last 30 years, including midweek victories against Lake Erie College on Tuesday, 7-6, and Michigan on Wednesday, 3-1.
A key factor in Toledo's win streak has been its pitching. UT has yielded two runs or less on six of the 11 contests during its unbeaten stretch and on 10 occasions this spring. For the season, the Rockets are sporting an impressive 3.25 ERA, third-best in the conference. Individually, sophomore RHP Mike Hamann is third in the league in ERA (1.72) and has worked 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings, giving up only 10 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts during his last two starts.
On the mound, Head Coach Cory Mee expects Hamann (2-2, 1.72 ERA, 57.2 IP, 43 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 7 BB, 50 K) and junior LHP Kyle Shaw (4-1, 3.54 ERA, 48.1 IP, 50 H, 21 R, 19 ER, 11 BB, 21 K) to start on Friday and Saturday against the arch-rival Falcons, while junior RHP Lincoln Rassi (1-4, 5.92 ERA, 38.0 IP, 53 H, 31 R, 25 ER, 12 BB, 30 K) will draw the start on Sunday in the series finale.
Offensively, junior OF Ben Hammer is leading the squad with a .358 average, sixth-best in the MAC, while senior INF Chris Dudics is second with a .296 mark. During its win streak, sophomore INF Wes White is pacing the team with a .469 batting average, while Hammer is a close second hitting at a .452 clip.
A season ago, UT lost all three games against BGSU at Scott Park by scores of 20-15, 8-7 and 4-2. The Rockets tallied a .294 (32-for-109) batting average with a 9.33 ERA in the three-game sweep, while the Falcons finished with a .357 (40-for-112) batting average and an 8.00 ERA.
Bowling Green enters tomorrow's cross-division showdown having lost six of its last eight games, most recently dropping a 13-2 decision to Dayton on Wednesday. Jon Berti leads the team with a .385 average and has notched 35 hits, scored 18 runs, belted four triples and driven in 14 runs. On the mound, BGSU has a 5.53 ERA and opponents are batting .301 against the Falcons.
Following this weekend's action, Toledo will battle Notre Dame on Tuesday, April 19 on the road at 5:35 p.m.
