The University of Toledo softball team closed out the regular season on a nice run and enters the Mid-American Conference tournament hope it can carry that into the postseason.
The Rockets won seven of the last 10 games to earn the No. 7 seed in the MAC tournament. They will open against No. 2 seed Kent State at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
"It's a great feeling being here because, with the eight teams in the tournament and the way the MAC has been this year, it's wide open," Toledo coach Joe Abraham said in a news release. "Literally any of the eight teams could win it, and everybody knows that, because almost every game we play in this league is close.”
Toledo finished its season 23-25 overall and 10-9 in the conference.
Rockets sophomore Erin Hunt is the top starting pitcher for Toledo with an 11-11 overall record and a 2.65 ERA in 137⅓ innings pitched. Her .210 batting average against is second-best in the MAC.
Fellow sophomore Maggie McGurk is the second half of Toledo’s pitching duo. In 65⅖ innings pitched, McGurk has a 3.09 ERA and an 8-3 record.
Senior Katie Cozy is the top hitter for Toledo with a .329 batting average, 12 doubles, six home runs, and 30 RBIs this season.
Fellow senior Megan Choate is hitting .307 with 14 doubles, five home runs, and 21 RBIs.
Senior Kaitlyn Bergman provides the power for the Rockets with a team-high nine homers and a .267 batting average. She has nine multi-RBI games.
Toledo will face a tough test as Kent State freshman Andrea Scali takes the circle. Scali has a 2.20 ERA with 19 wins, a .187 opponent batting average, and 227 strikeouts in 162 innings pitched this season. In the regular-season finale, Scali tossed a perfect game against Bowling Green.
Abraham knows it will be a tough matchup, but is confident in his team.
"We've hit some really good pitchers this year, including Florida State's No. 2," Abraham said. "I think our team's pretty confident going into this first game. When we play solid defense like we usually do, we're capable of beating anybody."
First Published May 7, 2019, 6:06 p.m.
