Rockets' baseball season off to an impressive start
3/23/2006The University of Toledo's baseball team is off to one of its better starts in recent seasons, but it remains to be seen if the Rockets are a match for Mother Nature.
UT is 7-6 and has wins over Penn State, Connecticut and Villanova to its credit.
Despite an iffy forecast, the Rockets are slated to open the Mid-American Conference season with a three-game home series against Miami University this weekend at Scott Park.
Weather permitting, UT will play host to Miami tomorrow at 3 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Toledo's pitching staff leads MAC teams with a 3.35 earned-run average. Joe Welsh, who is slated to start tomorrow, is 2-1 with a 1.05 ERA and an opponents' batting average of just .230.
Outfielder Jake Swint leads the Rockets with a .333 batting average while infielder Scott Boley checks in at .311 with a pair of home runs.
UT's game at Dayton yesterday was cancelled due to inclement weather.
BASKETBALL: According to comments by men's coach Stan Joplin in a Q&A posted on the UT athletic Web site, the Rockets will play a tougher non-conference schedule next season in an attempt to improve their RPI ranking.
Joplin said UT will open the 2006-07 season at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands against a field that tentatively includes Villanova, Xavier, Virginia Commonwealth, Middle Tennessee State, and the College of Charleston.
The Rockets will also play in a tournament at Texas El-Paso, Joplin said. The tentative field includes St. Joe's, Jackson State, and host UTEP.
WOMEN'S TRACK: An outdoor meet to be held by UT on April 4 has been re-scheduled for Thursday, April 14 starting with field events at 2 p.m. Competing teams include Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Tiffin.
Contact Dave Hackenberg at:
dhack@theblade.com
or 419-724-6398.