ROCHESTER, Mich. – In what will be their seventh home game against a Mid-American Conference (MAC) school this season, the Golden Grizzlies will battle the Toledo Rockets at 2:30 p.m. at the Oakland Baseball Field on Tuesday, May 9 in a tilt that will air live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Winning the final two of their weekend set with the Milwaukee Panthers at Franklin Field from May 5-7 and strengthening their hold on third place in the Horizon League standings, the Golden Grizzlies will enter Tuesday at 21-27 (13-11).

Toledo won a series on the road last weekend themselves, sweeping the Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb, and will bring a 23-24 (11-13) record into play, good for sixth in the 11-team MAC.

GAME SETUP

• Who – Oakland (21-27, 13-11 Horizon League) vs. Toledo (23-24, 11-13 MAC)
• When – Tuesday, May 9 at 2:30 p.m.
• Where – Rochester, Michigan (Oakland Baseball Field)
• Watch – ESPN+ (subscription required)
• Live Stats – GoldenGrizzlies.com
• Twitter – @OaklandBSB & @ToledoBaseball

SERIES HISTORY

• Overall Record – Toledo leads, 9-4 (2001-19)
• Record in Rochester – Oakland leads, 4-1 (2001-11)
• Current Streak – Toledo W3 (2012-19)

SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS

• Oakland – Junior LHP Jake Matthaidess: 16 games (4 starts), 1-0, 11.07 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, .360 BAA, 20.1 IP, 32 H, 25 ER, 16 BB, 15 SO
• Toledo – TBA

OAKLAND OVERVIEW

• Sophomore third baseman Brandon Nigh went 6-12 (.500) in the series with Milwaukee, recording two hits and a double in each contest
• Matthaidess is becoming the Golden Grizzlies' go-to starting pitcher when facing MAC schools, as he also started the games against the Eastern Michigan Eagles on April 16, Central Michigan Chippewas on April 25 and Bowling Green Falcons on May 3
• Redshirt senior shortstop Thomas Green, who paces the club with 32 RBI, went deep in each of the final two games with the Panthers, making him the first Oakland player to reach double-digit home runs in 2023
• Graduate student first baseman Gabe Lux has hit safely in five consecutive games, including four-straight multiple-hit performances from April 30-May 6, raising his season batting average by 29 points to .309 (47-152) over this span

TOLEDO OVERVIEW

• In his fourth season at the helm, the Rockets are led by head coach Rob Reinstetle, a Columbus, Ohio native and former Western Kentucky Hilltoppers assistant
• One of two Toledo student-athletes to play in all 47 games thus far and the team's leadoff man, Archbold, Ohio junior shortstop Jeron Williams is hitting a jump-off-the-page .405 (83-205), the second-best mark in the MAC, with 14 doubles and nine home runs
• Waterville, Ohio sophomore right fielder Garret Pike, Westerville, Ohio catcher Brayden White, a fellow sophomore, and Chicago, Illinois senior left fielder Mason Sykes, the Rockets' 2-3-4 hitters, are all also hitting above .300, entering Tuesday at .321, .309 and .302, respectively
• While his batting average is a rather pedestrian .244 and he has struck out 62 times in 46 games, Kankakee, Illinois left-handed sophomore designated hitter Owen Jackson is a dangerous bat in the middle of the Toledo lineup, having blasted 16 home runs this season, the second-highest total in the conference