After being selected in the 16th round of the MLB Draft on June 6, Toledo starting pitcher Mike Hamann has signed a professional contract with the Chicago Cubs.

UT pitcher Mike Hamann, courtesy of UT Athletic Department

Hamann, the draft’s 494th overall pick, signed a $100,000 contract with Chicago this week. He was previously selected in the 24th round of the 2009 Draft by the Cleveland Indians, but decided to attend the University of Toledo instead. He was not eligible to re-enter the draft again until after his junior season due to MLB Draft guidelines.

In 2012, Hamann posted a 3-5 record with a 5.80 ERA. He struck out 55 batters in 76 innings while walking 29. The 21-year-old starter from Port Clinton improved late in the season, however, winning two of his last five outings with a 2.16 ERA, striking out 25 and walking five in 29.2 innings.

Hamann was the lone player for the UT baseball team to be selected in the MLB Draft, although quarterback Terrance Owens was surprisingly selected in the 40th round by San Diego despite not playing baseball since his freshman year of high school. Other UT pitchers to sign contracts following the season include Lincoln Rassi and Matt Kuna who signed with the Kansas City Royals and Schaumburg Boomers, respectively.

Tags: Chicago Cubs, Lincoln Rassi, Matt Kuna, Mike Hamann, MLB Draft, Rockets baseball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 at 10:32 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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After winning their first Mid-American Conference West Division championship in the regular season, the Rockets endured a disappointing MAC Tournament, being ousted after losing its first two games. Toledo’s season ended on May 24 in a 4-3 loss to Central Michigan in Avon.

After the loss, the second-seeded Rockets finished the season at 30-27. No. 3 Central Michigan moved to 31-28 on the year with the victory.

Junior center fielder Ben Hammer, courtesy of UT Athletics

Senior starter Matt Kuna gave up three first-inning runs but settled down to throw 7.2 innings, allowing three runs with a career-high 10 strikeouts. First-team All-MAC reliever Lincoln Rassi (3-1, 1.53 ERA) struggled in relief, earning his first loss of the season, giving up one run in the ninth inning as CMU surged ahead 4-3.

Toledo’s offense struggled to score in the tournament, being shut out in the first round and scoring just three unearned runs against the Chippewas. The Rockets racked up five hits against CMU, led by senior center fielder Ben Hammer who went 1 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

Sophomore catcher James Miglin (1 for 3, RBI) and junior third baseman Wes White (1 for 4, RBI) each drove home a run while senior second baseman Joe Corfman (0 for 4, R), and junior left fielder Tyler Grogg each scored once.

The Rockets were held scoreless in the opening game of the series in a 5-0 loss to No. 7 Miami (OH) on May 23.

Tags: Ben Hammer, Central Michigan, James Miglin, Joe Corfman, Lincoln Rassi, MAC Tournament, Matt Kuna, Rockets baseball, Tyler Grogg, Wes White, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2012 at 9:19 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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The Rockets secured the first Mid-American Conference West Division regular season championship in school history on May 18 when they topped Eastern Michigan 5-2 at Scott Park.

Toledo (29-25, 18-8 MAC) eliminated the Eagles (24-28, 14-12) from contention for the title the previous day and went into the game just one game ahead of Central Michigan. A victory over EMU combined with a Chippewas loss, however, clinched the first ever championship for the Rockets.

“Our guys played really well today with a really complete game,” UT head coach Cory Mee said. “It was a big win for us.”

“It’s amazing,” senior starter Matt Kuna said. “It’s what I came here to do when I signed five years ago. Doing that today is just a lot of fun to say that I was a part of it.”

Leading UT to victory was Kuna (7-1, 2.51 ERA) who stifled Eagles hitters all day on his way to earning his team-leading seventh victory of the year. The senior threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out five.

“Matt was outstanding,” Mee said. “He did exactly what he does, filling the strike zone up, and really puts the pressure on the hitters. I just love the way he pitches, and I think our guys love playing behind him, too.”

With a 5-0 lead going into the ninth, the game got a bit more interesting as Eastern Michigan got to senior reliever Alex Radon, who left the game, giving up two runs in 1.1 innings. Junior Cody Umbright, however, sealed the contest, getting the next two batters out to secure the title for Toledo.

At the plate, junior designated hitter Matt Delewski went 2 for 4 while crossing the plate twice and driving in one. Freshman shortstop Nate Langhals (1 for 2, 2 RBI) drove home a team-high two runs while senior second baseman Joe Corfman (2 for 4, RBI) and sophomore catcher James Miglin (2 for 4, R) each recorded a pair of hits.

With the title secured, the Rockets will finish off the three-game series against EMU looking for the sweep at 1 p.m. May 19. Junior starter Mike Hamann (2-5, 6.08 ERA) will take the mound looking to bring Toledo its sixth straight conference victory.

Tags: Alex Radon, Cody Umbright, Cory Mee, Eastern Michigan, James Miglin, Joe Corfma, Matt Delewski, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Nate Langhals, Rockets baseball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 at 6:04 pm and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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The Rockets jumped out to a 12-2 run on the road and remained atop the Mid-American Conference West Division with a 16-8 win over Bowling Green on May 12.

Toledo is now 26-24 on the season with a 15-8 record in MAC play. They lead Central Michigan (27-25, 14-9 MAC), which has won nine straight games, by one game and Eastern Michigan (23-25, 13-10) by two. The Rockets have just four games against league opponents remaining, including a three-game series at home against the Eagles beginning on May 17.

UT senior first baseman Mark Lapikas, courtesy of UT Athletic Department

Despite a rare poor performance from senior starter Matt Kuna, the Rockets hitters still managed to pull the team to a victory. Kuna (6-1, 2.78 ERA), who entered the game leading the MAC with a 2.09 ERA, gave up a season-high seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 4.1 innings of work. In his eight previous starts this year, Kuna had never given up more than three runs.

Senior reliever Alex Radon (1-5, 6.40 ERA) picked up his first win of the season giving up one run over 2.2 innings before junior Cody Umbright finished the game with two scoreless innings.

A day after racking up 14 hits and nine runs, the UT offense continued to roll, recording a season-high in both runs (16) and hits (19).

Senior first baseman Mark Lapikas (4 for 5, 2 R, 2 RBI) paced the team with a career-high four hits and has recorded a hit in eight consecutive contests.

Sophomore catcher James Miglin (2 for 3, 4 R, RBI) crossed the plate four times while junior designated hitter Matt Delewski (2 for 4, R, 3 RBI) and junior third baseman Wes White (1 for 3, 3 RBI) each drove home three. Senior second baseman Joe Corfman (3 for 5, 2 R, RBI) and junior center fielder Ben Hammer (3 for 6, 2 R, RBI) also recorded multihit efforts.

After securing the series victory, Toledo will look to sweep the Falcons at 1 p.m. May 13. Junior starter Mike Hamann (2-5, 6.51 ERA) will take the hill looking for his third win in five starts.

Tags: Alex Radon, Ben Hammer, Cody Umbright, James Miglin, Joe Corfman, Mark Lapikas, Matt Delewski, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Rockets baseball, Wes White

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 13th, 2012 at 1:29 pm and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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After losing its series opener to Buffalo, the Rockets evened the series on May 5 with a 3-0 victory over the Bulls at Scott Park.

Toledo’s pitching stifled UB as the Rockets remained a game up on Eastern Michigan for first place in the Mid-American Conference’s West Division at 24-22 with a 13-7 record in league play. With the loss, the Bulls dropped to 13-30 on the year and 6-13 in the MAC.

Starter Matt Kuna (6-1, 2.09 ERA) led the charge, throwing seven shutout innings, giving up just three hits with three strikeouts, moving his record to 6-1 on the season. He is tied with junior Ryan Wilkinson with a team-high six wins. Classmate Lincoln Rassi threw two scoreless innings to finish off the game, lowering his squad-best ERA to 1.63 in 2012.

At the plate, first baseman Mark Lapikas (2 for 4, R) and second baseman Joe Corfman (2 for 5, R) led the way with a pair of hits and a run scored. Freshman shortstop Nate Langhals also went 2 for 3 at the plate, collecting a run and an RBI.

The Rockets will look to win their fourth straight series at 1 p.m. on May 6 in the rubber match against Buffalo. Junior starter Mike Hamann (2-4, 6.41 ERA) will get the call, looking for his third straight quality start and his third win in four outings.

Tags: Buffalo, Joe Corfman, Lincoln Rassi, Mark Lapikas, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Nate Langhals, Rockets baseball, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at 10:18 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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Toledo stretched out its lead in the Mid-American Conference West Division after sweeping both games of a doubleheader against Ball State on April 29 at Scott Park.

The Rockets moved to 23-21 with the wins with a 12-6 record in league play. They are now two games ahead of Eastern Michigan (19-23, 10-8 MAC) for first place in the West and three games behind Kent State for the overall conference lead.

In the first game of the day, starter Matt Kuna shut down the Cardinals to collect his fifth win of the season in a 3-1 victory.

UT freshman third baseman Anthony Smith, taken by Vincent D. Scebbi

Kuna (5-1, 2.36 ERA) stifled Ball State, allowing just one run on four hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work. The senior starter is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his last four starts this season.

Senior Lincoln Rassi took over where Kuna left off and threw three scoreless innings to collect his third save of the season. Rassi, who has a team-low 1.75 ERA this season out of the bullpen, has given up just one run in his last eight appearances spanning 16.1 innings.

At the plate, Toledo racked up just six hits but managed to score three runs for the victory. Freshman left fielder Anthony Smith was the lone player with a multihit game, going 2 for 3 at the plate with a run scored. Freshman right fielder Dan Zuchowski (1 for 4, R) and senior first baseman Mark Lapikas (1 for 4, R) each crossed the plate once while senior catcher James Miglin (0 for 3, RBI) and freshman shortstop Nate Langhals (0 for 1, RBI) each drove home a run.

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Rockets had a much easier time with BSU as they cruised to a 10-3 victory.

Toledo got a much needed quality start from Mike Hamann for the second straight game. The junior, who has struggled all season, allowed just one unearned run on three hits with five strikeouts in seven innings. Hamann has given up just one earned run in his last two starts after allowing 26 runs in the previous four games.

Senior Tyler Scott relieved Hamann and gave up two runs in the eighth inning, his first outing surrendering a run in his last six appearances. Junior Cody Umbright finished up the game with a scoreless ninth frame.

Zuchowski led the way offensively, going 2 for 4 at the plate while scoring twice and driving home three. Senior second baseman Joe Corfman (1 for 3, 2 R) and Langhals (2 for 4, 2 R, RBI) each crossed the plate twice while senior designated hitter Matt Delewski (2 for 4, 2 RBI) and junior third baseman Wes White (2 for 5, 2 RBI) each racked up two RBI.

With semester exams this week, the Rockets won’t play again until the weekend when they host Buffalo (12-27, 5-12 MAC) in a three-game series beginning at 3 p.m. May 4.

Tags: Anthony Smith, Ball State, Cody Umbright, Dan Zuchowski, doubleheader, James Miglin, Joe Corfman, Lincoln Rassi, Mark Lapikas, Matt Delewski, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Mike Hamann, Nate Langhals, Rockets baseball, Tyler Scott, Wes White, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2012 at 8:46 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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Toledo starter Matt Kuna stifled Northern Illinois hitters all day long as the Rockets grabbed a 5-1 victory in DeKalb on April 21. UT improved to 19-20 on the year with an 8-6 record in Mid-American Conference play, one game back of MAC West leader Eastern Michigan.

In a career-best 8.1 innings of work, Kuna allowed just one unearned run on five hits while also striking out seven against the Huskies (11-26, 5-9 MAC). The senior moved to 4-1 on the season and leads all UT starters with a 2.47 ERA.

Senior Tyler Scott finished off the game throwing 0.2 scoreless innings for his first save of the season.

At the plate, Toledo’s first two batters in the lineup recorded six of the team’s 10 hits. Senior second baseman Joe Corfman went 2 for 3 with one run and one RBI, while freshman left fielder Dan Zuchowski recorded four hits in his five at bats and drove home three.

The Rockets will try for the sweep over Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. April 22. Struggling junior starter Mike Hamann, with a 1-4 record and 8.16 ERA this year, will take the mound trying to turn around his season. Hamann has allowed more than six runs in each of his last four starts.

Tags: Dan Zuchowski, Joe Corfman, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Northern Illinois, Rockets baseball, Tyler Scott, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 at 9:10 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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While trying to extend its season-long winning streak to five games, the Rockets gave up four runs in the ninth inning and lost 6-5 to Western Michigan at Scott Park on April 14.

Toledo dropped to 16-19 on the season with a 5-6 record in Mid-American Conference play, while the Broncos moved to 16-16 on the year with a 6-4 league record.

James Miglin, photo courtesy of UT athletics

Rockets senior Alex Radon got the call in the ninth for the save opportunity and gave up four runs on four hits while walking one in the inning. With the loss, Radon drops to 0-5 on the season with an 8.25 ERA.

The blown save ruined Matt Kuna’s start, as the senior threw six innings of two-run baseball (one earned) allowing five hits while striking out four. Kuna was looking for his team-leading fourth win on the year, owning a 3-1 record and 3.00 ERA in 2012.

Senior Tyler Scott and junior Cody Umbright bridged the gap between Kuna and Radon, pitching two scoreless innings of relief.

Junior third baseman Wes White and sophomore catcher James Miglin each led the Rockets at the plate with three hits in four at bats, while Miglin also recorded a team-high three runs scored. Freshman left fielder Anthony Smith (1 for 3, R, 2 RBI) and senior first baseman Mark Lapikas (1 for 3, 2 RBI) drove in two runs for UT.

Toledo will look to win the rubber match of the series at 1 p.m. April 15 at Scott Park. Junior starter Mike Hamann is scheduled to start and is still looking for his first win of the season, owning an 0-4 record and 7.88 ERA on the year.

Tags: Alex Radon, Anthony Smith, Cody Umbright, James Miglin, Mark Lapikas, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Rockets baseball, Tyler Scott, Wes White, Western Michigan, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 15th, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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Toledo lost its sixth straight game on April 7 in a 7-3 loss in Mount Pleasant to Mid-American Conference foe Central Michigan.

The Rockets (12-18, 3-5 MAC) received a solid start from senior Matt Kuna (3-1, 3.27 ERA) but could not hold off the Chippewas (14-17, 5-3) who tagged him with his first loss of the season. Kuna threw six innings of three-run baseball (two earned) while striking out five.

Trailing 3-1 entering the seventh inning, UT’s relievers couldn’t hold down the Chippewas offense. Central Michigan scored two in each of the final two innings off of Tyler Scott and Andrew Marra to run away with a 7-3 victory.

After collecting just four hits in the series opener, Toledo didn’t do much better on its second attempt at the CMU pitching staff. The Rockets had just five hits in the game, led by senior second baseman Joe Corfman’s 2-for-3 effort.

Senior center fielder Ben Hammer and designated hitter Matt Delewski each went 1 for 4 with Delewski crossing the plate once. Freshman shortstop Dan Zuchowski (1 for 2, R, RBI) was the lone Rocket to drive home a run.

Toledo will look to avoid both a sweep and extending its losing streak to seven games when it wraps up its weekend series at 1 p.m. April 8 against Central Michigan. Junior starter Mike Hamann (0-4, 7.13 ERA) will take the hill looking for his first win of the season.

Tags: Andrew Marra, Ben Hammer, Central Michigan, Dan Zuchowski, Joe Corfman, Matt Delewski, Matt Kuna, Mid-American Conference, Rockets baseball, Tyler Scott, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 8th, 2012 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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In their second three-game series of Mid-American Conference play, Toledo split the first two games in a doubleheader in Oxford against Miami (OH) on March 31.

With the split the Rockets moved to 12-13 on the season with a 3-2 record in league play while the RedHawks are 14-12 and 2-3 in the MAC.

Matt Delewski, photo by Zach Davis

The first game continued from the previous day after it was suspended in the fourth inning due to lightning, tied at six. The Rockets pitchers shut down Miami the rest of the way and took a 7-6 victory in the series opener.

Toledo’s Michael Hamann allowed six runs on seven hits in three innings before the contest was postponed as his ERA moved to 7.13 on the year.

Ryan Wilkinson (3-1, 2.45 ERA) stepped in for Hamann the next day and recorded the win. The junior made quick work of the RedHawks, giving up just one hit with four strikeouts in five scoreless innings. Junior Cody Umbright recorded the first two outs of the ninth inning before giving way to freshman Andrew Marra to record his third consecutive one-out save of the season and fourth overall.

Freshman third baseman Anthony Smith had a game-high four hits in five at bats and crossed the plate twice. Junior designated hitter Matt Delewski (2 for 5, R, 3 RBI) had a pair of hits while driving in three.

In the second game of the day, UT tied the game in the seventh inning before Miami responded with two runs in the eighth inning to win 5-3.

Senior Matt Kuna made his third start of the year and gave up three runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings of work. Classmate Alex Radon kept the game close with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief before senior Tyler Scott was tagged with his first loss of the year after two runs in his lone frame.

Delewski continued to hit well on the day, going 3 for 4 at the plate. Delewski’s five combined hits on the day moved his batting average from .231 to .279 on the season.

Junior left fielder Tyler Grogg (2 for 2, 2 BB) had a pair of hits and walks for the Rockets while sophomore catcher James Miglin (1 for 4, RBI) recorded the team’s only RBI.

Both teams will look to earn the series victory in the rubber match at 1 p.m. April 1.

Tags: Alex Radon, Andrew Marra, Anthony Smith, Cody Umbright, James Miglin, Matt Delewski, Matt Kuna, Miami (OH), Michael Hamann, Mid-American Conference, Rockets baseball, Ryan Wilkinson, Tyler Grogg, Tyler Scott, Zach Davis

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 1st, 2012 at 11:36 am and is filed under Baseball, College sports, Sports.
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