The Rocket Liftoff Podcast

The University of Toledo Volleyball team made history when it accepted an invitation to play in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship....marking the first time the program has ever played in the post season. With the bulk of the roster returning next Fall, expectations are high. Coach Jason Oliver joins Brent Balbinot to recap one of the most successful seasons in school history and pr...

Only 26 miles separate the University of Toledo and Bowling Green University campuses, but The Battle for The I-75 Trophy is as intense as any rivalry in the country. The Rockets have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and look to keep the hardware on campus for a second straight year. Falcons play-by-play announcer Todd Walker breaks down the matchup with Brent Balbinot on this edition of The Rocket...

Last Fall it was difficult for the University of Toledo Women's Cross Country Team to watch another school celebrate a MAC Championship they thought they had let slip through their fingers. This season, they weren't going to let that happen again. Coach Andrea Grove-Mcdonough sits down with Brent Balbinot to recap a championship performance for the women, a school best second place finish for the...

The University of Toledo Volleyball team currently boasts the third best record in The MAC and sits in a 2-way tie for second place in the west division. Head Coach Jason Oliver has steadily built a program...not just a team. It hasn't come without a lot of hard work. Maddie Fogg, Rhyen Neal, Ryann Jaqua and Olivia Vance sit down with Brent Balbinot for a "Captain's Edition" of The Rocket Liftoff...

The University of Toledo football team is hoping a little home cookin' will be the right recipe when they host Western Michigan for the final Saturday kickoff of the regular season. Bronco P-B-P announcer since 1984, Robin Hook joins Brent Balbinot to preview the matchup. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info...

The University of Toledo and Central Michigan football teams wrapped up a COVID-shortened season last December with The Rockets winning a tough one-point contest. This year, a week #3 matchup in Mt. Pleasant has championship implications. With both teams at 1-1 in conference play, the winner keeps their hopes of a MAC title alive. CMU play-by-play announcer Adam Jaksa joins Brent Balbinot to previ...

The transition from player to coach can be an adjustment: sometimes a challenge. For the University of Toledo football program....they like to "keep it in the family" as much as possible. For Terry Swanson and Eli Peters, getting their coaching start with the same team they played for has made the process a little easier. They sit down with Brent Balbinot on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podc...

Once you graduate doesn't mean you stop being a Rocket. The Varsity T Club is a great resource for all former student-athletes to plug into. From social events, to networking...to next month's Hall Of Fame Banquet. President Brent Reed sits down with Brent Balbinot to talk about the benefits of joining....and his days as a member of the 1981 MAC Championship Football Team. See Privacy Policy at ht...

The University of Toledo Volleyball team finished their non-conference schedule last weekend with a win over Marshall....giving them a 9-3 overall record. This weekend marks the start of the "second season" when they roadtrip to Ohio for the MAC opener. Head Coach Jason Oliver sits down with Brent Balbinot on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...

The Rocket Women's Tennis team ended the 2021 Spring Season "white hot"...winning last 9 matches. Returning 8 of their top 9 players for this Fall, expectations are high. Coach Tracy Mauntler and 1st Team All-Conference selection and MAC Freshman of the Year Cassie Acala join Brent Balbinot to give a recap and a preview. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

The University of Toledo Baseball Team surpassed 2021 preseason expectations: finishing above .500 in MAC play and placing 5th in the conference standings. As the Fall Semester gets underway, expectations are high for next Spring. Coach Rob Reinstetle, and assistants Nick McIntyre and John Sheehan join Brent Balbinot to give both a recap and a preview on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podcast....

With the season opener less than a week away, the University of Toledo Football team is ready to hit someone else. Offensive Line Coach Mike Hallett will have his first healthy unit in two seasons. Runningbacks Coach Nate Cole expects his group to be a big beneficiary. Both join Brent Balbinot for a season preview on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

The University of Toledo Soccer team opened the 2021 Fall season last week with two ties in a pair of road games. This week, they get to sleep in their own beds. Head Coach TJ Buchholz and assistants Paul Smith and Jaelyn Cunningham join Brent Balbinot to breakdown the opening week, and preview the home opener on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

When the University of Toledo Volleyball team wrapped up the COVID delayed 2020-21 schedule on March 27th, they knew the off season would be short. Now roughly 4 1/2 months later, practice has started for this Fall. With half of last year's matches going to 5 sets, The Rockets are close to taking the program to another level. Head Coach Jason Oliver and assistants Bethany Lokken and Evan Antal joi...

Despite only playing half a regular schedule, The University of Toledo football team's high octane offense continued to pump out impressive numbers last season. #4 in The MAC in scoring, #2 in total yards/game and #1 in passing yards/game (#9 in the nation) at just under 326 per contest. Quarterbacks Coach Robert Weiner and Tight Ends Coach Mark Staten both enter their third year with the program....

Despite having less than half the normal practice time and playing only half a regular schedule, the University of Toledo football team's defensive unit made one of the nations biggest turnarounds in 2020 (#25 in rush defense/#3 in 3rd down conversions). Defensive Line Coach Larry Black and Cornerbacks Coach Cornell Ford join Brent Balbinot to breakdown last year's improvement, and the higher expe...

The University of Toledo Football program saw roughly a third of its staff enter their first year in the middle of last summer's pandemic. With limited practice time and only half a normal schedule, the defensive unit put up impressive numbers...ranking top 3 in The MAC in four key categories. In this edition of the Rocket Liftoff Podcast, Defensive Coordinator Vince Kehres sits down with Brent Ba...

Chris Meyers set foot on the University of Toledo campus a quiet, hardworking player with a ton of raw talent. Three years later, the Rocket First baseman is preparing for the MLB draft with a number of individual program records and The MAC Player Of The Year award to his credit. Seperated by just one year, Assistant Coach Mike Ryan's career took a different path. Hampered by injuries, he elected...

The University of Toledo Baseball team was a pre-season pick to finish 9th in the MAC. When the dust settled on a COVID altered schedule, they finished in 5th place and boasted the conference player of the year in Chris Meyers. Coach Rob Reinstetle joins Brent Balbinot to recap 2021, give a preview of a strong incoming recruiting class, and set the expectations for next season on this edition of T...

Despite a COVID altered schedule, The University of Toledo Softball Team set 5 team records and saw Dayna Denner become just the second player in program history to be named MAC Player of the Year. With most of the roster returning for next season, expectations are high for the midnight blue & gold. Head Coach Joe Abraham joins Brent Balbinot to give a recap...and a preview in this edition of...

The University of Toledo Track & Field team has qualified five athletes to next week's NCAA Prelims in Jacksonville, Florida. A couple of Rockets have a good chance to make the cut,...with the next step Eugene, Oregon and the National Championships. Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Andrea Grove-McDonough joins Brent Balbinot to recap The MAC Championships and preview The NCAAs....

The University of Toledo Women's Tennis Team finished the season white-hot; winning their last nine matches and finishing 2nd in The MAC standings. With everyone on the roster returning, expectations are high for next year. Head Coach Tracy Mauntler joins Brent Balbinot for both a recap and a preview on this edition of The Rocket Liftoff Podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

With the Spring season in the books, The University of Toledo Soccer Team is using the Summer to heal up at several key positions, and boost their strength and conditioning. Head Coach TJ Buchholz joins Brent Balbinot to breakdown the incoming Freshman Class, introduce a new assistant coach and preview the Fall schedule. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice...

The University of Toledo Baseball Team has won 9 of their last 10 games and is preparing for a big home weekend versus Western Michigan. Junior Chris Meyers is Top Ten in the nation in both homeruns and slugging percentage. Trace Hatfield and Danny O'Reilly are also among The MAC offensive leaders. Head Coach Rob Reinstetle joins Brent Balbinot to break down The Rockets' success, and where they go...

With most Fall sports trying to cram their 2020 schedule into the Spring of 2021, there has been just as much movement off the field around both The MidAmerican Conference and The NCAA. MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher joins Brent Balbinot to breakdown new rules governing student-athlete transfers, the potential future impact of Name, Image and Likeness and what Fall sports in 2021 may look l...