The University of Toronto Varsity Blues softball team return to the OUS Championship, hosted by the University of Ottawa this weekend in Carp, Ont. 

Taking place at the Carp Fairgrounds from Oct. 17-18, the Blues will open the double-elimination format tournament on Saturday (Oct. 17) morning. Entering the provincial showcase as the No. 1 seed in the East division, U of T will open their weekend versus the Windsor Lancers.

Toronto converted six straight wins at the end of the regular season to a 15-5 regular season record, placing them atop the OUS East division standings.

At the plate, the duo of third-year utility Tala Rennie and third-year infielder Jorja Sandilands have been dominant. Rennie topped the team with 33 hits, while finishing second on the team with 23 RBI. Meanwhile, Sandilands was right behind with 32 hits, including 10 triples and two home runs, along with a team-high 24 RBI. The high-powered offence tallied the second best run differential across the league, finishing with a plus-90.

In the pitching circle, third-year philosophy and political science double major Vanessa Jeffrey has once again led the charge. Across eight wins in 10 games, Jeffrey has completed 53 innings with an impressive 41 total strikeouts. Adding to the depth, third-year pitcher and infielder Alexa Aquanno recorded another five wins with 33 strikeouts across 35 innings of work, while fourth-year pitcher and outfielder Olivia Mather rounds out a trio of reliable arms with 27 innings worked primarily in relief.

Toronto picked up a bronze medal last fall. Prior to that they won two consecutive OUS championships, and hold eight provincial medals overall dating back to 2002.

First pitch for the showdown between the Blues and Lancers is set for 9 a.m. Full championship details are available at ontariouniversitysoftball.ca, while a selection of games will be streamed live on WSBN.TV.