UNO Tangles With No. 6 Central Missouri
Apr 7, 2011 | Baseball, General
Weekly Release
Live Stats
Live Audio
The UNO baseball team finishes its five-game homestand this weekend, hosting No. 6 Central Missouri, April 8-10. First pitch for Friday's game is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a Noon finale on Sunday. Nebraska Omaha is 19-6 on the season, having gone 2-2 last weekend in an MIAA series at No. 1 Emporia State. The Mavs stretched their win streak to 11 games before ESU took the final two contests of the four-game set. UNO is now third in the league with a 15-5 conference record.
Central Missouri, which has a record of 24-4 (19-3 MIAA) and leads the MIAA standings, is ranked sixth nationally in the most recent NCBWA poll released this week. The Mules enter the weekend with an eight-game win streak in place since March 25, and their pitching staff boasts the league's lowest team earned-run average at 3.98.
This weekend's match-up is highly anticipated, as UNO and UCM hold both the No. 1 or the No. 2 spots in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total hits, home runs, total bases, ERA and strikeouts earned. The Mules have totaled 30 homers on the year, which ranks 28th in the nation.
On the Air
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader against No. 6 Central Missouri will be available via free live audio online at OMavs.com. Jon Schriner and former Maverick All-American Dustin Koca will call the majority of UNO's home baseball contests on KVNO HD2.
Last Time Out
UCM leads the all-time series against Nebraska Omaha, 19-10. The two teams last squared off on May 13, 2010 at the NCAA South Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo., where the Mules took a 9-3 win. In regular-season play, UNO and UCM split the four-game series, after which Central Missouri escaped with a 10-9 victory in 12 innings at the MIAA Tournament.
In the regional game, the top-seeded Mules dealt Joe Holtmeyer only his second loss of the season, though Holtmeyer struck out nine batters. UCM pitcher Brooks Martin earned the win, fanning 11 in the complete-game effort to remain undefeated on the hill. UNO's Tyler Lundy extended his hitting streak to 21 games, which was the longest stretch by any Maverick in the last decade. Lundy and Brady Hohl both homered in the game.
Holtmeyer Eclipses Career Strikeout Record
Junior Joe Holtmeyer had his most dominant strikeout performance of the season last weekend at No. 1 Emporia State, striking out 12 batters in a seven-inning, complete-game performance for the 5-2 win. The victory also marked an important milestone for Holtmeyer, as he became UNO's all-time career strikeout leader with 279 in just two and a half years. He passed former Maverick Tim Huber (2005-08), who had 277 in his four-year career.
Holtmeyer leads the Mavericks and the MIAA with 50 Ks on the year. He has had three consecutive outings with double-figure strikeouts in the last three weeks.
Mavs Rank Among Nation's Best
UNO ranks ninth nationally in team batting average in the NCAA's most recently released statistical rankings through games of April 3. The Mavericks, who have a team batting average of .337, are also 11th in home runs per game (1.04), 10th in slugging percentage (.507) and 11th in fielding percentage (.971). In addition, the Nebraska-Omaha pitching staff is 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.8).
Individually, junior Joe Holtmeyer, the defending Division II strikeout leader, leads the nation with 13.64 strikeouts per nine innings.
Going Streaking
Sophomore Tyler Splichal saw his team-best 12-game hitting streak snapped in last weekend's series finale against Lincoln. Splichal had his streak in place since March 11 at Pittsburg State and helped the Mavs to a record of 10-2 in that span. Over those 12 games, Splichal accounted for a team-leading 17 hits, 10 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
Sophomore Connor McCrite now has the Mavericks' longest hitting streak of nine games -- in place since March 27 -- entering this weekend's series against UCM. McCrite has been Nebraska Omaha's leader at the plate in that span, batting .500 with six extra-base hits, a team-best nine runs scored and three runs batted in.
Mavs Welcome 20 Fresh Faces to Roster
UNO's 2011 roster features 20 newcomers, made up of nine true freshmen and 11 transfers. Fifteen are Nebraska natives, while 13 hail from the Omaha metropolitan area.
The list also includes multiple former teammates who have been reunited, as Derek Landis, Brandon Winkelmann, Scotty Donner and Ben Brown played together at Iowa Western to begin their collegiate careers. Brown, Kyle Kruger, Anthony Falcone and Zach Williamsen are all products of Millard West, while Caleb Palensky and Beau Suponchick played together at Papillion-LaVista South.
2011 UNO NEWCOMERS
Player -- Hometown (High School) Player -- Hometown (High School)
Ben Brown -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Derek Landis -- Ralston, Neb. (Ralston)
Cody Brown -- Yorktown, Va. (Tabb) Sean Mascia -- Woodbury, Minn. (St. Thomas Academy)
Cory Buckley -- Bellevue, Neb. (Bellevue East) Connor McCrite -- Topeka, Kan. (Hayden)
Reid Carter -- Castle Rock, Colo. (Rock Canyon) Caleb Palensky -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista South)
Tyler Davies -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista) Martin Sartin -- Hamburg, Ark. (Hamburg)
Scotty Donner -- Crofton, Neb. (Crofton) Beau Suponchick -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista South)
Anthony Falcone -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Mark Waldron -- Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep)
Landon Fall -- Kansas City, Mo. (Lee's Summit North) Rob Wheeler -- Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn)
Mitch Kracl -- Omaha, Neb. (Burke) Zach Williamsen -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
Kyle Kruger -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Brandon Winkelmann -- Omaha, Neb. (Gross Catholic)
Ben Brown (3-1), a senior right-handed pitcher, and Derek Landis (3-1), are slated to start on the mound for the Mavericks again this weekend in Saturday's doubleheader. Brown earned his first win as a Maverick on March 3 at Southwest Baptist, surrendering seven hits over five innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Landis joined the starting pitching rotation three weeks ago against Washburn, giving up just two hits over five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Cory Buckley (2-1) is expected to take the hill in Sunday's finale.
Swiping Bags
Senior Jed Hanson has been the Mavericks' leading base-stealer in UNO's first half of the season, stealing eight bags on nine tries. This year's total marks a vast jump in his performance from 2010, when he finished the year 7-for-8 on stolen base attempts.
Holtmeyer Named to Tino Martinez Award Watch List
Junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer was named to the Tino Martinez Award's initial 2011 watch list, the award committee announced in mid-February. The returning All-American is among 91 student-athletes nominated for the honor, which is given annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division II baseball.
The award is named for former University of Tampa Spartan, Olympian, first-round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez. Nominations are made by baseball sports information contacts and members of the media. Omission from the initial list does not exclude additional players from future consideration.
The list will be updated with a mid-season release in mid-April, and semi-finalists are scheduled to be announced on May 7. Finalists will be named on May 19, after which fans will be invited to vote online at TinoAward.com to help determine the winner. The award will be announced after the conclusion of the Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C., May 28 to June 4.
Mavericks Return Division II Strikeout Leader
Junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer had a stellar sophomore season in 2010, fanning 152 batters, the most of any pitcher in NCAA Division II. The Creighton Prep product was honored as a first-team All-American and was the Rawlings/ABCA South Central Regional Pitcher of the Year. He also earned MIAA Pitcher of the Year plaudits and was a first-team all-conference selection after going 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA over 87.1 innings of work.
All-MIAA Trio Leads Mavs Into 2011 Season
UNO returns a trio of all-conference performers from 2010 on this year's squad in junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer, sophomore infielder Tyler Splichal and junior infielder Brady Hohl. Holtmeyer, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year, was a first-team honoree, while Splichal and Hohl garnered second-team honors.
Holtmeyer led the conference in nearly every major pitching category, compiling a 9-2 record, a nation-leading 152 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA over 87.1 innings on the mound.
Splichal batted .410 in his inaugural campaign with 22 doubles, five home runs and 42 RBI. En route to MIAA Freshman of the Year plaudits, he started all 51 games he played in and had a team-leading 200 at-bats, scoring 35 runs with 82 hits.
Hohl also started all 51 of his appearances, hitting .354 with 10 doubles, two triples and a home run as a sophomore. He led the Mavericks with 45 runs scored and had 42 RBI while drawing 16 walks. and stealing six bases Hohl was also second on the team in hit-by-pitches, as he was plunked 15 times over the year.
Next Up for the Mavs
UNO returns to action on Tuesday, April 12, traveling to Northwest Missouri State. First pitch for the mid-week conference doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.
Live Stats
Live Audio
The UNO baseball team finishes its five-game homestand this weekend, hosting No. 6 Central Missouri, April 8-10. First pitch for Friday's game is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a Noon finale on Sunday. Nebraska Omaha is 19-6 on the season, having gone 2-2 last weekend in an MIAA series at No. 1 Emporia State. The Mavs stretched their win streak to 11 games before ESU took the final two contests of the four-game set. UNO is now third in the league with a 15-5 conference record.
Central Missouri, which has a record of 24-4 (19-3 MIAA) and leads the MIAA standings, is ranked sixth nationally in the most recent NCBWA poll released this week. The Mules enter the weekend with an eight-game win streak in place since March 25, and their pitching staff boasts the league's lowest team earned-run average at 3.98.
This weekend's match-up is highly anticipated, as UNO and UCM hold both the No. 1 or the No. 2 spots in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, total hits, home runs, total bases, ERA and strikeouts earned. The Mules have totaled 30 homers on the year, which ranks 28th in the nation.
On the Air
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader against No. 6 Central Missouri will be available via free live audio online at OMavs.com. Jon Schriner and former Maverick All-American Dustin Koca will call the majority of UNO's home baseball contests on KVNO HD2.
Last Time Out
UCM leads the all-time series against Nebraska Omaha, 19-10. The two teams last squared off on May 13, 2010 at the NCAA South Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo., where the Mules took a 9-3 win. In regular-season play, UNO and UCM split the four-game series, after which Central Missouri escaped with a 10-9 victory in 12 innings at the MIAA Tournament.
In the regional game, the top-seeded Mules dealt Joe Holtmeyer only his second loss of the season, though Holtmeyer struck out nine batters. UCM pitcher Brooks Martin earned the win, fanning 11 in the complete-game effort to remain undefeated on the hill. UNO's Tyler Lundy extended his hitting streak to 21 games, which was the longest stretch by any Maverick in the last decade. Lundy and Brady Hohl both homered in the game.
Holtmeyer Eclipses Career Strikeout Record
Junior Joe Holtmeyer had his most dominant strikeout performance of the season last weekend at No. 1 Emporia State, striking out 12 batters in a seven-inning, complete-game performance for the 5-2 win. The victory also marked an important milestone for Holtmeyer, as he became UNO's all-time career strikeout leader with 279 in just two and a half years. He passed former Maverick Tim Huber (2005-08), who had 277 in his four-year career.
Holtmeyer leads the Mavericks and the MIAA with 50 Ks on the year. He has had three consecutive outings with double-figure strikeouts in the last three weeks.
Mavs Rank Among Nation's Best
UNO ranks ninth nationally in team batting average in the NCAA's most recently released statistical rankings through games of April 3. The Mavericks, who have a team batting average of .337, are also 11th in home runs per game (1.04), 10th in slugging percentage (.507) and 11th in fielding percentage (.971). In addition, the Nebraska-Omaha pitching staff is 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.8).
Individually, junior Joe Holtmeyer, the defending Division II strikeout leader, leads the nation with 13.64 strikeouts per nine innings.
Going Streaking
Sophomore Tyler Splichal saw his team-best 12-game hitting streak snapped in last weekend's series finale against Lincoln. Splichal had his streak in place since March 11 at Pittsburg State and helped the Mavs to a record of 10-2 in that span. Over those 12 games, Splichal accounted for a team-leading 17 hits, 10 runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
Sophomore Connor McCrite now has the Mavericks' longest hitting streak of nine games -- in place since March 27 -- entering this weekend's series against UCM. McCrite has been Nebraska Omaha's leader at the plate in that span, batting .500 with six extra-base hits, a team-best nine runs scored and three runs batted in.
Mavs Welcome 20 Fresh Faces to Roster
UNO's 2011 roster features 20 newcomers, made up of nine true freshmen and 11 transfers. Fifteen are Nebraska natives, while 13 hail from the Omaha metropolitan area.
The list also includes multiple former teammates who have been reunited, as Derek Landis, Brandon Winkelmann, Scotty Donner and Ben Brown played together at Iowa Western to begin their collegiate careers. Brown, Kyle Kruger, Anthony Falcone and Zach Williamsen are all products of Millard West, while Caleb Palensky and Beau Suponchick played together at Papillion-LaVista South.
2011 UNO NEWCOMERS
Player -- Hometown (High School) Player -- Hometown (High School)
Ben Brown -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Derek Landis -- Ralston, Neb. (Ralston)
Cody Brown -- Yorktown, Va. (Tabb) Sean Mascia -- Woodbury, Minn. (St. Thomas Academy)
Cory Buckley -- Bellevue, Neb. (Bellevue East) Connor McCrite -- Topeka, Kan. (Hayden)
Reid Carter -- Castle Rock, Colo. (Rock Canyon) Caleb Palensky -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista South)
Tyler Davies -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista) Martin Sartin -- Hamburg, Ark. (Hamburg)
Scotty Donner -- Crofton, Neb. (Crofton) Beau Suponchick -- Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista South)
Anthony Falcone -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Mark Waldron -- Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep)
Landon Fall -- Kansas City, Mo. (Lee's Summit North) Rob Wheeler -- Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn)
Mitch Kracl -- Omaha, Neb. (Burke) Zach Williamsen -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West)
Kyle Kruger -- Omaha, Neb. (Millard West) Brandon Winkelmann -- Omaha, Neb. (Gross Catholic)
Ben Brown (3-1), a senior right-handed pitcher, and Derek Landis (3-1), are slated to start on the mound for the Mavericks again this weekend in Saturday's doubleheader. Brown earned his first win as a Maverick on March 3 at Southwest Baptist, surrendering seven hits over five innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Landis joined the starting pitching rotation three weeks ago against Washburn, giving up just two hits over five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Cory Buckley (2-1) is expected to take the hill in Sunday's finale.
Swiping Bags
Senior Jed Hanson has been the Mavericks' leading base-stealer in UNO's first half of the season, stealing eight bags on nine tries. This year's total marks a vast jump in his performance from 2010, when he finished the year 7-for-8 on stolen base attempts.
Holtmeyer Named to Tino Martinez Award Watch List
Junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer was named to the Tino Martinez Award's initial 2011 watch list, the award committee announced in mid-February. The returning All-American is among 91 student-athletes nominated for the honor, which is given annually to the most outstanding player in NCAA Division II baseball.
The award is named for former University of Tampa Spartan, Olympian, first-round draft pick and MLB All-Star, Tino Martinez. Nominations are made by baseball sports information contacts and members of the media. Omission from the initial list does not exclude additional players from future consideration.
The list will be updated with a mid-season release in mid-April, and semi-finalists are scheduled to be announced on May 7. Finalists will be named on May 19, after which fans will be invited to vote online at TinoAward.com to help determine the winner. The award will be announced after the conclusion of the Division II Baseball Championship in Cary, N.C., May 28 to June 4.
Mavericks Return Division II Strikeout Leader
Junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer had a stellar sophomore season in 2010, fanning 152 batters, the most of any pitcher in NCAA Division II. The Creighton Prep product was honored as a first-team All-American and was the Rawlings/ABCA South Central Regional Pitcher of the Year. He also earned MIAA Pitcher of the Year plaudits and was a first-team all-conference selection after going 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA over 87.1 innings of work.
All-MIAA Trio Leads Mavs Into 2011 Season
UNO returns a trio of all-conference performers from 2010 on this year's squad in junior right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer, sophomore infielder Tyler Splichal and junior infielder Brady Hohl. Holtmeyer, the MIAA Pitcher of the Year, was a first-team honoree, while Splichal and Hohl garnered second-team honors.
Holtmeyer led the conference in nearly every major pitching category, compiling a 9-2 record, a nation-leading 152 strikeouts and a 2.89 ERA over 87.1 innings on the mound.
Splichal batted .410 in his inaugural campaign with 22 doubles, five home runs and 42 RBI. En route to MIAA Freshman of the Year plaudits, he started all 51 games he played in and had a team-leading 200 at-bats, scoring 35 runs with 82 hits.
Hohl also started all 51 of his appearances, hitting .354 with 10 doubles, two triples and a home run as a sophomore. He led the Mavericks with 45 runs scored and had 42 RBI while drawing 16 walks. and stealing six bases Hohl was also second on the team in hit-by-pitches, as he was plunked 15 times over the year.
Next Up for the Mavs
UNO returns to action on Tuesday, April 12, traveling to Northwest Missouri State. First pitch for the mid-week conference doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. in Maryville, Mo.
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