League-Leading Mavs Visit Western Illinois
Apr 11, 2013 | Baseball, General
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Leading Off
Coming off a perfect 4-0 start to Summit League play last weekend, the Omaha baseball team hits the road for a four-game conference series at Western Illinois, April 12-14, in Macomb, Ill. The Mavericks open with the Leathernecks at Boyer Stadium on Friday, April 12 at 3 p.m., followed by a Noon doubleheader on Saturday. The series concludes on Sunday with a single game at Noon. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Omaha is in its second year as a reclassifying Division I school in 2012-13 and officially joined The Summit League in July 2012 with a full regular-season conference schedule ahead. The Mavericks are led by head coach Bob Herold, who is in his 14th year at the helm of the UNO program with a career record of 430-295-2.
Quick Hits
•Omaha went 4-0 last weekend in its first weekend of Summit League play and sits atop the conference standings.
•The Mavericks' four-game win streak is their longest since four straight victories March 14-17, 2012.
•Three multi-hit games helped junior Brett Bass hit .529 over five games last week, scoring twice with three RBI.
•Redshirt freshman Connor Messinger homered twice in the first game against Fort Wayne last Friday, the most in a single game since former Maverick Brady Hohl had two at Northern Colorado in 2012.
•Omaha's pitching staff starred last weekend, as freshman Tyler Fox and sophomore Zach Williamsen each struck out a season-high six batters on Friday against IPFW. Senior Matt Tew followed up with a complete-game one-hit shutout against Oakland on Sunday, fanning a season high of seven.
•This weekend marks the first meeting in program history between Western Illinois and Omaha.
•Omaha's doubleheader sweeps of Fort Wayne and Oakland last weekend marked the Mavericks' official Summit League debut as a member of the conference. All-time, UNO is now 89-79 against the five other teams in the league.
•Sophomore Alex Mortensen's .356 batting average leads all hitters in the league, and junior Josh Bullock is third among conference hurlers with five saves on the year.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois is 7-21 (1-3 Summit League) after splitting a doubleheader with Fort Wayne last Sunday. In game two, the Leathernecks fell 3-2 after taking an early 2-0 lead. Mason Pingel took the loss, striking out five over 5.1 innings of work. Zack Burling, Jameson Henning and Steve Kedroski all had two hits apiece for WIU.
Head coach Ryan Brownlee (Evansville, 1997) is in his first year at Western Illinois with a record of 7-21.
Tew, Bass Sweep Weekly Summit League Honors
Omaha's Brett Bass and Matt Tew swept the Summit League's Player and Pitcher of the Week awards for their performances April 1-7, the conference office announced Monday.
Bass earned his first career Player of the Week award after leading the Mavericks to a perfect 4-0 league record to open up Summit League play. The junior had at least one hit in every game, including three multi-hit performances. In game two against Oakland, Bass had three hits with two runs scored and also recorded two hits in game one vs. the Golden Grizzlies and in a one-run loss at Kansas State. For the week, Bass hit .529 (9-of-17) with a .619 on-base percentage and .529 slugging percentage. He recorded three RBI, two runs scored, four walks and three stolen bases in the five games last week. Bass has a .340 batting average for the year, which ranks second in the league, with a team-leading 35 hits and seven stolen bases this season.
Tew captured his first career Pitcher of the Week award after tossing a complete game shutout in a 7-0 win over Oakland Sunday. The senior threw four perfect innings to start the game before allowing his only hit, a single, in the fifth. He finished with a season-high seven strikeouts and just one walk, spurring the Mavericks' doubleheader sweep of the Golden Grizzlies. Tew also threw one inning of scoreless relief at Kansas State earlier in the week, striking out one and holding the Wildcats hitless.
Omaha has had a total of three weekly conference award winners this season, as senior Ryan Keele was previously named Summit League Player of the Week on March 18.
Last Time Out
Omaha swept a Summit League doubleheader from Oakland on Sunday, 7-0 and 7-4, at the Ballpark at Boys Town. In game one, senior Matt Tew (1-4) shined by tossing a complete-game one-hit shutout. Tew threw four perfect innings to start the contest, finishing with a season-high seven strikeouts and just one walk.
Senior Cory Buckley finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while junior Brett Bass went 2-for-3 with two runs driven in. Senior Ryan Keele also had a multi-hit effort at 2-for-4 with a run, and junior Caleb Palensky went 1-for-2 with a run and two RBI. Freshman Connor Messinger rounded it out with a 1-for-3 effort and scored twice.
Freshman Cole Gruber starred offensively in the second game, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored and another two driven in. Bass also posted a trio of hits and two runs scored, while freshman Alex Schultz was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Splichal also went 2-for-5 with two RBI and another run scored.
Buckley (1-3) earned the win, surrendering three runs on 11 hits while striking out three over 5.0 innings. Lucas Scocchia (0-3) was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk over 3.0 innings. Senior Derek Landis grabbed his second save with one inning of work, allowing one hit with a strikeout.
Going Streaking
Junior Brett Bass carries a team-best five-game hitting streak into the weekend, the third-longest of any Maverick this season. In that span, he has hit .529 with a team-leading nine hits.
Redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor had the longest streak of any UNO hitter this year, recording nine straight games with a hit from March 18 to March 31.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
True freshman Tyler Fox (3-1) served as one of UNO's weekend starters over the first month of play and has now moved into a Friday role. He most recently earned a 6-3 win over Fort Wayne last week, allowing one run on five hits over 5.0 innings of work while striking out a career-high six batters and walking one.
Sophomore righthander Zach Williamsen (1-1) enters the weekend with a 2.16 ERA, the lowest of any starter on staff, and his 19 strikeouts rank second on the team. Williamsen has thrown a season-long 6.0 innings twice this year, and he last took the mound against IPFW last week. He shut out the Mastodons, limiting them to just three hits with a career-best six strikeouts and one walk. For the season, opponents are hitting just .185 against Williamsen.
Senior righty Matt Tew (1-4) had the most starting appearances of any pitcher on the 2012 staff, totaling 13 starts over 14 appearances as a junior with a team-leading 38 strikeouts. This season, Tew paces Omaha's hurlers with 24 strikeouts in eight appearances and five starts. He threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout last weekend against Oakland for his longest appearance of the year at 7.0 innings.
Junior Steven Schoonover (1-2) last took the mound on April 3, tossing a season-long and career-best-tying 6.0 innings at Kansas State. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks, though the Wildcats ultimately prevailed, 3-2.
Falcone Nearly Flawless
In UNO's 9-6 victory over Iowa, the win went to junior reliever Anthony Falcone, who threw 3.2 innings of hitless relief and allowed no walks. He entered the game in the sixth inning and was nearly flawless over 3.2 innings, holding the Hawkeyes to nine straight groundouts before the ninth-inning leadoff reached on an error and one batter was hit by a pitch in the last inning.
Fresh Faces
Twenty-nine Mavericks have seen the field in the first month of the season, 16 of whom are newcomers. Six true freshmen have made their way into the lineup: Cole Gruber, Alex Schultz, Collin Leif, Sam Murphy, Marcus Ethen and Tyler Fox.
Junior Brett Bass is second among all Maverick hitters with a steady .340 batting average, and he is hitting an outstanding .478 (22-for-46) when leading off an inning.
Palensky, Mortensen Earn Preseason Recognition from College Sports Madness
Junior Caleb Palensky and sophomore Alex Mortensen earned preseason all-league recognition from College Sports Madness, the online publication announced on Jan. 21. Both players were named to the All-Summit Second Team.
In 2012, Mortensen's .292 batting average as a freshman was fourth on the team, and he finished with a squad-leading 26 RBI, nine doubles, one triple and a team-best four home runs. Palensky hit .250 in his sophomore year with nine doubles, two triples, two homers and 17 RBI, and he drew a team-leading 19 walks.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 14th year as the skipper of the Nebraska Omaha baseball program in 2013, having compiled a career record of 430-295-2. Herold earned his 400th career win on April 22, 2011 against Fort Hays State, becoming the third coach in school history to reach the milestone. He joined Bob Gates (464-473) and Virgil Yelkin (439-196) in the prestigious club, and Herold needs 37 more wins to pass Gates as the all-time winningest coach in UNO history.
Over his Maverick career, Herold has guided Omaha to seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances and three conference championships.
Herold's most recent draft pick was righthanded pitcher Joe Holtmeyer, who was taken in the 22nd round (No. 682 overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. Holtmeyer was the fifth Maverick drafted under Herold and the second-highest pick of any player during the Herold era.
Herold is assisted by assistant coaches Chris Gadsden, in his 14th year, and Evan Porter, in his first year, as well as volunteer pitching coach Dan McGinn, who is in his 13th year.
Home Sweet Home
After playing just five games at home last year, the 2013 season will see the Omaha baseball team play 24 home contests, including 14 conference tilts. UNO will play at three different venues around town: Westside High School for its first home last month, followed by time split between Werner Park and the Ballpark at Boys Town.
Welcome to The Summit League
The 2013 season marks UNO's first year with a full regular-season Summit League schedule. UNO will play all five of its Summit League foes, once in Omaha and once on the road. Although the Mavericks will appear in the Summit League standings, they cannot qualify for the Summit League Championship or the NCAA Tournament until 2015-16.
Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2013 schedule includes 56 games against 17 different Division I opponents, and the team will play in 12 states across the country. UNO will match up with opponents from eight different conferences: Big 12, Big Ten, Great West, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Southland, the Summit League and Western Athletic (WAC).
Two foes were 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifiers: Missouri and Creighton. CU played in the Los Angeles Regional, while MU was sent to the Tucson Regional.
The Mavericks have never faced three of their 2013 opponents -- UTSA, Penn State and Western Illinois -- and they hold a combined all-time record of 195-195 over all teams on the slate entering this season.
MAVERICKS VS. OTHER CONFERENCES IN 2013
Big 12 -- 0-1
Big Ten -- 3-3
Great West -- 1-4
Missouri Valley -- 1-3
Mountain West – 1-1
SEC – 0-1
Southland – 0-1
WAC – 0-1
Summit League Preseason Poll Announced
In its first year as a member of the Summit League, Omaha was picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll released by the conference office last month.
North Dakota State was favored to capture its first Summit League Baseball Tournament title in a preseason vote among the league's six head coaches. The Bison received five first-place votes and a total of 25 points. South Dakota State placed second with 17 points, followed closely by Oakland who received the final first-place vote and 16 points. Western Illinois (15 points), Fort Wayne (nine points) and league newcomer Omaha (eight points) round out the poll.
Former Maverick Cloyd Makes MLB Debut With Philadelphia Phillies
Former Omaha baseball player Tyler Cloyd made his Major League debut last fall on Aug. 29, as he was called up by the Philadelphia Phillies. Cloyd debuted against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park, giving up three runs on seven hits over six innings of work, striking out five and walking two. Cloyd became just the second Maverick to play in the Majors, joining Bruce Benedict, who played 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
A native of Bellevue, Neb., and the Phillies' 18th-round pick in the 2008 Draft, Cloyd also went 15-1 overall in the Minor Leagues last season. His stint with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs resulted in a 12-1 record with a 2.35 earned-run average, which led all pitchers the International League.
Cloyd lettered two seasons at UNO (2006-07), earning third-team All-America honors and first-team all-region recognition in his final season. A two-time All-NCC honoree, he was twice named NCC Most Valuable Pitcher.
On to the Next One
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, April 16, hosting Iowa at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 2 p.m., and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com. The game will also be broadcast live on KVNO 90.7 HD-2, with student broadcasters Jared Meyer and Paul Dobler on the call.
