Streaking Mavs Tangle With Hawkeyes
Apr 15, 2013 | Baseball, General
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Leading Off
Carrying an eight-game win streak and a perfect 8-0 start to Summit League play, the Omaha baseball team returns home to host a non-conference tilt with Iowa on Tuesday, April 16. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Werner Park, 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.
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 434-295-2.
Quick Hits
•Omaha leads this year's series with Iowa, 2-1, after a three-game set in Wichita, Kan., last month.
•UNO has gone 8-0 over the first two weekends of Summit League play and sits atop the conference standings. The Mavericks had back-to-back weekend sweeps, taking doubleheaders from Fort Wayne (April 5) and Oakland (April 7), followed by four wins at Western Illinois (April 12-14).
•The Mavericks' eight-game win streak is its longest since an 11-game stretch from March 18 to April 2, 2011.
•Three multi-hit games helped senior Cory Buckley tally a team-leading eight hits in Macomb, hitting .471 for the weekend. Sophomore Alex Mortensen hit .368 (7-for-19) with four doubles, six RBI and three runs, and freshman Alex Schultz hit .545 (6-for-11) with four RBI and five runs scored.
•Omaha's sweeps of Fort Wayne, Oakland and Western Illinois in the two weeks marked the Mavericks' official Summit League debut as a member of the conference. All-time, UNO is now 93-79 against the five other teams in the league.
•Mortensen ranks sixth nationally with 0.50 doubles per game, and he leads the Summit League with a .358 batting average, 14 doubles and a .519 slugging percentage. He is also second in hits (38) and fourth in runs (19).
•Buckley's .423 batting average in conference play ranks third among league hitters. Sophomore Zach Williamsen's 2.61 ERA is fourth among league pitchers, and junior Josh Bullock is second with six saves.
Scouting the Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa is 12-18 (2-7 Big Ten) after falling 5-3 to Kansas State on Sunday. The loss was dealt to Sasha Kuebel, but Hawkeye reliever Ricky Sandquist threw four scoreless innings and allowed just three hits in his outing. Iowa's Ryan Rumpf finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI to lead the way offensively.
Head coach Jack Dahm (Creighton, 1990) is in his 10th year at Iowa with a record of 225-293, as well as a career mark of 508-569-2 over 20 years of coaching.
Last Time Out
Omaha continued its hot streak on Sunday, defeating Western Illinois, 5-3, at Boyer Stadium. It marked the Mavericks' eighth straight win and completed another weekend sweep, which helped UNO improve to 8-0 in Summit League play to top the conference standings.
Freshman Alex Schultz starred offensively and had a hand in four of Omaha's five runs, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Senior Cory Buckley added two hits, and junior Caleb Palensky went 1-for-3 with two runs driven in.
Junior Steven Schoonover (2-2) picked up the win on the mound, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits over 5.0 innings with three strikeouts and a walk. The save went to senior Derek Landis (3), who struck out two and gave up just two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings.
Rewind with the Hawkeyes
Omaha last faced Iowa for three games, March 16-18, at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan. The Mavericks opened the weekend with a 9-6 win, but the Hawkeyes evened it with a 4-1 triumph on Sunday. UNO closed the series with a 7-6 win on Monday, and one inning was all it took, as the Mavericks scored all seven of their runs in the fifth inning.
The win went to junior reliever Dylan Casey, who allowed just one hit over 2.0 innings, striking out three and walking two. Nick Hibbing took the loss, giving up seven runs (three earned) on three hits in one inning of relief with three walks. Junior Josh Bullock earned his second save of the season – and his second of the weekend – by fanning two while allowing no hits and no walks over 1.1 innings.
Freshman Cole Gruber went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two driven in, while sophomore Alex Mortensen was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Junior Brett Bass also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 and scoring once.
Kris Goodman finished 3-for-3 and scored twice to lead the Hawkeyes. Taylor Kaufman, Jake Mangler and Taylor Zeutenhorst each tallied two hits on the day, and Zeutenhorst and Kaufman both scored two runs.
Going Streaking
Senior Cory Buckley carries a team-best six-game hitting streak into the week, the third-longest of any Maverick this season. In that span, he has hit .500 with a team-leading 10 hits, two RBI and five runs scored.
Redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor had the longest hitting streak of any UNO hitter this year, recording nine straight games with a hit from March 18 to March 31.
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 April 9.
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.
Falcone Nearly Flawless vs. Hawkeyes
In UNO's 9-6 victory over Iowa on March 16, 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 Seeing the Field
Twenty-nine Mavericks have seen the field in the first six weeks 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 third among all Maverick hitters with a steady .317 batting average, and he is hitting an outstanding .415 (22-for-53) 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 434-295-2. 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 33 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 Friday, April 19, traveling to South Dakota State for a Summit League doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Brookings, S.D., and links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
