Six Mavericks Capture All-Summit Honors
May 22, 2013 | Baseball, General
OMAHA, Neb. – Six Omaha players were named to the 2013 All-Summit League Baseball Teams, the conference office announced Wednesday night. Senior outfielder Ryan Keele led the way, securing Summit League Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors, as well as first-team all-conference recognition, and head coach Bob Herold was voted Summit League Coach of the Year.
The first team included four Mavericks: Keele, senior first baseman Cory Buckley, junior third baseman Tyler Splichal and sophomore catcher Alex Mortensen. Freshman second baseman Clayton Taylor earned second-team accolades, as did junior designated hitter Brett Bass.
Keele hit .385 for Omaha in his senior season, including a .461 average in league contests, to help the Mavericks to the 2013 Summit League regular-season title. The Bellevue, Neb., native led the Summit League in home runs (six), RBI (33), slugging percentage (.571) and total bases (89) and was second in batting average, hits (60) and on-base percentage (.463). Keele had 18 multi-hit performances and 11 multi-RBI efforts this season, both of which led the team, and he was named Summit League Player of the Week four times.
Buckley batted a league-leading .391 in his final campaign, which also ranks 22nd nationally. He added 26 runs scored, 13 RBI, six doubles, two triples and a home run, and his .424 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage both ranked third in the conference. Buckley had 13 multi-hit games to his credit.
After taking a medical redshirt in 2012, Splichal came back for his junior season in 2013 to hit .274 with 25 runs scored, five doubles and 19 RBI. He was hit by a pitch 14 times, which led the league, and was third in the conference with 10 sacrifice hits. Splichal finished the year with 12 multi-hit games, including one with five hits, and he was named Summit League Player of the Week on April 29.
Mortensen was among the conference leaders in multiple categories, ranking second in doubles (15), fourth in hits (57) and total bases (75) and fifth in batting average (.318). His 15 multi-hit games were third on the team, and he completed his second season as a Maverick with a team-leading 32 runs scored and 27 RBI.
Taylor made his debut season as a Maverick a memorable one, ranking third in the league with a .352 batting average. He added 20 runs scored, eight doubles, 18 RBI and eight stolen bases, and his 23 walks drawn were fifth among conference players.
Bass, who transferred from Iowa Western, had an immediate impact for UNO, hitting .301 with 26 runs scored, five doubles, 22 RBI and a team-leading 11 stolen bases. His 59 hits for the season ranked third in the Summit League, and he tied with Keele for a team-best 18 multi-hit games. Bass was honored as Summit League Player of the Week on April 8.
Herold was named Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding Omaha to a 20-6 league record and a 27-22 overall mark. The Mavericks won the regular-season title in just their first year in the league and their second year as a Division I school, and it marked UNO's first Division I conference championship in any sport. Omaha led the conference in league games with a .332 team batting average and were second as a pitching staff with a 3.82 ERA.
2013 ALL-SUMMIT BASEBALL TEAMS
First Team
Cory Buckley (Omaha), 1B, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.
Wes Satzinger (North Dakota State), 2B, Jr., Andover, Minn.
Tyler Splichal (Omaha), 3B, Jr., Bellevue, Neb.
Jameson Henning (Western Illinois), SS, Fr., Janesville, Wis.
Tim Colwell (North Dakota State), OF, Jr., Shoreview, Minn.
Ryan Keele (Omaha), OF, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.
Kyle Kleinendorst (North Dakota State), OF, Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.
Alex Mortensen (Omaha), C, So., Omaha, Neb.
Daniel Telford (South Dakota State), DH, Sr., Newmarket, Ontario
Jon Hechtner (North Dakota State), UTL, Fr., Omaha, Neb.
Stephen Bougher (South Dakota State), SP, Sr., Papillion, Neb.
Jason Hager (Oakland), SP, Jr., Swartz Creek, Mich.
Layne Somsen (South Dakota State), SP, Sr., Yankton, S.D.
Russell Luxton (Oakland), RP, Jr., Oxford, Mich.
Second Team
Steve Kedroski (Western Illinois), 1B, Sr., Crystal Lake, Ill.
Clayton Taylor (Omaha), 2B, Fr., Omaha, Neb.
John Skrbec (North Dakota State), 3B, So., Grand Rapids, Minn.
Clay Hathaway (Fort Wayne), SS, Sr., Show Low, Ariz.
Neil DeCook (Western Illinois), OF, Jr., Kankakee, Ill.
Robby Enslen (Oakland), OF, So., Middleville, Mich.
Tyler Shepherd (Fort Wayne), OF, Jr., Tracy, Calif.
Caleb Fenimore (Fort Wayne), C, Jr., Rushville, Ind.
Brett Bass (Omaha), DH, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
Steve Lowden (Fort Wayne), UTL, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Adam Bray (South Dakota State), SP, So., Eden Prairie, Minn.
Aaron Michel (Western Illinois), SP, Fr., Decatur, Ill.
John Straka (North Dakota State), SP, Sr., Chaska, Minn.
J.D. Moore (South Dakota State), RP, So., Mississauga, Ontario
Player of the Year: Ryan Keele (Omaha)
Pitcher of the Year: Layne Somsen (South Dakota State)
Newcomer of the Year: Ryan Keele (Omaha)
Coach of the Year: Bob Herold (Omaha)
The first team included four Mavericks: Keele, senior first baseman Cory Buckley, junior third baseman Tyler Splichal and sophomore catcher Alex Mortensen. Freshman second baseman Clayton Taylor earned second-team accolades, as did junior designated hitter Brett Bass.
Keele hit .385 for Omaha in his senior season, including a .461 average in league contests, to help the Mavericks to the 2013 Summit League regular-season title. The Bellevue, Neb., native led the Summit League in home runs (six), RBI (33), slugging percentage (.571) and total bases (89) and was second in batting average, hits (60) and on-base percentage (.463). Keele had 18 multi-hit performances and 11 multi-RBI efforts this season, both of which led the team, and he was named Summit League Player of the Week four times.
Buckley batted a league-leading .391 in his final campaign, which also ranks 22nd nationally. He added 26 runs scored, 13 RBI, six doubles, two triples and a home run, and his .424 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage both ranked third in the conference. Buckley had 13 multi-hit games to his credit.
After taking a medical redshirt in 2012, Splichal came back for his junior season in 2013 to hit .274 with 25 runs scored, five doubles and 19 RBI. He was hit by a pitch 14 times, which led the league, and was third in the conference with 10 sacrifice hits. Splichal finished the year with 12 multi-hit games, including one with five hits, and he was named Summit League Player of the Week on April 29.
Mortensen was among the conference leaders in multiple categories, ranking second in doubles (15), fourth in hits (57) and total bases (75) and fifth in batting average (.318). His 15 multi-hit games were third on the team, and he completed his second season as a Maverick with a team-leading 32 runs scored and 27 RBI.
Taylor made his debut season as a Maverick a memorable one, ranking third in the league with a .352 batting average. He added 20 runs scored, eight doubles, 18 RBI and eight stolen bases, and his 23 walks drawn were fifth among conference players.
Bass, who transferred from Iowa Western, had an immediate impact for UNO, hitting .301 with 26 runs scored, five doubles, 22 RBI and a team-leading 11 stolen bases. His 59 hits for the season ranked third in the Summit League, and he tied with Keele for a team-best 18 multi-hit games. Bass was honored as Summit League Player of the Week on April 8.
Herold was named Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding Omaha to a 20-6 league record and a 27-22 overall mark. The Mavericks won the regular-season title in just their first year in the league and their second year as a Division I school, and it marked UNO's first Division I conference championship in any sport. Omaha led the conference in league games with a .332 team batting average and were second as a pitching staff with a 3.82 ERA.
2013 ALL-SUMMIT BASEBALL TEAMS
First Team
Cory Buckley (Omaha), 1B, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.
Wes Satzinger (North Dakota State), 2B, Jr., Andover, Minn.
Tyler Splichal (Omaha), 3B, Jr., Bellevue, Neb.
Jameson Henning (Western Illinois), SS, Fr., Janesville, Wis.
Tim Colwell (North Dakota State), OF, Jr., Shoreview, Minn.
Ryan Keele (Omaha), OF, Sr., Bellevue, Neb.
Kyle Kleinendorst (North Dakota State), OF, Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.
Alex Mortensen (Omaha), C, So., Omaha, Neb.
Daniel Telford (South Dakota State), DH, Sr., Newmarket, Ontario
Jon Hechtner (North Dakota State), UTL, Fr., Omaha, Neb.
Stephen Bougher (South Dakota State), SP, Sr., Papillion, Neb.
Jason Hager (Oakland), SP, Jr., Swartz Creek, Mich.
Layne Somsen (South Dakota State), SP, Sr., Yankton, S.D.
Russell Luxton (Oakland), RP, Jr., Oxford, Mich.
Second Team
Steve Kedroski (Western Illinois), 1B, Sr., Crystal Lake, Ill.
Clayton Taylor (Omaha), 2B, Fr., Omaha, Neb.
John Skrbec (North Dakota State), 3B, So., Grand Rapids, Minn.
Clay Hathaway (Fort Wayne), SS, Sr., Show Low, Ariz.
Neil DeCook (Western Illinois), OF, Jr., Kankakee, Ill.
Robby Enslen (Oakland), OF, So., Middleville, Mich.
Tyler Shepherd (Fort Wayne), OF, Jr., Tracy, Calif.
Caleb Fenimore (Fort Wayne), C, Jr., Rushville, Ind.
Brett Bass (Omaha), DH, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
Steve Lowden (Fort Wayne), UTL, Jr., Fort Wayne, Ind.
Adam Bray (South Dakota State), SP, So., Eden Prairie, Minn.
Aaron Michel (Western Illinois), SP, Fr., Decatur, Ill.
John Straka (North Dakota State), SP, Sr., Chaska, Minn.
J.D. Moore (South Dakota State), RP, So., Mississauga, Ontario
Player of the Year: Ryan Keele (Omaha)
Pitcher of the Year: Layne Somsen (South Dakota State)
Newcomer of the Year: Ryan Keele (Omaha)
Coach of the Year: Bob Herold (Omaha)
Players Mentioned
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