Omaha Off to Oakland for League Play
May 9, 2013 | Baseball, General
Complete Release
Leading Off
The Summit League-leading Omaha baseball team plays its final road series of the year this weekend, traveling to Oakland, May 9-11. The schedule was originally set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday but was changed on Wednesday night to Thursday, Friday and Saturday. First pitch on Thursday is set for 3:30 p.m. (CT) at OU Baseball Field in Rochester, Mich. Friday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. (CT), followed by the series finale with a single game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats and audio will be available at 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 439-300-2.
Quick Hits
•UNO sits atop the conference standings with a record of 12-4 in Summit League play, holding a two-game lead over second-place South Dakota State. 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). They then split a four-game series with North Dakota State (April 26-28) and another at Fort Wayne (May 3-5).
•Oakland leads the all-time series against Omaha, 3-2.
•Last Saturday's doubleheader sweep at IPFW was marked by two shutouts, 2-0 and 9-0. The last time Omaha had back-to-back shutouts was March 25, 2005, when the Mavericks defeated Missouri Southern, 2-0 and 2-0.
•The Mavericks own four of the top five batting averages among Summit League hitters, led by senior Cory Buckley (.398). Sophomore Alex Mortensen is second (.366), senior Ryan Keele is third (.361) and redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor is fourth (.333).
•Mortensen ties for 15th nationally with 0.41 doubles per game, and he leads the Summit League with 15 doubles. He is also second in batting average (.366), runs scored (28), total bases (70) and slugging percentage (.493).
•Junior Brett Bass has 52 hits this season, which also tops the conference.
•Senior Cory Buckley's .466 batting average in conference play ranks first among league hitters, and he also tops the league with 16 runs and 27 hits in conference games.
•Senior Derek Landis and junior Josh Bullock are tied for third among Summit League hurlers with six saves this year.
•Omaha's sweeps of Fort Wayne, Oakland and Western Illinois have highlighted the Mavericks' official Summit League debut as a member of the conference. All-time, UNO is now 97-83 against the five other teams in the league.
Scouting the Oakland Golden Grizzlies
Oakland is 14-29 (9-9 Summit League) after falling to Central Michigan, 13-9, on Wednesday. Todd Dunham hit two home runs and went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and Mike Brosseau finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two more driven in. The loss went to starter Lucas Scocchia (0-4), who allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts.
Head coach John Musachio (Bradley, 1996) is in his sixth season at Oakland with a record of 118-189.
Last Time Out
The Omaha baseball team picked up a win in its final non-conference game on Tuesday night, defeating Iowa, 6-5, at Duane Banks Field. The game was the rubber match in a five-game season series against Iowa, which Omaha took, 3-2, this year.
Redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with his first career home run and two runs scored. Senior Ryan Keele, junior Caleb Palensky and sophomore Alex Mortensen all went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, and freshman Cole Gruber was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Senior Cory Buckley also went 1-for-4 with an RBI, extending his team-leading hitting streak to 16 games.
As a team, Omaha totaled 14 hits to Iowa's nine. The Hawkeyes were led by Taylor Kaufman, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, and Anthony Torres, who went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Sophomore Cole Volkers (1-2) earned the win in relief, allowing one run on two hits over 3.2 innings. Volkers held the Hawkeyes scoreless in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, finishing with four strikeouts for the night. Senior Derek Landis recorded his sixth save of the year, tossing the last 1.1 innings with three strikeouts.
Rewind with the Golden Grizzlies
Omaha capped its first weekend of Summit League play on April 7, surging to a doubleheader sweep of Oakland, 7-0 and 7-4, at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Senior Matt Tew shined in the opening game, 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.
The loss went to OU's Tim Koons, who surrendered six runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk over 5.1 innings of work. As a team, Omaha pounded out 11 hits for seven runs against the Oakland staff.
Senior Cory Buckley finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI, while junior Brett Bass went 2-for-3 with two RBI. 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 performance and scored twice.
Oakland's Mike Carson tallied the only hit of the game for the Golden Grizzlies with a sharply-hit single through the left side to leadoff the fifth.
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.
Oakland was led by three hits apiece from Robby Enslen and Todd Dunham, as well as two more from Spencer Marentette. UNO and OU combined for 27 hits in the game, including 14 from the Mavericks, who also capitalized on four errors committed by the Golden Grizzlies.
Senior Cory Buckley earned the win, surrendering three runs on 11 hits while striking out three over 5.0 innings. Lucas Scocchia 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
Senior Cory Buckley carries a team-best 16-game hitting streak into the week, the longest of any Maverick this season. It is also the seventh-longest of any player in the Bob Herold era.
BEST MAVERICK HITTING STREAKS IN THE HEROLD ERA (2000-13)
1. 22 -- Tyler Lundy (2010)
2. 21 -- Brady Hohl (2012)
3. 20 -- Andrew Hansen (2009)
4. 18 -- Brady Hohl (2011)
5. 17 -- Drew Schwab (2009)
17 -- Brian Strawn (2009)
7. 16 -- Cory Buckley (2013)
8. 15 -- Patrick Johnston (2002)
15 -- Josh Shirk (2004)
10. 14 -- John Shoemaker (2000)
14 -- Eric Gordon (2003)
14 -- Bryan Frew (2006)
14 -- Derrick Kendrick (2006)
14 -- Chris Weimer (2007)
14 -- Evan Porter (2007)
14 -- Bryan Frew (2008)
Call on Casey
Junior reliever Dylan Casey has made a strong impression in his first season on the Maverick pitching staff, posting a 3-0 record with one save and a 2.30 ERA in 10 appearances. Opposing batters are hitting just .254 against Casey, who has 19 strikeouts with just six walks for a 3.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He made two appearances over North Dakota State weekend, picking up the Sunday win. Over both games combined, Casey held the Bison to five total hits in 3.2 scoreless innings and tied his career best of four strikeouts in the last contest.
Keele, Schoonover Sweep Weekly League Honors
Senior outfielder Ryan Keele and junior pitcher Steven Schoonover swept the Summit League's Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Week awards for their performances April 29 to May 5, the conference office announced Monday.
Keele earns his second Player of the Week honor this season after leading Omaha to a series split at Fort Wayne. After recording a hit in each of the first two games, the senior outfield went 5-for-5 at the place with a double and three RBI in game three's win. He followed that with a 3-for-4 performance in game four, driving-in three runs with a double and walk. For the week, Keele batted .625 (10-for-16) with a .647 on-base percentage and .812 slugging percentage. He had seven RBI, three doubles and a walk in the series.
Schoonover snagged his first career Pitcher of the Week award after tossing a complete game shutout in Omaha's game three win at Fort Wayne Saturday. The junior southpaw threw nine innings and scattered six hits, all singles, while striking out a career-high four batters and issuing no walks. The performance marked the first complete game of his career.
Omaha, which leads the Summit League standings, has had a total of six weekly conference award winners this season. Keele was previously named Summit League Player of the Week on March 18, junior Brett Bass earned the honor on April 8, and senior Tyler Splichal garnered the same recognition on April 29. Senior Matt Tew was honored as Summit League Pitcher of the Week on April 8.
Fresh Faces Seeing the Field
Twenty-nine Mavericks have seen the field this 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.
Senior Ryan Keele, who redshirted in 2012 after transferring from Northwestern State, is third among Maverick starters with a .361 batting average, while redshirt freshman Clayton Taylor (.333), junior Brett Bass (.310) and sophomore Brett Miller (.303) also come in over the .300 mark.
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 439-300-2. 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 28 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.
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.
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 has played at three different venues around town: Westside High School for its first home series in March, 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 -- 4-4
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, May 14, hosting Western Illinois for a conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, 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.
