Mavericks Open Home Slate With Air Force
Mar 13, 2014 | Baseball
For complete notes, refer to the PDF version.
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team returns to action this weekend, hosting Air Force for a three-game series at the Ballpark at Boys Town, March 14-16. First pitch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is set for 1 p.m., and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com. Student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast, and fans may listen live online or by downloading the TuneIn app to listen via smartphone.
Quick Hits
•Omaha looks to snap its four-game losing streak after dropping the last three games of a weekend series at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz., then falling in the ninth inning at Kansas State on Wednesday on a walkoff wild pitch.
•The Mavericks return 20 letterwinners from 2013, including eight who saw the field as position starters and three returning starting pitchers. Fifteen newcomers are also on the 2014 roster, 11 of whom have seen the field.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz's .383 batting average ranks fourth in the Summit League. He and fellow sophomore Cole Gruber have a team-leading five multi-hit games apiece this season.
•Schultz has gotten on base in all 12 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 12 -game streak of reaching base. Schultz also has a team-long eight-game hitting streak.
•A two-year starter and first-team All-Summit honoree, junior Alex Mortensen will miss the 2014 season due to injury.
•After going 20-6 in Summit League play last year, UNO is 100-84 all-time against the four other teams in the league.
Scouting the Air Force Falcons
Entering Friday's game at Omaha, Air Force holds a record of 4-10 (0-0 Mountain West). The Falcons most recently played a two-game midweek series at Arizona, falling 14-2 on Tuesday and 10-2 on Wednesday.
On the hill, Air Force is led by Cameron White, who has a record of 1-2 and a 4.94 ERA over four starts this year. In 27.1 innings pitched, he has limited opponents to a .239 batting average and has a team-best 29 strikeouts. Offensively, Tyler Jones leads the charge for the Falcons, hitting .277 with a team highs of six doubles and 10 RBI.
Head coach Mike Kazlausky (Air Force, 1991) is in his fourth year with the program and holds a career record of 52-124. The Falcons lead the all-time series with Omaha, 4-2. The two teams last met on March 20, 2013, with Omaha picking up an 11-10 win at Falcon Field.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (1-1) will open for the Mavericks on Friday at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Last week at Grand Canyon, Fox tossed seven innings, surrendering two hits with a career-high-tying six strikeouts and one walk for the victory. The performance helped him to his first win of the year and improved him to 1-1 en route to Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. As a true freshman in 2013, Fox went 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA over a staff-leading 56.1 innings pitched and limited his opponents to a .263 batting average.
Junior righty Zach Williamsen (0-1), who leads the team with 11 strikeouts, is slated to start in Saturday's game after making his last appearance at Grand Canyon last weekend. He allowed three earned runs on three hits with a trio of strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Williamsen made two starts at the Snowbird Classic against Northwestern and Villanova, issuing a season-high seven strikeouts against VU. Last season, the Omaha native compiled a record of 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA, striking out 42 batters over 56.0 innings of work.
Sophomore Marcus Ethen (1-1) is set to start Sunday's finale. The Omaha native threw at GCU last Sunday, taking the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 3.0 innings of work. Earlier this season, Ethen struck out a career-high-tying five batters with no walks against St. Bonaventure.
Schultz, Fox Earn Summit League Weekly Awards
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox was named Summit League Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance March 3-9, the conference office announced Monday. He shared the honor with South Dakota State's Adam Bray.
Fox recorded the second Pitcher of the Week award of his career after guiding Omaha to game one's 6-0 win at Grand Canyon March 7. The Thornton, Colo., native tossed seven innings, surrendering two hits with a career-high-tying six strikeouts and one walk for the victory. Fox picked up his first win of the year and improved to 1-1.
Sophomore Alex Schultz garnered his first career award on March 3 after leading Omaha to a 4-1 record during the second half of the season-opening Snowbird Classic Tournament. The outfielder from Sioux Falls, S.D., went 5-for-6 with three RBI and three runs scored in UNO's win over Chicago State. He added a pair of hits vs. the Cougars and two hits in a win over Villanova. For the week, Schultz batted .455 (10-of-22) with four runs scored, three RBI, two doubles and two walks. He also had a .545 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage in the five games.
The 1-2 Punch
Sophomore outfielders Cole Gruber and Alex Schultz have provided quite the 1-2 punch for Omaha to start the 2014 season. Schultz leads the team in batting average (.383), runs scored (10), walks drawn (four), slugging percentage (.511) and on-base percentage (.442). Gruber is second on the squad with a .377 average and has scored 10 runs while going 2-for-3 on the basepaths.
In eight games at the season-opening Snowbird Classic, the duo batted an identical .364 (12-for-33). Schultz, who was named Summit League Co-Player of the Week on March 3, had two doubles, scored five runs, drove in three more and drew three walks. Gruber had one double, six runs scored, six RBI and two walks while going 1-for-2 on the basepaths.
The pair fueled Omaha's hit parade in UNO's Feb. 28 doubleheader with Villanova and Chicago State, combining for 14 hits. Both had seven hits in the two games, including five apiece against CSU in game two alone.
Home Sweet Home
The 2014 season will see the Omaha baseball team play 20 home contests, including 14 conference tilts. UNO will play at two venues, with 17 games at the Ballpark at Boys Town and three premier games at Werner Park with Kansas State (April 1), Creighton (April 2) and Nebraska (April 30). The trio of KSU, NU and CU all finished in the top 65 for RPI in 2013, ranking 16th, 31st and 64th, respectively.
Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2014 schedule includes 50 games against 18 different Division I opponents, and the team will play in seven states across the country. UNO will match up with opponents from 10 different conferences: the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAC, Missouri Valley, Mountain West and WAC.
Two foes -- South Dakota State and Kansas State -- were 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. SDSU, which finished second to UNO in the Summit League's regular-season standings and went on to win the tournament championship for a berth to the NCAA Tournament, lost to Oregon and San Francisco in the Eugene Regional. K-State nearly knocked off Oregon State in game three of the Corvallis Super Regional, rallying for two runs in the eighth inning before the Beavers snagged a 4-3 win.
The Mavericks have never faced six of their 2014 opponents -- Milwaukee, St. Bonaventure, Villanova, Western Michigan, Grand Canyon and Dartmouth -- and they hold a combined all-time record of 176-202 against all teams on the slate this season.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action March 18-20, facing Dartmouth for a three-game midweek series in Lawrence, Kan. First pitch for all three games is set for 3 p.m., with one game each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team returns to action this weekend, hosting Air Force for a three-game series at the Ballpark at Boys Town, March 14-16. First pitch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday is set for 1 p.m., and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com. Student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast, and fans may listen live online or by downloading the TuneIn app to listen via smartphone.
Quick Hits
•Omaha looks to snap its four-game losing streak after dropping the last three games of a weekend series at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Ariz., then falling in the ninth inning at Kansas State on Wednesday on a walkoff wild pitch.
•The Mavericks return 20 letterwinners from 2013, including eight who saw the field as position starters and three returning starting pitchers. Fifteen newcomers are also on the 2014 roster, 11 of whom have seen the field.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz's .383 batting average ranks fourth in the Summit League. He and fellow sophomore Cole Gruber have a team-leading five multi-hit games apiece this season.
•Schultz has gotten on base in all 12 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 12 -game streak of reaching base. Schultz also has a team-long eight-game hitting streak.
•A two-year starter and first-team All-Summit honoree, junior Alex Mortensen will miss the 2014 season due to injury.
•After going 20-6 in Summit League play last year, UNO is 100-84 all-time against the four other teams in the league.
Scouting the Air Force Falcons
Entering Friday's game at Omaha, Air Force holds a record of 4-10 (0-0 Mountain West). The Falcons most recently played a two-game midweek series at Arizona, falling 14-2 on Tuesday and 10-2 on Wednesday.
On the hill, Air Force is led by Cameron White, who has a record of 1-2 and a 4.94 ERA over four starts this year. In 27.1 innings pitched, he has limited opponents to a .239 batting average and has a team-best 29 strikeouts. Offensively, Tyler Jones leads the charge for the Falcons, hitting .277 with a team highs of six doubles and 10 RBI.
Head coach Mike Kazlausky (Air Force, 1991) is in his fourth year with the program and holds a career record of 52-124. The Falcons lead the all-time series with Omaha, 4-2. The two teams last met on March 20, 2013, with Omaha picking up an 11-10 win at Falcon Field.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (1-1) will open for the Mavericks on Friday at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Last week at Grand Canyon, Fox tossed seven innings, surrendering two hits with a career-high-tying six strikeouts and one walk for the victory. The performance helped him to his first win of the year and improved him to 1-1 en route to Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. As a true freshman in 2013, Fox went 6-2 with a 3.99 ERA over a staff-leading 56.1 innings pitched and limited his opponents to a .263 batting average.
Junior righty Zach Williamsen (0-1), who leads the team with 11 strikeouts, is slated to start in Saturday's game after making his last appearance at Grand Canyon last weekend. He allowed three earned runs on three hits with a trio of strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Williamsen made two starts at the Snowbird Classic against Northwestern and Villanova, issuing a season-high seven strikeouts against VU. Last season, the Omaha native compiled a record of 4-1 with a 3.38 ERA, striking out 42 batters over 56.0 innings of work.
Sophomore Marcus Ethen (1-1) is set to start Sunday's finale. The Omaha native threw at GCU last Sunday, taking the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 3.0 innings of work. Earlier this season, Ethen struck out a career-high-tying five batters with no walks against St. Bonaventure.
Schultz, Fox Earn Summit League Weekly Awards
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox was named Summit League Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance March 3-9, the conference office announced Monday. He shared the honor with South Dakota State's Adam Bray.
Fox recorded the second Pitcher of the Week award of his career after guiding Omaha to game one's 6-0 win at Grand Canyon March 7. The Thornton, Colo., native tossed seven innings, surrendering two hits with a career-high-tying six strikeouts and one walk for the victory. Fox picked up his first win of the year and improved to 1-1.
Sophomore Alex Schultz garnered his first career award on March 3 after leading Omaha to a 4-1 record during the second half of the season-opening Snowbird Classic Tournament. The outfielder from Sioux Falls, S.D., went 5-for-6 with three RBI and three runs scored in UNO's win over Chicago State. He added a pair of hits vs. the Cougars and two hits in a win over Villanova. For the week, Schultz batted .455 (10-of-22) with four runs scored, three RBI, two doubles and two walks. He also had a .545 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage in the five games.
The 1-2 Punch
Sophomore outfielders Cole Gruber and Alex Schultz have provided quite the 1-2 punch for Omaha to start the 2014 season. Schultz leads the team in batting average (.383), runs scored (10), walks drawn (four), slugging percentage (.511) and on-base percentage (.442). Gruber is second on the squad with a .377 average and has scored 10 runs while going 2-for-3 on the basepaths.
In eight games at the season-opening Snowbird Classic, the duo batted an identical .364 (12-for-33). Schultz, who was named Summit League Co-Player of the Week on March 3, had two doubles, scored five runs, drove in three more and drew three walks. Gruber had one double, six runs scored, six RBI and two walks while going 1-for-2 on the basepaths.
The pair fueled Omaha's hit parade in UNO's Feb. 28 doubleheader with Villanova and Chicago State, combining for 14 hits. Both had seven hits in the two games, including five apiece against CSU in game two alone.
Home Sweet Home
The 2014 season will see the Omaha baseball team play 20 home contests, including 14 conference tilts. UNO will play at two venues, with 17 games at the Ballpark at Boys Town and three premier games at Werner Park with Kansas State (April 1), Creighton (April 2) and Nebraska (April 30). The trio of KSU, NU and CU all finished in the top 65 for RPI in 2013, ranking 16th, 31st and 64th, respectively.
Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2014 schedule includes 50 games against 18 different Division I opponents, and the team will play in seven states across the country. UNO will match up with opponents from 10 different conferences: the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAC, Missouri Valley, Mountain West and WAC.
Two foes -- South Dakota State and Kansas State -- were 2013 NCAA Tournament qualifiers. SDSU, which finished second to UNO in the Summit League's regular-season standings and went on to win the tournament championship for a berth to the NCAA Tournament, lost to Oregon and San Francisco in the Eugene Regional. K-State nearly knocked off Oregon State in game three of the Corvallis Super Regional, rallying for two runs in the eighth inning before the Beavers snagged a 4-3 win.
The Mavericks have never faced six of their 2014 opponents -- Milwaukee, St. Bonaventure, Villanova, Western Michigan, Grand Canyon and Dartmouth -- and they hold a combined all-time record of 176-202 against all teams on the slate this season.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action March 18-20, facing Dartmouth for a three-game midweek series in Lawrence, Kan. First pitch for all three games is set for 3 p.m., with one game each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
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