Omaha Opens Summit League Play With Jackrabbits
Mar 28, 2014 | Baseball
For complete notes, refer to the PDF version.
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team opens Summit League play this Sunday, March 30, hosting South Dakota State for a doubleheader at the Ballpark at Boys Town. First pitch is set for Noon, 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.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Thursday, March 20, completing a three-game midweek series against Dartmouth. The Mavericks' March 25 game at Kansas State was cancelled due to snowfall in Manhattan, Kan.
•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 Cole Gruber's .365 batting average ranks fifth in the Summit League. He and fellow sophomores Alex Schultz and Clayton Taylor have a team-leading seven multi-hit games apiece this season.
•Schultz has gotten on base in all 18 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 18-game streak of reaching base. Schultz also had a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•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 South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Entering their Friday doubleheader at Western Illinois, defending Summit League Tournament Champion South Dakota State has a record of 11-11 (0-0 Summit League). The Jackrabbits took two out of three in a series at Chicago State last weekend, falling 2-1 in 14 innings before a 2-1 win and a 10-6 triumph in 10 innings.
SDSU has won six league player or pitcher of the week awards this season. The Jacks' pitching staff is well represented in the conference's statistical leaderboard, as Chad Hodges leads the way with three wins, and Joe Erickson has a league-best 0.98 ERA. J.D. Moore is also first with three saves, and Adam Bray has a conference-leading 31 strikeouts, while the SDSU staff has a 3.60 team ERA to rank first.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 68-61-1. The Mavericks last took three of four games in the final weekend of league play last season, clinching the 2013 Summit League regular-season championship.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (3-1), who is tied for the team high with 19 strikeouts, will throw for the Mavericks in Sunday's first game. Last week against Dartmouth, Fox tossed 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits with four Ks and a walk for the victory. The week prior against Air Force, he tallied a career-high seven strikeouts. Fox previously earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after a win at Grand Canyon on March 7, and he is tied for the league lead in wins. 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 (1-1), who leads the team with 19 strikeouts and 30.1 innings thrown, is slated to start Sunday's later game after making his last appearance against Air Force on March 15. He picked up his first win against the Falcons, allowing two earned runs on six hits with a career-best eight strikeouts and no walks in 7.0 innings. 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.
Taylor's Tops
Sophomore Clayton Taylor tops the Summit League with 17 runs driven in this season, and his team-leading .547 slugging percentage is third in the conference. He also leads the team with five doubles, two triples and a .547 slugging percentage.
In 2013, Taylor was named a Freshman All-American Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball. He finished third in the league with a .352 batting average and added 20 runs scored, eight doubles, 18 RBI and eight stolen bases. His 23 walks drawn were also fifth among conference players.
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. Gruber leads the team in batting average (.365), walks drawn (eight) and on-base percentage (.447) and has a team-best 7-for-9 effort in stolen bases. Schultz is second on the squad with a .352 average and has scored a team-leading 18 runs.
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.
After a weekend sweep of Air Force, the Mavericks hold a 3-0 record at home this year.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, April 1, hosting Kansas State at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 6:30 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.
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team opens Summit League play this Sunday, March 30, hosting South Dakota State for a doubleheader at the Ballpark at Boys Town. First pitch is set for Noon, 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.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Thursday, March 20, completing a three-game midweek series against Dartmouth. The Mavericks' March 25 game at Kansas State was cancelled due to snowfall in Manhattan, Kan.
•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 Cole Gruber's .365 batting average ranks fifth in the Summit League. He and fellow sophomores Alex Schultz and Clayton Taylor have a team-leading seven multi-hit games apiece this season.
•Schultz has gotten on base in all 18 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 18-game streak of reaching base. Schultz also had a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•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 South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Entering their Friday doubleheader at Western Illinois, defending Summit League Tournament Champion South Dakota State has a record of 11-11 (0-0 Summit League). The Jackrabbits took two out of three in a series at Chicago State last weekend, falling 2-1 in 14 innings before a 2-1 win and a 10-6 triumph in 10 innings.
SDSU has won six league player or pitcher of the week awards this season. The Jacks' pitching staff is well represented in the conference's statistical leaderboard, as Chad Hodges leads the way with three wins, and Joe Erickson has a league-best 0.98 ERA. J.D. Moore is also first with three saves, and Adam Bray has a conference-leading 31 strikeouts, while the SDSU staff has a 3.60 team ERA to rank first.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 68-61-1. The Mavericks last took three of four games in the final weekend of league play last season, clinching the 2013 Summit League regular-season championship.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (3-1), who is tied for the team high with 19 strikeouts, will throw for the Mavericks in Sunday's first game. Last week against Dartmouth, Fox tossed 6.2 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits with four Ks and a walk for the victory. The week prior against Air Force, he tallied a career-high seven strikeouts. Fox previously earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after a win at Grand Canyon on March 7, and he is tied for the league lead in wins. 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 (1-1), who leads the team with 19 strikeouts and 30.1 innings thrown, is slated to start Sunday's later game after making his last appearance against Air Force on March 15. He picked up his first win against the Falcons, allowing two earned runs on six hits with a career-best eight strikeouts and no walks in 7.0 innings. 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.
Taylor's Tops
Sophomore Clayton Taylor tops the Summit League with 17 runs driven in this season, and his team-leading .547 slugging percentage is third in the conference. He also leads the team with five doubles, two triples and a .547 slugging percentage.
In 2013, Taylor was named a Freshman All-American Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball. He finished third in the league with a .352 batting average and added 20 runs scored, eight doubles, 18 RBI and eight stolen bases. His 23 walks drawn were also fifth among conference players.
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. Gruber leads the team in batting average (.365), walks drawn (eight) and on-base percentage (.447) and has a team-best 7-for-9 effort in stolen bases. Schultz is second on the squad with a .352 average and has scored a team-leading 18 runs.
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.
After a weekend sweep of Air Force, the Mavericks hold a 3-0 record at home this year.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, April 1, hosting Kansas State at Werner Park. First pitch is set for 6:30 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.
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