Mavericks Set For Four-Game Weekend at NDSU
Apr 10, 2014 | Baseball
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team takes its first conference roadtrip this weekend, traveling to North Dakota State for four games. A league doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, while two more non-conference games against the Bison are set for Sunday, April 13. First pitch both days is set for 1 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Sunday, April 6, splitting a doubleheader with Western Illinois. The Mavericks won the first game, 4-3, before a 2-0 shutout loss in game two.
•Junior Daniel Jewett was named Summit League Player of the Week on Monday, the fourth Maverick this year to win a weekly conference award. On a steady climb offensively, he entered last week's five-game slate with a .333 batting average and now leads the Mavericks with a .400 average.
•Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox ranks first in the Summit League with four wins this season.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor has a team-leading 11 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI efforts.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz has gotten on base in all 25 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 25-game streak of reaching base. He also had a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•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, 13 of whom have seen the field.
•After going 20-6 in Summit League play last year, UNO is 103-87 all-time against the four other teams in the league.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
Entering the weekend, North Dakota State holds a record of 8-13 (0-4 Summit League). The Bison last played on April 8, shutting out Minot State, 5-0, in Bismarck, N.D. NDSU has two of the top hitters in the Summit League on its roster, as Kyle Kleinendorst's .377 batting average ranks first, followed closely by Nick Altavilla at .373. Head coach Todd Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his seventh year at North Dakota State with a career record of 149-180.
NDSU leads the all-time series against Omaha, 26-21. The two teams split a four-game series last season at the Ballpark at Boys Town, with the Mavericks taking a 19-11 win on Sunday, April 28.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (4-1), who owns a team-high 29 strikeouts, will throw for the Mavericks in Saturday's first game. Two weeks ago, he earned his league-leading fourth win of the season against South Dakota State, allowing two runs on six hits with six Ks. On March 14 against Air Force, he tallied a career-high seven strikeouts, and Fox previously earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after a win at Grand Canyon on March 7. 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.
Senior southpaw Steven Schoonover (0-1) will make his fourth appearance of the season on Saturday. Schoonover last threw against Western Illinois April 6, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 7.0 innings of work. He made his season debut on March 12 at Kansas State, holding the Wildcats to one unearned run on one hit with a strikeout in his first appearance since the 2013 season.
Sophomore Marcus Ethen (3-1) is set to start Sunday's opener at NDSU. The Omaha native last took the mound against Western Illinois on April 6, tying his career best of five strikeouts while allowing three runs on eight hits in the win. Earlier this season, Ethen also struck out a career-high-tying five batters with no walks against St. Bonaventure.
Junior lefty Cole Volkers (2-1) was last in action on April 5 against Fort Wayne, holding the Mastodons scoreless in two innings of relief work. He also picked up a win in relief earlier that week against K-State, throwing the final inning with no walks and no hits. Volkers will make his first start of the season against the Bison on Sunday.
Mavericks Earn Fourth Summit League Weekly Award
Junior outfielder Daniel Jewett captured his first career Summit League Player of the Week award on Monday, becoming the fourth Maverick to earn a weekly conference honor this season. For the week, he batted .526 (10-for-19) with six RBI, two doubles, one run scored, one walk and a stolen base. The Poulsbo, Wash., native went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the Mavericks' 6-5 walkoff win over Kansas State in 10 innings on Wednesday. He also collected three hits in a win over Western Illinois on Sunday while recording two hits in game two vs. Fort Wayne on Saturday. For the week, Jewett also recorded a .632 slugging percentage and .550 on-base percentage.
UNO has had two players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3) and senior Caleb Palensky (March 31), while sophomore Tyler Fox was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 10.
Schultz, Taylor Among Nation's Statistical Leaders
Sophomores Alex Schultz and Clayton Taylor rank among the top 30 nationally in a variety of offensive categories in the NCAA's most recent statistical release on April 9. Schultz, who leads the Summit League with 27 runs scored this year, is 30th nationally with 1.08 runs per game. Taylor is 18th in the country with a .659 slugging percentage, which is also third in the conference.
Taylor's Tops
Sophomore Clayton Taylor tops the Mavericks with 26 runs driven in this season -- which is third in the Summit League -- and his team-leading slugging percentage sits at .659. He also leads the team with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs. His last roundtripper was a first-pitch solo shot to tie the game at 5-5 in the ninth against K-State on April 1, a game which Omaha went on to win in extra innings, 6-5.
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.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 15th year as the skipper of the Nebraska Omaha baseball program in 2013, having compiled a career record of 461-314-2. 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 (464-273) and Virgil Yelkin (439-196) in the prestigious club, and Herold needs four 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 four conference championships. In 2013, he was honored as Summit League Coach of the Year.
Herold's most recent draft pick was right-handed 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 15th year, and Evan Porter, in his second year, as well as volunteer pitching coach Dan McGinn, who is in his 14th year.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, April 16, traveling to Nebraska for a midweek game at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha baseball team takes its first conference roadtrip this weekend, traveling to North Dakota State for four games. A league doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, while two more non-conference games against the Bison are set for Sunday, April 13. First pitch both days is set for 1 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Sunday, April 6, splitting a doubleheader with Western Illinois. The Mavericks won the first game, 4-3, before a 2-0 shutout loss in game two.
•Junior Daniel Jewett was named Summit League Player of the Week on Monday, the fourth Maverick this year to win a weekly conference award. On a steady climb offensively, he entered last week's five-game slate with a .333 batting average and now leads the Mavericks with a .400 average.
•Sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox ranks first in the Summit League with four wins this season.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor has a team-leading 11 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI efforts.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz has gotten on base in all 25 games he has played, now carrying with him a team-leading 25-game streak of reaching base. He also had a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•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, 13 of whom have seen the field.
•After going 20-6 in Summit League play last year, UNO is 103-87 all-time against the four other teams in the league.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
Entering the weekend, North Dakota State holds a record of 8-13 (0-4 Summit League). The Bison last played on April 8, shutting out Minot State, 5-0, in Bismarck, N.D. NDSU has two of the top hitters in the Summit League on its roster, as Kyle Kleinendorst's .377 batting average ranks first, followed closely by Nick Altavilla at .373. Head coach Todd Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his seventh year at North Dakota State with a career record of 149-180.
NDSU leads the all-time series against Omaha, 26-21. The two teams split a four-game series last season at the Ballpark at Boys Town, with the Mavericks taking a 19-11 win on Sunday, April 28.
On the Hill: Notables About the Weekend Rotation
Sophomore righty Tyler Fox (4-1), who owns a team-high 29 strikeouts, will throw for the Mavericks in Saturday's first game. Two weeks ago, he earned his league-leading fourth win of the season against South Dakota State, allowing two runs on six hits with six Ks. On March 14 against Air Force, he tallied a career-high seven strikeouts, and Fox previously earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after a win at Grand Canyon on March 7. 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.
Senior southpaw Steven Schoonover (0-1) will make his fourth appearance of the season on Saturday. Schoonover last threw against Western Illinois April 6, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 7.0 innings of work. He made his season debut on March 12 at Kansas State, holding the Wildcats to one unearned run on one hit with a strikeout in his first appearance since the 2013 season.
Sophomore Marcus Ethen (3-1) is set to start Sunday's opener at NDSU. The Omaha native last took the mound against Western Illinois on April 6, tying his career best of five strikeouts while allowing three runs on eight hits in the win. Earlier this season, Ethen also struck out a career-high-tying five batters with no walks against St. Bonaventure.
Junior lefty Cole Volkers (2-1) was last in action on April 5 against Fort Wayne, holding the Mastodons scoreless in two innings of relief work. He also picked up a win in relief earlier that week against K-State, throwing the final inning with no walks and no hits. Volkers will make his first start of the season against the Bison on Sunday.
Mavericks Earn Fourth Summit League Weekly Award
Junior outfielder Daniel Jewett captured his first career Summit League Player of the Week award on Monday, becoming the fourth Maverick to earn a weekly conference honor this season. For the week, he batted .526 (10-for-19) with six RBI, two doubles, one run scored, one walk and a stolen base. The Poulsbo, Wash., native went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the Mavericks' 6-5 walkoff win over Kansas State in 10 innings on Wednesday. He also collected three hits in a win over Western Illinois on Sunday while recording two hits in game two vs. Fort Wayne on Saturday. For the week, Jewett also recorded a .632 slugging percentage and .550 on-base percentage.
UNO has had two players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3) and senior Caleb Palensky (March 31), while sophomore Tyler Fox was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 10.
Schultz, Taylor Among Nation's Statistical Leaders
Sophomores Alex Schultz and Clayton Taylor rank among the top 30 nationally in a variety of offensive categories in the NCAA's most recent statistical release on April 9. Schultz, who leads the Summit League with 27 runs scored this year, is 30th nationally with 1.08 runs per game. Taylor is 18th in the country with a .659 slugging percentage, which is also third in the conference.
Taylor's Tops
Sophomore Clayton Taylor tops the Mavericks with 26 runs driven in this season -- which is third in the Summit League -- and his team-leading slugging percentage sits at .659. He also leads the team with nine doubles, two triples and five home runs. His last roundtripper was a first-pitch solo shot to tie the game at 5-5 in the ninth against K-State on April 1, a game which Omaha went on to win in extra innings, 6-5.
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.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 15th year as the skipper of the Nebraska Omaha baseball program in 2013, having compiled a career record of 461-314-2. 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 (464-273) and Virgil Yelkin (439-196) in the prestigious club, and Herold needs four 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 four conference championships. In 2013, he was honored as Summit League Coach of the Year.
Herold's most recent draft pick was right-handed 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 15th year, and Evan Porter, in his second year, as well as volunteer pitching coach Dan McGinn, who is in his 14th year.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, April 16, traveling to Nebraska for a midweek game at Haymarket Park in Lincoln. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
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