Omaha Squares Off With Creighton On Tuesday
Apr 21, 2014 | Baseball
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team closes its seven-game road swing this week, visiting crosstown rival Creighton for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 22. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com. Student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast.
Quick Hits
•Head coach Bob Herold became the winningest coach in UNO baseball history last Saturday, as he earned his 465th career win with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley. The victory pushed him past former coach Bob Gates (1976-99), who had 464 wins during his tenure.
•Omaha last took the field on Sunday, April 20, topping Bradley, 11-6, to complete a series sweep over the Braves.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor was named Summit League Player of the Week on Monday, earning the Mavericks' sixth weekly conference award of 2014. Taylor has a team-best 14 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI efforts this season.
•Taylor is also on a 19-game reaching-base streak, while junior Daniel Jewett has reached base in 15 straight contests.
•On April 12, the Mavericks swept a league doubleheader at North Dakota State with back-to-back shutouts. Omaha won the first game, 2-0 in 10 innings, before a 10-0 victory in seven innings in game two. It last achieved two shutouts in the same day on May 4, 2013 against Fort Wayne.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz had a team-leading 25-game reaching base streak from Feb. 21 to April 6 and a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•UNO is 105-87 all-time against the four other teams in the Summit League.
Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
Entering the week, Creighton has compiled a record of 20-12-1 (5-1 BIG EAST) and sits atop the BIG EAST standings. The Bluejays took two of three in a series at Villanova last weekend, falling 6-3 on Thursday before wins on Friday (12-6) and Saturday (4-0). Head coach Ed Servais (UW-LaCrosse, 1981) is in his 11th year at the helm of the CU program with a record of 377-225-1 and a career mark of 559-307-2.
Creighton leads the all-time series against Omaha, 48-29. The two teams last played on CU's home field on Sunday, March 31, 2013, with the Mavericks picking up a 4-2 win to close the three-game weekend series. The first CU-UNO meeting this season was set for April 2 at Werner Park but was postponed due to rain.
Taylor Earns Mavericks' Sixth Summit League Weekly Award
Sophomore Clayton Taylor earned his first career Summit League Player of the Week honor on Monday, becoming the sixth Maverick to earn a weekly conference accolade this season. The infielder from Mount Michael earned the award after leading his team to a 3-1 record and a road sweep at Bradley. He opened the week with a walk, run scored and sacrifice in a 3-for-3 performance at Nebraska.
Against Bradley, Taylor hit safely in all three contests, including a pair of multi-hit games. In game two of the weekend set, Taylor had two hits, including a double, with two RBI and a run scored. Taylor went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles and a run scored in the series finale. For the week, Taylor hit .562 with nine hits, five RBI, three runs scored, three doubles and one stolen base. He slugged .750 and had a .632 on-base percentage.
UNO has had three other players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3), senior Caleb Palensky (March 31) and junior Daniel Jewett (April 7), while sophomore Tyler Fox (March 10) and senior Steven Schoonover (April 14) were named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 15th year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2014, having compiled a career record of 466-315-2. 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 with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley on April 22, he officially became the winningest coach in UNO history with his 465th victory.
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.
League Leaders
Multiple Mavericks lead the Summit League in a variety of categories, with sophomore Cole Gruber first in stolen bases (16). On the mound, senior Steven Schoonover is first with a 0.67 ERA, while sophomore Tyler Fox has a league-best six wins for the year. As a team, Omaha's four shutouts also pace its conference peers.
Taylor Among Nation's Slugging Percentage Leaders
Sophomore Clayton Taylor ranks among the top 15 nationally in slugging percentage in the NCAA's most recent statistical release on April 21. The Omaha native is 12th in the country with a .658 slugging clip, which is also third in the conference.
Taylor tops the Mavericks with 31 runs driven in this season, which is third in the Summit League. He also ranks second with 13 doubles, and his two triples and five home runs lead the Mavs. 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.
Double Digits
As a team, Omaha has produced double-digit hits in 17 games this season, including a season high of 23 hits against Chicago State on Feb. 28. UNO is 14-3 when producing 10 or more hits in a game.
On April 12 in a league doubleheader at North Dakota State, the Mavericks posted a combined 24 hits for the day. Ten of those came in a 2-0 win in the first game and 14 were tallied in a 10-0 victory in the second game.
Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, UNO has gone 11-4 this season. The Mavericks notched a season-high five doubles as a team in a 12-5 win over Dartmouth on March 18, and it was their highest extra-base hit total since tallying two doubles, two triples and two homers on April 28, 2013 vs. North Dakota State.
Omaha is on pace to surpass last season's team extra-base hit total (103). At 32 games into the 2013 season, the Mavericks had 56 doubles, three triples and four home runs, while the 2014 squad has come up with 55 doubles, eight triples and nine homers through April 16.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action this weekend, hosting a four-game conference series with North Dakota State. It welcomes the Bison with a single game on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader at Noon and a single game on Sunday at Noon. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com, and student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast.
The Omaha baseball team closes its seven-game road swing this week, visiting crosstown rival Creighton for a midweek game on Tuesday, April 22. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com. Student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast.
Quick Hits
•Head coach Bob Herold became the winningest coach in UNO baseball history last Saturday, as he earned his 465th career win with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley. The victory pushed him past former coach Bob Gates (1976-99), who had 464 wins during his tenure.
•Omaha last took the field on Sunday, April 20, topping Bradley, 11-6, to complete a series sweep over the Braves.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor was named Summit League Player of the Week on Monday, earning the Mavericks' sixth weekly conference award of 2014. Taylor has a team-best 14 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI efforts this season.
•Taylor is also on a 19-game reaching-base streak, while junior Daniel Jewett has reached base in 15 straight contests.
•On April 12, the Mavericks swept a league doubleheader at North Dakota State with back-to-back shutouts. Omaha won the first game, 2-0 in 10 innings, before a 10-0 victory in seven innings in game two. It last achieved two shutouts in the same day on May 4, 2013 against Fort Wayne.
•Sophomore Alex Schultz had a team-leading 25-game reaching base streak from Feb. 21 to April 6 and a team-long 12-game hitting streak that lasted Feb. 21 to March 19.
•UNO is 105-87 all-time against the four other teams in the Summit League.
Scouting the Creighton Bluejays
Entering the week, Creighton has compiled a record of 20-12-1 (5-1 BIG EAST) and sits atop the BIG EAST standings. The Bluejays took two of three in a series at Villanova last weekend, falling 6-3 on Thursday before wins on Friday (12-6) and Saturday (4-0). Head coach Ed Servais (UW-LaCrosse, 1981) is in his 11th year at the helm of the CU program with a record of 377-225-1 and a career mark of 559-307-2.
Creighton leads the all-time series against Omaha, 48-29. The two teams last played on CU's home field on Sunday, March 31, 2013, with the Mavericks picking up a 4-2 win to close the three-game weekend series. The first CU-UNO meeting this season was set for April 2 at Werner Park but was postponed due to rain.
Taylor Earns Mavericks' Sixth Summit League Weekly Award
Sophomore Clayton Taylor earned his first career Summit League Player of the Week honor on Monday, becoming the sixth Maverick to earn a weekly conference accolade this season. The infielder from Mount Michael earned the award after leading his team to a 3-1 record and a road sweep at Bradley. He opened the week with a walk, run scored and sacrifice in a 3-for-3 performance at Nebraska.
Against Bradley, Taylor hit safely in all three contests, including a pair of multi-hit games. In game two of the weekend set, Taylor had two hits, including a double, with two RBI and a run scored. Taylor went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles and a run scored in the series finale. For the week, Taylor hit .562 with nine hits, five RBI, three runs scored, three doubles and one stolen base. He slugged .750 and had a .632 on-base percentage.
UNO has had three other players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3), senior Caleb Palensky (March 31) and junior Daniel Jewett (April 7), while sophomore Tyler Fox (March 10) and senior Steven Schoonover (April 14) were named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 15th year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2014, having compiled a career record of 466-315-2. 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 with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley on April 22, he officially became the winningest coach in UNO history with his 465th victory.
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.
League Leaders
Multiple Mavericks lead the Summit League in a variety of categories, with sophomore Cole Gruber first in stolen bases (16). On the mound, senior Steven Schoonover is first with a 0.67 ERA, while sophomore Tyler Fox has a league-best six wins for the year. As a team, Omaha's four shutouts also pace its conference peers.
Taylor Among Nation's Slugging Percentage Leaders
Sophomore Clayton Taylor ranks among the top 15 nationally in slugging percentage in the NCAA's most recent statistical release on April 21. The Omaha native is 12th in the country with a .658 slugging clip, which is also third in the conference.
Taylor tops the Mavericks with 31 runs driven in this season, which is third in the Summit League. He also ranks second with 13 doubles, and his two triples and five home runs lead the Mavs. 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.
Double Digits
As a team, Omaha has produced double-digit hits in 17 games this season, including a season high of 23 hits against Chicago State on Feb. 28. UNO is 14-3 when producing 10 or more hits in a game.
On April 12 in a league doubleheader at North Dakota State, the Mavericks posted a combined 24 hits for the day. Ten of those came in a 2-0 win in the first game and 14 were tallied in a 10-0 victory in the second game.
Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, UNO has gone 11-4 this season. The Mavericks notched a season-high five doubles as a team in a 12-5 win over Dartmouth on March 18, and it was their highest extra-base hit total since tallying two doubles, two triples and two homers on April 28, 2013 vs. North Dakota State.
Omaha is on pace to surpass last season's team extra-base hit total (103). At 32 games into the 2013 season, the Mavericks had 56 doubles, three triples and four home runs, while the 2014 squad has come up with 55 doubles, eight triples and nine homers through April 16.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action this weekend, hosting a four-game conference series with North Dakota State. It welcomes the Bison with a single game on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday doubleheader at Noon and a single game on Sunday at Noon. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com, and student broadcasters Paul Dobler and Ryan Matheny will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcast.
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