UNO Squares Off With Jacks in Weekend Series
May 1, 2014 | Baseball
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to South Dakota State for a four-game conference series at Erv Huether Field in Brookings, S.D. Action begins with a single game on Friday, May 2 at 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. and a single game for the series finale on Sunday, May 4 at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Wednesday, April 30, dropping a midweek game to Nebraska, 4-1.
•Junior Zach Williamsen and senior Caleb Palensky swept the Summit League's weekly awards on Monday, earning the Mavericks' seventh and eighth nods of 2014. Palensky was named Player of the Week, while Williamsen was Co-Pitcher of the Week.
•Sophomore Tyler Fox earned Omaha's only win on the mound last weekend in Friday's opener against the Bison. He threw 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Fox leads the Summit League with seven wins this year.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor saw his 24-game reaching-base streak snapped on Wednesday, which was the second-longest of any UNO player this year. Sophomore Alex Schultz previously had a team-leading 25-game reaching base streak from Feb. 21 to April 6.
•Head coach Bob Herold became the winningest coach in UNO baseball history on April 18, 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.
•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.
•UNO is 106-90 all-time against the four other teams in the Summit League.
Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State has compiled a record of 21-21 (5-5 Summit League) and is third in the conference standings. The Jackrabbits were swept in a three-game series at Iowa last weekend, falling 2-1 in 11 innings, 4-3 and 12-3. Head coach Dave Schrage (Creighton, 1983) is in his third year at the helm of the SDSU program with a record of 74-78-1 and a career mark of 608-669-2 over 23 seasons.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 70-61-1. The Mavericks won both games of a doubleheader against the Jacks on March 30 at the Ballpark at Boys Town, 10-2 and 7-6.
Palensky, Williamsen Sweep Summit League Weekly Honors
Senior Caleb Palensky and junior Zach Williamsen swept the Summit League's weekly awards, it was announced Monday. Palensky earned his second Player of the Week honor this season after leading the Omaha offense during the week. The Papillion-LaVista South graduate had four multi-hit games in the series vs. North Dakota State with three extra-base hits. In game one, Palensky had two hits with a triple and recorded four RBI with two home runs in game two. He added a pair of hits each in games three and four for the Mavericks. For the week, Palensky hit .444 (8-for-18) with seven RBI, four runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, two homers and a triple. He also slugged .889 and had a .524 on-base percentage.
Williamsen collected his first career Pitcher of the Week award after earning a mid-week victory at Creighton. The Millard West product tossed 6.1 innings, surrendering no runs off six hits. He had one strikeout and a walk in the outing, and he shares the honor with John White of Western Illinois.
UNO has had four other players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3), Palensky (March 31), junior Daniel Jewett (April 7) and sophomore Clayton Taylor (April 21), while sophomore Tyler Fox (March 10) and senior Steven Schoonover (April 14) were named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.
League Leaders
Multiple Mavericks lead the Summit League in a variety of categories, with sophomore Cole Gruber first in stolen bases (22) and Clayton Taylor on top with 36 RBI. On the mound, senior Steven Schoonover is first with a 1.42 ERA, while sophomore Tyler Fox has a league-best seven 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 May 1. The Omaha native was listed at 13th in the country with a .647 slugging clip, which is also first in the conference.
Taylor tops the Mavericks with 36 runs driven in this season, which is first in the Summit League. His 14 doubles, two triples and seven home runs lead the Mavs. He hit two roundtrippers last week, the first against Creighton and the second in Friday's game two against North Dakota State.
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.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Friday, May 9, hosting Fort Wayne. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
The Omaha baseball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to South Dakota State for a four-game conference series at Erv Huether Field in Brookings, S.D. Action begins with a single game on Friday, May 2 at 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m. and a single game for the series finale on Sunday, May 4 at 1 p.m. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Wednesday, April 30, dropping a midweek game to Nebraska, 4-1.
•Junior Zach Williamsen and senior Caleb Palensky swept the Summit League's weekly awards on Monday, earning the Mavericks' seventh and eighth nods of 2014. Palensky was named Player of the Week, while Williamsen was Co-Pitcher of the Week.
•Sophomore Tyler Fox earned Omaha's only win on the mound last weekend in Friday's opener against the Bison. He threw 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Fox leads the Summit League with seven wins this year.
•Sophomore Clayton Taylor saw his 24-game reaching-base streak snapped on Wednesday, which was the second-longest of any UNO player this year. Sophomore Alex Schultz previously had a team-leading 25-game reaching base streak from Feb. 21 to April 6.
•Head coach Bob Herold became the winningest coach in UNO baseball history on April 18, 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.
•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.
•UNO is 106-90 all-time against the four other teams in the Summit League.
Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State has compiled a record of 21-21 (5-5 Summit League) and is third in the conference standings. The Jackrabbits were swept in a three-game series at Iowa last weekend, falling 2-1 in 11 innings, 4-3 and 12-3. Head coach Dave Schrage (Creighton, 1983) is in his third year at the helm of the SDSU program with a record of 74-78-1 and a career mark of 608-669-2 over 23 seasons.
Omaha leads the all-time series with South Dakota State, 70-61-1. The Mavericks won both games of a doubleheader against the Jacks on March 30 at the Ballpark at Boys Town, 10-2 and 7-6.
Palensky, Williamsen Sweep Summit League Weekly Honors
Senior Caleb Palensky and junior Zach Williamsen swept the Summit League's weekly awards, it was announced Monday. Palensky earned his second Player of the Week honor this season after leading the Omaha offense during the week. The Papillion-LaVista South graduate had four multi-hit games in the series vs. North Dakota State with three extra-base hits. In game one, Palensky had two hits with a triple and recorded four RBI with two home runs in game two. He added a pair of hits each in games three and four for the Mavericks. For the week, Palensky hit .444 (8-for-18) with seven RBI, four runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, two homers and a triple. He also slugged .889 and had a .524 on-base percentage.
Williamsen collected his first career Pitcher of the Week award after earning a mid-week victory at Creighton. The Millard West product tossed 6.1 innings, surrendering no runs off six hits. He had one strikeout and a walk in the outing, and he shares the honor with John White of Western Illinois.
UNO has had four other players earn Summit League Player of the Week in sophomore Alex Schultz (March 3), Palensky (March 31), junior Daniel Jewett (April 7) and sophomore Clayton Taylor (April 21), while sophomore Tyler Fox (March 10) and senior Steven Schoonover (April 14) were named Summit League Pitcher of the Week.
League Leaders
Multiple Mavericks lead the Summit League in a variety of categories, with sophomore Cole Gruber first in stolen bases (22) and Clayton Taylor on top with 36 RBI. On the mound, senior Steven Schoonover is first with a 1.42 ERA, while sophomore Tyler Fox has a league-best seven 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 May 1. The Omaha native was listed at 13th in the country with a .647 slugging clip, which is also first in the conference.
Taylor tops the Mavericks with 36 runs driven in this season, which is first in the Summit League. His 14 doubles, two triples and seven home runs lead the Mavs. He hit two roundtrippers last week, the first against Creighton and the second in Friday's game two against North Dakota State.
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.
Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Friday, May 9, hosting Fort Wayne. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
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