Omaha to Challenge for League Championship at WIU
May 14, 2014 | Baseball
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team will challenge for its second straight Summit League regular-season championship this weekend, traveling to Western Illinois for a four-game series to close the 2014 season. The Mavericks will square off with the Leathernecks at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium in Macomb, Ill., opening on Thursday, May 15 at 3 p.m. A Noon doubleheader is set for Friday, May 16, followed by a single game on Saturday, May 17 at Noon. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.
Omaha, the Summit League's defending regular-season champion, is locked in a tie for first in the conference standings with Western Illinois with a record of 11-9 in league games. Should any teams close the weekend in a tie for the league title, the first tiebreaker is the season series record between the tied teams. The second tiebreaker is the season series record against the next-highest team in the standings until a champion is crowned.
Quick Hits
•Omaha last took the field on Tuesday, May 13, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 10-4. Sophomore Cole Gruber went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and another four driven in while also adding three stolen bases to his league-best season total.
•Four Mavericks lead the Summit League in various statistical categories: Gruber with 32 stolen bases, sophomore Clayton Taylor with 47 RBI, sophomore Tyler Fox with eight wins on the mound and senior Steven Schoonover with a 1.83 ERA.
•Gruber is eighth nationally with 0.63 stolen bases per game and eighth with 29 total bags swiped, while Taylor is also 23rd with a .619 slugging percentage through May 11.
•Taylor ranks second in the league with nine home runs. Omaha is 8-1 this season in games when Taylor hits one out.
•Senior Brett Bass is on a 23-game hitting streak in place since April 6, the longest of any Maverick this season.
•Omaha is a perfect 11-0 this season when its starting pitcher records five or more strikeouts in his outing.
•The Mavs have posted four shutout wins this season, including back-to-back victories at North Dakota State, 2-0 and 10-0, on April 12.
•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.
•UNO is 111-93 all-time against the four other teams in the Summit League.
Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois has compiled a record of 19-36 (11-9 Summit League) entering the week and is tied with Omaha for the conference lead. The Leathernecks last took the field May 11 at South Dakota State, falling 9-1. Head coach Ryan Brownlee is in his second year at the helm of the WIU program with a record of 38-63.
Omaha leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 7-1. The two teams last played on April 6, splitting a doubleheader at the Ballpark at Boys Town with a 4-3 UNO win in game one and a 2-0 WIU victory in the second game.
League Leaders
Multiple Mavericks lead the Summit League in a variety of categories, with sophomore Cole Gruber first in stolen bases (32) and Clayton Taylor on top with 47 RBI. On the mound, senior Steven Schoonover is first with a 1.83 ERA, while sophomore Tyler Fox has a league-best eight wins for the year. As a team, Omaha's four shutouts also pace its conference peers.
Taylor, Gruber Among Nation's Statistical Leaders
The NCAA's most recent statistical release on May 12 included a pair of sophomore Mavericks ranking among the top 25 in the nation in a variety of categories. Sophomore Cole Gruber is eighth with 0.63 stolen bases per game and eighth with 29 total bags swiped, while sophomore Clayton Taylor is also 23rd with a .619 slugging percentage.
Maverick Team Stats Month-by-Month Tracker
| Month | Record | Avg. | Slg% | OB% | Fld% | ERA |
| February | 3-4 | .266 | .327 | .325 | .981 | 4.33 |
| March | 9-5 | .286 | .398 | .363 | .969 | 4.24 |
| April | 9-8 | .282 | .403 | .368 | .960 | 3.97 |
| May | 6-3 | .297 | .381 | .378 | .970 | 3.25 |
