Mavericks, Huskers Set for Tuesday Rematch
Apr 24, 2017 | Baseball
Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team meets Nebraska for a rematch this Tuesday, April 25, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Hawks Field in Lincoln. The game will be broadcast live on NET and BTN2Go with Kevin Kugler and Jeff Leise on the call, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Junior right-hander Corey Binger is slated to make his first midweek start of the year Tuesday at Nebraska. Binger last threw Saturday at North Dakota State, going 2.1 innings.
•Senior Sam Palensky saw his career-long 25-game reaching base streak expire April 18 at Air Force. It was the longest streak of any UNO player this year and the longest of any Maverick since Clayton Taylor (32) in 2016.
•Ryan Cate now carries the longest active reaching base streak on the team with 13 games. He and Palensky both have team-leading four-game hitting streaks entering this week's matchup at Nebraska.
•Eight of the Mavericks' 10 wins this season have come on the road.
•The Mavericks put down a season-high five sacrifice bunts Sunday in their win at North Dakota State.
•Omaha's 17 runs, 18 hits, 17 RBI, five doubles and nine walks as a team last Wednesday at Air Force were all season highs.
•Sophomore Grant Suponchick is batting a team-leading .346 in Summit League play, the fifth-highest average of any league hitter.
•Binger is one of 22 pitchers in the country with three or more complete games this season.
•Twenty-eight players have seen playing time this season.
•Omaha played a three-game series at No. 6 Louisville Feb. 24-26, marking the highest-ranked opponent Omaha has faced in the Division I era.
•UNO returned 19 letterwinners this year, including six position players with starting experience: Palensky, Suponchick and Cate, junior Adam Caniglia and sophomores Riley Herold and Jack Kalina.
•Cate is the Mavericks' lone returning All-Summit selection.
•UNO was picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second straight season. In 2016, the Mavericks went on to finish as the league's regular-season runner-up.
•Omaha is 263-307 all-time against all opponents on the schedule this year and 152-137 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled a 72-56 record in Summit League play since 2013.
Scouting the Nebraska Huskers
Nebraska enters the week with a record of 23-15-1 (7-4-1 Big Ten). The Huskers took two of three games in a Big Ten road series at Minnesota last weekend, winning 5-3 on Friday and 9-4 on Sunday with a 5-3 loss on Saturday.
Head coach Darin Erstad is in his sixth season at NU, carrying a career record of 199-134-1.
Wednesday marks the 68th meeting all-time between Omaha and Nebraska, and the Huskers lead the series, 58-9 with nine straight wins against the Mavericks. The two teams last met April 5 at Werner Park in Omaha, with NU breaking a tie in the seventh en route to the 3-1 win. Omaha's last win over Nebraska was April 30, 1997 by a score of 17-13.
Leading the League
Freshman Cole Thibodeau ranks third nationally and leads the Summit League with 11 sacrifice hits. Junior Corey Binger leads all league pitchers for games started (10), complete games (three) and shutouts (one), and senior Sam Murphy matches him for games started (10).
As a team, Omaha is 16th in the country and the league's top squad for sac bunts (36).
Cate's Career Day
Junior Ryan Cate turned in a career-best plate performance April 19 at Air Force, going 5-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored and six RBI. It was the most hits and most RBI in a game this season by any Maverick.
Over five games last week, Cate batted a team-leading .450 (9-for-20) with team highs of six runs and seven RBI. The effort stretched his reaching base streak to a team-best 13 games.
Kinney Picks Up a Pair of Ws
Omaha got a pair of strong relief outings from junior right-hander Payton Kinney last week, as the Firth, Neb., native notched his first two wins of the year and had a 1.74 ERA.
On Wednesday at Air Force, Kinney threw 5.1 innings in relief of starter Brett Sasse, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Kinney retired 14 consecutive Falcon batters from the third to the seventh innings before allowing a leadoff single in the eighth.
On Sunday at North Dakota State, Kinney tossed 5.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen after taking over for starter Cal Hehnke. Kinney held the Bison to one hit with no walks and five strikeouts.
Suponchick vs. the Summit League
Sophomore Grant Suponchick has batted a team-leading .346 against Summit League competition, up from .197 in non-conference games. In those 18 league contests, the Papillion, Neb., native has posted two doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored, 10 RBI and eight walks, and he owns a .500 slugging percentage and a .433 on-base percentage. He also has six mound appearances and a pair of saves in league play.
Mission: Complete
Omaha's pitching staff threw four complete games last season, the most of any Maverick staff since 2011. This season, Maverick hurlers have combined for four already through games of April 2. Junior right-hander Corey Binger has three to his credit -- at Incarnate Word (March 5), at Fort Wayne (March 24) and vs. North Dakota State (March 31) -- and senior left-hander Sam Murphy has one -- at Fort Wayne (March 24).
Climbing the Career Charts
Senior left-hander Sam Murphy entered the year ranked 10th in school history with 48 mound appearances and has now climbed up to second in the category with 59 appearances. He ranks behind only Brandon Dahl (2006-10), who had 63. Murphy has also faced 780 batters in his career -- the seventh-most of any Maverick -- and is 10th for innings pitched (171.1).
Palensky Making Moves
After starting all 56 games at second base as a junior, senior Sam Palensky made a switch in his 2017 campaign. Palensky had the starting nod at shortstop for the first 35 games of the season and has now started the last four at third base.
At the plate, the Papillion, Neb., native owns a team-leading nine multi-hit performances and reached base in 25 straight contests (March 3 - April 16). Over five games last week, he hit.381 with a triple, five runs scored and two RBI.
Palensky is following in the steps of his older brother, Caleb, a four-year starting infielder from 2011-14.
2017 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2017 schedule includes 55 games, and the team will play in 12 states against schools from 10 other Division I conferences. Four opponents – Louisville, Nebraska, Saint Mary's and Oral Roberts – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Entering the season, the Mavericks had never faced two of their opponents in Saint Mary's and Louisville. Omaha holds a combined all-time record of 263-307 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Porter Enters First Season as Head Coach
Head coach Evan Porter enters his first year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2017 after serving four years as an assistant coach. One of the most decorated players in UNO history, Porter was four-year starter at shortstop from 2005-09 and a two-time All-American. He was also a three-time all-region selection from 2007-09, earning awards from Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA. Additionally, Porter was a two-time All-NCC pick (2007-08) and was first-team All-MIAA in 2009.
Porter's name runs through the Omaha record books, as he remains the program's all-time leader in games played (239), at-bats (869), hits (323), doubles (75), home runs (43), runs batted in (249) and total bases (527). His 97 hits recorded as a senior were a UNO single-season record that still stands.
A member of the UNO squad that earned a berth to the 2007 NCAA Division II College World Series, Porter was part of two Maverick teams (2006, 2008) that set a school record with 45 wins. During his time, UNO made four straight NCAA regional appearances and won the 2008 NCC championship.
Following his senior campaign, Porter was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 23rd round. He has played professionally overseas for the Solingen Alligators in Germany (2010), Gothenburg Sharks in Sweden (2011), Victoria Park Reds in Australia (2011-12), ADO AamigoO Lakers in Holland (2012) and Sölvesborg Firehawks in Sweden (2014, 2016).
Porter is assisted by assistant coach Chris Gadsden, in his 18th year, and pitching coach Brian Strawn, in his second year, as well as volunteer assistant coach Brett Swain, who is in his first year.
Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, Omaha went 13-5 in 2016 and is 7-3 this season. On the flip side, the Mavericks were 20-7 last year when limiting their opponents to less than three extra-base hits in a contest and are 6-5 in 2017.
Offense Keying Wins
In the last five seasons (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), Omaha has gone a combined 81-13 when outhitting its opponent. Last year, the Mavericks were 18-1 in those games, with the only loss coming vs. Fort Wayne in the opening game of the Summit League Tournament.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, April 28, resuming Summit League play at Western Illinois. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in Macomb, Ill., and live stats, audio and video, as available, will be linked on OMavs.com.
The Omaha baseball team meets Nebraska for a rematch this Tuesday, April 25, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Hawks Field in Lincoln. The game will be broadcast live on NET and BTN2Go with Kevin Kugler and Jeff Leise on the call, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
•Junior right-hander Corey Binger is slated to make his first midweek start of the year Tuesday at Nebraska. Binger last threw Saturday at North Dakota State, going 2.1 innings.
•Senior Sam Palensky saw his career-long 25-game reaching base streak expire April 18 at Air Force. It was the longest streak of any UNO player this year and the longest of any Maverick since Clayton Taylor (32) in 2016.
•Ryan Cate now carries the longest active reaching base streak on the team with 13 games. He and Palensky both have team-leading four-game hitting streaks entering this week's matchup at Nebraska.
•Eight of the Mavericks' 10 wins this season have come on the road.
•The Mavericks put down a season-high five sacrifice bunts Sunday in their win at North Dakota State.
•Omaha's 17 runs, 18 hits, 17 RBI, five doubles and nine walks as a team last Wednesday at Air Force were all season highs.
•Sophomore Grant Suponchick is batting a team-leading .346 in Summit League play, the fifth-highest average of any league hitter.
•Binger is one of 22 pitchers in the country with three or more complete games this season.
•Twenty-eight players have seen playing time this season.
•Omaha played a three-game series at No. 6 Louisville Feb. 24-26, marking the highest-ranked opponent Omaha has faced in the Division I era.
•UNO returned 19 letterwinners this year, including six position players with starting experience: Palensky, Suponchick and Cate, junior Adam Caniglia and sophomores Riley Herold and Jack Kalina.
•Cate is the Mavericks' lone returning All-Summit selection.
•UNO was picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second straight season. In 2016, the Mavericks went on to finish as the league's regular-season runner-up.
•Omaha is 263-307 all-time against all opponents on the schedule this year and 152-137 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled a 72-56 record in Summit League play since 2013.
Scouting the Nebraska Huskers
Nebraska enters the week with a record of 23-15-1 (7-4-1 Big Ten). The Huskers took two of three games in a Big Ten road series at Minnesota last weekend, winning 5-3 on Friday and 9-4 on Sunday with a 5-3 loss on Saturday.
Head coach Darin Erstad is in his sixth season at NU, carrying a career record of 199-134-1.
Wednesday marks the 68th meeting all-time between Omaha and Nebraska, and the Huskers lead the series, 58-9 with nine straight wins against the Mavericks. The two teams last met April 5 at Werner Park in Omaha, with NU breaking a tie in the seventh en route to the 3-1 win. Omaha's last win over Nebraska was April 30, 1997 by a score of 17-13.
Leading the League
Freshman Cole Thibodeau ranks third nationally and leads the Summit League with 11 sacrifice hits. Junior Corey Binger leads all league pitchers for games started (10), complete games (three) and shutouts (one), and senior Sam Murphy matches him for games started (10).
As a team, Omaha is 16th in the country and the league's top squad for sac bunts (36).
Cate's Career Day
Junior Ryan Cate turned in a career-best plate performance April 19 at Air Force, going 5-for-6 with two doubles, two runs scored and six RBI. It was the most hits and most RBI in a game this season by any Maverick.
Over five games last week, Cate batted a team-leading .450 (9-for-20) with team highs of six runs and seven RBI. The effort stretched his reaching base streak to a team-best 13 games.
Kinney Picks Up a Pair of Ws
Omaha got a pair of strong relief outings from junior right-hander Payton Kinney last week, as the Firth, Neb., native notched his first two wins of the year and had a 1.74 ERA.
On Wednesday at Air Force, Kinney threw 5.1 innings in relief of starter Brett Sasse, allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Kinney retired 14 consecutive Falcon batters from the third to the seventh innings before allowing a leadoff single in the eighth.
On Sunday at North Dakota State, Kinney tossed 5.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen after taking over for starter Cal Hehnke. Kinney held the Bison to one hit with no walks and five strikeouts.
Suponchick vs. the Summit League
Sophomore Grant Suponchick has batted a team-leading .346 against Summit League competition, up from .197 in non-conference games. In those 18 league contests, the Papillion, Neb., native has posted two doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored, 10 RBI and eight walks, and he owns a .500 slugging percentage and a .433 on-base percentage. He also has six mound appearances and a pair of saves in league play.
Mission: Complete
Omaha's pitching staff threw four complete games last season, the most of any Maverick staff since 2011. This season, Maverick hurlers have combined for four already through games of April 2. Junior right-hander Corey Binger has three to his credit -- at Incarnate Word (March 5), at Fort Wayne (March 24) and vs. North Dakota State (March 31) -- and senior left-hander Sam Murphy has one -- at Fort Wayne (March 24).
Climbing the Career Charts
Senior left-hander Sam Murphy entered the year ranked 10th in school history with 48 mound appearances and has now climbed up to second in the category with 59 appearances. He ranks behind only Brandon Dahl (2006-10), who had 63. Murphy has also faced 780 batters in his career -- the seventh-most of any Maverick -- and is 10th for innings pitched (171.1).
Palensky Making Moves
After starting all 56 games at second base as a junior, senior Sam Palensky made a switch in his 2017 campaign. Palensky had the starting nod at shortstop for the first 35 games of the season and has now started the last four at third base.
At the plate, the Papillion, Neb., native owns a team-leading nine multi-hit performances and reached base in 25 straight contests (March 3 - April 16). Over five games last week, he hit.381 with a triple, five runs scored and two RBI.
Palensky is following in the steps of his older brother, Caleb, a four-year starting infielder from 2011-14.
2017 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2017 schedule includes 55 games, and the team will play in 12 states against schools from 10 other Division I conferences. Four opponents – Louisville, Nebraska, Saint Mary's and Oral Roberts – played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Entering the season, the Mavericks had never faced two of their opponents in Saint Mary's and Louisville. Omaha holds a combined all-time record of 263-307 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Porter Enters First Season as Head Coach
Head coach Evan Porter enters his first year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2017 after serving four years as an assistant coach. One of the most decorated players in UNO history, Porter was four-year starter at shortstop from 2005-09 and a two-time All-American. He was also a three-time all-region selection from 2007-09, earning awards from Daktronics and Rawlings/ABCA. Additionally, Porter was a two-time All-NCC pick (2007-08) and was first-team All-MIAA in 2009.
Porter's name runs through the Omaha record books, as he remains the program's all-time leader in games played (239), at-bats (869), hits (323), doubles (75), home runs (43), runs batted in (249) and total bases (527). His 97 hits recorded as a senior were a UNO single-season record that still stands.
A member of the UNO squad that earned a berth to the 2007 NCAA Division II College World Series, Porter was part of two Maverick teams (2006, 2008) that set a school record with 45 wins. During his time, UNO made four straight NCAA regional appearances and won the 2008 NCC championship.
Following his senior campaign, Porter was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 23rd round. He has played professionally overseas for the Solingen Alligators in Germany (2010), Gothenburg Sharks in Sweden (2011), Victoria Park Reds in Australia (2011-12), ADO AamigoO Lakers in Holland (2012) and Sölvesborg Firehawks in Sweden (2014, 2016).
Porter is assisted by assistant coach Chris Gadsden, in his 18th year, and pitching coach Brian Strawn, in his second year, as well as volunteer assistant coach Brett Swain, who is in his first year.
Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, Omaha went 13-5 in 2016 and is 7-3 this season. On the flip side, the Mavericks were 20-7 last year when limiting their opponents to less than three extra-base hits in a contest and are 6-5 in 2017.
Offense Keying Wins
In the last five seasons (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), Omaha has gone a combined 81-13 when outhitting its opponent. Last year, the Mavericks were 18-1 in those games, with the only loss coming vs. Fort Wayne in the opening game of the Summit League Tournament.
Up Next
Omaha returns to action on Friday, April 28, resuming Summit League play at Western Illinois. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. in Macomb, Ill., and live stats, audio and video, as available, will be linked on OMavs.com.
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