Baseball Set For Weekend Rumble With Purdue Fort Wayne

Friday, March 22

Omaha, Neb.

6 p.m.

Omaha

Purdue Fort Wayne

The Maverick baseball team enters the weekend with seven straight wins.

Baseball Set For Weekend Rumble With Purdue Fort Wayne

Mar 21, 2019 | Baseball

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OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha aims to continue its winning streak with a three-game home stand against Purdue Fort Wayne Friday, March 22 - Sunday, March 24.

The Mavericks and Mastodons play their first matchup Friday, March 22, with a 6 p.m. start time at Skutt Catholic High School. The next two games take place Saturday and Sunday at Creighton Prep High School with 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. start times, respectively.

LEADING OFF
• Pitching has been the key for the Mavericks this season, as all three of the normal starters have combined for an 8-2 record.
• Payton Kinney is the reigning Summit League Pitcher of the Week after he vaulted the team to a 3-0 shutout win over North Dakota State back on March 16.
• The right-handed hurler is tied for 12th nationally with a Summit League-best 0.58 ERA and is tied for 11th with four wins.
• He is on a scoreless inning streak of 25 innings going into the series against the Mastodons.
• Last weekend against North Dakota State, the Maverick pitching trio of Joey Machado, Kinney and Spencer Koelewyn allowed just two earned runs in 19.0 innings of work.
• Over last weekend, Keil Krumwiede had a solid series at North Dakota State where he batted .500 with seven hits, three runs and two RBI.
• The shortstop ranks second on the team with a .317 batting average through 17 games and has 20 hits, 12 runs, 11 walks and a .419 on-base percentage.
• Krumwiede's reached base streak went as high as 13 this season and he is currently at three.
• Ben Palensky is on a reached base streak of eight games.

SERIES HISTORY
Omaha leads 22-18 / 20-15 in Division I Era

WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATION
OMAHA
Friday, March 22 – Joey Machado – RHP
Saturday, March 23 – Payton Kinney – RHP
Sunday, March 24 – Spencer Koelewyn – LHP

PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Friday, March 22 – Cameron Boyd – RHP
Saturday, March 23 – Chase Phelps – RHP
Sunday, March 24 – Shane Odzark – RHP

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the weekend with a 4-15 record and an 0-3 mark in league play. The Mastodons have lost 15 straight and are looking for their first win since Feb. 17, where they opened the season with four straight wins over Alabama A&M Feb. 15-17.

The team opened Summit League play 0-3 after it fell to Oral Roberts 13-3, 20-4 and 7-5. Last season, the Mavericks and Mastodons split the series. Omaha swept Purdue Fort Wayne at home, but followed up with an 0-3 result on the road. Friday starter Cameron Boyd has a 4.88 ERA through five mound appearances. The second game starter Chase Phelps is 1-3 with a 13.75 ERA and Sunday starter Shane Odzark is 0-3 through five appearances with a 12.23 ERA.

Alec Brunson leads the team with a .327 batting average through 17 games played, while Garret Mohler is .316 at the plate after he has started all 19 games. Purdue Fort Wayne has five straight at home following the UNO series. Head coach Bobby Pierce is in his 11th season at the helm with a 244-419 overall record.

NEXT UP
The Mavericks have a mid-week road trip against Wichita State March 26 at 6 p.m., before they return home for a three-game home stand against Western Illinois March 29-31. Competition for The Summit League series is set to take place at Seymour Smith Park.