Saturday, March 30
Omaha, Neb.
2 p.m.
Omaha
vs
Western Illinois
Matt Bondarchuk steals second in a game against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Omaha Welcomes Western Illinois For Series Showdown
Mar 28, 2019 | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – Omaha welcomes Western Illinois for a three-game Summit League series this weekend at Seymour Smith Park. The schedule is set for a 1 p.m. showdown on Friday, a 2 p.m. start time on Saturday and a noon first pitch on Sunday.
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LEADING OFF
• The Mavericks recently saw the nation's longest win streak halt at 10 with a 12-2 loss at Wichita State this past Tuesday, March 26.
• Omaha's starting pitching has been key, as the trio of Joey Machado, Payton Kinney and Spencer Koelewyn have accounted for 11 of the team's 14 wins and 123 of the team's 199 strikeouts.Â
• The trio of Maverick starters have only allowed one run in league action and have a combined 2.74 ERA this season.
• Omaha is off to a perfect 6-0 in Summit League action with sweeps over North Dakota State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Omaha has registered back-to-back sweeps in its first two Summit League series to build a two-game lead on South Dakota State and Oral Roberts.
• This past week, the Mavericks outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 43-5 behind the offense of Parker Smejkal (6-for-9; seven runs, eight RBI) and Ben Palensky (8-for-12; five runs, two doubles, two RBI).Â
• The Mavericks are hitting .350 as a team through six league games with Palensky leading that charge with a .458 average (11-for-24), while teammate Keil Krumwiede is batting .448 and leads all Summit League players with 13 hits.
• In relief pitching, Tyler Daugherty (5) and Cal Hehnke (3) are first and tied for second in the league for saves this season.
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WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATION
OMAHA
Friday, March 29 – Joey Machado – RHP
Saturday, March 30 – Payton Kinney – RHP
Sunday, March 31 – Spencer Koelewyn – LHP
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WESTERN ILLINOIS
Friday, March 29 – Jace Warkentien – LHP
Saturday, March 30 – Javin Drake – RHP
Sunday, March 31 – TBA
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SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the series with an 8-14 overall record and a 2-4 mark in league action. The Leathernecks earned their first league win of the season in a 10-6 victory over South Dakota State on a CJ Schaeffer walk-off grand slam. WIU, however, fell 2-1 in the series against the Jackrabbits.
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The Purple and Gold also played North Dakota State, who defeated the team 5-4 in the first game, only for Western to bounce back and win 9-6 in the second. The Bison took the third meeting 11-1 in seven innings. Drue Galassi has a .269 batting average through 21 games. The junior is a former NCAA Freshman All-American two years ago and has a team-best 19 RBI. Bailey Montgomery has the second-most RBI on the squad with 15 through 19 games and has a .348 batting average.
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Alex Doerthy and Steve McShane were selected as Summit League Players to Watch before the season began. McShane earned First-Team All-Summit honors as an outfielder last season, as well as Second Team All-Missouri Valley on the gridiron as a running back. WIU features two multi-sport athletes who also play football in McShane and Justin Fitzpatrick, who was Second Team All-MVFC at safety. WIU is led by head coach Ryan Brownlee, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the program.Â
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SERIES HISTORY
Omaha leads 20-12 / 18-12 in Division I Era
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UP NEXT
The Mavericks welcome in-town foe Creighton for a 6:35 p.m. mid-week matchup at Werner Park. The date is set for Wednesday, April 3, and marks the first of three matchups against the Blue Jays in 2019. Omaha then hits the road for a three-game Summit League road swing at South Dakota State April 5-7.Â
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LEADING OFF
• The Mavericks recently saw the nation's longest win streak halt at 10 with a 12-2 loss at Wichita State this past Tuesday, March 26.
• Omaha's starting pitching has been key, as the trio of Joey Machado, Payton Kinney and Spencer Koelewyn have accounted for 11 of the team's 14 wins and 123 of the team's 199 strikeouts.Â
• The trio of Maverick starters have only allowed one run in league action and have a combined 2.74 ERA this season.
• Omaha is off to a perfect 6-0 in Summit League action with sweeps over North Dakota State and Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Omaha has registered back-to-back sweeps in its first two Summit League series to build a two-game lead on South Dakota State and Oral Roberts.
• This past week, the Mavericks outscored Purdue Fort Wayne 43-5 behind the offense of Parker Smejkal (6-for-9; seven runs, eight RBI) and Ben Palensky (8-for-12; five runs, two doubles, two RBI).Â
• The Mavericks are hitting .350 as a team through six league games with Palensky leading that charge with a .458 average (11-for-24), while teammate Keil Krumwiede is batting .448 and leads all Summit League players with 13 hits.
• In relief pitching, Tyler Daugherty (5) and Cal Hehnke (3) are first and tied for second in the league for saves this season.
Â
WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATION
OMAHA
Friday, March 29 – Joey Machado – RHP
Saturday, March 30 – Payton Kinney – RHP
Sunday, March 31 – Spencer Koelewyn – LHP
Â
WESTERN ILLINOIS
Friday, March 29 – Jace Warkentien – LHP
Saturday, March 30 – Javin Drake – RHP
Sunday, March 31 – TBA
Â
SCOUTING THE LEATHERNECKS
Western Illinois comes into the series with an 8-14 overall record and a 2-4 mark in league action. The Leathernecks earned their first league win of the season in a 10-6 victory over South Dakota State on a CJ Schaeffer walk-off grand slam. WIU, however, fell 2-1 in the series against the Jackrabbits.
Â
The Purple and Gold also played North Dakota State, who defeated the team 5-4 in the first game, only for Western to bounce back and win 9-6 in the second. The Bison took the third meeting 11-1 in seven innings. Drue Galassi has a .269 batting average through 21 games. The junior is a former NCAA Freshman All-American two years ago and has a team-best 19 RBI. Bailey Montgomery has the second-most RBI on the squad with 15 through 19 games and has a .348 batting average.
Â
Alex Doerthy and Steve McShane were selected as Summit League Players to Watch before the season began. McShane earned First-Team All-Summit honors as an outfielder last season, as well as Second Team All-Missouri Valley on the gridiron as a running back. WIU features two multi-sport athletes who also play football in McShane and Justin Fitzpatrick, who was Second Team All-MVFC at safety. WIU is led by head coach Ryan Brownlee, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the program.Â
Â
SERIES HISTORY
Omaha leads 20-12 / 18-12 in Division I Era
Â
UP NEXT
The Mavericks welcome in-town foe Creighton for a 6:35 p.m. mid-week matchup at Werner Park. The date is set for Wednesday, April 3, and marks the first of three matchups against the Blue Jays in 2019. Omaha then hits the road for a three-game Summit League road swing at South Dakota State April 5-7.Â
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Players Mentioned
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RHP
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RHP
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LHP
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OF
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