Baseball Takes On Santa Clara In Four-Game Series

Sunday, March 3

Savannah, Ga.

10 a.m.

Omaha

Savannah State

Cal Hehnke has two saves this season in four appearances.

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

Baseball Takes On Santa Clara In Four-Game Series

Mar 6, 2019 | Baseball

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OMAHA, Neb. -- The Omaha baseball program takes its third trip of the season to the West Coast with a four-game stint at Santa Clara March 8-10.

LEADING OFF
• Omaha is coming off only its third-ever tie in its 72-year program history.
• The Mavericks battled Savannah State to a 3-3 tie due to NCAA travel curfew rules on March 3.
• It was the first tie for the program since 2001, on the same date, March 3.
• This season, Omaha is 4-3 when leading after the sixth inning, 4-2-1 when scoring first and 0-3 when the opponent scores first.
• The Mavericks are 1-2 in shutouts, 1-2 in single-run games, 2-1 in two-run games and 0-2 in five-plus run games.
• Omaha's most effective offensive production has happened in the first inning, where the Mavericks have outscored their opponent 14-2.
• However, Omaha is looking to break a late-inning slump, where opponents have outscored the team 30-9 from the sixth inning onward.
• Keil Krumwiede leads the team in batting average and ranks in the top-5 for multiple categories around the league.
• On the mound, the starters have combined for a 3-2 record with 47 total strikeouts and 28 walks through a combined 42.1 innings pitched.
• Thomas DeBonville is the only returner who was named All-Summit last season.

WEEKEND PITCHING ROTATION
OMAHA
Friday, March 8 - Joey Machado - RHP
Saturday, March 9 (Game One) - Payton Kinney - RHP
Saturday, March 9 (Game Two) - Spencer Koelewyn - LHP
Sunday, March 10 - TBD

SANTA CLARA
Friday, March 8 - Keegan McCarville - RHP
Saturday, March 9 (Game One) - Matthew McGarry - RHP
Saturday, March 9 (Game Two) - Brendan Ecklebarger - LHP
Sunday, March 10 - Russell Grant II - LHP

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara is 3-8 overall this season through its first 11 games. The Broncos were slated to play a mid-week game against UC Davis on March 5, but it was postponed.

The team looks to snap a three-game skid after being swept by Cal State Bakersfield. Like the Mavericks, the Broncos have also topped a Power-Five opponent, as they defeated Washington State twice in a four-game series (4-2, Feb. 22, 3-1, Feb. 23).

Matt Jew has a .289 batting average through all 11 games so far this season. Jason Dicochea's .262 is the second-highest average on the team for players that have appeared in all 11 games.

Keegan McCarville and Brendan Ecklebarger have pitched the most innings for the program this season at 15.1 and 12.2, respectively. McCarville holds a 2.35 ERA while Ecklebarger has a 3.55 ERA. They are led by Rusty Filter, who is in his second season with the program and posts a 26-26 overall record.

SERIES HISTORY
First Meeting

THE QUEST FOR DOUBLE DIGITS
So far through 10 games, Omaha has recorded double-digit hits in three different games. When recording 10 or more hits this season, the Mavericks are 2-1.

In 2018, Omaha produced double-digit hits in back-to-back games to open the season vs. Northwestern, with 18 in game one of the doubleheader sweep and 10 in game two. The Mavericks recorded 10 or more hits in six straight games from March 10-23 of last season.

Over the last seven years of Division I play, UNO is a combined 106-49 when keying at least 10 hits.

THIS ONE'S FOR "GATOR"
On Jan. 22, 2019, the Omaha family lost a cherished member. Former UNO hall of fame baseball coach Bob Gates passed away at the age of 93.

Gates' coaching career at UNO spanned for a 23-year span from 1976-99, where he earned the second-most wins in program history at 464. Through his efforts, the program survived severe budget cuts within the athletic department during the mid-1980s and surged back to prominence in the North Central Conference.

He was inducted into the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Gates led the program to a pair of North Central Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1981, his team was one-win shy of advancing to the Division II College World Series. In his final eight seasons with the Mavericks, Gates guided the team to an NCC postseason playoff appearance each year, and a division title in the process.

This season, members of the team will wear a commemorative "BG" letters on their hats to celebrate the life and career of Coach Gates.

UP NEXT
Omaha opens its Summit League season and home series against North Dakota State next Friday-Sunday, March 15-17. The games are slated for a 6 p.m. start at Seymour Smith Park.