Baseball Plays Host To South Dakota State In Weekend Showdown

Friday, April 26

Omaha, Neb.

4 p.m.

Omaha

South Dakota State

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann

Baseball Plays Host To South Dakota State In Weekend Showdown

Apr 25, 2019 | Baseball

GAME NOTES (PDF)Live Stats MavRadio

OMAHA, Neb. – The Omaha baseball program welcomes Summit League foe South Dakota State for a three-game home series at Seymour Smith Park. The matchup also marks a showdown between the first and second-place teams in the league standings.

LEADING OFF
• Omaha heads into the series with a four-game lead on first place over South Dakota State.
• Parker Smejkal leads the league in batting average at .471 in conference play. He also has league-bests in slugging percentage (.675) and on-base percentage (.557). His on-base percentage also ranks second in the nation amongst Division I heading into the week.
• Omaha's pitching has been crucial for the team this season, as Payton Kinney leads the league with a perfect 8-0 record and a 1.34 ERA. His eight wins are also tied for the nation's best and his ERA is eighth in the country.
• Weekend starter Spencer Koelewyn held the nation's fewest hits allowed per nine innings for over a month, but saw that streak broken last weekend at Purdue Fort Wayne. He now ranks third nationally with 4.15 hits allowed per nine innings.
• Cal Hehnke and Tyler Daugherty are tied for the most saves amongst league members with five this season. Jackson Gordon ranks second in the league with four saves.
• Fresh into the lineup last weekend after missing two weeks due to injury, Matt Bondarchuk had five singles and four runs scored in his return. Over the weekend at Purdue Fort Wayne, he batted .600.
• Omaha swept the first series against the second-place Jackrabbits this season in Sioux Falls, S.D.
• In the first game, Omaha overcame a 10-1 deficit in the seventh and plated 11 unanswered runs to win 12-10 on April 5.
• The following day on April 6, Omaha capped off the sweep with a pair of doubleheader wins against South Dakota State. After the Mavericks mounted a comeback the previous night, they continued their momentum with a 9-4 victory and an 11-7 win off Thomas DeBonville's late heroics with a ninth-inning grand slam.
• In that second game, Brett Bonar finished with three hits, three runs and an RBI, while Ben Palensky and Braden Rogers both had two hits and a double. DeBonville finished with three RBI.
• Omaha capped off the series in dramatic fashion. After leading 7-1 through five innings, South Dakota State tied it up at 7-all entering the top of the ninth. With the bases loaded, DeBonville launched his first-career grand slam and lifted Omaha to a four-run win.

SERIES HISTORY
Omaha leads 85-72

WEEKEND ROTATION
OMAHA
Friday, April 26 – Joey Machado – RHP
Saturday, April 27 – Payton Kinney – RHP
Sunday, April 28 – Spencer Koelewyn – LHP

SDSU
Friday, April 26 – Tyler Olmstead – RHP
Saturday, April 27 – Ryan Froom – RHP
Sunday, April 28 – Nic McCay – RHP

SCOUTING THE JACKRABBITS
South Dakota State enters the game with a 19-16 overall record and an 11-7 mark in league play. The Jackrabbits are led by Gus Steiger's .308 batting average and 32 RBI. Starting pitcher Tyler Olmstead is the current Summit League Pitcher of the Week after he tossed a career-high 11 strikeouts against Western Illinois. Head coach Rob Bishop, who is 49-62 in his third year at the helm of the program.

UP NEXT
Omaha takes on Creighton for the day/night doubleheader Tuesday, April 30. The Mavericks and Bluejays square off at 1 p.m. at Werner Park, followed by a 6:30 p.m. game at TD Ameritrade.