Photo by: Bonnie Ryan
Machado Honored After Wins Over Creighton, Nebraska
Mar 14, 2022 | Baseball
A recent shift from the rotation to the bullpen gave Omaha's Joey Machado one unforgettable week.
The sixth-year senior pitched exclusively as a starter prior to this season. This spring, he has settled into a key relief role for the Mavericks, which gave him the opportunity to face both Creighton and Nebraska.
Those appearances came only five days apart, and Omaha beat its in-state foes in succession. Machado took the mound in the middle of both games, earning wins over each of the local rivals during the week.
The Summit League rewarded the Omaha native by naming him its Pitcher of the Week on Monday. In those two relief appearances, Machado didn't allow a single earned run while throwing for nine innings.
"For sure, it was a little different," he said. "Other than that, it was awesome to be able to play against in-state rivals. You grow up playing around all of those teams – Omaha, Creighton and Nebraska. And being able to kind of give it to them is an awesome feeling, especially to get them twice in one week."
Since moving to the Division I level a decade ago, the Mavericks have claimed few victories over their local counterparts. Beating them in succession – behind Machado – was special, coach Evan Porter said.
"Baseball can be a very romantic sport," Porter said. "We saw that with Joey's week. He's been here for six years now. And we want this last year that he's here – we don't think he has any eligibility left, but we'll look at it if he does – to be a special year so that was a nice week for him to have.
"He deserves any success that he gets because he works so hard. It's great to see him be rewarded for some good outings. He's been here for the better part of a decade. He puts in all the work, and he's just a super guy. Anytime he does well, when he gets rewarded with a good result, it's the cherry on top."
When Machado learned of the Summit League honor after Monday's game, he quickly shared the credit.
"We played both games really well as a team," he said. "It wasn't just me. It was a whole team effort."
Machado has made five appearances for the Mavericks this season. Only one has been as a starter. In those outings, he's posted a team-best 1.33 earned-run average while striking out 21 batters overall.
"Growing up, I was always a starter, so I got used to taking my time to warm up," he said. "The hardest part now is you've got a shorter time to get going coming to the game. Other than that, it's still throwing the ball to a catcher's glove. That part hasn't changed. The difference is just the time to get ready."
So far, Machado has excelled in his new role. Porter suggested that he'll get every chance to continue.
"Hopefully, it's something that he and our pitching staff can build on," he said. "We'll keep running him out there. He's that good of a dude and the guy you want to have the ball when the game is on the line."
The sixth-year senior pitched exclusively as a starter prior to this season. This spring, he has settled into a key relief role for the Mavericks, which gave him the opportunity to face both Creighton and Nebraska.
Those appearances came only five days apart, and Omaha beat its in-state foes in succession. Machado took the mound in the middle of both games, earning wins over each of the local rivals during the week.
The Summit League rewarded the Omaha native by naming him its Pitcher of the Week on Monday. In those two relief appearances, Machado didn't allow a single earned run while throwing for nine innings.
"For sure, it was a little different," he said. "Other than that, it was awesome to be able to play against in-state rivals. You grow up playing around all of those teams – Omaha, Creighton and Nebraska. And being able to kind of give it to them is an awesome feeling, especially to get them twice in one week."
Since moving to the Division I level a decade ago, the Mavericks have claimed few victories over their local counterparts. Beating them in succession – behind Machado – was special, coach Evan Porter said.
"Baseball can be a very romantic sport," Porter said. "We saw that with Joey's week. He's been here for six years now. And we want this last year that he's here – we don't think he has any eligibility left, but we'll look at it if he does – to be a special year so that was a nice week for him to have.
"He deserves any success that he gets because he works so hard. It's great to see him be rewarded for some good outings. He's been here for the better part of a decade. He puts in all the work, and he's just a super guy. Anytime he does well, when he gets rewarded with a good result, it's the cherry on top."
When Machado learned of the Summit League honor after Monday's game, he quickly shared the credit.
"We played both games really well as a team," he said. "It wasn't just me. It was a whole team effort."
Machado has made five appearances for the Mavericks this season. Only one has been as a starter. In those outings, he's posted a team-best 1.33 earned-run average while striking out 21 batters overall.
"Growing up, I was always a starter, so I got used to taking my time to warm up," he said. "The hardest part now is you've got a shorter time to get going coming to the game. Other than that, it's still throwing the ball to a catcher's glove. That part hasn't changed. The difference is just the time to get ready."
So far, Machado has excelled in his new role. Porter suggested that he'll get every chance to continue.
"Hopefully, it's something that he and our pitching staff can build on," he said. "We'll keep running him out there. He's that good of a dude and the guy you want to have the ball when the game is on the line."
Players Mentioned
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