Hunt and Riedel Named Preseason Players to Watch
Feb 14, 2024 | Baseball
Omaha finished in fourth place in the regular season in 2023 with a 21-28 overall record and a 9-14 conference mark. In the Summit League Tournament, the Mavericks fell to No. 1 Oral Roberts on day one, before nearly fighting back but falling just short in an 12-inning loss to No. 2 North Dakota State in the elimination game. Omaha also went 4-5 against Power 5 opponents last year, featuring two wins against Nebraska and victories over Kansas State and Penn State. The 2024 Mavericks feature 17 returning players and 20 newcomers.
This is the second year in a row that Riedel has been named a Preseason Pitcher to Watch. After finishing with the lowest ERA in the country in his first season (1.49), he had an injury shortened 2023 campaign, making eight appearances and seven starts. Despite this, Riedel still earned a Summit League Player of the Week award on March 13 after striking out a career-high 13 in six shutout innings vs. Stonehill. In conference play, he posted a 12-strikeout performance in 7.1 innings against Northern Colorado. Overall he totaled 54 strikeouts in 38.0 innings of work (12.8 K/9).
Hunt was a breakout star in his Mavericks debut last year, establishing himself as one of the top lead-off hitters in the league. He slashed .291/.390/.442 (.832) with three home runs, eight doubles, and a team-high four triples last season while driving in 14 runs and scoring 30. Hunt had 15 multi-hit games in 2023, as well as having nine games with multiple runs scored. He also swiped eight bags and did not commit a single error in 102 chances in the outfield.
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2024 Summit League Baseball Preseason Poll |
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Place |
Team |
Points (1st) |
2023 Record |
|
1. |
Oral Roberts |
25 (5) |
52-14 (23-1) |
|
2. |
North Dakota State |
21 (1) |
23-30 (16-7) |
|
3. |
South Dakota State |
16 |
24-28 (13-11) |
|
4. |
Omaha |
13 |
21-28 (9-14) |
|
5. |
Northern Colorado |
9 |
11-34 (8-16) |
|
6. |
St. Thomas |
6 |
10-34 (6-18) |
2024 Summit League Players and Pitchers to Watch Will Busch | North Dakota State | Sr. | C Parker Puetz | North Dakota State | So. | RHP Dylan Smith | Northern Colorado | So. | RHP Caden Wagner | Northern Colorado | Sr. | 1B
Haiden Hunt | Omaha | Sr. | OF Caleb Riedel | Omaha | Sr. | LHP Holden Breeze | Oral Roberts | Sr. | 3B Jakob Hall | Oral Roberts | Jr. | RHP Ben Vujovich | St. Thomas | Jr. | OF Evan Esch | St. Thomas | Jr. | LHP Dawson Parry | South Dakota State | Sr. | 1B Alex Clemons | South Dakota State | Jr. | RHP Note: Players to Watch selected by league's head coaches
