Photo by: Bonnie Ryan
Nine Mavericks and Head Coach Mike Heard Earn Summit League Honors
May 7, 2024 | Softball
After a 37-12 regular season, nine Mavericks and head coach Mike Heard earn Summit League honors for the 2024 season.
Omaha ace Kamryn Meyer was tabbed Summit League Pitcher of the Year while Lynsey Tucker garnered Defensive Player of the Year. The man at the helm of it all, Mike Heard, earns his first career Coach of the Year award.
The Queen of Ks threw another statistical masterpiece this season on the mound. Meyer was named the Pitcher of the Year after leading her squad to a 9-0 mark in the circle in league action, the lone pitcher to have an undefeated record. In 65.1 innings of work, Meyer struck out the second most batters in league play (75) and tallied a 0.63 ERA while giving up six earned runs. The Wilton, Iowa native tallied six complete-game outings in league action, earned a league-best 1.71 ERA (45th in the nation) among all games, recorded an opponent batting average of .153 in league competition, and recorded a pair of saves in league play. Meyer's 22-3 ledger is tied for the ninth best in all of Division I and her four saves top the league charts. Her 196 strikeouts rank first in the league and tied for 12th in all of Division I, while her 155.2 innings pitched sits second overall.
Tucker earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor as the fifth-year second basemen made only four errors in 173 attempts for a .977 fielding percentage. The Lincoln, Neb., native also tallied a .984 fielding percentage in league competition.
Omaha head coach Mike Heard earned the Summit League Coach of the Year honor in his third season with the Mavericks. Heard led his squad to an impressive 37-12 mark and the most wins by an Omaha squad in the Division I era. The Mavericks earned a Division I-era best-winning streak of 16 games from March 2-April 5 and went 12-2 at home, 14-5 on the road and 11-5 at neutral site games. Heard and Mavericks held the nation's longest winning streak in Division I when they won their 15th game in a row by defeating St. Thomas on April 5.
"Congratulations to Coach Heard on being named Coach of the Year. This well-deserved honor reflects his impactful leadership and incredible culture he has established. We are excited about his accomplishments and the future of Maverick Softball under his leadership", said Adrian Dowell, Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics.
First Team
The Mavericks put four players on the All-Summit League First Team including Meyer, Tucker, Maggie O'Brien and Alex Olson. Their four out of 14 First Team selections were the second most in the Summit.
The junior shortstop tabs the first team with a team-high .365 batting average. Her 62 hits this season places her second among all Summit League players. Dating back to March 20, O'Brien maintained a hit streak of 18 consecutive games. On the field, O'Brien has tallied 72 putouts, 93 assists with only 10 errors for a .943 fielding percentage.
At her 170 plate appearances, Olson gathered 62 hits which included two doubles, three triples, and one home run. Additionally, Olson has notched 20 RBIs, 33 runs and has gone 13-14 on stolen base attempts.
Second Team
Omaha led the league in Second Team selections with four. A trio of Sydney's in Sydney Ross, Sydney Nuismer and Sydney Thomason along with Jaelle Johnson highlight the All-League Second Team.
For her work at and behind the plate, graduate senior Sydney Ross has earned back-to-back Second Team honors. With 44 hits this season, Ross has recorded a team-high 23 RBIs. On the season Ross has tallied 34 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 stolen bases. Defensively, she has made 285 putouts, 25 assists, caught nine stolen base attempts and only had two errors on the season for a .994 fielding percentage.
Nuismer also recorded back-to-back second team honors for her outstanding work on the mound this season. The senior put in 120.2 innings of work for a 2.96 ERA and went 12-6 with two saves. Nuismer recorded her first career no-hitter against Rider during the Connie Claussen Classic earlier this season which earned the senior her first Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. On the season Nuismer has thrown 67 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .251 batting average.
Thomason, the junior transfer, from opening weekend dominated at the plate this season. Thomason paces the team with seven home runs and 14 doubles for a .535 slugging percentage. With 157 at-bats, Thomason has recorded 14 hits, 29 RBIs and 25 runs.
First baseman, Johnson, has recorded 154 putouts, and three assists, with just one error on the season for a stellar .994 fielding percentage. At the plate she has the third-highest OPS at .950. Her 57 at-bats include 18 hits, five doubles, one triple, and one home run. Johnson has notched 20 RBIs and scored 13 runs on the season.
Honorable Mention
Sophomore left fielder, Ava Rongisch, tabbed her second consecutive honorable mention. The left fielder has recorded a .977 fielding percentage with 42 putouts, one assists, and only one error on the season. At the plate, Rongisch has recorded 27 hits, three home runs, 26 RBIs, and 20 runs.
Omaha ace Kamryn Meyer was tabbed Summit League Pitcher of the Year while Lynsey Tucker garnered Defensive Player of the Year. The man at the helm of it all, Mike Heard, earns his first career Coach of the Year award.
The Queen of Ks threw another statistical masterpiece this season on the mound. Meyer was named the Pitcher of the Year after leading her squad to a 9-0 mark in the circle in league action, the lone pitcher to have an undefeated record. In 65.1 innings of work, Meyer struck out the second most batters in league play (75) and tallied a 0.63 ERA while giving up six earned runs. The Wilton, Iowa native tallied six complete-game outings in league action, earned a league-best 1.71 ERA (45th in the nation) among all games, recorded an opponent batting average of .153 in league competition, and recorded a pair of saves in league play. Meyer's 22-3 ledger is tied for the ninth best in all of Division I and her four saves top the league charts. Her 196 strikeouts rank first in the league and tied for 12th in all of Division I, while her 155.2 innings pitched sits second overall.
Tucker earned the Defensive Player of the Year honor as the fifth-year second basemen made only four errors in 173 attempts for a .977 fielding percentage. The Lincoln, Neb., native also tallied a .984 fielding percentage in league competition.
Omaha head coach Mike Heard earned the Summit League Coach of the Year honor in his third season with the Mavericks. Heard led his squad to an impressive 37-12 mark and the most wins by an Omaha squad in the Division I era. The Mavericks earned a Division I-era best-winning streak of 16 games from March 2-April 5 and went 12-2 at home, 14-5 on the road and 11-5 at neutral site games. Heard and Mavericks held the nation's longest winning streak in Division I when they won their 15th game in a row by defeating St. Thomas on April 5.
"Congratulations to Coach Heard on being named Coach of the Year. This well-deserved honor reflects his impactful leadership and incredible culture he has established. We are excited about his accomplishments and the future of Maverick Softball under his leadership", said Adrian Dowell, Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics.
First Team
The Mavericks put four players on the All-Summit League First Team including Meyer, Tucker, Maggie O'Brien and Alex Olson. Their four out of 14 First Team selections were the second most in the Summit.
The junior shortstop tabs the first team with a team-high .365 batting average. Her 62 hits this season places her second among all Summit League players. Dating back to March 20, O'Brien maintained a hit streak of 18 consecutive games. On the field, O'Brien has tallied 72 putouts, 93 assists with only 10 errors for a .943 fielding percentage.
At her 170 plate appearances, Olson gathered 62 hits which included two doubles, three triples, and one home run. Additionally, Olson has notched 20 RBIs, 33 runs and has gone 13-14 on stolen base attempts.
Second Team
Omaha led the league in Second Team selections with four. A trio of Sydney's in Sydney Ross, Sydney Nuismer and Sydney Thomason along with Jaelle Johnson highlight the All-League Second Team.
For her work at and behind the plate, graduate senior Sydney Ross has earned back-to-back Second Team honors. With 44 hits this season, Ross has recorded a team-high 23 RBIs. On the season Ross has tallied 34 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 11 stolen bases. Defensively, she has made 285 putouts, 25 assists, caught nine stolen base attempts and only had two errors on the season for a .994 fielding percentage.
Nuismer also recorded back-to-back second team honors for her outstanding work on the mound this season. The senior put in 120.2 innings of work for a 2.96 ERA and went 12-6 with two saves. Nuismer recorded her first career no-hitter against Rider during the Connie Claussen Classic earlier this season which earned the senior her first Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors. On the season Nuismer has thrown 67 strikeouts and held opposing batters to a .251 batting average.
Thomason, the junior transfer, from opening weekend dominated at the plate this season. Thomason paces the team with seven home runs and 14 doubles for a .535 slugging percentage. With 157 at-bats, Thomason has recorded 14 hits, 29 RBIs and 25 runs.
First baseman, Johnson, has recorded 154 putouts, and three assists, with just one error on the season for a stellar .994 fielding percentage. At the plate she has the third-highest OPS at .950. Her 57 at-bats include 18 hits, five doubles, one triple, and one home run. Johnson has notched 20 RBIs and scored 13 runs on the season.
Honorable Mention
Sophomore left fielder, Ava Rongisch, tabbed her second consecutive honorable mention. The left fielder has recorded a .977 fielding percentage with 42 putouts, one assists, and only one error on the season. At the plate, Rongisch has recorded 27 hits, three home runs, 26 RBIs, and 20 runs.
Players Mentioned
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