Mavericks To Play Four-Game Series at Kansas

Thursday, February 27

Lawrence, Kan.

3 p.m.

Omaha

Kansas

Photo by: Mitchell J Scaglione

Mavericks To Play Four-Game Series at Kansas

Feb 26, 2025 | Baseball

game notes

Leading Off
The Mavericks (2-5) are on the road for the third straight week to open the season as they head south for a four-game series against undefeated Kansas (7-0), including a Saturday game that will take place at Equity Bank Park in Wichita, home of the minor league Wichita Wind Surge.

Upcoming Schedule
Thursday: 3:00 p.m. at Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark
Friday: 3:00 p.m. at Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark
Saturday: 2:00 p.m. at Kansas at Equity Bank Park
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. at Kansas at Hoglund Ballpark

Around the Horn
• Omaha picked up its first two wins of the season last week, going 2-2 overall. The week started with a 5-2 win against back-to-back SLC champion Nicholls State, before ending with a three-game series against No. 3 LSU in which Omaha pulled off a massive upset in game two with a 5-4 win over the Tigers.
• Omaha's pitching led the way last week, holding the opposition to four runs or less in the first three games. Going with a bullpen day against the Colonels, Isaac Cychosz, Carter Mick, Reed Scott, and Oliver Mabee all had scoreless outings, with Mabee earning the save after going two shutout frames with three strikeouts to end the game.
• In game one against the Tigers, freshman Maddox Meyer was lights out in his second career outing, firing 3.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and just four baserunners allowed.
• The true highlight came in Omaha's stunning game two victory in which Ben Weber, Luke Gainer, and Oliver Mabee combined for 7.2 hitless innings against one of the country's top offenses. Gainer would earn the win and Summit League Pitcher of the Week honors after going 2.1 perfect innings with three strikeouts. In the end, Matt Dreher would come in and close out the game for his first career save.
• Jackson Trout is coming off an impressive week in which he drove in seven of Omaha's 13 total runs, including a pair of three-run home runs in both of the team's wins. Overall he batted 4-for-13 with a couple of stolen bases last week as he now leads the team in RBIs, runs, hits, OPS (1.107), and steals.
• Also with a strong showing at the plate was Eli Hoerner, who went 3-for-7 and drove in his first RBI in game two against LSU when he broke the stalemate by lacing a single to left and bringing home the first run of the game.
• The Mavericks were picked third in the official Summit League Preseason Poll, earning one first-place vote. Cardel Dick and Brayden Curtis were both named Preseason Players to Watch as well.

Scouting Kansas
Kansas is off to a flawless start to its 2025 campaign, going 7-0 against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and Tarleton State and outscoring its opponents 68-22 with a pair of shutouts.

With a team AVG of .313 and OPS of .931, four Jayhawks currently boast an OPS of at least 1.000. Leading the way is Brady Ballinger at 1.428 as well as pacing the team with 10 runs. Right behind him is Dariel Osoria (1.222) who also leads the team with 12 hits and 12 RBIs. Rounding out the quartet are Sawyer Smith (1.153) and Jackson Hauge (1.015), both of whom have three home runs and nine RBIs.

The team has been just as sharp on the mound, posting a 2.90 staff ERA and 1.18 WHIP to go along with 64 strikeouts. Starter Patrick Steitz has not allowed a run through two starts, while Dominica Voegele already has 15 strikeouts. Manning West has also got nine strikeouts in nine innings, while Cooper Moore is holding batters to a .192 AVG. As for the bullpen, Connor Maggie, Alex Breckheimer, and Robbie Knowles have yet to allow a run in 11.1 combined innings, all while striking out 11.