Complete Release
Live Video
Live Audio
Live Stats

The Nebraska Omaha baseball team (0-0) opens its first year of Division I play this weekend, Feb. 17-19, traveling to Texas A&M Corpus Christi for a four-game set. The Mavericks' series opener with the Islanders is slated for Friday at 6 p.m. at newly-renovated Chapman Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. UNO and TAMUCC will then play a Saturday doubleheader with first pitch at 3 p.m. before the Sunday finale at 1 p.m. Links to live stats, iive video and live audio will be available on OMavs.com, with Yano Mangiameli providing play-by-play and commentary for all four games.

Nebraska Omaha is in its first year as a reclassifying Division I school in 2011-12 and will officially join The Summit League next year with a full conference schedule in 2013. The Mavericks are led by Head Coach Bob Herold, who enters his 13th year at the helm of the UNO program with a career record of 408-244-2.

Briefly
•This weekend marks the first meeting in program history between Nebraska Omaha and Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
•As a Division II school until this season, UNO's past games against Division I competition have been limited. The Mavs last faced a Division I opponent in 2003, when they fell 17-15 to Creighton at Rosenblatt Stadium.
•Former Maverick righthanded pitcher Joe Holtmeyer was drafted in the 22nd round (No. 682 overall) of the 2011 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. Holtmeyer was the fifth Maverick drafted under Head Coach Bob Herold and the highest pick of any player during the Herold era at UNO. The Mavericks will look for a capable starter to replace Holtmeyer in the pitching rotation this season.

Scouting the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders
Texas A&M Corpus Christi finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 37-24 and a mark of 19-14 in Southland Conference play while capturing the program record for wins. The Islanders were picked seventh in the Southland preseason poll, and they return their top two relievers in senior righthanders Michael Boyle (seven saves) and Phillip Garcia (six saves). Garcia also holds the school record for career saves at TAMUCC.
    
Last season, Texas A&M Corpus Christi bounced back from an opening-round loss to UTSA at the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament to win three straight games. The Islanders went on to an appearance in the tournament semifinals, with their season ending in a 6-5 loss to Stephen F. Austin on May 28.

A Return to the Lone Star State
UNO's schedule has been traditionally been filled with strong regional opponents in recent years, and this weekend's series at Texas A&M Corpus Christi marks the Mavericks' first games in the state of Texas in over a decade. Nebraska Omaha last played in the Lone Star State on March 15, 2001, when it faced Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth for a non-conference doubleheader. UNO dropped a pair of marathon games, falling 23-4 and 12-2.

The Mavs also played four games in the state in Bob Herold's first year at UNO in 2000. They fell 7-4 and 4-0 at Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas, then split a doubleheader at Tarleton State -- winning 4-2 and losing 7-2 -- in Stephenville, Texas.

Mavericks Reclassify to Division I
Nebraska Omaha announced in March 2011 its plan to reclassify from NCAA Division II to Division I, beginning with the 2011-12 school year. UNO, which was previously a member of the MIAA, accepted an invitation to join The Summit League and will compete as a full-fledged member with a regular-season conference schedule in 2012-13.

Hohl to Lead Nebraska Omaha in Senior Season
Senior infielder Brady Hohl's outstanding play earned him a slew of awards to cap his junior season in 2011. The Omaha native and product of Millard North was selected as a second-team all-region honoree by Daktronics, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Rawlings/the American Baseball Coaches Association. Hohl started all 55 games of his junior season, batting a team-leading .408 with 59 runs scored, 35 RBI, 11 doubles and five homers. He also drew a team-leading 23 walks and had a team-high 15 stolen bases.

Hohl grabbed further attention during summer ball, playing for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Baseball League. He was named to the All-ABL All-Star Team and batted .302 with a team-leading 26 RBI, 20 runs, seven doubles and a pair of home runs. Hohl was the third-ranked hitter in the league during ABL play.

Mavs Return All-Conference Infield Trio
Nebraska Omaha has three players on its roster who have previously earned all-conference recognition in the Mavs' former league in Division II, the MIAA. Senior infielder Brady Hohl was a two-time All-MIAA honoree, taking a first-team award in 2011 and a second-team nod in 2010. Last season, Hohl topped the Mavericks with a .408 batting average while starting all 55 games at shortstop and third base. He led UNO with 59 runs scored, 23 walks and 15 stolen bases while adding 35 RBI, 11 doubles and five home runs.

Junior infielder Tyler Splichal was a second-team All-MIAA selection in 2010 and was voted MIAA Freshman of the Year that same season. As a freshman, Splichal had a team-best .410 batting average, and he followed up in 2011 with a .322 effort with 13 doubles, five homers, 35 runs scored and 29 RBI.

Sophomore infielder Caleb Palensky garnered All-MIAA honorable mention accolades after his freshman campaign, when he was also named the 2011 MIAA Freshman of the Year. Palensky started 47 games at second base, batting .366 with a team-leading 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 36 RBI and 35 runs scored.

Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold enters his 13th year as the skipper of the Nebraska Omaha baseball program in 2012, having compiled a career record of 408-244-2 in his first 12 seasons. Herold earned his 400th career win last season on April 22, 2011 against Fort Hays State, becoming the third coach in school history to reach the milestone. He joined Bob Gates (464-273) and Virgil Yelkin (439-196) in the prestigious club, and Herold now needs 57 more wins to pass Gates as the all-time winningest coach in UNO history.
    
Over his Maverick career, Herold has guided Nebraska Omaha to seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances and three conference championships.

New Kids on the Block
UNO's 2012 roster features 13 new faces, with nine true freshmen and four transfers. The Maverick freshmen include Papillion La-Vista South teammates Tyler Lane, Joe Mancuso and Justin Paul, as well as in-state products Alex Mortensen (Millard North), Clayton Taylor (Mount Michael), Sam Raetz (Lincoln Pius X) and Max Ayoub (Grand Island). Jared Patton comes to UNO from Basehor-Linwood High School in Kansas, and Cole Volkers played at Alta Loma High School in California.

Ryley Cidlik (Kansas State) and Bellevue East product Ryan Keele (Northwestern State) have both transferred from Division I universities. Dylan McGill comes from Southeast Community College, while Steven Schoonover joins the program after beginning his career at Yakima Valley Community College.

UNO Finishes Final Year in Division II Among Nation's Best
UNO finished the 2011 season ranked 10th nationally in team batting average in the NCAA's final Division II statistical rankings released last June. The Mavericks, who compiled a team batting average of .332, were also 16th in home runs per game (0.91), 12th in total home runs (50), 13th in total hits (578) and 12th in slugging percentage (.487).

Mixed Schedule Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
UNO's 2012 schedule of 49 games, its first as a reclassifying institution, is composed entirely of Division I competition.  The team will play in 12 different states and all four time zones across the country. The slate matches UNO with one independent school and opponents from 12 different conferences: The Summit League, Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, West Coast, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Southland, Mountain West, Great West, Patriot League and Northeast.

Three Summit League squads -- IPFW, North Dakota State and Oakland -- will give the Mavs their first taste of future conference competition, which begins officially in 2013.

The Mavericks will play 15 road games before their first home game against BYU on March 12 in Omaha.

Maverick Opponents by Conference
    Conference           Opponents
    Big 12                      2 -- Missouri, Kansas State
    Big Ten                    3 -- Northwestern, Iowa, Minnesota
    Great West              2 -- Northern Colorado, Chicago State
    Missouri Valley         3 -- Bradley, Creighton, Indiana State
    Mountain West        1 -- UNLV
    Northeast                1 -- Long Island
    Ohio Valley              1 -- Jacksonville State
    Pac-12                    1 -- Washington State
    Patriot League        2 -- Army, Bucknell
    Southland               1 -- Texas A&M Corpus Christi
    Summit League       3 -- IPFW, North Dakota State, Oakland
    West Coast             1 -- BYU
    Independent            1 -- Seattle

Next Up for the Mavs
UNO returns to action Feb. 24-26, traveling to Washington State for a four-game series in Pullman, Wash. Friday's doubleheader will start at 4 p.m. (CT), while Saturday and Sunday afternoon's contests are both set for 2 p.m. (CT). Links to live stats and live audio will be available on OMavs.com.