Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team returns to the southeast again this weekend for five games at the Snowbird Classic, Feb. 26 to March 1, in Port Charlotte, Fla. As available, links to live stats and live audio will be posted on OMavs.com.
The Mavericks open with Saint Leo on Thursday, Feb. 26, followed by Kentucky and Boston College on Friday, Feb. 27. Another matchup with Kentucky is set for Saturday, Feb. 28, and Omaha finishes with one game on Sunday, March 1 against Mount St. Mary's.
Quick Hits
•Redshirt freshman Isaac Holt got the first hit of his career on Tuesday at Wichita State, a leadoff single in the ninth that sparked UNO to a 6-4 win.
•Juniors Cole Gruber, Alex Mortensen and Clayton Taylor have all reached base in all seven games this season.
•Omaha is in the midst of a 15-game road stretch the open the season, its most since 15 in 2012.
•UNO's combined no-hitter against Chicago State on Feb. 21 came at the hands of senior right-handers Zach Williamsen and Tyler Hamer. It was the first no-hit effort by a Maverick pitching staff since April 9, 2004 and the third under head coach Bob Herold.
•The Mavericks return 19 letterwinners and five All-Summit selections from a year ago: Taylor, Gruber, juniors Tyler Fox and Alex Schultz and senior Daniel Jewett. Fox was also tabbed 2014 Summit League Pitcher of the Year.
•UNO's five returning all-conference selections are the most of any team in the Summit League.
•UNO ended the 2014 season on a seven-game win streak, and in two years in the Summit League, the Mavericks have compiled a 35-15 record in conference play.
•UNO is 114-91 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League and 232-230 against all opponents on the schedule this year.
Briefly: The Snowbird Classic Field
Beginning on Thursday, Omaha will play five games at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Mavericks have never faced their four tournament opponents: Saint Leo, Kentucky Boston College and Mount St. Mary's.
Through Feb. 25, UNO's opponents' records are as follows:
Saint Leo -- 15-1 (0-0 Sunshine State), on a six-game win streak
Kentucky -- 3-3 (0-0 SEC), won one of three games at UC Santa Barbara last weekend
Boston College -- 2-5 (0-0 ACC), on a four-game losing streak
Mount St. Mary's -- 0-0 (0-0 Northeast), open season Saturday vs. North Dakota State
Last Time Out: Omaha Upends Wichita State, 6-4
Omaha rallied for a road win over Wichita State Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Shockers 6-4 at Eck Stadium. The win went to senior left-hander Cole Volkers (1-0) in relief after he threw 2.0 hitless innings with one walk and two strikeouts. Taylor Goshen took the loss in relief, surrendering a pair of runs on two hits and two walks in the final 2.0 innings. Sophomore Brett Sasse earned his first career save, holding WSU to one hit in the last inning.
Junior Cole Gruber led the Mavericks offensively, going 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk.
Getting Sasse
Sophomore right-hander Brett Sasse earned his first career save on Tuesday afternoon at Wichita State, holding the Shockers to one hit in the final inning. Over two appearances this season, the Nebraska City, Neb., native has maintained a 0.00 earned-run average, and he owns a 1.93 ERA over six appearances in his career.
Fox, Williamsen Hit the Century Mark
Junior right-hander Tyler Fox and senior right-hander Zach Williamsen both issued their 100th career strikeout in last weekend's series with Chicago State. Fox's came on Friday, while Williamsen's was his final of five Ks on Saturday.
Williamsen Earns First Weekly League Award of 2015
Senior right-handed pitcher Zach Williamsen was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week for his performance Feb. 16-22, the conference office announced Monday. The honor is his first of the season and the second of his career.
Williamsen (1-1) collected the accolade after earning his first win of the season in a combined no-hitter over Chicago State. He threw 5.0 hitless innings in the start, allowing just one walk with a season-high five strikeouts.
Last Weekend
Omaha went 2-1 in a neutral-site series with Chicago State last weekend, defeating the Cougars 6-1 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday before falling 6-4 on Sunday.
Junior Cole Gruber batted a team-leading .500 (5-for-10) for the weekend with a double, two runs scored, three RBI and three walks drawn. He opened the series by going 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in a pair of runs.
Hamer the Hammer
Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Hamer has thrown the most innings of any relief pitcher in the Maverick bullpen this season. Over two appearances, the Elburn, Ill., native has tossed 7.0 innings and surrendered just one hit with three walks and a team-leading eight strikeouts. He holds a 0.00 earned-run average, and opponents are hitting just .043 against him.
On Feb. 21, Hamer was part of UNO's no-hit shutout of Chicago State, going 3.0 innings with a walk and four Ks.
Picked to Win It
Omaha is favored to repeat as the Summit League's regular-season champion in a preseason vote among the league's head coaches, the conference office announced Feb. 5. It marked the second straight season that UNO was tabbed No. 1 in the league's preseason poll.
The Mavericks received three first-place votes and 23 total points. Oral Roberts came in second with the remaining three first-place votes and 21 points. In third place was South Dakota State with 17 points, followed by North Dakota State (15), Western Illinois (eight) and Fort Wayne (six).
UNO capped 2014 with an overall record of 31-20 and a league mark of 15-9. The Mavericks won their second consecutive regular-season title in just their second year as a member of the league and their third year as a Division I school.
What Does the Fox Say?
Right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox is back for his junior season in 2015 after earning Summit League Pitcher of the Year plaudits as a sophomore. The Thornton, Colo., native was outstanding on the mound last year, recording a league-leading nine wins to go 9-1 with a 2.59 ERA. He tallied 57 strikeouts in a team-high 78.2 innings pitched and finished a perfect 5-0 in league play with a 2.40 ERA in seven appearances. Conference foes struggled at the plate against Fox, batting just .255 for the year.
Last Friday, Fox picked up his first win of the season against Chicago State. He limited the Cougars to just three singles over 5.0 scoreless innings.
Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, UNO went 14-7 last season, and the Mavericks have started the 2015 in similar fashion with a 2-0 mark. The 2014 Omaha squad finished with 107 extra-base hits, the most of any team since registering 159 in 2011, the Mavericks' last year in Division II.
Turning to the Bullpen
Omaha's bullpen has traditionally held its own late in the game, as the Mavericks are 411-34-1 in the Bob Herold era when leading after the sixth inning. UNO was 25-4 in such games in 2014 and 23-1 in the 2013 season, both of which were years in which the Mavericks went on to win Summit League regular-season titles. This season, they are 2-0 when leading after the sixth.
Offense Keying Wins
In the last three seasons in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Omaha has gone a combined 43-7 when outhitting its opponent. In 2014, the Mavericks were 21-2 when registering more hits than its opposition, up from 20-5 in 2013. This year, UNO has started out 2-0 in such games.
Over 16 seasons in the Bob Herold era, UNO is 394-68-1 when outhitting the other team.
Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 16th year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2014, having compiled a career record of 482-325-2. Herold earned his 400th career win 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 with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley on April 22, 2014, he officially became the winningest coach in UNO history with his 465th victory.
Over his Maverick career, Herold has guided Omaha to seven NCAA Division II postseason appearances and four conference championships. In 2013 and 2014, he was honored as Summit League Coach of the Year.
Herold's most recent draft pick was right-handed pitcher Joe Holtmeyer, who was taken 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 Herold and the second-highest pick of any player during the Herold era.
Herold is assisted by assistant coaches Chris Gadsden, in his 16th year, and Evan Porter, in his third year, as well as volunteer assistant coach Brian Strawn, who is in his first year.
Double Digits
As a team, Omaha produced double-digit hits in 22 games last season, including a season-high 23 hits against Chicago State on Feb. 28, 2014. Last year, UNO was 18-4 when producing 10 or more hits in a game, similar to its mark of 18-6 for double-digit hits in 2013. Already this season, the Mavericks are 1-0 with a double-digit hit total.
No Longer the Newcomers
Omaha is in its fourth and final year as a reclassifying Division I school in 2014-15 and its third as a member of the Summit League. In 2014, the Mavericks played their second full season as a member of the conference, finishing 15-9 in league play to sit atop the standings.
UNO is ineligible for the Summit League Tournament and NCAA Tournament until 2015-16 but will play a full regular-season conference schedule through its transitional years. It is, however, eligible to contend for the league's regular-season championship, which the Mavericks won for the second straight time last season.
Next Up
Omaha travels to Air Force for two midweek games, March 3-4. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on both days in Colorado Springs, Colo., and links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.
