Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team plays its first midweek game of the year this Tuesday, March 1, visiting Wichita State. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Eck Stadium in Wichita, Kan., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Freshman right-hander Grant Suponchick is slated to make his first career start on the hill Tuesday. He previously threw 2.0 innings of relief vs. Eastern Michigan on Feb. 19 and also started the last two games at first base over the weekend.
•Omaha is on an 18-game opening road stretch, its most away from home to start a season since 21 straight in 2009.
•Senior Clayton Taylor's grand slam vs. Morehead State last Saturday was the first for a Maverick since Caleb Palensky hit one vs. Emporia State on May 14, 2011.
•UNO's 21 hits vs. Saint Louis last Friday were its most since 23 vs. Chicago State on Feb. 28, 2014.
•On Feb. 20, head coach Bob Herold earned his 500th career victory in 17 seasons of directing the Omaha program.
•The 2016 season marks Omaha's first with full NCAA Division I postseason eligibility for the Summit League and NCAA Tournaments. The Mavericks completed a required four-year Division I reclassification period from 2012 to 2015.
•UNO played 200 games during their Division I transition, going 91-109 in that span.
•The Mavericks return 18 letterwinners, including five position starters: senior infielder Clayton Taylor, senior outfielders Cole Gruber and Alex Schultz, senior catcher Collin Leif and sophomore infielder Ryan Cate. Two starting pitchers also return with senior right-hander Tyler Fox and junior right-hander Shane Meltz.
•Four All-Summit selections highlight the Mavericks' returning corps: Taylor, Gruber, Schultz and Fox.
•UNO was picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Omaha is 126-109 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League and 217-241 against all opponents on the schedule this year. The Mavericks have compiled a 46-31 record in Summit League play since 2012-13.

Scouting the Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State enters the week with a record of 2-5 (0-0 MVC), having suffered five straight losses. The Shockers were swept in a three-game series at New Mexico last weekend, falling 17-7 on Friday, 8-4 on Saturday and 8-6 on Sunday. Tanner Kirk leads WSU with a .421 batting average, which ranks fourth in the MVC.

Head coach Todd Butler (McNeese State, 1991) is in his third season at WSU with a record of 59-66 and a career mark of 149-149 over six years. Omaha leads the all-time series against Wichita State, 7-3. The two squads last met on Feb. 24, 2015, when the Mavericks earned a 6-4 midweek win in Wichita.

Last Time Out: Mavericks Top Arkansas State, 4-3 in 11 Innings
Omaha outlasted Arkansas State in an 11-inning battle Sunday afternoon, defeating the Red Wolves 4-3 at the Perfect Game Complex. Sophomore Ryan Cate (1-0) picked up the victory in relief, allowing one hit over 2.0 scoreless innings with no walks and a strikeout. J.D. Miller (1-2) took the loss for Arkansas State, giving up the Mavericks' go-ahead run in the 11th inning on two hits with two Ks.

Sophomore David Flattery threw 6.0 innings in his first career start for Omaha, allowing two runs -- none earned -- on seven hits and a walk while issuing two strikeouts.

Sophomore Adam Caniglia led UNO at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 and scoring twice. Senior Clayton Taylor was 1-for-3 with his team-leading fourth home run of the season.

Fox Tabbed Summit League Pitcher of the Week
Senior right-hander Tyler Fox was named Summit League Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance during the week of Feb. 22-28, the league announced Monday. The award was Fox's first this season and the third of his career.

Fox (1-1) surrendered just three hits across 7.0 shutout innings in Friday's 16-2 win over Saint Louis at the Perfect Game Spring Swing. He collected seven strikeouts against just one walk in the game, earning his first win of the year.

Senior infielder Clayton Taylor was previously honored as Summit League Player of the Week on Feb. 22.

Georgia On My Mind
Omaha plays 10 of its first 18 games of the season in the state of Georgia as part of the Perfect Game Spring Swing at Perfect Game Park in Emerson, Ga. The complex is a familiar place for the Mavericks, who previously played a three-game series against Chicago State there early in 2015, going 2-1.

League Leaders
After the first two weeks of play, senior infielder Clayton Taylor leads the Summit League in batting average (.423), home runs (four), RBI (17), total bases (24), on-base percentage (.595) and slugging percentage (.923). Senior outfielder Cole Gruber also paces the league in stolen bases (five), and junior infielder Sam Palensky is first in assists (25). On the pitching side, sophomore Corey Binger paces all conference hurlers in wins (two), and sophomore David Flattery is first in ERA (1.04).

As a team, Omaha leads the league in hits (83) and batting average (.288).

Stacking Up Nationally
Senior infielder Clayton Taylor ranks in the top 10 in three statistical categories: fourth for RBI (17), eighth for walks drawn (10) and ninth for home runs (four). Sophomore right-hander Corey Binger is also second nationally with two wins on the mound.

Stealing the Spotlight
Senior Cole Gruber has made a name for himself in the Summit League for his sneaky work on the basepaths, as he led the league with 34 stolen bases in 2014 and was second with 22 swiped bags in 2015. Now in the fourth year of his career, Gruber has worked his way up Omaha's career chart for stolen bases with 67 as a Maverick, which ranks third in school history. The Papillion-LaVista product is behind only Jake Wurth's 70 from 2001-04 and Bryan Frew's 72 from 2005-08.

What Does the Fox Say?
Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox is back as Omaha's Friday starter in 2016, and he has been the Mavericks' most celebrated hurler over the last three seasons. The Thornton, Colo., native was the 2014 Summit League Pitcher of the Year and an All-Summit selection as a sophomore, and he has led UNO in both strikeouts and innings pitched each of the last two years. His 93.2 innings thrown as a junior were the third-highest single-season total in school history, behind only Ben Percival (100.1) in 2009 and Troy Cloyd (96.0) in 2005.

Fox has compiled a career record of 21-8 with a 2.93 ERA, and he ranks second in school history for career games started (41), fourth for batters faced (1,005) and innings pitched (239.1) and seventh for wins (21) and strikeouts (178).

All in the Family
 “Like father, like son” holds true for three current Mavericks who have followed in their fathers' footsteps by playing baseball at UNO. Senior infielder Clayton Taylor's father, John Taylor, lettered from 1981-82 and was an All-NCC selection. Freshman infielder Riley Herold will now play for his father, head coach Bob Herold, who was an NAIA All-American at UNO in 1971. And junior infielder Sam Palensky's father, Jim Palensky, played from 1984-85 and also previously served as an assistant coach with the Mavericks.

On the sibling side, Sam Palensky's brother, Caleb, was an All-Summit infielder and lettered from 2011-14. Freshman infielder Jack Kalina's grandfather, Phil Gradoville, played at UNO, and freshman right-

Production Up Top
Omaha's 1-3 batters in the lineup this year have produced a significant portion of the Mavericks' offense so far, combining to hit .330. The 1-3 hitters have accounted for 37 percent of UNO's hits, including 50 percent of its extra-base hits, as well as 54 percent of all runs scored, 53 percent of all RBI and 59 percent of all walks drawn.

Turning to the Bullpen
Omaha's bullpen has traditionally held its own late in the game, as the Mavericks are 431-38-1 in the Bob Herold era when leading after the sixth inning. Last season, UNO was 17-5 when holding a lead after the sixth, and this year it is 5-0.

Offense Keying Wins
In the last four seasons (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016), Omaha has gone a combined 58-11 when outhitting its opponent. Last year alone, UNO was 15-4 in such games, and this season the Mavericks are off to a 2-0 showing.

Over 16 seasons in the Bob Herold era, UNO is 409-72-1 when outhitting the other team.

Double Digits
As a team, Omaha produced double-digit hits in 23 games last season, going 15-8 in those games. This season, UNO is 3-0 with double-digit hits, and the Mavericks posted a season-high 21 hits vs. Saint Louis on Feb. 26.

Over the last five years of Division I play, UNO is a combined 71-29 when keying at least 10 hits.

What Makes Up the Mavericks
•UNO returns much of its offensive production from last season, as this year's returners accounted for 68 percent of the Mavericks' hits, 73 percent of their runs scored, 67 percent of their RBI, 68 percent of their extra-base hits and 82 percent of their stolen bases in 2015.
•Omaha's returning pitchers were credited with 51 percent of the team's innings pitched last year, 52 percent of its strikeouts, 48 percent of its wins and 50 percent of its saves.
• The Mavericks return their top three hitters from a year ago with senior outfielders Cole Gruber (.399) and Alex Schultz (.316) and senior infielder Clayton Taylor (.308).
•Schultz had 215 at-bats in his junior season, the most of any hitter on the team.
•UNO's 2016 roster includes seven seniors, seven juniors, 10 sophomores, two redshirt freshmen and nine freshmen.
•The Mavericks hail from eight different states. Nineteen are from Nebraska, five are from Minnesota, and two apiece are out of Iowa and Missouri, while Florida, South Dakota and Utah are all represented once on the roster.

Herold at the Helm
Head Coach Bob Herold is in his 17th year as the skipper of the Omaha baseball program in 2016, having compiled a career record of 504-356-2. Herold earned his 500th career win on Feb. 20, 2016 against Eastern Michigan, becoming the first coach in school history to reach the milestone. He previously became the winningest coach in UNO history with Omaha's 7-0 shutout at Bradley on April 22, 2014, which gave him 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 17th year, and Evan Porter, in his fourth year, as well as volunteer assistant coach Dan McGinn, who is in his 15th year.

Fresh Faces
A total of 17 newcomers -- freshmen, redshirts or transfers -- are on the Omaha roster in 2016. Nine true freshmen are in the mix: Eric Watters (Des Moines, Iowa), Cal Hehnke (Grand Island, Neb.), Riley Herold (Omaha, Neb.), Grant Suponchick (Papillion, Neb.), Henry Wittren (Rochester, Minn.), Jack Kalina (Papillion, Neb.), Andrew Hall (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Josh Scribner (Peculiar, Mo.) and Connor Clark (Omaha, Neb.). Nick Lawson (Omaha, Neb.), Brad Olsen (Omaha, Neb.) and TJ Graumann (Brainerd, Minn.) all redshirted in 2015, with Olsen having transferred from Wayne State College.

Five transfers also join the Mavericks this season: David Flattery (Fort Dodge, Iowa) from Iowa Central CC, Sam Palensky (Papillion, Neb.) Colton Adams (Beatrice, Neb.) from Southeast CC), Eric Moreno (Scottsbluff, Neb.) from Lamar CC) and Skyler Sylvester (Salt Lake City, Utah) from Williston State College.

Eleven newcomers have seen the field over the first eight games: Herold, Scribner, Kalina, Palensky, Wittren, Hehnke, Moreno, Flattery, Suponchick, Adams and Sylvester.

2016 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2016 schedule includes 56 games, and the team will play in 12 states against schools from 12 other Division I conferences. Three opponents – Iowa, Morehead State and defending Summit League champion Oral Roberts – played in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Entering the season, the Mavericks have never faced five of their opponents: NJIT, Morehead State, Presbyterian, Bowling Green and Seton Hall. Omaha holds a combined all-time record of 217-241 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action March 4-6, visiting Grand Canyon for a three-game series at Brazell Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz. The Maverick play at 8 p.m. (CT) on Friday and Saturday, then close with a 2 p.m. (CT) finale on Sunday. Links to live stats will be available on OMavs.com.