Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team plays its second straight series at home this weekend, hosting North Dakota State for three games, March 25-27. First pitch all three days is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town, and links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com. Student broadcasters Noah Sullinger and Alex Abler will have the call on the MavRadio.fm broadcasts, and fans may also access the audio on their smartphones by downloading the TuneIn Radio app.

Quick Hits
•Omaha started its season with an 18-game opening road stretch, its most away from home to start a season since 21 straight in 2009.
•Senior outfielder Cole Gruber became Omaha's all-time career stolen base leader on March 9 at Air Force, while senior right-hander Tyler Fox became UNO's all-time leader for innings pitched on March 18 vs. Fort Wayne.
•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.
•The Mavericks return 18 letterwinners, including five position starters: Gruber, senior infielder Clayton Taylor, senior outfielder 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 with Taylor, Gruber, Schultz and Fox.
•UNO was picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Omaha is 224-247 against all opponents on the schedule this year and 129-109 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled a 49-31 record in Summit League play since 2012-13.

Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State enters the weekend with a record of 10-8 (1-2 Summit League) after dropping two of three games at Western Illinois last weekend. Mason Pierzchalski leads the Bison with a .328 batting average, while Brayden Resch has a team-high 14 RBI and the team's lone home run on the season.

Head coach Tod Brown (Arizona, 1994) is in his ninth season at NDSU with a career record of 196-232. Omaha leads the all-time series against North Dakota State, 29-27, but NDSU took the last matchup, 5-4 in 12 innings, on May 16, 2015 in Fargo, N.D. The Mavericks swept the Bison the last time the two schools played in Omaha, March 20-22, 2015.

Last Time Out: Omaha Sweeps Sunday Twinbill From Fort Wayne
Omaha swept a doubleheader against Fort Wayne Sunday afternoon, earning a 7-0 shutout victory in game one and a 9-5 win in game two at the Ballpark at Boys Town.

Junior left-hander Sam Murphy (2-0) earned the win in the opener, tossing 5.0 shutout innings in his start. The Lake Worth, Fla., native limited the Mastodons to five singles with no walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore right-hander David Flattery also picked up his first career save with 4.0 shutout innings, keeping IPFW to two hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Freshman Riley Herold finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and a run scored to lead UNO at the plate.

Junior right-hander Brett Sasse (1-2) registered the win in the twinbill's second game, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts over 2.0 innings of work.

Senior Collin Leif led the way at the plate, finishing 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a run scored and three RBI.

Sweet Sweep
Omaha's three-game sweep of Fort Wayne last weekend was the Mavericks' first since March 20-22, 2015, when the Mavericks took three straight from North Dakota State.

UNO's 3-0 start to Summit League play puts the Mavericks in sole possession of first place in the conference standings. In 2015, UNO opened league play with a 6-0 start, taking two straight weekend series from South Dakota State and North Dakota State at home.

Maverick Mound Notes
The Omaha pitching staff issued 22 strikeouts over three games against Fort Wayne last weekend, the most Ks in a three-game league series since 28 vs. IPFW, April 24-26, 2015.

In Saturday's contest against the Mastodons, starter Sam Murphy and reliever David Flattery also combined for no walks over nine shutout innings. Previously, the last time Omaha's staff had no walks in a game was Feb. 28, 2015 vs. Kentucky.

Breaking Out the Bats
UNO put together a big offensive start to Summit League play in its opening series with Fort Wayne, as the Mavericks hit .370 (37-of-100) as a team with 30 runs, 28 RBI and 18 walks. All 11 Mavericks who started a game registered at least one hit and scored at least one run.

Omaha also finished with 13 extra-base hits (nine doubles, two triples, two home runs) over the three games, its most in a league weekend since 13 vs. North Dakota State, April 24-26, 2014.

Climbing the Career Charts
Seniors Cole Gruber, Clayton Taylor and Alex Schultz have been four-year starters at Omaha and have steadily climbed their way up the UNO career charts. Gruber is first in school history for stolen bases (76), fifth for career hits (203), seventh for walks (82) and ninth for at-bats (579), games started (157) and runs scored (131).

Taylor is fourth for RBI (141), sixth for home runs (24), seventh for hits (195), doubles (39) and games started (159), eighth for walks (81) and at-bats (581) and ninth for runs scored (131).

Schultz is sixth for games started (166) and at-bats (631), eighth for hits (192) and doubles (38), ninth for walks (79) and 10th for games played (166).

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. Gruber has steadily worked his way up Omaha's career stolen bases chart, and on March 9 at Air Force became the Mavericks' all-time career stolen base leader. He registered two in the game, passing previous record holder Bryan Frew, who had 72 from 2005-08.

Gruber's career mark is now up to 76, and he ranks seventh in Summit League history.

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 24-8 with a 3.02 ERA. Last week, he became Omaha's all-time leader for career innings pitched (259.1), passing former Maverick Mike Metz (1975-78), who had 255.2. Fox also ranks second in school history for career games started (44) and wins (24), third for batters faced (1,087) and sixth for strikeouts (194).

League Leaders
Going into the second week of conference play, senior infielder Clayton Taylor leads the Summit League in home runs (six), RBI (33), total bases (52), and slugging percentage (.675). Senior outfielder Cole Gruber also paces the league for batting average (.395), hits (34), runs scored (23), and stolen bases (14). Senior Collin Leif is first for hit-by-pitches (six) and triples (two), as is senior Alex Schultz for at-bats (87) and doubles (nine). Sophomore Adam Caniglia tops the conference in triples (two), and junior infielder Sam Palensky is first in assists (76).

On the mound, senior Tyler Fox is tied for the league lead in wins (four) and strikeouts (26), and he owns a 3.52 ERA, which is the second-lowest in the conference.

As a team, Omaha leads the league in batting average (.300), runs (127), hits (221), RBI (111), total bases (298), hit by pitch (20), on-base percentage (.372) and stolen bases (26).

Stacking Up Nationally
In the latest NCAA statistical release, senior Clayton Taylor ranks second nationally for RBI (33) and fifth for RBI per game (1.57), and senior Cole Gruber is seventh for stolen bases (14), 15th in hits (34), and 16th for stolen bases per game (0.67).

Murph on the Mound
Junior left-handed pitcher Sam Murphy (1-0) returned to the mound for the first time in nearly a year on Feb. 20, picking up the win in UNO's 2-1 victory over Eastern Michigan. The Lake Worth, Fla., native threw three innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two. Murphy had been sidelined since early in the 2015 season due to injury.

On March 4 at Grand Canyon, Murphy earned his first save of the season, throwing 2.0 innings and holding the Lopes to one run on three hits with three strikeouts.

Last Sunday vs. Fort Wayne, Murphy earned the win in the opener, tossing 5.0 shutout innings in his start. He limited the Mastodons to five singles with no walks and four strikeouts. Over his last three appearances, Murphy has not allowed a run in 11.1 innings of work.

Home Sweet Home Advantage
The 2016 season will see Omaha play 18 home contests, including 15 conference tilts. UNO will play at two venues, with 15 games at the Ballpark at Boys Town and a trio of premier games at Werner Park with Nebraska (April 6), Kansas State (April 20) and Air Force (April 26).

Since moving to Division I in 2011-12, UNO has enjoyed a combined record of 40-30 at home.

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 39 percent of UNO's hits, including 50 percent of its extra-base hits, as well as 46 percent of all runs scored, 49 percent of all RBI, 54 percent of all walks drawn and 77 percent of all stolen bases.

Turning to the Bullpen
Omaha's bullpen has traditionally held its own late in the game, as the Mavericks are 437-39-1 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 11-1.

Offense Keying Wins
In the last four seasons (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016), Omaha has gone a combined 64-11 when outhitting its opponent. Last year alone, UNO was 15-4 in such games, and this season the Mavericks are off to an 8-0 showing.

Over 16 seasons in the Bob Herold era, UNO is 415-72-1 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 10-2 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 78-31 when keying at least 10 hits.

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 511-362-2. 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.

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 had never faced five of their opponents: NJIT, Morehead State, Presbyterian, Bowling Green and Seton Hall. Omaha holds a combined all-time record of 224-247 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, March 29, traveling to Kansas State with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. in Manhattan, Kan. The game will be broadcast live on FOX College Sports, and links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.