Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team plays its first Summit League road series this weekend, visiting South Dakota State three games, April 8-10. First pitch in Friday's opener is set for 3 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. game both Saturday and Sunday. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Senior outfielder Alex Schultz keyed his 200th career hit Wednesday night vs. Nebraska. He is one of just seven players in school history with 200 or more career hits, joining two fellow seniors, infielder Clayton Taylor and outfielder Cole Gruber. Schultz is currently on a five-game hitting streak, registering at least one hit in every game since March 29.
•Taylor is second in the nation with 44 RBI. He drove in a season-high five runs vs. North Dakota State on March 27, the most of any Maverick in a single game this year.
•Taylor's team-leading and career-long 15-game hitting streak came to an end March 19 at K-State, but he remains on a 20-game reaching base streak, the longest of any UNO player this season.
•Gruber (.398) and Taylor (.358) own the two highest batting averages in the Summit League. Gruber also led the league for average in 2015.
•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 and batters faced on March 25 vs. North Dakota State.
•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, Taylor, Alex Schultz, senior catcher Collin Leif and sophomore infielder Ryan Cate. Two starting pitchers have also returned with 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 227-252 against all opponents on the schedule this year and 132-112 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled a 52-34 record in Summit League play since 2012-13.

Scouting the South Dakota State Jackrabbits
South Dakota State enters the weekend with five-game winning streak and a record of 9-18 (5-4 Summit League) after sweeping conference foe Fort Wayne on the road last weekend and winning a single game against North Dakota at home on Wednesday, 5-3. Luke Ringhofer leads the Jackrabbits with a .363 batting average, while Newt Johnson has a team-high three home runs and 16 RBI.

Head coach Dave Schrage (Creighton, 1983) is in his fifth season at SDSU with a record of 123-127-1 at the school and a career mark of 656-718-2.

Omaha leads the all-time series against South Dakota State, 76-59. The Mavericks won the season series 4-2 in 2015, sweeping three straight at home before going 1-2 in Brookings, S.D. In the road series over April 17-19, 2015, SDSU took game one, 5-1, and game three, 12-2, while Omaha won game two, 8-6.

Last Time Out: Omaha Suffers Setback to Nebraska, 11-6
Omaha played its first Werner Park game of the season Wednesday night, falling 11-6 to in-state foe Nebraska. NU reliever Derek Burkamper (3-1) earned the win on the mound for NU, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings. Junior right-hander Shane Meltz (0-2) took the loss, giving up four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 3.2 innings of work.

As a team, Omaha finished with 10 hits for its 15th double-digit hit performance this season. Nebraska scored in seven straight innings from the third through ninth frames and had every player in the lineup register at least one hit en route to 14 hits as a team.

Senior Alex Schultz led the way for Omaha with a 2-for-4 day, doubling, scoring once and driving in two more runs. Junior Sam Palensky was also 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI, and senior Cole Gruber finished 1-for-4 with his first home run of the season.

Murphy Earns Summit League Pitcher of the Week Nod
Junior left-hander Sam Murphy was named Summit League Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performances the week of March 28 to April 3, the conference office announced Monday.

Murphy collected the first pitcher of the week honor of his career after a standout effort on the mound against Western Illinois on Saturday. The Lake Worth, Fla., native threw a career-long 7.0 shutout innings in the no-decision with two hits, two walks and a career-high 11 strikeouts. It was the most strikeouts in a game for any Omaha pitcher since Tyler Fox had 13 against Fort Wayne on April 24, 2015.

Senior infielder Clayton Taylor was previously honored as Summit League Player of the Week on Feb. 22 and March 14, as was senior outfielder Cole Gruber on March 28. Senior Tyler Fox was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 29, and sophomore Corey Binger earned the same award March 14.

Maverick Mound Notes
•All three pitchers in Omaha's weekend rotation have earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week awards, with senior righty Tyler Fox on Feb. 29, sophomore righty Corey Binger on March 14 and junior southpaw Sam Murphy on April 4.
•Fox (32), Murphy (28) and Binger (27) all rank in the top 10 in the Summit League for strikeouts, coming in at sixth, ninth and 10th, respectively. The trio is also in the top 10 for ERA, with Murphy first (0.87), Fox third (3.22) and Binger eighth (4.54).
•Sophomore left-hander Brad Olsen's four relief appearances have totaled 3.2 innings, and he has yet to allow an earned run this season.

Clayton's the Catalyst
Omaha is a perfect 11-0 this season when senior Clayton Taylor registers a multi-hit game. The Mount Michael product is a catalyst for the Mavericks' offensive production, hitting a team-high .476 with runners on base, and he has success advancing runners 61 percent of the time. In games when Taylor has at least two hits, UNO as a team averages 9.6 runs scored per game.

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 (86), second for sacrifice hits (29), third for walks (90), fourth for runs scored (143), fifth for career hits (214), eighth for games started (165) and ninth for at-bats (606).

Taylor is second for RBI (153), fourth for walks (87), fifth for home runs (25) and total bases (331), sixth for hits (205), seventh for doubles (40), games started (167) and at-bats (610), ninth for sacrifice flies (nine) and 10th for games played (173).

Schultz is fifth for games started (173) and at-bats (663), seventh for hits (200) and walks (85), eighth for doubles (39) and ninth for runs scored (137) and games played (174).

Breaking Out the Bats
UNO put together a big offensive push in its first two Summit League series vs. Fort Wayne and North Dakota State, as the Mavericks hit .360 as a team with 52 runs, 49 RBI and 33 walks during that span.

The Mavericks have hit .284 in non-conference games and .306 in their first nine league contests. They have also increased their team slugging percentage from .376 to .426 and their on-base percentage from .351 to .417 in conference play. Omaha's league batting burst has been led by senior Cole Gruber's .516 average in those games.

Better on the Bump
While Omaha's offense has come alive in Summit League play, so has its pitching staff. In non-conference games, UNO's staff has a 6.08 ERA but has lowered that to 3.83 in league contests. Omaha hurlers have also gone from a 1.85:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio to 2.18:1 in Summit League games.

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 86, which ranks fifth in Summit League history.

Stacking Up Nationally
In the latest NCAA statistical release, senior infielder Clayton Taylor is second in the nation in for RBI (44) and fourth for RBI per game (1.57). Senior outfielder Cole Gruber is fourth for stolen bases (24) and stolen bases per game (0.83), 13th for runs (35) and 19th for runs per game (1.21). Senior right-hander Tyler Fox is also second for wins (six), and junior left-hander Sam Murphy is ninth for ERA (0.87) and 19th for WHIP (0.84).

League Leaders
Senior infielder Clayton Taylor leads the Summit League in RBI (45), total bases (68) and slugging percentage (.642), while senior outfielder Cole Gruber paces the league for batting average (.398), hits (45), runs scored (35), stolen bases (24) and on-base percentage (.489). Senior Collin Leif is also first for hit-by-pitches (eight), and junior infielder Sam Palensky is first in assists (96). On the mound, senior Tyler Fox has the league lead for wins (six), games started (seven) and innings pitched (44.2), and junior Sam Murphy owns a league-low 0.87 ERA.

As a team, Omaha leads the league in at-bats (995) and stolen bases (43).

Scoring Summary
Omaha has been the most productive this year in the sixth inning, posting 27 total runs in that frame. The Mavericks have plated 62 runs between the first and third innings, 71 between the fourth and sixth innings and 34 between the seventh and ninth innings.

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 26-8 with a 3.00 ERA. On March 18, he became Omaha's all-time leader for career innings pitched, passing former Maverick Mike Metz (1975-78), who had 255.2. In addition to his 273.1 innings pitched, Fox also ranks first in school history for batters faced (1,146), second for wins (26) and games started (46) and sixth for strikeouts (200).

Murph on the Mound
Junior left-handed pitcher Sam Murphy 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.

On March 20 vs. Fort Wayne, Murphy earned a win, tossing 5.0 shutout innings in his start and limiting the Mastodons to five singles with no walks and four strikeouts. Over his last five appearances, Murphy has allowed just one earned run in 24.1 innings of work, and he threw a season-long 7.0 shutout innings last Saturday vs. Western Illinois. In that outing, he gave up just two singles and two walks and struck out a career-high 11, a performance that netted him Summit League Pitcher of the Week recognition.

For the season, Murphy is 2-1 with a league-low 0.87 ERA. His 28 strikeouts to five walks make for a 5.60:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Going the Extra Mile
When registering three or more extra-base hits in a game, Omaha is 9-2 this season. On the flip side, the Mavericks are 10-3 when limiting their opponents to less than three extra-base hits in a contest.

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-handed pitcher/infielder Grant Suponchick's brother, Beau Suponchick, lettered two seasons for Omaha (2011-12).

Production Up Top
Omaha's 1-3 batters in the lineup -- seniors Alex Schultz, Cole Gruber and Clayton Taylor -- have produced a significant portion of the Mavericks' offense this year, combining to hit .340. The 1-3 hitters have accounted for 40 percent of UNO's hits, including 49 percent of its extra-base hits, as well as 50 percent of its runs scored, 49 percent of its RBI, 52 percent of its walks and 79 percent of its stolen bases.

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 12-3 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 80-32 when keying at least 10 hits.

Offense Keying Wins
In the last four seasons (2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016), Omaha has gone a combined 65-11 when outhitting its opponent. Last year alone, UNO was 15-4 in such games, and this season the Mavericks are off to a 9-0 showing.

Over 16 seasons in the Bob Herold era, UNO is 416-72-1 when outhitting the other team.

Turning to the Bullpen
Omaha's bullpen has traditionally held its own late in the game, as the Mavericks are 440-40-1 in the Bob Herold era when leading after the sixth. Last season, UNO was 17-5 when leading after the sixth, and this year it is 14-2.

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 514-367-2. 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 227-252 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Wednesday, April 13, visiting Kansas for a non-conference road game. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Lawrence, Kan., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.