Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team continues its 11-game road swing this weekend, visiting Western Illinois for a three-game league series, May 13-15. First pitch all three days is set for a 1 p.m. at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium in Macomb, Ill., and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
•Senior right-hander Tyler Fox tied the school record for career wins last Friday at North Dakota State. He needs one more victory to claim the wins record outright.
•Three Mavericks hit over .400 in last weekend's series at NDSU: seniors Cole Gruber (.462) and Clayton Taylor (.417) and junior Sam Palensky (.417).
•Omaha is averaging its most home runs per game (.45), runs scored per game (5.62), walks per game (3.91) and stolen bases per game (1.38) of any season in the Mavericks' Division I era.
•Taylor's career-long 32-game reaching base streak came to an end April 30 at Fort Wayne. It was the longest of any Maverick since former Maverick Lyle Lafountain (34) in 2006.
•Taylor also moved up to fifth all-time in Summit League history for career RBI (170) last weekend.
•Taylor's 10 homers this season are the most since former Maverick and current assistant coach Evan Porter (10) in 2009.
•UNO has scored at least one run in the first inning 22 times this season. That includes 11 times in 21 conference games, where the Mavericks have gone 8-3.
•Senior Alex Schultz keyed his 200th career hit on April 6 vs. Nebraska. He is one of just seven players in school history with 200 or more career hits, joining two fellow seniors who reached the milestone earlier this season -- Taylor (March 27 vs. North Dakota State) and Gruber (March 20 vs. Fort Wayne).
•Gruber became Omaha's all-time career stolen base leader on March 9 at Air Force, while 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 returned 18 letterwinners this year, including five position starters: Gruber, Taylor, Schultz, sophomore Ryan Cate and senior Collin Leif.
•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 236-261 against all opponents on the schedule this year and 140-119 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled a 60-41 record in Summit League play since 2012-13.

Scouting the Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois enters the weekend with a record of 13-30 (10-14 Summit League) after dropping three games at Oral Roberts last weekend, 13-4, 6-5 and 6-1. Roman Visintine leads the Leathernecks with a league-best .369 batting average this season.

Head coach Ryan Brownlee is in his fourth season at WIU with a career record of 70-132.

Omaha leads the all-time series against Western Illinois, 15-6, after the Leathernecks took two of three games at the Ballpark at Boys Town earlier this season. UNO opened the series April 1 with a 6-1 win, after which Western grabbed the last two games, 3-2 and 10-2. WIU also won the most recent meeting in Macomb, 5-4 on May 10, 2015.

Last Time Out: Omaha Falls 8-2 at Nebraska
Omaha led early but couldn't hold on at Nebraska Wednesday evening, falling 8-2 at Hawks Field.

The win went to NU starter Max Knutson (2-1), who threw 8.0 innings and allowed two runs -- one earned -- on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Grant Suponchick (0-2) took the loss in relief, surrendering three runs on three hits and a walk in over an inning of work.

Junior Sam Palensky, sophomore Ryan Cate and freshmen Jack Kalina and Riley Herold each tallied a hit for Omaha, which was limited to four hits for the night. Palensky finished 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Kalina and Cate both drove in a run.

Fox Earns Summit League Pitcher of the Week Nod
Senior right-hander Tyler Fox was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week for his performance the week of May 2-8, the conference office announced Monday.

Fox collects the fifth pitcher of the week honor of his career and his third of the season after tossing a complete-game five-hit shutout at North Dakota State on Friday. The Thornton, Colo., native went the distance, capturing his league-leading ninth victory of the year to improve to 9-2. He also recorded three strikeouts in the game and did not allow a baserunner via walk or extra-base hit. The win also marked Fox's 29th career victory, which ties him for the Omaha school record and puts him third in Summit League history.

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. Fox was previously named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 29 and April 25, while sophomore lefty Corey Binger earned the same award March 14 and junior lefty Sam Murphy did so on April 4.

Road Warriors
UNO's current 11-game road stretch spanning three weeks is its second-longest of the year, behind its 18 away from Omaha to open the season. It also marks the Mavericks' longest mid-season road stretch since they left for 11 straight March 12-29, 2013.

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 in 2014, 2015 and 2016. 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 29-9 with a 2.89 ERA. Last week, he tied the school record for career wins, matching former Maverick Kyle Funk (2000-03). 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 311.1 innings pitched, Fox also ranks first in school history for batters faced (1,301) and games started (51). Additionally, he is third for strikeouts (226) and seventh for appearances (52).

Clayton's the Catalyst
Omaha is 15-1 this season when senior Clayton Taylor registers a multi-RBI game. The Mount Michael product is a catalyst for the Mavericks' offensive production, hitting .429 with runners on base, and he has success advancing runners 59 percent of the time.

Taylor's offensive success rubs off on his teammates; in games when he has at least two RBI, UNO as a team averages 12.1 hits, 8.6 runs and 7.8 RBI per game, up from 8.2 hits, 4.1 runs and 3.5 RBI per game when he does not.

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 (100), second for sacrifice hits (33), third for runs scored (154), fourth for hits (235) and walks (100), sixth for games started (183) and at-bats (679) and eighth for games played (189) and total bases (288).

Taylor is second for RBI (170), third for total bases (366), fourth for home runs (28), fifth for hits (227), walks (94), sacrifice flies (13), games started (185) and at-bats (683), seventh for doubles (44) and games played (191) and 10th for runs scored (137).

Schultz is third for walks (101), fourth for runs scored (152), at-bats (727) and games started (191), sixth for games played (192), seventh for hits (211) and eighth for doubles (42).

Counting on Cate
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Cate earned his fifth save of the season April 26 against Air Force, which moved him into the top 10 in school history for career saves. His mark matches former Mavericks Mike Jones (1985-86) and Anthony Falcone (2011-14) for eighth in that category.

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.

On April 30 at Fort Wayne, Gruber passed the single-season school record of 35 set by former Maverick Bryan Frew in 2008. Gruber's career mark is now up to 100, which is second in Summit League history behind only Akron's Jeff Rolyson (1990-92), who had 113.

Walk It Out
Seniors Alex Schultz and Cole Gruber recently became the third and fourth Mavericks in school history to reach 100 walks in their career. The duo joined Bryan Frew (2005-08), who had 149, and Greg Geary (1994-97), who had 145 -- in reaching the century milestone.

In his senior campaign, Schultz has a 15 percent walk rate and is averaging a career-best .72 walks per game, the most since former Maverick Dustin Koca's 1.07 walks per game in 2008.

Stacking Up Nationally
In the latest NCAA statistical release, senior outfielder Cole Gruber is second in the nation for stolen bases (38) and third for stolen bases per game (0.81). Senior infielder Clayton Taylor is fifth for RBI per game (1.32) and sixth for RBI (62), and senior right-hander Tyler Fox is fifth for wins (nine).

League Leaders
Senior outfielder Cole Gruber paces the Summit League for runs scored (46) and stolen bases (38), while senior infielder Clayton Taylor leads the league in RBI (62) and sacrifice flies (five). Junior infielder Sam Palensky is also credited with the league high for assists (148). On the mound, senior Tyler Fox has the league lead for wins (nine), games started (12), innings pitched (82.2), complete games (two) and shutouts (one).

As a team, Omaha leads the league in stolen bases (65).

Maverick Mound Notes
•Three pitchers on Omaha's staff have earned Summit League Pitcher of the Week awards, with senior righty Tyler Fox on Feb. 29, April 25 and May 9, sophomore righty Corey Binger on March 14 and junior southpaw Sam Murphy on April 4.
•The trio is in the top 10 in the Summit League for ERA, with Fox second (2.72), Murphy third (3.10) and Binger seventh (4.40). Fox (58) and Murphy (52) also rank in the top 10 for strikeouts, coming in fifth and eighth, respectively.
•Fox threw the third complete game of his career on May 6, going the distance for the win at North Dakota State.
•Omaha's pitching staff has been better on the bump in Summit League play, lowering its ERA to 4.13 in league contests from 6.12 in non-conference games.
•Summit League opponents are also batting .279, compared to .311 in non-league games.

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 is now playing 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 .308. The trio has accounted for 38 percent of UNO's hits, including 48 percent of its extra-base hits, as well as 45 percent of its runs scored, 46 percent of its RBI, 49 percent of its walks and 86 percent of its stolen bases.

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 523-376-2. 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 54 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 236-261 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action on Tuesday, May 17, visiting crosstown foe Creighton. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m. at TD Ameritrade Park, and the game will be televised live on Cox. Links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.