Leading Off
After 11 straight road games, the Omaha baseball returns home this week to close the regular season, welcoming Oral Roberts, May 19-21. First pitch all three days is set for 1 p.m. at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Student broadcasters Noah Sullinger, Justin Idelman and Justin Doering will have the radio call on MavRadio.fm, and fans may also access the audio on their smartphones by downloading the TuneIn Radio app. Links to live stats and audio will be available on OMavs.com.

Omaha's six seniors -- Robert Calvano, Tyler Fox, Cole Gruber, Collin Leif, Alex Schultz and Clayton Taylor -- will be honored before Saturday's game with Senior Day festivities.

Quick Hits
•Six Mavericks hit over .400 in last weekend's series at Western Illinois: sophomore Ryan Cate (.545), senior Collin Leif (.545), senior Cole Gruber (.533), freshman Jack Kalina (.462), sophomore Adam Caniglia (.455) and junior Sam Palensky (.444).
•Omaha is averaging its most home runs per game (.43), runs scored per game (5.76), walks per game (3.96), RBI per game (5.06) and stolen bases per game (1.39) of any season in the Mavericks' Division I era.
•Senior right-hander Tyler Fox tied the school record for career wins May 6 at North Dakota State. He needs one more victory to claim the wins record outright.
•Senior Clayton 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 fourth all-time in Summit League history for career RBI (172) 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 24 times this season. That includes 12 times in 24 conference games, where the Mavericks have gone 8-4.
•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, Cate and 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 236-262 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 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts enters the series with a record of 33-16 (21-6 Summit League) and a seven-game win streak after defeating No. 14 Oklahoma State 3-1 Wednesday night. Reigning Summit League Player of the Week Noah Cummings leads the Golden Eagles with a league-high .377 batting average this season. ORU also has Summit League leaders in multiple other categories: Nick Wood with a 2.01 ERA, Bryce Howe with 70 strikeouts and Brady Womacks with 12 saves.

Head coach Ryan Folmar is in his fourth season at Oral Roberts with a career record of 129-90.

ORU leads the all-time series against Omaha 9-0 after sweeping a weekend series in Tulsa, April 15-16, by scores of 6-4, 6-3 and 3-2. The two squads last faced each other in Omaha on May 3, 2015, with the Golden Eagles winning 18-7 in eight innings.

Last Time Out: Creighton Sneaks Past Mavericks, 2-1
Omaha saw its early lead erased Tuesday afternoon, as Creighton rallied past the Mavericks, 2-1 at TD Ameritrade Park.

CU starter Austin Groth (1-0) earned the win, limiting UNO to one unearned run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 5.0 innings. Junior right-hander Brett Sasse (2-4) took the loss, surrendering two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out four over 3.0 innings. Ethan DeCaster collected his second save of the year, tossing 2.1 hitless, shutout innings with a walk and a strikeout.

Senior Cole Gruber finished 1-for-2 at the plate with two walks and a run scored.

Binger Garners Summit League Pitcher of the Week Nod
Sophomore right-hander Corey Binger was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week for his performance the week of May 9-15, the conference office announced Monday.

Binger (7-3) collects the second pitcher-of-the-week honor of his career after tossing a complete-game three-hit shutout at Western Illinois on Sunday. The Victoria, Minn., native went 8.0 innings in Omaha's 14-0 victory, limiting the Leathernecks to three hits -- all singles -- with no walks and five strikeouts. It was Binger's second complete game of the year.

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 right-hander Tyler Fox was previously named Summit League Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 29, April 25 and May 9, while Binger earned the same award March 14 and junior lefty Sam Murphy did so on April 4.

Road Warriors
UNO's recent 11-game road stretch spanning three weeks was its second-longest of the year, behind its 18 away from Omaha to open the season. It also marked 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 2.95 ERA. On May 6 at North Dakota State, 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 317.1 innings pitched, Fox also ranks first in school history for batters faced (1,329) and games started (52). Additionally, he is third for strikeouts (234) and sixth for appearances (53).

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 .421 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 8.7 hits, 4.5 runs and 3.8 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 (103) and sacrifice hits (34), third for runs scored (160), fourth for hits (244) and walks (102), sixth for games started (187) and at-bats (696) and seventh for games played (193) and total bases (301).

Taylor is second for RBI (172), third for total bases (372), fourth for home runs (28), fifth for hits (232), walks (98), sacrifice flies (13), games started (189), games played (195) and at-bats (699) and seventh for runs scored (140) and doubles (45).

Schultz is third for walks (103), fourth for runs scored (157), at-bats (742), games started (195) and games played (196), seventh for hits (213) and eighth for doubles (42).

New Leif
After being sidelined with an injury on April 1, senior catcher Collin Leif returned to the lineup for the first time in three weeks on April 22. The Bemidji, Minn., native has helped the Mavericks go 9-6 since then and has hit .313 (15-for-78) with eight runs scored, nine RBI, four walks, five hit-by-pitches and six multi-hit games.

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 paces the league with 41 stolen bases in 2016. He previously led the conference with 34 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 103, which is second in Summit League history behind only Akron's Jeff Rolyson (1990-92), who had 113.

Walk It Out
Seniors Alex Schultz (103) and Cole Gruber (102) 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 .71 walks per game, the most since Dustin Koca's 1.07 walks per game in 2008.

Thou Shalt Steal
As a team, Omaha is 46th nationally with 71 stolen bases this year and 52nd with 1.39 stolen bases per game. Gruber owns 41 of those stolen bases, while the rest of the squad has a combined 30.

Stacking Up Nationally
In the latest NCAA statistical release, senior outfielder Cole Gruber is second in the nation for stolen bases (41) and third for stolen bases per game (0.80). Senior infielder Clayton Taylor is fifth for RBI (64) and sixth for RBI per game (1.25), and senior right-hander Tyler Fox is 13th for wins (nine) and 26th for games started (13).

League Leaders
Senior outfielder Cole Gruber paces the Summit League for hits (75), runs scored (52) and stolen bases (41), while senior infielder Clayton Taylor leads the league in RBI (64). Junior infielder Sam Palensky is also credited with the league high for assists (160), and senior Collin Leif is first for hit-by-pitches (13). On the mound, senior Tyler Fox has the league lead for wins (nine), games started (13), innings pitched (88.2), complete games (two) and shutouts (one). Sophomore Corey Binger matches him for complete games (two) and shutouts (one).

As a team, Omaha leads the league in stolen bases (69).

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 May 16 and junior southpaw Sam Murphy on April 4.
•The trio is in the top 10 in the Summit League for ERA, with Fox second (2.94), Murphy third (3.14) and Binger seventh (3.89). Fox (66) and Murphy (58) also rank in the top 10 for strikeouts, coming in second and seventh, respectively.
•Binger tossed his second complete game of the year May 15 at Western Illinois, shutting out the Leathernecks 14-0.
•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 4.04 in league contests from 5.98 in non-conference games.
•Summit League opponents are also batting .276, compared to .312 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).

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 pair of premier games at Werner Park with Nebraska (April 6) and Air Force (April 26).

Since moving to Division I in 2011-12, UNO has enjoyed a combined record of 46-35 at home.

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 525-378-2. 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 238-263 over all teams on the regular-season slate.

Next Up
Omaha returns to action next week with its first appearance at the Summit League Tournament, May 25-28, in Tulsa, Okla. A complete tournament bracket and schedule will be released at the conclusion of the regular season this weekend.