Leading Off
The Omaha baseball team welcomes Kansas State to Werner Park this Wednesday, April 25, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. The Mavericks then resume Summit League play this weekend with a three-game series at North Dakota State, April 27-29, at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, N.D. Friday's game is at 6:35 p.m., followed by 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Live stats, audio and video, as available, will be linked on OMavs.com.
Quick Hits
• Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers, is the backdrop for Wednesday's game vs. K-State, and it marks Omaha's third time playing in a pro park this season. The Mavericks also played at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
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Grant Suponchick will get the ball Wednesday night vs. K-State in his first mound start since March 8 at BYU.
• Omaha ended a 21-year drought against in-state foe Nebraska last Wednesday, defeating the Huskers 8-7 in Lincoln. It was the Mavericks' third win against Big Ten competition this season.
• Omaha is 4-2 in game one of a Summit League series this year, 3-2 in game two and 1-3 in game three.
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Adam Caniglia has been the Mavericks' mainstay behind the plate, catching 263 of 296 innings (89 percent) in his senior season.
• The Mavericks have scored five or more runs in 13 games this season.
• Omaha has 29 extra-base hits, including eight homers, in 15 Summit League games, up from 26 extra-base hits with two homers in 20 non-conference games. Maverick hurlers tote a 3.70 ERA against league hitters, down from 5.55 in non-conference.
• Omaha's league-best 33 sacrifice bunts are 17th in the country.
• Omaha's bats have come alive in the middle innings this year, as the Mavericks have scored 23 runs in the fourth and fifth innings, their two most productive frames.
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Grant Suponchick is the Mavericks' lone returning All-Summit selection, as he was a first-team pick as a DH in 2017.
• Omaha was picked fifth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Omaha's four captains are
Adam Caniglia,
Payton Kinney,
Cal Hehnke and
Keil Krumwiede.
• Omaha is 220-284 all-time against all opponents on the schedule this year and 160-151 all-time against the five other teams in the Summit League. The Mavericks have compiled an 80-70 record in Summit League play since 2013.
Scouting the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State enters the week with a record of 17-23 (3-12 Big 12) after a three-game series at West Virginia last weekend. The Wildcats lost 8-5 on Friday and 6-0 on Saturday before rebounding with a 7-4 win on Sunday.
Head coach Brad Hill is in his 15th season at K-State, carrying a record of 462-386-3 and a career mark of 880-474-3 over 24 seasons.
Wednesday marks the 14th meeting all-time between Omaha and K-State, and the Wildcats lead the series, 11-2. The two teams last met on March 27 in Manhattan, Kan., where KSU won 3-0.
Scouting the North Dakota State Bison
North Dakota State enters the week with a record of 14-18 (7-9 Summit League). The Bison moved a three-game home series with Western Illinois to Seymour Smith Park in Omaha last weekend, falling 7-2 in the opener before a 3-1 win in game two and a 4-0 loss in the finale.
Head coach Tod Brown is in his 11th season at NDSU, carrying a career record of 247-288.
Friday marks the 71st meeting all-time between Omaha and NDSU, and the series is tied at 35-35, though Omaha has an 18-17 advantage in the Division I era. The two teams last met for a doubleheader on April 5 in Omaha, where NDSU won 2-1 in 10 innings and 2-0.
Hehnke Collects Summit League Player of the Week Recognition
Cal Hehnke was named Summit League Pitcher of the Week his performances April 16-22, the conference office announced Monday. Hehnke collected his first career pitcher of the week award after totaling 8.0 innings pitched in relief across three games, allowing no runs and just two hits. The Grand Island, Neb., native had nine strikeouts to one walk.
Last Tuesday, Hehnke recorded three strikeouts with no hits in an inning of relief at Creighton. The following night, he earned his team-leading fourth save in Omaha's first win over Nebraska since 1997. Saturday at Fort Wayne, Hehnke had the league's longest relief outing of the week, tossing 6.0 innings with five strikeouts, no walks and two hits.
Macho, Macho Man
Joey Machado (4-4) redshirted in 2017 but has staked his claim on Omaha's Friday spot in the rotation this season. The Creighton Prep product is 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA against Summit League opponents, and his 3.43 ERA for the season ranks fourth in the conference. Machado has totaled 60.1 innings on the hill, the second-most of any league pitcher.
After earning three straight league wins from March 16-30, Machado logged a quality start April 5 vs. North Dakota State. He threw a season-long 8.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out six. On April 13 at Western Illinois, he earned his most recent win after 6.0 innings on the bump.
Cool Like Koelewyn
Spencer Koelewyn (2-3) joined Omaha's starting rotation at the start of league play in mid-March and owns a team-best 2.94 ERA this season. The true freshman made two starts last week: Tuesday night at Creighton and Friday afternoon in game two of a doubleheader at Fort Wayne.
Koelewyn was honored earlier this season as Summit League Pitcher of the Week on March 19. The Harrisburg, S.D., native recorded his first career win in Omaha's 7-0 shutout over Fort Wayne (March 17), throwing 6.0 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts and just two hits.
Krumwiede Makes His Mound Debut
Keil Krumwiede made his first appearance on the mound last Wednesday in Omaha's 8-7 win at Nebraska, relieving starter
Malik Moore. Krumwiede entered the game in the fourth inning, and with a runner in scoring position, struck out the side. His day finished at 2.0 hitless, scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts.
Suponchick vs. the Summit League
Grant Suponchick batted a team-leading .323 against Summit League competition last season, up from .224 in non-conference games. In those 28 league contests, the Papillion, Neb., native posted six doubles, two home runs, 10 runs scored, 15 RBI and 11 walks. He also had nine mound appearances and a pair of saves in league play.
Suponchick's junior campaign is off to another strong start, as he has hit a team-high .308 with a .442 slugging percentage and a .410 on-base percentage in league play.
Welcome to DeBombville
Thomas DeBonville joined the Omaha lineup on Feb. 24 and has started all 32 games since then, hitting .271 with five doubles, two triples, a team-best three home runs, a team-leading 26 runs scored and 17 RBI. He also leads the Summit League with 15 stolen bases on the year.
DeBonville was included on the Summit League's Players to Watch List released Feb. 8. The transfer was a two-time all-conference and all-region pick at Eastern Arizona College and ranked fifth nationally among junior college players for stolen bases (39) in 2017. He hit .419 with five doubles, six triples, two homers and a .597 slugging percentage.
2018 Slate Takes Mavericks Around the Nation
Omaha's 2018 schedule includes 54 games, and the team plays in 11 states against schools from six other Division I conferences. Four opponents – Ohio, BYU, Oral Roberts and Nebraska – played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Entering the season, Omaha had never faced just one of its opponents -- Ohio. The Mavericks hold a combined all-time record of 220-284 over all teams on the regular-season slate.
Up Next
Omaha visits South Dakota State for a three-game weekend series, May 4-6, in Brookings, S.D. Links to live audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
