Mohler Builds Towards Future in UNO Ballpark Project

OMAHA, Neb. – Senior Jacob Mohler emerged as the Mavericks closer and led The Summit League with five saves without giving up a single run through a 14-game season that ended early due to COVID-19. 

Not only has Mohler already made a difference on the field, but he’s made a difference on his future field as well. With a season of eligibility left, the Cedar Creek, Neb., native hopes to compete on the new Tal Anderson Field in 2021 – a ballpark that he helped build through his engineering summer internship at Kiewit. 

“I started with Kiewit four years ago,” said Mohler. “I was an intern there after my freshman year and progressed within the projects and city of Omaha. I was fortunate enough to build on many different professional relationships and be rewarded for my hard work and was requested to be on this job.

“I did a lot of site surveys and site civil work. I would take the projects printed out in 2D and lay it out in 3D. A lot of my process when I was working there were laying out the seating bowls and making sure there was concrete poured in those seating bowls. I managed crews of our carpenters, our laborers, called in concrete, called in inspections and many different other things.”

The project and work required for the continued construction of the new ballpark gave Mohler many different behind-the-scenes perspectives on the process. 

With a work schedule of nearly 60 hours per week on top of student-athlete duties at school, staying in shape for baseball and the lack of facilities open due to COVID, the task was daunting. Mohler, however, made the most of what was presented to him. 

“Obviously, it was a huge schedule project, so basically we want to open up for our first game,” said Mohler. “Everybody knows that. Whether someone was missing a day or we were behind on a day of what we wanted to accomplish, then that was a big factor for us that we had to take into account. Our crews worked very hard. 

“They knew our goal and we’d tell them what they need to get done. We have a lot of good guys working on that project. We had Kiewit-specific policies that we had to follow, on top of CDC policies on us that were given by the city of Omaha. That was a huge factor for us with the amount of guys we could have working on a project.” 

Former UNO baseball player and now Assistant Athletic Director – Event Management Ethan Anderson has seen many different faces and members of the baseball program throughout his entire life. From his perspective, the work Mohler has done is a testament to not only his work ethic, but to the culture of Maverick student-athletes. 

“It is very UNO,” said Anderson. “That is what UNO is and what UNO is about. We’ve made a point to recruit local kids who contribute to the local community. To have one of our players and key contributors get an internship with a local company and help build the ballpark that he will get to play in is what our mission is all about. He is a great example of how strong our community is, how dedicated he is, how he progressed and how he even got here. He’s to the point where he’s now one of our best pitchers and also has a future in the community. It’s just a testament to what the program is about and what he’s been able to accomplish.” 

The seating project for Tal Anderson Field will hold 1,500 fans as well as berm seating on each baseline for additional fans. With a facility that will also include a 34-by-25-foot video board in the outfield, as well as a raised concourse, press box and artificial surface, head coach Evan Porter has had an even deeper appreciation knowing all the work that went in to the project through the eyes of his pitcher. 

“There’s so much that goes into a project like this that nobody knows unless they see the improvements every day,” said Porter. “All of the precision, detail and time that goes into this project is what Jacob got to see this past summer. When you drive by it every day and you see concrete and dirt for months, all of a sudden it begins adding up very quickly. Knowing someone like Jacob who worked on it, you get an appreciation for how much work goes into a project like this.

“I think he’s very goal-oriented and very focused with whatever task at-hand. Whether it was engineering or baseball, he’s always going to keep that focus. Whether it was those long 10-hour days on the job site or those long days in the summer training for baseball, he wasn’t going to be scared of working hard. Any task at hand, he’s just going to go out there and get it done.” 

For Mohler, his appreciation comes from knowing he made a difference in his, and the program’s, future. 

“My favorite part of the project was actually being physically on the site and actively contributing to it,” said Mohler. “My thoughts at the time were that hopefully I’d get to someday play on it, but if not, then I wanted to make my mark on Omaha whether it was at the university or the city of Omaha. I remember, specifically, my first day on the project. We went under the tunnel that connects both of the fields and I could just picture everything. I could picture the fans, us being on it and our opening-day festivities.  

“It will be very surreal and to sit back and say ‘I actually did that. I can say that I helped build that with my hands, which is awesome.”