Leading Off
The Mavericks (10-22, 8-7) play the second half of their eight-game homestand this week when they host their next Power 5 opponent Kansas (19-14) on Tuesday before finishing off the week with three games against Northern Colorado (7-27-1, 6-8-1). Omaha begins the week with the most conference wins in the Summit League.

Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday: 6 p.m. vs. Kansas at Tal Anderson Field
Friday: 6 p.m. vs. Northern Colorado at Tal Anderson Field
Saturday: 5 p.m. vs. Northern Colorado at Tal Anderson Field
Sunday: 1:30 p.m. vs. Northern Colorado at Tal Anderson Field

Around the Horn

• Omaha kicked off its homestand last Tuesday with another one-run loss to Creighton. Mounting a final comeback in the bottom of the ninth, Trent Burkhalter came just a few inches short of a walk-off grand slam to straightaway center, but instead settled for a sac fly.
• Carter Navin made his first career start against the Bluejays, going two scoreless innings and stranding five baserunners.
• Nick Scanlon's scoreless innings streak ended on Tuesday after 12.2 IP across eight appearances starting with his second outing of the season at ASU (2/24).
• The Mavericks won their third straight series after going 2-1 vs. SDSU. The centerpiece of the victory was a record-breaking 21-15 slugfest on Tuesday.
• Omaha's 24 hits and seven doubles are both tied for the team's highest total ever, while the team's 11 XBHs are a new record. Likewise, the Mavericks' 21 runs are the most ever scored at Tal Anderson field.
• Tyler Bishop turned in one of the greatest performances in NCAA history on Saturday by becoming the first Maverick to ever go 6-for-6 and the first to score six runs. His seven RBIs are the most in the team's Division I history and he is the first Maverick to hit for the cycle in the D1 era.
• Matt Goetzmann also had a great week, going 8-for-22 with hits in all four games, as well as two RBIs, five runs, two doubles, and a home run.
• Cardel Dick played a huge part in Omaha's two wins vs. SDSU, driving in four runs in each game with a double and a home run.
• Henry Zipay went 8-for-14 last week, increasing his AVG from .235 to .284 and his OPS from .587 to .717.
• Drew Lechnir's doubles streak ended at five straight games last week, hitting six total. During that time he scored five runs and drove in five.
• The Mavericks scored 33 runs in their series vs. SDSU; the most they have scored in any series since scoring 34 vs. Fort Wayne in 2018.
• Despite the high scoring environment, Omaha's pitchers stranded a total of 42 runners last week, including 17 vs. Creighton.
• Luke Gainer was Omaha's best pitcher last week, earning the win on Saturday and the save on Sunday with 5.2 innings with five strikeouts, zero walks, and only one earned run.
• Harrison Kreiling earned his first win of the season on Sunday with his longest outing of 2024 (5.1 IP).

Scouting Kansas
It has been two years since the Mavericks last faced Kansas. The Jayhawks will come to town with a 19-14 record after sweeping Pacific last week.

With five qualified hitters batting above .300 and four with an OPS above .900, the Kansas boasts a team AVG of .304 and an OPS of .920. John Nett is first in AVG (.363), runs (37), and doubles (14), while Jake English leads in OPS (1.187), RBIs (34), and home runs (10). Michael Brooks, Kodey Shojinaga, Collie Cranford, Lenny Ashby, and Ben Hartl join these two as players with 10+ XBHs. 

Kansas' top starters - Dominic Voegele, Reese Dutton, and Patrick Steitz - all have sub-3.00 ERAs, but among the team's midweek starters only J'Biell Easley (4.32) owns an ERA below 6.00. Closer Hunter Cranton heads up the bullpen with four saves, a 2.45 ERA, and 20 strikeouts, while Kolby Dougan (3.48) has the lowest BAA (.171) and is the only other reliever with a sub-4.50 ERA. 

Dan Fitzgerald is in his second season as a Division I head coach with Kansas, previously serving as an assistant with LSU and Dallas Baptist and head coach at Des Moines Area CC.

Scouting Northern Colorado
Since winning their first game of the season against Omaha back on March 22, Northern Colorado has gone from being 0-21 to 7-27-1 with a 6-8-1 record in the Summit League, most recently losing their series 2-1 vs. North Dakota State last week. 

Zain Zinicola (.321 AVG, .937 OPS) and Kai Wagner (.345 AVG, 1.012 OPS) continue to lead UNC's offense, with the former being first in triples (five) and runs (30), and the latter being first in home runs (seven), doubles (eight), and RBIs (29). Caden Wagner has also been a major catalyst for the Bears, tying Wagner with 29 RBIs and doubles.

Northern Colorado's pitching staff owns the worst ERA in the league at 9.87. Outside of starter Trevor Landen (4.78 ERA) and relievers Jake Carvajal (3.37) and Jackson Meier (3.37), no other UNC pitcher has an ERA below 5.50.

Mike Anderson is in his second season leading the Bears. Prior to returning to his alma mater, he spent nine years leading Nebraska, compiling a 339-211 record and making five NCAA Tournament appearances and a College World Series berth in 2005.