OMAHA, Neb. – One day after securing a spot in the Summit League Championship, Omaha stumbled on Mother's Day afternoon to South Dakota State 14-3 at Tal Anderson Field. Omaha (19-26, 12-15) is the host school in the four-team conference tournament May 21-24.
With the win over the Mavericks and Northern Colorado's loss to Oral Roberts, SDSU (16-30, 12-14) has also wrapped up a spot in the field. Seeding for spots two-four in the tournament will be decided next weekend in the final regular season Summit League games, including Omaha's three-game set at NDSU. ORU will be the top-seed in the event, which determines the Summit League's representative in the NCAA baseball tournament.
The Mavericks fell behind out of the gate as SDSU sent nine to the plate and scored four runs in the first, then built a 7-0 lead before the Mavericks got on the board in the third. Senior Jackson Trout singled and eventually scored on an RBI single with two outs by senior Noah Greise. The two were among 14 seniors honored prior to the game. Trout (1-4) extended his hitting streak to 18 games, longest for the Mavericks this season.
After a nightmarish six-run 4th inning, including five hit batters by Omaha pitching, the Mavericks chipped away with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Senior Blake Stenger knocked in both runs with a fielders choice and an RBI double.
Jackrabbits reliever Sam Schlecht was credited with the win (3-3), while Mavericks freshman starter Maddox Meyer took the loss for Omaha (2-2). Senior Luke Gainer (2023-2025) pitched in his 64th career game as a Maverick, striking out four in 1 1/3 innings pitched. He is now tied with Sam Murphy (2013-2017), three appearances shy of the school's all-time leader Joey Machado (67 games pitched, 2018-2022).
Omaha played without the league's leading hitter for the first time this season, as Henry Zipay sat out with a minor leg injury after starting the first 44 games, 43 at third base. The senior leads the league with a .395 average and .488 OB% and isn't expected to miss significant playing time. Zipay has also reached base in 28 consecutive games for Omaha, the longest such string this season.
The Mavericks have one regular season home game remaining, as they host crosstown rival Creighton University Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. CT. The teams split their first two meetings this season. All Mavericks home games are streamed on the Summit League Network, as will the final three conference games of the season scheduled for May 15-17 at NDSU.
Ticket information and team updates can be found at Omavs.com. Fans can follow the Mavericks on social media: @OmahaBSB on X (formerly known as Twitter), @OmahaBSB on Instagram, #OmahaBSB on Facebook.
