Mitchell Cutcher
Sports Editor
After a brutal nonconference schedule, the Mavericks were sitting at 6-8 and had five games that were either canceled or rescheduled due to weather. Omaha’s woes have continued into conference play and sit at 4-8 at the halfway point.
“It’s been a cold spring and sometimes you have to find a way to win,” said Omaha head coach Evan Porter. “We need to be more consistent and play more consistent. Finding a way to win when end of April and May come around that’s what you want more than anything.”
The Mavericks started conference play with a tough weekend against North Dakota State. Omaha started the series with a 10-2 loss in the Friday game, where the bullpen gave up seven runs. The two teams returned to Tal Anderson Field for a double-header on Saturday and the two teams split the pair of games, giving NDSU a series win over the Mavericks.
Omaha then returned home to take on Northern Colorado and the Mavericks swept the series to stay in the hunt in the conference. Oral Roberts, who has sat atop the Summit League in recent years, was the next team to come to town and they looked every part of the number one team in the conference. The Golden Eagles swept Omaha and scored 29 runs across the three games against the Mavericks.
Next up for Omaha was their first road trip in conference play as they traveled to Brookings, South Dakota, to play South Dakota State. The Mavericks faced the same fate against the Jackrabbits as they did against the Golden Eagles, as they were swept on the road. Omaha did not lead a game in the series until the third and final game, but blew the lead and dropped all three games.
While the Mavericks have struggled in the Summit League, they have enjoyed success in midweek games against in-state competition, Creighton and Nebraska. Omaha have made two trips to Lincoln and have beaten the Huskers on both occasions, with a 10-6 win in March, and a 6-5 win on April 11 in extra innings. Omaha is also 1-0 against Creighton this season, as they held on to beat the Bluejays 4-1 at home.
One reason behind the Mavericks’ woes this season has been injuries piling up. So far this season, key players Mike Boeve, Harrison Kreiling, Haiden Hunt, Devin Hurdle, Rans Sanders, and Caleb Riedel have all missed time due to injury. Unfortunately for Omaha, the team’s ace, Riedel, is more than likely done for the season.
“Riedel is probably out for a while, likely the year,” said Porter. “It’s good having Haiden back, and Hurdle back. Both of those guys were taking off and having really good at-bats and then they were out for two or three weeks.”
