Springing Into Action
UNO’s full classification as a Division I program concludes with seven spring Maverick teams.
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From the Spring 2016 UNO Magazine – Explore other articles
Baseball
The UNO baseball team enters the 2016 season with full postseason eligibility and takes aim for its first Summit League Tournament and NCAA Tournament berths. The Mavericks previously won the 2013 and 2014 Summit League regular-season conference championships during the reclassification period.
Veteran leadership is the theme running through UNO’s roster with 18 letterwinners back, five of whom are position starters. Three Mavericks are returning All-Summit selections with honors in consecutive seasons — senior infielder Clayton Taylor and senior outfielders Cole Gruber and Alex Schultz — while senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Fox (left) was a 2014 All-Summit pick and the 2014 Summit League Pitcher of the Year.
Gruber, the conference’s leading hitter in 2015, batted .399 as a junior and ranked eighth nationally in on-base percentage (.495) and ninth for batting average. He starred on and off the field, also picking up Academic All-America recognition. Taylor finished his junior season ranked in the top five in the league for home runs, triples and hit-by-pitches, and Schultz was a top-five player in hits and stolen bases. The trio also represented UNO’s top three performers at the plate last season.
UNO’s squad also includes 14 newcomers and two redshirts. The Mavericks will be led by head coach Bob Herold, a two-time Summit League Coach of the Year, who enters his 17th year just one win away from career victory No. 500. His overall career record is 499-353-2.
“We have a great nucleus of returning experience in our lineup, and they’ve been at the core of our team for years,” Herold says. “Having three of our top hitters back plus one of the league’s top pitchers in Fox, we feel we’re in a position to compete with the best in the Summit League and contend for a championship.”
UNO opened its season Feb. 19-21 with a four-game series against Eastern Michigan in Emerson, Ga. The Mavericks make their first home appearance March 18-20 with a three-game series against league foe Fort Wayne at the Ballpark at Boys Town. Their home slate also includes three premier games at Werner Park, where UNO hosts Nebraska (April 6), Kansas State (April 20) and Air Force (April 26).
Softball
The UNO softball team looks to make a statement in 2016 now that it is fully eligible for Summit League and NCAA postseason play. The Mavericks will try to improve on a 22-28 overall record and 6-10 Summit League mark last season and claim their first Summit League title.
UNO graduated four seniors — including three-time first-team All-Summit performer Allie Mathewson (left) — but return 12 players, including eight starters. Lizzie Noble, a first-team All-Summit selection last season, returns for her senior year. Noble batted .294 in 46 games last season with seven homeruns and a team-best 36 RBI. Megan May earned Freshman of the Year honors by hitting .259 and smashing five home runs and driving in 24 RBI. Also returning is three-year starting catcher Campbell Ditto. Ditto, a former Summit League Freshman of the Year, has started 142 straight games. Last season she hit .242 with eight homeruns and 20 RBI.
Jaylee Hinrichs returns to the circle this spring after a solid freshman campaign. Hinrichs finished last season with a 12-14 record and 3.72 ERA, striking out 110 batters in 143 innings. UNO also added four highly decorated freshmen in Vicky Kinney, Alexis Parker, Kourtney Pock and Laura Roecker.
“This season, I think our offense will be where we’d like it to be,” head coach Jeanne Scarpello says. “Our players have shown more of an aggressive approach to their entire game, and I know that will benefit us in the long run. Our pitching also has improved with Jaylee Hinrichs now being a sophomore, Abbie Clanton a junior and with the addition of Laura Roecker. As a staff they will help us stay in many games, and we believe they will be very tough come conference time.”
UNO began the 2016 season in warm weather, playing 15 games in February alone while traveling to Tucson, Ariz., Orlando, Fla., and Montgomery, Ala. In all, the Mavericks play in six tournaments before opening their home schedule with Summit League foe IUPUI at Westside Field at Westbrook on March 25. Additionally, UNO hosts conference series against South Dakota and South Dakota State and welcome Drake, North Dakota and Northern Iowa in non-conference action.
“The 2016 schedule will be the toughest we have ever faced,” Scarpello says. “In the first two weekends, we will play three teams at least in the top 15: Arizona, Georgia and the defending national champions, Florida. We will also see Nebraska, Iowa State, Kansas and Purdue, to name a few. The conference schedule does not get much easier as the Summit keeps getting tougher each year.”
The Mavericks kicked off the 2016 season Feb. 12-14 at the Hillenbrand Invitational hosted by Arizona in Tucson.
Track & Field
The Maverick track & field team rolls into the outdoor season just a week after the conclusion of the NCAA Indoor Championships. UNO’s prowess in the jumps indoors will be just as evident outdoors. Sophomore Stephanie Ahrens was named all-league during the outdoor season as a freshman. She and junior Taryn Derickson are a strong 1-2 combination in the high jump. In addition, sophomore Noni Henderson will be looked upon for continued improvement in the horizontal jumps after a good freshman season.
“We’ll learn a lot about our team, particularly our 11 newcomers, during the indoor season,” head coach Chris Richardson says. “We have only three seniors, so we’ll not only look to our large junior class to provide scoring and leadership, but we also think our freshmen and sophomores can provide us with good depth by continuing to improve into the outdoor season.”
The Mavericks’ young group features nine sophomores and 10 freshmen. Freshman Mackenzie Zach could contribute in the sprints and classmate Lauren Houston in the distance events. In addition, those who should continue to improve into the outdoor season include juniors Alyssa Thavenet (short distances), Nicole Liske (sprints) and Amanda Conlin, who got off to a good start indoors by setting a personal best in the shot put in her first meet.
The Summit League outdoor season culminates with the championship in Vermillion, S.D., May 12-14. Last season, UNO was fifth in the indoor championship. From there, those Mavericks who qualify will move on to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore.
Men’s Golf
The Maverick men’s golf team was a work in progress during the fall half of its schedule and was challenged by the departure of sophomore Phillip Baumberger in September.
“Having lost three seniors from last year and then Baumberger last fall, our roster experienced a lot of change in a short time,” head coach Seth Porter says. “Still, that gave our younger players the opportunity to play in a lot of rounds during the fall, and that should only help us during the spring and into the Summit League Championship.”
Junior Mitch Ryan, who redshirted the 2014-15 season, was UNO’s leading scorer with a stroke average of 75.3 in 15 rounds during the fall. Sophomore Miles Russell, who also redshirted last season, was second with a stroke average of 76.3 in 15 rounds and along with Ryan, shot UNO’s low round of the fall, a score of 70 in separate tournaments.
Junior college transfer Ben Maskus was third in team scoring while freshmen Kevin Gordon and Sam Musch were fourth and fifth respectively. All three played in every round during the fall.
The spring half of the Mavericks’ season includes tournaments in Louisiana, California, Arizona, Arkansas and Oklahoma before the Summit League Championship in Newton, Kan., May 1-3.
Women’s Golf
The UNO women’s golf team underwent its own transition behind the scenes with the retirement of long-time head coach Tim Nelson following the fall schedule. Porter takes over as interim head coach for the spring.
“We have a very full schedule in the spring,” Porter says. “Our goal during that time is continuing improvement of our players so that they are playing their best when the Summit League Championship comes around in April.”
As with the men’s team, the women’s team is long on youth with just one senior and one junior on its eight-person roster. Senior Katie Kesti was UNO’s top scorer during the fall with a stroke average of 80.7 in 14 rounds. Sophomore Megan Vetrovsky was second at 81.1 in 11 rounds.
Freshmen Jordan York and Mandy Boyle were 3-4 in scoring with York also playing in all 14 rounds while Boyle had 11 rounds. Junior Makenna Kroeker was fifth in team scoring.
The Mavericks take part in tournaments at Grand Canyon, Morehead State, Southern Illinois, Bradley and Murray State before finishing close to home when the Summit League Championship comes to ArborLinks in Nebraska City.
Men’s Tennis
The UNO men’s tennis team enters the 2016 spring season with a core of six returning letterwinners from 2015: senior Erik Anderson, juniors Colin Buckley, John Ellis and Lukas Vanzura and sophomores Marko Minic and Ignace Warson. Six newcomers have been added to head coach Tyson Thomas’ roster with transfer Biraj Parajuli along with freshman Matt Dunn, Brent McKnight, Bryce Medhi, Sean Padios and Alex Woodward.
“We have a significant mix of younger players who I believe will contribute, and I am excited to see how we embrace this season as a team,” Thomas says.
The Mavericks play a full 25-match schedule this season, including five Summit League matches. UNO opens the season on the road with matches at North Dakota (Jan. 16) and Nebraska (Jan. 23), before hosting five straight matches at Miracle Hill Tennis Center. UNO has five Summit League matches on tap, beginning with Denver on Jan. 31. The Mavericks also host Western Illinois and IUPUI for home league matches. UNO’s Summit League road schedule includes Oral Roberts (Apr. 16) and South Dakota State (Apr. 22). UNO will host the Summit League Men’s Tennis Championships on April 28-30.
“We have some new schools on our schedule that we haven’t played in many years, if at all,” Thomas says. “It will be tough, with stiff competition and a host of away matches, but it also will be worth it as we continue to push to improve our game.”
Women’s Tennis
The UNO women’s tennis team enters the 2016 spring season with a roster loaded with experience, returning seven letterwinners from 2015: seniors Molly Matricardi and Maddie Holscher, juniors Kenzie Hill, Allison Johnson, Hylan Miller and Rebecca Stafford and sophomore Michelle Lo. Head coach Mike Saniuk enters his fifth season at the helm of the program, and his team is poised for its first Summit League Championship appearance with full eligibility for postseason play.
Lo made a splash in her freshman campaign in 2015, becoming the third player in program history to earn All-Summit honors. The Hong Kong, China, native went 8-7 in No. 1 singles competition and also compiled a 9-8 record at the No. 1 doubles position.
UNO lost one letterwinner from last season in former Maverick Jacqueline Baude, who completed her career ranked ninth in school history with 34 career doubles wins. Last season, she led UNO with 10 No. 1 doubles triumphs.
The Mavericks’ fall season was highlighted by an 8-4 doubles victory over Oklahoma by Matricardi and freshman Kylie Boyer at the USTA/ITA Central Regional. Freshman Janelle Wilson also had a standout effort during the tournament, winning her first match in the main singles draw.
UNO’s spring season featured a challenging start, as the Mavericks faced solid regional competition immediately with Kansas (Jan. 18), Drake (Jan. 29), North Dakota (Jan. 30) and Iowa State (Jan. 30). The Mavericks also play host to the Summit League Tennis Championships, April 28 - May 1, at Miracle Hill Tennis Center.