After falling in the NCAA Tournament, Omaha’s season comes to a close; but what a season it was for Maverick baseball. Taking a look back at the Maverick run, it really was a thrilling road en route to their first ever Summit League Tournament title. Let’s take a look back at Omaha’s season and how they made history.
Omaha opened the season at USC, taking one of three from the Trojans. The series wasn’t a total success, but there was something poetic about them opening up the season in Los Angeles, where they would later see their season end.
The Mavs got off to a fairly hot start (8-5-1) before delving into Summit League play. The Mavericks then really took off. Omaha rattled off a perfect 12-0 start to Summit League play, highlighted by great pitching from sixth-year Senior Payton Kinney, sophomore stud Joey Machado and southpaw Spencer Koelewyn.
Perhaps the highlight of that 12-0 start came in a three-game set in Brookings against South Dakota State. In game one of that series, Omaha rallied from 10-1 down to comeback and beat the Jackrabbits. In game three of the series, the game was knotted at seven heading into the ninth inning. Senior Thomas DeBonville then launched a grand slam to take the lead, which would ultimately give Omaha the win. It was the first true signs that this team was special.
A week later, Omaha lost it’s first conference series of the season, losing two of three at Oral Roberts. However, Omaha won their first ever game at J.L. Johnson Stadium and led, at least at some point, in every game. While that series didn’t go the Mavericks’ way, it was apparent they could hang with Oral Roberts. It was clear at that point, that this was the most optimism surrounding this program since reclassifying to Division I.
Omaha then went on to lose four of their last five, in what was the toughest stretch for Omaha over the course of the season. Machado sustained an injury. Omaha struggled to score runs. Kinney continued to be lights-out but suffered his first loss. Another bright spot during the dry stretch was left fielder Parker Smejkal, who continued to get hits. He finished with the second-best batting average in the Summit. Even in tough spots, the Mavs stayed resilient.
Despite the rocky second half of the season, Omaha was able to clinch the regular season Summit League title for the third time, thanks large-in-part to a 13-3 drubbing of Oral Roberts in the final regular season series of the season. Brett Bonar and Grant Suponchick both launched homers in that game. More importantly, Omaha locked up home field for next season’s Summit League Tournament, and the number one overall seed in this season’s tournament. Omaha had gained some momentum heading into the Summit League Tournament.
Omaha opened up the Summit League Tournament down in Tulsa, Okla. with a 15-9 win over Western Illinois. Kinney pitched with his usual poise and every single Maverick in the lineup got at least one hit. It was the Mavs’ first ever win at the Summit League Tournament.
In the next game, Omaha had to face Oral Roberts, essentially the home team, and a foe Omaha was just 2-4 against on the season. However, Omaha was unfazed. Joey Machado pitched a gem, still in the process of returning from injury. The Mavericks still found a way to the game 3-2, ultimately due to an RBI triple from DeBonville and a go-ahead sac fly from Smejkal. Omaha was one win away from their first ever Summit League Tournament title. Unfazed
To be the best, Omaha had to beat the best. Omaha had to face Oral Roberts once again. The Golden Eagles shut down the Mavs an won the first game 6-0; but Omaha rebounded in the best way imaginable. Payton Kinney hurled 7.1 shutout innings in his second start in four days. Braden Rogers was the hero on offense, hitting two home runs. Senior reliever Cal Hehnke came on in the ninth and shut the door, giving Omaha a 4-0 win. It was magical. For the first time in school history, Omaha would be playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks swept the Summit League regular season and tournament titles, marking an incredible turnaround for head coach Evan Porter and the Omaha program after winning just 15 games the year before.
The players on Omaha were rightfully recognized for their success as well. Omaha led the Summit League with nine all-Summit selections. Parker Smejkal, Payton Kinney and Breyden Eckhout were all selected to first-team Summit. Keil Krumwiede, Thomas DeBonville, Brett Bonar, Grant Suponchick, and Cal Hehnke were all second-team selections. Payton Kinney took home Summit League Pitcher of the Year, with Head Coach Evan Porter taking home Coach of the Year.
At a crowded DJ’s Dugout in Aksarben, Omaha’s first NCAA Tournament was revealed, and the selection committee did them no favors. The Mavericks drew the number one overall seed UCLA sending Omaha to Los Angeles.
Those expecting Omaha to just be a pushover for UCLA were proven wrong. Kinney shutout UCLA through four innings. Breyden Eckhout hit solo homer. Through four and a half innings, Omaha had the number one team on the ropes. The Mavs stared the best team in college baseball in the eyes and didn’t flinch. However, UCLA ended up doing what they do, eventually getting runs, albeit hard-earned runs, off of Payton Kinney. Omaha added one more run but fell to the Bruins in a hard-fought game 5-2.
In game two, Omaha matched up against the two-seed, Baylor. Unfortunately for Omaha, Baylor was due for a big game and a big game they had. Baylor hung 24 on the Mavs, nulling what was actually a productive day for the Omaha offense, as the Bears beat UNO 24-6, ending their season.
2019 will always be remembered as a historic, and revolutionary season for Omaha baseball. They played a fun brand of baseball that was infectious for the team and ushered in new fans. They saw an all-time historic season from Payton Kinney whose final record ended up being 11-2. It provided a collage of thrilling contests, with incredible individual performances. Perhaps most of all, it sets up a foundation for a future that Evan Porter is building at Omaha.
This season had a lot of historic firsts. However, for Omaha, they are hoping that this season set a lot of precedents for the future of this program. With all the new records Omaha set this season, and the addition of a new stadium in the works, saying the program is optimistic would be an understatement. They don’t want this to be the end, they want it to be the beginning. To be continued next season.
