A February baseball game has etched itself into the memories of the players of the Omaha Mavericks forever.
On a remarkable Saturday in Baton Rouge, the Mavericks pulled off the most stunning upset of the season by silencing LSU, a team ranked as high as No. 2, with Omaha pitchers Ben Weber, Luke Gainer, and Oliver Mabee holding the Tigers hitless until the eighth. The game ended in a 5-4 triumph for the Mavs.
Coming from the Summit League, the Mavs have struggled to maintain a winning record since 2019. This victory against LSU marks their most significant win over a high-ranked opponent since transitioning to a full-fledged Division I program in 2016.
Despite the game being part of the regular season, head coach Evan Porter emphasized its importance, stating, “It was a major moment for us.” Porter highlighted the Mavs’ growth, with the program being about 12-13 years into the transition to Division I and only having a dedicated stadium for the past four years. Prior to that, they played at a city park, with limited recognition even on their own campus.
The win held special significance for both Porter and pitching coach Michael Bradshaw. Porter, an Omaha native, was a two-time Division II All-America shortstop for the Mavericks and still holds a program record for games played. Bradshaw’s history includes pitching at Nevada when LSU’s coach Jay Johnson was at the helm and later assisting Johnson at Arizona.
“Praise for Omaha,” was echoed by Johnson, acknowledging the exceptional pitching performance. Before this win, the Mavericks’ highlight was their 2019 Summit League championship, where they competed fiercely at an NCAA regional against No. 1 seed UCLA before falling 5-1.
Porter reflected on the evolving landscape of college sports, predicting reduced opportunities for upsets by mid-major teams. Increasing revenue-sharing with players and the growth of third-party name, image, and likeness opportunities are likely to deepen the gap between programs like LSU and Omaha. Even though the Mavs supply the full scholarship quota and have an NIL collective comparable to similar programs, it pales in comparison to resources available in leagues like the SEC.
Porter quipped, “Our guys get excited when we snag postgame scraps from events at the ballpark.”
In the latest polls, Texas A&M remained at the top of the D1Baseball.com and Baseball America rankings after winning two of three games during the week. D1 Baseball listed LSU at No. 2 and Tennessee at No. 3, while Baseball America’s rankings had the latter two teams swapped.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island’s Trystan Levesque delivered an impressive performance, pitching 10 scoreless innings and striking out nine in a 1-0 loss to Oregon. He threw 119 pitches, allowed three hits, and retired 17 consecutive batters from the second to the seventh innings. In the 11th inning, Connor Johnston relieved him as Oregon scored an unearned walk-off win.
At Stanford, freshman talent Rintaro Sasaki, initially impressive with a .389 average over his first four games, faced a dip in form against Washington. Known as Japan’s all-time high school home run leader, Sasaki struggled, registering just two hits over the series.
Notably, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, familiar with Sasaki since his high school days, has praised Sasaki’s swing. When told about Ohtani’s compliment, Sasaki chuckled and humbly disagreed, acknowledging the superstar’s prowess.
