KVNO News

UNO’s Tyler Fox Sets Career Win Record

By Brandon McDermott, KVNO News

May 20th, 2016

Tyler Fox (left) and UNO head coach Bob Herold (left) during last week’s Creighton game. (Courtesy UNO Athletics)

The University of Nebraska at Omaha baseball team is having an up and down season. But the Mavericks have had one sturdy centerpiece on the mound keeping them afloat this year. Senior pitcher Tyler Fox is one of the best pitchers in the Summit League and fast approaching a UNO career record.

The Maverick baseball was very streaky this season – they’d win three games, then lose two, win two, then lose five. They just haven’t been able to get over the hump, so to speak.

They head into the final weekend series of the season with their number one pitcher tied for 1^st place in school history with 29 wins. Tyler Fox has been the ‘ace’ pitcher for UNO since the third weekend of his freshman year. All he has done in that time is claim a 29-9 career record.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha head baseball coach Bob Herold says there is no mystery why Fox is as good as he is.

“I’ve shown up to the park numerous times and some of the other guys we see are in the dugout talking,” Herold says. “This guy is running, playing catch, and I mean this is well before practice.  So he knows what he needs to do to prepare ourselves to win and that’s what he does.”

Herold says when he recruited Fox out of Colorado he hoped he would continue to get better and he has.

“He didn’t look like any special 5’11”, 170 lbs., but he could throw strike here strike there in this case and win 30 games here for us, at least.”

Fox is a level headed 22 year-old. He doesn’t let his words get ahead of his actions. He says he takes that same approach to the mound. He doesn’t try to over think it when he’s out there.

“Make them get themselves out,” Fox says. ”I make my pitches, I’m not a big strikeout pitcher, I’m not going to blow anybody away. But if I put the ball where I want to put it, chances are they’ll get themselves out. I’ve got guys behind me that are going to get the job done.”

Fox utilizes his ability to spot his pitches. He finds his spot and doesn’t miss. He also concentrates on showing confidence on the mound, even in the face of adversity. This has translated to more than 2-to-1 ratio of strikeouts to walks.

“Even if you just gave up a bomb, I’ve given up a lot of them. To give up a bomb and you put your head down, everyone behind you is going to put their head down too. So, if you look confident, I feel like your team mates will feel confident as well.”

Fox looked confident Thursday in the opener of a three game series against Summit League leader Oral Roberts.

The Mavs offense ensured Fox would have plenty of run support, scoring seven runs in the five innings he pitched. Overall for the game – 8-of-9 UNO starters got a hit and five of them had multi-hit games.

Fox left the game with a 7-1 lead, the Mavs went on to finish it off 10-4. He threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes, struck out three batters, while walking none. Fox (10-2) captured the UNO career win record total with 30. He brushed off talk of accolades or attention for individual achievements.

“Baseball when you really think about it’s a simple game specially pitching it’s a simple game. You throw strikes, you trust yourself, there’s a reason that they put all those guys behind you. It’s not your job to get everybody out, It’s your job to make them get themselves out.

Fox doesn’t pat himself on the back and he doesn’t hoot and holler to teammates. He says he understands his role.

“I personally as a pitcher don’t think it’s my place to verbally lead because I throw once a week. We play five games a week; it’s not my place to be out there telling guys what to do because they’re in the thick of it more than I am.”

Herold says Fox may not be a vocal leader, but he just won the career record for most victories. He won 30 games, something no other Mav pitcher has done.

“He’s our guy. He’s a guy gives us a chance to win every time out there. When you can run a guy out there like that that’s it means a lot because it’s team confidence built on one guy.”

UNO 27-25 (17-11 Summit League) finishes off the regular season with two more games against Oral Roberts 33-17 (21-7 Summit League). Games are set for Friday and Saturday at 1pm at the ballpark at Boys Town.

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