Grow Omaha Sports

Greg McDermott was honored with the St. George National Award during Creighton men’s basketball’s season-ending banquet last Wednesday. The St. George National Award is the American Cancer Society’s highest honor for volunteers and is presented annually to a select group of individuals who have made significant, long‑term contributions to advancing the organization’s mission. 

For more than 20 years, McDermott has played an integral role in advancing the Society’s mission through his enduring commitment to the Omaha Hope Lodge, Coaches vs. Cancer and the establishment of Creighton men’s basketball’s annual Pink Out Game. His leadership has contributed to raising more than $1 million to date for ACS programs and services.

The Omaha Supernovas used a franchise-record 21 blocks in a four-set win over the Columbus Fury last Friday to become the only original MLV team to qualify for the playoffs all three seasons. Omaha held the Fury to an opponent season-low .099 hitting percentage in Friday’s match. The Supernovas will make their third straight playoff appearance in the MLV semifinals on Thursday, May 7, at Comerica Center in Frisco, Tex. Omaha cannot finish higher than No. 3, meaning it will face either the Indy Ignite (20-5) or Dallas Pulse (19-7).

The Supernovas will conclude the regular season Friday night at the Dallas Pulse at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on Victory+ and can be heard on the Supernovas Radio Network on KCRO 660 AM.

Supernovas outside hitter Sarah Parsons was named Major League Volleyball Player of the Week for the second time this season, becoming the only MLV player to receive multiple weekly awards in 2026. Parsons had 26 points and 21 kills in the Novas’ home finale last Friday, finishing with a Supernovas career-best .452 hitting percentage

Chasers Charities, the charitable arm of the Omaha Storm Chasers, announced the recipients of the Spring 2026 Chasin’ Dreams Grant, awarding more than $16,000 to four local programs to improve access to safe, playable fields for youth baseball and softball throughout the community. Since launching in 2016, the biannual Chasin’ Dreams Grant has supported 36 nonprofits with more than $140,000 in grants.

This spring’s recipients are the Black Police Officers Association of Omaha, Echoes Athletic Association, Grover Little League and St. Thomas More Athletics.

For the second season in a row, Omaha softball swept Creighton in the season series. The two programs met at the Creighton Softball Stadium Tuesday night, and Omaha secured a 2-0 win behind another stellar performance from ace Maddia Groff. She pitched a five-hit shutout, earning her 14th win in her 11th complete game this season. Her sister, Rylinn, drove in the first run with a single into left field to score Sammy Schmidt. In the fifth, shortstop Taylor Sedlacek hit her team-leading 15th home run of the season to pad Omaha’s lead and round out the scoring for the evening.

Omaha softball pitcher Maddia Groff has been named Summit League Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks for her fourth overall honor this season, the league announced Tuesday. Groff went 1-0 with two appearances, including a start against No. 1 Nebraska on April 21. In nine innings pitched against North Dakota and Nebraska, Groff posted a 0.78 ERA while striking out 11.

Omaha secured at least a share of the Summit League regular season title when it swept North Dakota in a two-game series last weekend. The Mavericks will conclude the regular season with a series at South Dakota this weekend, beginning Thursday at 3 p.m.

Creighton softball clinched a spot in the 2026 Big East Tournament in last Saturday’s record-breaking 7-5 win over UConn. The Bluejays set single-season program records for runs scored (325), RBIs (297) and doubles (80) with three games remaining in the regular season. Creighton is tied for second place in the Big East with the Huskies heading into the final weekend and will host DePaul for a series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The 2026 Big East Softball Championship will begin Thursday, May 7.

Creighton volleyball announced on Sunday that it will host defending national champion Texas A&M on Sunday, September 20, inside D.J. Sokol Arena. It will be only the second time that Creighton has hosted the defending national champion, having played 2017 national champion Nebraska to five sets in 2018 at CHI Health Center Omaha. Creighton last defeated the defending national champion in the 2024 Regional Semifinals, when it beat two-time defending national champion and then-No. 13 Texas.

Union Omaha defeated USL Championship club Indy Eleven on Saturday, 2-1, in the first match of the group stage of the 2026 USL Cup. Omaha will return to USL League One regular season play Saturday, hosting Greenville Triumph SC in a match beginning at 7 p.m.

Creighton baseball ace Jack Pineau earned the Big East Pitcher of the Week award, the league announced Monday. Pineau threw six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in Creighton’s shutout over Butler on Friday to earn his second honor this season. Outfielder Teddy Deters was also recognized with a spot on the Big East Honor Roll. Deters batted 6-for-13 (.462) and led Creighton with a team-high seven RBI in its 4-0 week.

The Big East-leading Bluejays (25-17, 10-2) travel to New York for a series against second-place St. John’s (22-20, 9-3) beginning Friday at 2 p.m.

Omaha baseball will attempt to reset after a 1-3 week when it hits the road for a weekend series against Northern Colorado, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. With just 10 conference games remaining ahead of the Summit League Tournament, Omaha (14-21, 9-8) is in sole possession of second place in Summit League standings.

Next Wednesday, May 6, Omaha will stop in Manhattan, Kan., for a midweek game against Kansas State, before continuing to Tulsa, Okla., for next weekend’s conference series against league-leading Oral Roberts.

The Omaha Storm Chasers are back at Werner Park this week, hosting the Louisville Bats in a series playing through Sunday. Omaha suffered a pair of 5-1 losses on Monday and Tuesday, and returns to action tonight at 6:35 p.m. for $3 Thursday. Fans can enjoy select tickets, concessions and Busch Light cans for just $3 each.

Upcoming Events

• Omaha softball at South Dakota | April 30 – May 2 | 3 p.m. Thursday
• Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Louisville | April 28 – May 3 | 6:35 p.m. Thursday
• Creighton baseball at St. John’s | May 1 – 3 | 2 p.m. Friday
• Omaha baseball at Northern Colorado | May 1 – 3 | 3 p.m. Friday
• Creighton softball vs. DePaul | May 1 – 3 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Supernovas at Dallas | Friday, May 1 | 7 p.m.
• Union Omaha vs. Greenville Triumph SC | Saturday, May 2 | 7 p.m.
• Creighton baseball vs. Kansas | Tuesday, May 5 | 6 p.m.
• Omaha baseball at Kansas State | Wednesday, May 6 | 6 p.m.

Creighton baseball completed a season sweep of Omaha with a 15-10 win Wednesday night. The Bluejays jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the third, and Omaha answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning to keep the game tight. Creighton then scored nine straight to take a 14-3 lead into the seventh. Omaha scored six straight in the seventh and eighth to put pressure on the Bluejays but ultimately couldn’t complete the comeback, falling 15-10.

Creighton (22-16, 7-2), currently atop the Big East standings, hosts Butler on Friday at 6 p.m. to open a weekend series at Charles Schwab Field. Omaha (13-19, 8-6) will host St. Thomas for a series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. at Tal Anderson Field.

Omaha softball drew a program-record 2,320 fans for Tuesday’s game against No. 1 Nebraska, a sellout crowd that shattered Omaha’s single-game home attendance record. Its previous record was 1,537, set last season against Nebraska. Tuesday’s game was tied 4-4 in the third, but the Huskers used home runs in the next three innings to take control of the game and left Connie Claussen Field with an 11-4 victory. 

The Mavericks return to Summit League action Thursday for the start of a two-game series at North Dakota before returning to Omaha for another rivalry matchup against Creighton.  Omaha took the first game against Creighton this season, 3-2, and has won three in a row against the Bluejays dating back to last season’s sweep. Tuesday’s contest will begin at 6 p.m. at the Creighton Softball Stadium.

Omaha swept the Summit League’s Pitcher of the Week honors, announced Tuesday, with Maddia Groff (softball) and Maddox Meyer (baseball) each earning a nod for their performances last week. 

Maddia Groff went 2-0 with a save in three outings during last weekend’s sweep over South Dakota State, where the Mavericks closed out a perfect 9-0 home record in Summit League play. In 15 innings, Groff held the Jackrabbits to a .148 average and racked up 23 strikeouts.  

In game one of Omaha’s April 19 doubleheader at North Dakota State, Maddox Meyer threw five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. This is Meyer’s second Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor this season. 

Creighton also earned multiple weekly conference honors, with Tara Vandewater (softball) and Connor Capece (baseball) taking home Big East Player of the Week, and Audrey Gilman (softball) earning Big East Freshman of the Week. 

Vandewater hit 6-for-11 (.545) with two doubles, two home runs and a conference-leading 10 RBI and five runs scored in Creighton’s series sweep of St. John’s. Pitcher Audrey Gilman went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA against the Red Storm, accumulating eight strikeouts in 14 innings.

Connor Capece led the Bluejays to a weekend road sweep of Villanova, going 7-for-14 (.500) at the plate while adding 10 RBI. Capece recorded a hit in each game last week, extending his hit streak to six games

The Omaha Supernovas swept Orlando and Atlanta on the road, securing two crucial wins in what was a career week for Merritt Beason. She combined for 31 points, 23 kills and 15 digs in the two matches, and posted a career-high .448 hitting percentage in Sunday’s sweep at Atlanta. In Sunday’s match, Omaha hit a franchise-record .413.

Omaha will return to action in its home finale against the Columbus Fury on Friday at 7 p.m. for Fan Appreciation Night and a Stripeout at the CHI Health Center. Omaha (13-13) sits in fourth place in MLV standings with two matches remaining in the regular season, with Grand Rapids (11-14) behind them. Omaha can clinch the franchise’s third consecutive playoff appearance with a win in either three or four sets on Friday.

Union Omaha opens USL Cup play against USL Championship club Indy Eleven at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The 2026 USL Cup is the third edition of the USL’s interleague cup competition, and is a World Cup-style tournament featuring all 42 clubs from the USL Championship and League One. Kicking off Saturday, April 25, clubs will be split into seven regional groups, with each club playing four group stage games in the opening phase of the tournament, which concludes on Saturday, July 11. The seven group winners and one wild card will advance to the knockout stage, beginning August 13.

Creighton baseball shortstop Ben North was one of 50 shortstops in the country named as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award on Wednesday. North leads the Bluejays with a .358 average this season, compiling 49 hits, 35 runs scored and 33 RBI. He has provided a stellar defensive performance in addition to his output at the plate, carrying a .953 fielding percentage. The Brooks Wallace Award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year.

The Omaha Storm Chasers won last week’s home series against Indianapolis, 4-2, and currently sit in fourth place in the International League’s West Division at 12-9 overall. Omaha is playing a road series this week against the Toledo Mud Hens that is tied 1-1. First pitch for Thursday’s game is at 5:25 p.m.

Omaha will return to Werner Park next Tuesday, April 28, to host the Louisville Bats. That series will open at 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday, and the club will be promoting “Pitch in for the Pantry”, where fans can bring three cans of non-perishable food items in exchange for one berm ticket. 

Omaha Hockey’s 2026-27 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) schedule was revealed Tuesday. Omaha will open conference play on the road with a series at defending national champion Denver on October 30-31, and will return to Baxter Arena the following weekend for its first home conference series against St. Cloud State on November 6-7. The full NCHC schedule can be found on Omaha Athletics’ website.

Upcoming Events

• Omaha Storm Chasers at Toledo | April 21 – 26 | 5:35 p.m. Thursday
• Omaha softball at North Dakota | April 24 – 25 | 6 p.m. Thursday
• Creighton baseball vs. Butler | April 24 – 26 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Omaha baseball vs. St. Thomas | April 24 – 26 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Creighton softball at UConn | April 24 – 26 | 6 p.m. Friday
• Omaha Supernovas vs. Columbus Fury | Friday, April 24 | 7 p.m.
• Union Omaha at Indy Eleven | Saturday, April 25 | 6 p.m.
• Creighton baseball vs. North Dakota State | Tuesday, April 28 | 11 a.m.
• Creighton softball vs. Omaha | Tuesday, April 28 | 6 p.m.

Creighton baseball’s Ben North was one of 50 shortstops in the NCAA named as a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award on Wednesday, April 22. The top 50 shortstops in the country were selected based on both their offensive and defensive production this season.

North leads Creighton with a .358 average in 2026, collecting 49 hits, 35 runs scored and 33 RBI. The Minnesota native has 19 combined extra-base hits (11 doubles, two triples and six home runs) to go along with a perfect 16 stolen bases on 16 attempts. In addition to his sizzling performance at the plate, North has dazzled in the field with a .953 fielding percentage. North is the lone BIG EAST shortstop recognized on this list.

The Brooks Wallace Award honors the nation’s top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
 
Narrowing our list to even 50 is a difficult task to take on as there are so many deserving shortstops at midseason,” said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. “All these kids are piling up big offensive numbers with power. But just as important are the defensive skills and how well they field their position.”
 
The watch list includes 2025 Brooks Wallace Award winner Roch Cholowsky (UCLA). Cholowsky and fellow semifinalists Dee Kennedy Jr. (Kansas State), Camden Kozeal (Arkansas), Ryder Robinson (BYU) and Jake Schaffner (North Carolina) have already won Brooks Wallace Award weekly honors in 2026.
 
The CBF annually presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Shortstop), the National Pitcher of the Year Award, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence.