Friday, April 27
6:30 pm
Creighton University
vs
Georgetown
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Baseball Begins Extended Home Stretch with Series Against Georgetown
4/26/2018 12:45:00 PM | Baseball
Bluejay Salute on Saturday Highlights Weekend
Omaha, Neb. -- After three consecutive weekends away from home to open BIG EAST play, the Creighton Baseball team finally will play its first conference home games of the season this weekend against Georgetown. The series begins on Friday, April 27th at 6:30 pm and is highlighted by Creighton's 7th annual Military and First Responders game Saturday night at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha when the Bluejays take on Georgetown (6:35 p.m., first-pitch).
The pregame festivities will include the presentation of colors as well as a flyover and a paratrooper drop. During the game, an Oath of Enlistment ceremony will be conducted by Major General Daniel L. Karbler – Chief of Staff, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Postgame ceremonies will include taps, a video presentation and a fireworks show presented by Bellino Enterprises. Up to 10 complimentary tickets can be redeemed by going to GoCreighton.com/Salute.
Download the complete preview (PDF).
Scouting the Bluejays
(2018: 24-11, 3-5 BIG EAST)
Finally home for an extended stretch, the Bluejays will play seven straight games and 10- of their final 14 games in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton is 9-1 at home thus far and return to their spacious park with sizzling bats.
Over the last five games the Bluejays are hitting .372 as a team, led by the quartet of
Thomas Luevano (.500), Ryan Mantle (.462), Will Robertson (.440) and Jack Strunc (.440). The foursome have combined to smash 39 hits, including 10 home runs and 32 RBI.
Creighton's pitching staff has also seen a boost in the last couple of games with the return of closer Bobby Kametas. Sidelined for more than a month as he recovered from mono, Kametas has tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless relief in Creighton's last two contests.
About Georgetown
Located in Washington, D.C.
The Hoyas were picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll.
Georgetown last reached the BIG EAST Tournament in 2015.
Scouting the Hoyas
(2018: 15-23, 2-4 BIG EAST)
Picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST, Georgetown got off to a fast start by taking the opening conference series from Xavier with victories in the final two games.
Those two wins spurred a seven-game winning streak for the Hoyas, but St. John's halted Georgetown's momentum last weekend.
The Hoyas enter TDAPO hitting .256 as a team, led by Ryan Davis at .315. In BIG EAST action Davis has seen his average climb to .400.
On the mound the Hoyas have a team ERA of 5.25, but closer Jimmy Swad has an impressive seven saves and a 2.56 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Bluejays vs. Georgetown
Creighton has handled the Hoyas very well over the last four seasons, dropping just two of the 12 meetings. The Bluejays are 5-1 against Georgetown at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
A game-by-game account is below.
Georgetown (10-2)
   4/11/14   W   2-0
   4/12/14   W   13-4
   4/12/14   W   16-5
   4/2/15   L   3-4
   4/4/15   W   4-2
   4/4/15   W   4-3
   5/6/16   W   6-2
   5/7/16   W   4-0
   5/8/16   L   2-3
   4/13/17   W   7-5
   4/14/17   W   6-4
   4/15/17   W   11-9
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Bluejays Take Series for Nebraska for First Time Since 2010
Fighting slight rain throughout most of the game, 10 runs in the first five innings helped vault the Bluejays to a 12-9 win over
Nebraska on Tuesday. The win gave the
Bluejays the regular season series over the Huskers for the first time since 2010 as the
Bluejays took the opening game between the
two teams 3-1 on March 27.
Strunc, Luevano and Mantle Heating Up
During the 2018 season the Bluejays are 13-3 when getting at least three combined hits from those three.
Two or less   11-8
Three or more hits    13-3
Four or more   8-1
Five or more   7-0
Over the past five games the trio of Jack Strunc, Thomas Luevano and Ryan Mantle have spiked their batting average.
Since April 17
Luevano went from .245 to .292
Mantle took his from .225 to .262
Strunc went from .250 to .284
Emodi's Streak of 92 Consecutive Games Played Comes To An End
Junior catcher Michael Emodi saw his streak of 92 consecutive games played for the Bluejays snapped on April 24 in Creighton's 12-9 win over Nebraska. The last game Emodi did not see action was May 15, 2016 in the series finale with Xavier.
During that stretch Emodi started 86 games, 84 behind the plate and two as the DH.
Whitecotton Rises to the Challenge
Getting just his fourth start behind the plate in two seasons as a Bluejay, senior Blake Whitecotton delivered a critical three-run double in the fifth to help Creighton best Nebraska on Tuesday, April 24. Blake also helped hold the Husker running game in check as Nebraska did not attempt a stolen base.
Church Continued to Mow Down Huskers
Senior Preston Church has enjoyed his two starts this season against Nebraska as the southpaw became the first Bluejay since Scott Reese in 2005 to post two wins over the Huskers in the same season.
Church followed his 6.2 shutout innings on March 27 with six innings of four-run ball on April 24 to move to 2-0 against Nebraska.
Welcome Back Kametas!!
Bobby Kametas returned to the Bluejay bullpen at just the right time. Sidelined for better than a month with mono, Kametas tossed 2.1 scoreless against Xavier on April 22.
Two days later he posted a flawless ninth at Nebraska for his fourth save of the season.
Bluejays Prefer to Hunt at Night
Entering the weekend series with Georgetown, Creighton is 9-0 in night games. Eight of the Bluejays' 14 remaining contests will be played under the lights.
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The pregame festivities will include the presentation of colors as well as a flyover and a paratrooper drop. During the game, an Oath of Enlistment ceremony will be conducted by Major General Daniel L. Karbler – Chief of Staff, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Postgame ceremonies will include taps, a video presentation and a fireworks show presented by Bellino Enterprises. Up to 10 complimentary tickets can be redeemed by going to GoCreighton.com/Salute.
Download the complete preview (PDF).
Georgetown at Creighton
April 27 @ 6:30 pm
April 28 @ 6:30 pm (NET)
April 29 @ 12:00 pm (BEDN)
TV
Saturday's contest will be carried on the local PBS carrier Nebraska Educational Television (NET)
Radio
Friday and Saturday's games can be heard in the Omaha area on 1620 AM
Online Stream
Friday's contest will be available on Jays Videos at
http://gocreighton.com/watch
Sunday's Contest will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network
at http://foxsportsgo.com
Live Stats
Follow the Bluejays this weekend at
http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Probable Pitching Matchups (2018 Stats)
Friday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Jack Cushing (Jr. - RHP)Â Â Â 5.51Â Â Â 2-5Â Â Â 12Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 50.2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 37Â Â Â 31Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 34
CU - Ryan Tapani (Sr. - RHP)Â Â Â 2.78Â Â Â 6-1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 64.2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 59
Saturday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Brent Killam (So. - LHP)Â Â Â 2.52Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 53.2Â Â Â 42Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 64
CU - Mitch Ragan (Jr. - RHP)Â Â Â 4.41Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 51.0Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 36
Sunday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Jerry Burke (So. - RHP)Â Â Â 0.59Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 15.1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 10
CU - Preston Church (Sr. - LHP)Â Â Â 4.58Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 37.1Â Â Â 36Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 17Â Â Â 33
April 27 @ 6:30 pm
April 28 @ 6:30 pm (NET)
April 29 @ 12:00 pm (BEDN)
TV
Saturday's contest will be carried on the local PBS carrier Nebraska Educational Television (NET)
Radio
Friday and Saturday's games can be heard in the Omaha area on 1620 AM
Online Stream
Friday's contest will be available on Jays Videos at
http://gocreighton.com/watch
Sunday's Contest will be available on the BIG EAST Digital Network
at http://foxsportsgo.com
Live Stats
Follow the Bluejays this weekend at
http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Probable Pitching Matchups (2018 Stats)
Friday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Jack Cushing (Jr. - RHP)Â Â Â 5.51Â Â Â 2-5Â Â Â 12Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 50.2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 37Â Â Â 31Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 34
CU - Ryan Tapani (Sr. - RHP)Â Â Â 2.78Â Â Â 6-1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 64.2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 59
Saturday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Brent Killam (So. - LHP)Â Â Â 2.52Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 53.2Â Â Â 42Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 64
CU - Mitch Ragan (Jr. - RHP)Â Â Â 4.41Â Â Â 4-2Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 51.0Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 26Â Â Â 36
Sunday   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
GU - Jerry Burke (So. - RHP)Â Â Â 0.59Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 15.1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 10
CU - Preston Church (Sr. - LHP)Â Â Â 4.58Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 37.1Â Â Â 36Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 17Â Â Â 33
Scouting the Bluejays
(2018: 24-11, 3-5 BIG EAST)
Finally home for an extended stretch, the Bluejays will play seven straight games and 10- of their final 14 games in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton is 9-1 at home thus far and return to their spacious park with sizzling bats.
Over the last five games the Bluejays are hitting .372 as a team, led by the quartet of
Thomas Luevano (.500), Ryan Mantle (.462), Will Robertson (.440) and Jack Strunc (.440). The foursome have combined to smash 39 hits, including 10 home runs and 32 RBI.
Creighton's pitching staff has also seen a boost in the last couple of games with the return of closer Bobby Kametas. Sidelined for more than a month as he recovered from mono, Kametas has tossed 3.1 innings of scoreless relief in Creighton's last two contests.
About Georgetown
Located in Washington, D.C.
The Hoyas were picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Preseason Poll.
Georgetown last reached the BIG EAST Tournament in 2015.
Scouting the Hoyas
(2018: 15-23, 2-4 BIG EAST)
Picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST, Georgetown got off to a fast start by taking the opening conference series from Xavier with victories in the final two games.
Those two wins spurred a seven-game winning streak for the Hoyas, but St. John's halted Georgetown's momentum last weekend.
The Hoyas enter TDAPO hitting .256 as a team, led by Ryan Davis at .315. In BIG EAST action Davis has seen his average climb to .400.
On the mound the Hoyas have a team ERA of 5.25, but closer Jimmy Swad has an impressive seven saves and a 2.56 ERA in 31.2 innings.
Bluejays vs. Georgetown
Creighton has handled the Hoyas very well over the last four seasons, dropping just two of the 12 meetings. The Bluejays are 5-1 against Georgetown at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
A game-by-game account is below.
Georgetown (10-2)
   4/11/14   W   2-0
   4/12/14   W   13-4
   4/12/14   W   16-5
   4/2/15   L   3-4
   4/4/15   W   4-2
   4/4/15   W   4-3
   5/6/16   W   6-2
   5/7/16   W   4-0
   5/8/16   L   2-3
   4/13/17   W   7-5
   4/14/17   W   6-4
   4/15/17   W   11-9
Â
Bluejays Take Series for Nebraska for First Time Since 2010
Fighting slight rain throughout most of the game, 10 runs in the first five innings helped vault the Bluejays to a 12-9 win over
Nebraska on Tuesday. The win gave the
Bluejays the regular season series over the Huskers for the first time since 2010 as the
Bluejays took the opening game between the
two teams 3-1 on March 27.
Strunc, Luevano and Mantle Heating Up
During the 2018 season the Bluejays are 13-3 when getting at least three combined hits from those three.
Two or less   11-8
Three or more hits    13-3
Four or more   8-1
Five or more   7-0
Over the past five games the trio of Jack Strunc, Thomas Luevano and Ryan Mantle have spiked their batting average.
Since April 17
Luevano went from .245 to .292
Mantle took his from .225 to .262
Strunc went from .250 to .284
Emodi's Streak of 92 Consecutive Games Played Comes To An End
Junior catcher Michael Emodi saw his streak of 92 consecutive games played for the Bluejays snapped on April 24 in Creighton's 12-9 win over Nebraska. The last game Emodi did not see action was May 15, 2016 in the series finale with Xavier.
During that stretch Emodi started 86 games, 84 behind the plate and two as the DH.
Whitecotton Rises to the Challenge
Getting just his fourth start behind the plate in two seasons as a Bluejay, senior Blake Whitecotton delivered a critical three-run double in the fifth to help Creighton best Nebraska on Tuesday, April 24. Blake also helped hold the Husker running game in check as Nebraska did not attempt a stolen base.
Church Continued to Mow Down Huskers
Senior Preston Church has enjoyed his two starts this season against Nebraska as the southpaw became the first Bluejay since Scott Reese in 2005 to post two wins over the Huskers in the same season.
Church followed his 6.2 shutout innings on March 27 with six innings of four-run ball on April 24 to move to 2-0 against Nebraska.
Welcome Back Kametas!!
Bobby Kametas returned to the Bluejay bullpen at just the right time. Sidelined for better than a month with mono, Kametas tossed 2.1 scoreless against Xavier on April 22.
Two days later he posted a flawless ninth at Nebraska for his fourth save of the season.
Bluejays Prefer to Hunt at Night
Entering the weekend series with Georgetown, Creighton is 9-0 in night games. Eight of the Bluejays' 14 remaining contests will be played under the lights.
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Players Mentioned
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C
/ Baseball2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
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Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
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Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
