Baseball To Host #5 Shockers At Rosenblatt
4/10/2008 9:45:00 PM | Baseball
On Deck - Creighton will be playing the first of nine games at Rosenblatt Stadium this season with a three-game series against fifth-ranked Wichita State, the MVC preseason favorite.
Follow Along - Creighton's athletics website, www.gocreighton.com, will offer live stats for each game of the series. The link can be found under the Multimedia tab on the left side of the athletics homepage. In addition, all three games will be broadcast on Omaha's KOZN (1620 AM) with John Bishop and Dave Gustafson on the call. The audio feed is also available at www.1620thezone.com.
TV Coverage - All three games of the series will be broadcast locally in Omaha. Friday and Saturday night's games will be shown on WOWT 6.20, available on the Cox Communications digital package on channel 120. Matt Kelly will give the play-by-play with color commentary provided by Ben Fogarty.
Sunday's game will be broadcast on Nebraska Education Television (NET-1 and NET-HD), with Larry Punteney and John Bishop on the call. Free streaming video of the telecast will be available at netnebraska.org. CSTV will also air a tape-delayed feed of the NET broadcast to a national audience on Monday (April 14) at 7 and 11 p.m.
Midweek Recap - Creighton swept its 16th straight doubleheader on Wednesday, beating North Dakota State by scores of 2-0 and 1-0.
The Bluejays won game one despite being no-hit, as they used nine walks and a hit batsman to tally the game's only runs. Zak Moore (4-2) picked up the win in a pre-determined two-inning start, while Pat Venditte came in to get a save with 1.2 scoreless innings.
Game two was also dominated by pitching, as CU starter Greg Hellhake (2-0) held the Bison to just one hit in six innings. Venditte earned his second save of the day after Elliot Soto scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning.
Scouting Creighton - After starting the season on a tear offensively, the Bluejay bats have cooled in the last three games. Even with the recent struggles, CU has still managed to score eight or more runs in 18 games and 10+ runs on eight occasions.
Creighton has combined the home run with some small ball to account for its offensive production. The Jays lead the MVC with 29 long balls, but also top the league in walks (143), hit-by-pitch (58) and sacrifice bunts (45).
The pitching staff has recorded seven shutouts, which ties Tulane for the national lead. CU starters have 15 wins, while the bullpen has been solid with seven wins and seven saves.
Always solid defensively, CU again leads the MVC with a .978 fielding percentage.
Scouting Wichita State (25-4) - The Shockers enter the series with 22 wins in their last 23 games. The only loss in that time was a 7-4 setback against Missouri State.
WSU will bring one of the nation's best weekend pitching rotations to Omaha. Starters Rob Musgrave, Aaron Shafer and Anthony Capra have a combined 14-1 record, and each maintains an ERA under 3.00. Reliever Khol Nanney has four wins and two saves in his nine appearances.
Offensively, the Shockers are led by Omaha native Conor Gillaspie. The preseason All-American third baseman leads the MVC with a .431 batting average, 50 hits, six triples and 39 RBIs. WSU ranks second nationally with 20 triples.
Series History - Wichita State leads the all-time series, 99-41-1. The teams have split the last 10 meetings, and Creighton holds a 10-9 advantage over the Shockers since 2004 under head coach Ed Servais.
Last Meeting - In one of the most memorable games in school history, Creighton defeated WSU 10-9 in 12 innings to win the MVC Tournament championship for the first time in school history. Pinch runner Brandon Knox scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th on a double by Andrew Small.
The Coaches - Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson is one of the nation's best coaches, posting a 1,630-537-3 record in his 31 seasons with the Shockers. He is a three-time national coach of the year, guiding WSU to 25 NCAA Regionals and seven College World Series berths.
Creighton head coach Ed Servais is 181-86 (.678) in his fifth season with the Bluejays. His teams have averaged nearly 40 wins per season and he has been named MVC Coach of the Year three times in his first four seasons. Servais has led two teams to NCAA Regional appearances.
Rosenblatt History - Creighton is 10-5 in games played at Rosenblatt Stadium under head coach Ed Servais, including a 2-0 record against Wichita State. The Jays won 2-1 in 11 innings in the teams' last meeting at Rosenblatt on March 31, 2006.
Nail Biters - Four of the five games between Creighton and Wichita State last season were decided by one run. In addition, the winning team scored in its final at-bat in four of the five games.
Local Connection - CU's Robbie Knight and WSU's Conor Gillaspie were high school teammates at nearby Millard North High School. As seniors, their team won the state championship and was ranked third nationally by USA Today.
Familiar Faces - Creighton catcher Tony Pechek has been on both sides of the CU-WSU rivalry. The transfer from Central Arizona College played 20 games as a freshman at Wichita State in 2006. He played in three of the Shockers' four games against Creighton, including one start. He went 0-for-5 at the plate with three strikeouts.
Sacrificial Lam - Creighton leads the country with 45 sacrifice bunts this season after setting a school and MVC record with 93 in 2007. Senior Michael Lam leads the team with 10 sac bunts, while eight other Jays have at least one sacrifice. Lam's 10 bunts tie for sixth-most in the nation.
Home Sweet Home - Creighton is 12-0 at home this season, all coming at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays' last home loss came on the final game of the 2007 regular season against Missouri State on May 19.
Home Run Barrage - With three homers in last weekend's series against Bradley, Creighton increased its season total to an MVC-leading 29 round trippers in 30 games. Last season, CU had only 12 home runs after 30 games and compiled a total of 37 in 61 games.
Shutout Mark - With shutouts in both games of Wednesday's doubleheader against North Dakota State, the Creighton pitching staff increased its season total to seven. That mark ties Tulane for the national lead and surpasses last year's total of five. CU has pitched a shutout in four of its last five home games and seven of 12 overall.
Black and Blue(jays) - The 2007 squad set a school record after being hit by 116 pitches during the season, which was one shy of national leader UC-Irvine. Seven players were hit by at least nine pitches, including new NCAA single-season record holder Robbie Knight, who was beaned 35 times.
So far in 2008, Creighton batters have been hit by 58 pitches, which ties for sixth-most nationally. Once again, Knight leads the team and ranks among the national leaders with 14 HBP. Eleven different Bluejays have been hit by a pitch.
Knight Needing Armor - Sophomore center fielder Robbie Knight has been hit by 14 pitches in 2008 after breaking the NCAA record last season with 35 bean balls. On March 29 against Illinois State, Knight was hit by three pitches to break the CU career record. He now has 49 HBP in only 90 career games.
Clutch Cafaro - Junior college transfer Vicente Cafaro has been impressive in his first 30 games at the Division I level. The middle infielder from Venezuela ranks among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.344), doubles (8) and triples (2). Last weekend at Bradley, he drove in the game-winning run in both CU wins.
Rally Starter - Creighton has used big innings to score many of its runs this season. The Jays have compiled 18 different innings with four or more runs. CU has also scored six or more in an inning on five occasions.
Late-Inning Leads - Rice's two-run eighth-inning rally to defeat Creighton on March 9 marked the first time the Jays had lost a game when leading after the sixth inning since 2006. CU was 35-0 when leading after the sixth inning last season, and are 18-1 so far in 2008.
Closing the Door - In addition, Creighton has won 60 straight games when taking a lead into the ninth inning. The streak dates back to a 5-4 loss to Kansas State on April 11, 2006.
Mancuso Sidelined - Senior pitcher Ben Mancuso has been out of action since making a season-opening start against Washington State on Feb. 22. He began throwing again last week and could return to game action by mid-April. The preseason All-American and 2007 MVC Pitcher of the Year was 10-3 with a 2.34 ERA last season. He was victorious in his only start in 2008, allowing two earned runs in five innings at WSU.
Hitting Streak - Senior Steve Winkelmann posted the team's longest hitting streak of the season, as he began 2008 with a hit in each of the first 12 games. In his 30 starts this season, he has hit safely in 22 games.
Back-to-Back Jacks - When Darin Ruf and Steve Winkelmann hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning of CU's win over South Dakota State on March 25, it marked the second time the Jays had accomplished the feat this season. Winkelmann and Nick Nordgren went back-to-back against #6 Rice on March 9. Even more interesting, on both occasions the home runs came on consecutive pitches.
Senior CLASS Nominees - Senior pitchers Pat Venditte and Ben Mancuso are two of 30 nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The honor recognizes seniors for their success both on and off the field, including work in the classroom and community, and overall character.
Winkelmann Receives National Honor - Senior third baseman Steve Winkelmann was honored on March 10 as the MVC Player of the Week after collecting 17 RBIs in five games the previous week. On March 12, Winkelmann was selected by CollegeBaseballInsider.com as its Co-National Player of the Week. He recorded eight RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of Memphis (3/5), blasting a grand slam in game one and a three-run homer in the nightcap. He then hit three-run doubles in consecutive games against Western Carolina (3/7) and Michigan State (3/8) at the Rice Classic, and tallied five RBIs total against the Spartans. He concluded his impressive week with a solo home run against No. 6 Rice on March 9.
Last Season - Creighton finished 2007 with its second 45-win season in the past three years, ending with a 45-16 record. The Bluejays placed second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 19-5 mark, then captured its first MVC Tournament title in school history, defeating 12th-ranked Wichita State in the championship game. The Jays advanced to their eighth NCAA Tournament in school history, finishing with a win over Albany and losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas. The team featured the MVC Player of the Year (Darin Ruf), Pitcher of the Year (Ben Mancuso), Newcomer of the Year (Andy Masten), Coach of the Year (Ed Servais) and Tournament Most Outstanding Player (Pat Venditte).
MVC Preseason Poll - Creighton was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference, as voted by the league's coaches. The Bluejays were picked fourth last season, but finished second in the final standings. In addition, first baseman Darin Ruf, starting pitcher Ben Mancuso and relief pitcher Pat Venditte were named to the 14-member all-MVC Preseason Team.
Preseason Recognition - Senior ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte, the 2007 MVC Tournament MVP, has received a multitude of preseason honors. He was chosen to the Golden Spikes and Brooks Wallace player of the year watch lists. He was also named a first-team preseason All-American by Rivals.com and Ping! Baseball and a second-team choice by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball. Fellow senior pitcher Ben Mancuso, the reigning MVC Pitcher of the Year, was also named to the Brooks Wallace Watch List and was voted a third-team preseason All-American by the NCBWA and Ping! Baseball.
More On Venditte - The only known ambidextrous pitcher in the country, Pat Venditte, currently ranks third on the CU career appearances chart. Venditte leads the MVC and ranks second nationally with 19 appearances in 2008, a season after making a school-record 38 appearances -- in which he used both arms 30 times.
Righty AND Lefty - Last season, Venditte recorded at least one strikeout with both arms in 10 different appearances on his way to a team-leading 99 Ks. So far this season, Venditte has used both arms in 18 of his 19 appearances. He has recorded a strikeout with both arms in nine of those outings and leads the team with 53 Ks in 47.2 innings of work.
ERA Records - During his standout 2007 campaign, Venditte established a new school record with a 1.88 earned run average. This number was aided by a 43.2-inning scoreless streak from April 11 to May 26, which spanned 17 appearances. With a 2.83 ERA after 19 appearances this season, Venditte now boasts a 2.66 career ERA to rank first in school history.
Jays in the Pros- Three players from the 2007 squad were selected in last June's MLB Draft. Pitcher Marc Lewis was a 20th-round selection of the Florida Marlins, catcher Chris Gradoville was selected in the 24th round by the Texas Rangers and pitcher Pat Venditte was chosen in the 45th round by the New York Yankees. Infielder Chad Ogden also signed a free agent contract with the Rangers. In addition, freshman shortstop Elliot Soto was a 13th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins. Venditte and Soto both turned down the opportunity to play professionally and are part of the 2008 Bluejay team.
Who Needs A Day Off? - Junior first baseman Darin Ruf, the 2007 MVC Player of the Year, has started all 143 games he has played in his career. This includes every one of Creighton's games over the past three seasons.
Mr. Productivity - Ruf led Creighton and ranked in the top-five of the MVC last season in 10 different offensive categories, including batting average (.374), on-base percentage (.463), slugging percentage (.587), total bases (135), doubles (19), RBIs (57), hits (86), runs (53), walks (35) and home runs (8).
Gold Glove - Maybe a better player defensively, Ruf was awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove last season as the nation's best fielding first baseman. He committed only two errors in 611 chances. So far in 2008, he is errorless in 265 fielding chances, and maintains a .996 career fielding percentage.
Turning Two - Creighton led the MVC last season with 77 double plays. In 2005, the Bluejays led the country in the category with 85 twin-killers. CU ended last season with at least one double play in 38 of its last 41 games. So far in 2008, CU has turned 22 double plays in 30 games.
Television Exposure- Creighton will play at least 10 games this season on TV, including four games that will be carried either live or tape delayed nationally by CSTV. Games played at Rosenblatt Stadium against Wichita State (4/13), Kansas State (4/15), Iowa (4/16) and Nebraska (5/13) will be carried statewide on Nebraska Educational Television and will also be picked up by CSTV. In addition, WOWT 6.20 (Cox Channel 120) will televise five Creighton games at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Radio Coverage- KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast 23 regular season Bluejay baseball games, including 14 home games, nine road games and all postseason contests. John Bishop and Dave Gustafson will handle the call. All games can also be heard online at www.1620thezone.com. In addition, nine home games will be available in an audio-only webcast on gocreighton.com.
Local Mix- The 2008 Bluejay roster consists of 17 Nebraskans, including 12 players from Omaha. All 17 Nebraska natives came to Creighton from communities within 60 miles of the campus.
No-Hit Winner - Creighton was no-hit for the first time in recorded school history in game on of a doubleheader with North Dakota State on April 9, but won the game 2-0 thanks to nine walks and a hit batsman. According to Boyd Nation, this freak no-hitter scenario was the first in college baseball since Maryland-Baltimore County's Eddie Bach held Hartford hitless and lost 1-0 in a seven-inning game April 30, 2006.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, there have also been two Major League games in which a team has had a no-hitter thrown for them but lost. The first occured on April 23, 1964, as Ken Johnson of the Houston Colt .45's was beaten 1-0 by the Cincinnati Reds. In the top of the ninth, Johnson allowed a run to score on two errors, and in the bottom of the frame the Houston bats came up empty. He remains the only pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. Three years later, in 1967, Steve Barber and Stu Miller of the Baltimore Orioles pitched a combined no-hitter, but lost 2-1 to the Detroit Tigers. In the top of the ninth, two runs were scored on three walks, a wild pitch and two errors.
Quick Hits
? Friday starter Jeremy Hauer is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15.0 innings of work at home this season.
? Creighton is outscoring teams 22-2 in the first inning of home games this year. The Jays have scored in the bottom of the first in eight of 12 home games to date.
? Creighton's offense has scored 15 or more runs three times this season, 10 or more eight times and eight or more 18 times.
? Bluejay pitching has allowed just one unearned run in the past 134.2 innings, a span of more than 15 games.
? Before Bradley's Grant Escue walk off hit in the 12th inning last Sunday, Creighton's relievers had allowed just two hits in 35 at-bats to left-handed hitters in MVC play.
? The last MVC starting pitcher to earn a win against Creighton in Omaha was Evansville's Ben Norton on April 23, 2006. CU has played 18 straight MVC home games without an opposing starter getting the win.
? Opposing starting pitchers are 3-18 with an 8.18 ERA this year against Creighton, averaging just 4.25 innings per start. Last year starting pitchers were 10-36 with a 5.10 ERA against the Jays.
? In Creighton's last two years at home (38 games), the only starting pitcher to get a win against the Jays has been South Dakota State's Mike Robinson on March 13, 2007. All other starting pitchers are 0-27 with a 7.79 ERA (152 ER in 175.2 innings) over the course of 37 starts.
? The opposing starting pitcher has not earned a win in 34 straight Creighton home games.
? Since 2002, Creighton has had a pitcher record seven or more wins on seven occasions. All of those players were left-handed (or ambidextrous), with the exception of Steve Grasley's 12-4 season in 2004. This year's wins leader, Jeremy Hauer (6-1), is also left-handed.
? Senior ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte allowed four runs on six hits in suffering the loss at No. 6 Rice on March 9. He had previously allowed only four runs total in his past 22 regular season appearances.
? When Venditte takes to the hill, NCAA rules dictate that he declare which arm he will throw with before the batter steps into the box. Venditte is only allowed to switch pitching arms between batters, and not in the middle of a pitch count.
? Last year, Venditte did not allow a homer to a right-handed batter despite facing 253 of them. This year, he has allowed five homers among the 127 right-handed hitters he's faced, but hasn't allowed a homer in 61 appearances against left-handed hitters.
? Creighton has had at least one player hit by a pitch in 17 straight games and 28 of the 30 games overall this season.
? Last season, Robbie Knight was hit by an NCAA record 35 pitches, including 11 times when leading off a game. He tallied seven games in which he was beaned more than once and set a school record with four HBP against Oklahoma on March 7. Despite the repeated drillings, Knight missed only one game in 2007.
? Knight has been hit multiple times in a game on 10 occasions in his career, and has been hit in six of the last seven home games.
? Notre Dame's Brett Lilley set the NCAA record for times hit by a pitch in a career on April 9 with 93 HBP in his 204th game. That averages out to .46 HBP/game. Knight has been hit 49 times in 90 games for a .54 HBP/game average.
? Junior transfer Vicente Cafaro made his collegiate debut with a 4-for-4 performance against Washington State on Feb. 22 in the season opener, notching two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.
? Cafaro is the only player on the team with a four-hit game this season, accomplishing the feat against both Washington State (2/22) and Western Carolina (3/7).
? In his first three at bats this season with the bases loaded, Steve Winkelmann produced a grand slam and a pair of three-run doubles to give him 10 RBIs on three swings.
? First baseman Darin Ruf is 72-for-204 (.353) with 59 RBIs in 57 career home games.
? CU has not allowed a run in the second, seventh or ninth innings of an MVC game this year.
? No Creighton starter had made it through seven innings on the mound until Jeremy Hauer and Mike Nihsen each posted seven scoreless frames in CU's series against Illinois State (March 28-30). Hauer then matched that effort with seven innings in a win April 4 at Bradley.
? Opponents are hitting just 2-for-38 (.053) against Pat Venditte in the seventh inning this year.
? Venditte has been featured in many national publications during his career. He has appeared on the front cover of the New York Times, the “Leading Off” section of Sports Illustrated, in USA Today and Baseball America. He has also made appearances on ESPN's Cold Pizza, the CBS Evening News, Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, CSTV and the George Michael Sports Machine.
