Baseball Travels to South Carolina for Caravelle Resort Tournament
3/5/2009 1:00:00 AM | Baseball
Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton is looking get back in the win column after a 12-1 loss to Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., on Tuesday afternoon...Prior to Sunday's 6-3 win over Notre Dame, the Bluejays had dropped their fist six games out of the gate, marking their worst start in recorded history...Senior preseason All-MVC selection Robbie Knight leads the team with a .419 average...Last weekend at the Phoenix Classic, Knight was the Jays top hitter, going 7-11 for a .636 average...Darin Ruf leads the team with nine RBI, and is second on the squad with a .393 average...New Bluejay closer, Kirk Clark showed dominance as he picked up his first career save, striking out two Notre Dame hitters in the ninth inning Sunday to secure the victory...New starting catcher Scott Thornburg hit his second home run of the season on Sunday...His two long balls are good for the team-lead.
Scouting Stony Brook
Stony Brook will be looking for its first win of the season on Friday. The SeaWolves come into the game 0-4, after being swept by Florida Atlantic last weekend. The team's power source comes from Brian Witkowski who leads the team with three doubles. Last year he was second on the team with nine home runs and third with 33 RBI. Witkowski led the team with 115 total bases. Michael Tansey owns the team's lone home run on the season. The squad lost its ace from a year ago Tom Koehler, who had 115 strikeouts. Friday's starter Tyler Johnson will be making his first start of the season. In 2009 he has given up eight runs in two relief outings spanning 3.2 innings.
Scouting Albany
Albany is also coming into the weekend looking for its first victory of the year. In last weekend's four game sweep against Western Kentucky, the Great Danes gave up 11 or more runs in every game. In game two on Friday the team lost 23-2. Offensively UAlbany is led by Gary Pitcheralle who is second on the team with a .364 average, but leads the team in slugging percentage (.727) as he has hit two doubles and a triple.
Scouting Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina is coming into the weekend red hot, after defeating #1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill last Tuesday. The Chanticleers, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago, is led by preseason All-Americans David Anderson and Scott Woodward. Anderson, who has three home runs on the season, is second on the team in long balls as well as RBI with 11. The top power hitter on the season for CCU has been Jose Iglesias who has four home runs and 15 RBI. Saturday's starter Austin Fleet is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 6.0 innings.
Scouting IPFW
The Mastodons are looking forward to warmer weather this weekend at Myrtle Beach, as the team has had two games already canceled due to weather. Coming in at 1-2, the squad's best hitter thus far has been Chris Gottschall who has a home run and three doubles through the first three games. Brandon Knowling who was named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List, has yet to pitch this season.
Series History
The Caravelle Resort Tournament will feature three first-time matchups for the Bluejays. Prior to this weekend, Creighton has never faced, Stony Brook, Coastal Carolina or IPFW.
On Saturday Creighton will be meeting Albany for the second time in its history. The first meeting took place on June 2, 2007 at the NCAA Regional in Fayetteville, Ark. That day the Bluejays came out on top in a slugfest, winning 21-11.
Don't I Know You
Creighton has one member of its coaching staff that is very familiar with the IPFW squad. Assistant coach Brent Alwine is a 2006 graduate of the university and was an assistant coach on the Mastodons' staff the last two years. While at the school, his nickname was “Seabiscuit” for his hard work, despite always being in the underdog role.
Stranded
On the season, Creighton has struggled from a lack of run production, but it has not been from a lack of opportunities. The Bluejays have had 126 total baserunners compared to their opponents having 131 total baserunners.
Creighton has had 29 of its 126 runners score for a 23.01 %.
Its opponents have had 53 of its 131 runners score for a 40.46 %.
Struggling Sixth
Creighton has scored in every inning this season except the sixth. Its opponents however have had their most runs scored during the sixth as the opposition owns a 14-0 advantage in the inning.
Keep It Going
Through the team's first eight games, only T.J. Roemmich has a hit in every game. For the season he is 11-33 (.333), which is good for third on the team.
We Meet Again
On June, 2, 2007 Creighton beat Albany 21-11 in the NCAA Regional held at Fayetteville, Ark. In that game Robbie Knight was 2-4 with an RBI. Darin Ruf scsored three runs, and had a career-high four walks.
On the mound, Zak Moore made the start, going 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked two. In relief, Bob Lackovic pitched 1.2 innings allowing two runs on two hits.
Not a Good First Impression
The Bluejays finally broke their six-game losing streak on Sunday. It is the first time in Creighton's recorded history that it started 0-6.
Creighton's six-game losing streak was not something the program is used to. The streak was the longest since a 2003 stretch saw the team lose six straight contests from April 18-April 25.
Good Offensive Display
On Sunday against Notre Dame Creighton knocked out 16 hits, en route to a 6-3 victory. Those 16 hits were the most by the team since March 16, 2008 against Chicago State.
Breaking the Luck of the Irish
Sunday's win against Notre Dame snapped an eight-game losing streak for Creighton against the Fighting Irish. Prior to Sunday's game, Creighton had not beaten Notre Dame since March 13, 1983.
No Rest On Sundays
Knight has been on a tear in the Bluejays' two Sunday games thus far. In the series finale against Sam Houston State and last Sunday's game against Notre Dame, he has combined to go 7-8 with two doubles and an RBI.
Raging Bull
Those that have watched Bluejay closer Kirk Clark warm up in the bullpen, have most likely noticed his mannerisms of pacing back and forth just before being called in.
In the ninth inning on Sunday against Notre Dame, Clark got the chance to close the door on the Irish as he picked up his first career save. He retired the side in order, striking out two of the three hitters he faced.
In four appearances this year, opponents are only hitting .158 against him.
That's Efficient
On Sunday against Notre Dame Greg Hellhake was able to keep the Bluejays out of serious trouble through the first four innings, without having much work for himself. Hellhake needed just 33 pitches through the first four innings, as he faced just one above the minimum number of batters.
Unhittable
Through five appearances this year, CU reliever Matt Patterson has made life difficult on the opposition. He has thrown 7.2 scoreless innings, and hitters are batting just .154 against him.
Sunday he threw a career-high 2.2 innings of relief to hold off a Notre Dame comeback attempt. In a key spot during the eighth inning, Patterson struck out consensus All-American A.J. Pollock, who had previously homered in the game, to keep the Creighton lead at 4-3.
This is “Hau-er” we do it
Last Friday Jeremy Hauer had a very impressive start against Dayton. He threw 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while also striking out five. It was his best start since May 3, 2008 against Misouri State when he threw 7.2 scoreless innings.
His five strikeouts were his most since March 15, 2008 against Chicago State when he had eight punchouts.
Beware of the Brooms
Creighton is not used to suffering a four-game sweep. Prior to the season opening series against Sam Houston State, Feb. 20-22, the last time Creighton was swept during a four-game series was May 5-6, 2001 in back-to-back doubleheaders against Missouri State.
Extra Extra!
Through the first seven games this year, Creighton has already played in two extra-inning games. Last season it took 28 games before CU was involved in two extra-inning games. The Bluejays were 5-1 in extra-inning affairs in 2008.
Close Call
The first five of Creighton's losses this year were by two runs or less. It is the first time since April, 11-17, 2007 that five games in a row have been decided by two runs or less.
Prior to last weekend, Creighton had not had five straight losses been decided by two runs or less since 2006,
Below is the last time Creighton had five straight losses decided by two runs or less
Date Opponent Score (Inn.)
4/14/06 at Southern Illinois 2-3 (10)
4/11/06 Kansas State 4-5
4/9/06 Illinois State 13-14
4/4/06 Nebraska 4-6
4/2/06 Wichita State 1-3 (8)
Working on Fundamentals
The opening weekend against Sam Houston State (Feb. 20-22) saw all four games decided by two runs or less, making the execution of fundamentals crucial in deciding the outcomes. On the weekend Bluejay baserunners were picked off three times. All of last season CU had just six runners picked off.
Fielding fundamentals also came into play as CU saw it's error total rise in three straight games (0-1-2-3) for the first time since a four game stretch from April 8-15, 2005, when the team also had a streak of (0-1-2-3).
Useless Fact of the Season
Creighton's 8-6 loss on Feb. 20 was somewhat of a rarity for those who have watched the team over the years. Coming into the game, the Bluejays had not lost a game by the score of 8-6 since April 29, 1995 against Bradley, a streak spanning 757 games.
The 7-5 loss on Feb. 21 was a bit more recent as the team last loss by that score on May 12, 2002 against Stetson, a streak spanning 360 games.
Career Series
Sophomore Jimmy Swift had a career series against Sam Houston State (Feb. 20-22). On Feb. 20 night he provided CU with its first two runs of the season, courtesy of a home run in the second inning. It was the first home run of his career. The next day he continued his hot hitting as he hit a double down the left field line to bring in a run. It was the first double of his career, and he finished with four RBI on the weekend, surpassing his previous career season-high of two.
Career Game
Darin Ruf tied a couple of career-highs in the second game of the doubleheader on Feb. 21 against the Bearkats. He tied his previous career bests of hits in a game as well as RBI, as he went 4-4 with five RBI. He also hit the fifth triple of his career.
Good Luck Streak Snapped
Coming into the season opener on Feb. 20, Creighton had been 12-1 in games that pitcher Jeremy Hauer started, including eight straight wins to close the season in 2008. Unfortunately the streak was snapped as Hauer received the loss, going 4.0 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits.
Congrats to Coach Smith
Last week it was announced that Creighton pitching coach Rob Smith was named one of two recipients for 2008 NCAA Teaching Pro Award. The other was Bob Shepherd of North Florida
Smith is one of two CU coaches to be honored for their work last season. In December head coach Ed Servais was tabbed as one of two NCAA FieldTurf Coach of the Year recipients. The other was the College World Series champion Mike Batesole of Fresno State.
No Runs For You
Since Rob Smith took over as pitching coach in 2007, Creighton has finished 14th in ERA in each of the last two seasons. Coming into 2009, the team's overall ERA since Smith took over was 3.71, good for 11th in the nation.
Team ERA
1. Wichita State 3.22
2. North Carolina 3.23
3. Virginia 3.31
4. Rice 3.391
5. Long Beach 3.392
6. San Diego 3.394
7. UC Irvine 3.51
8. Charlotte 3.63
9. Louisville 3.69
10. St. John's 3.713
11. CREIGHTON 3.715
Defense Wins Championships
Since 2007, Creighton owns the second-best fielding percentage in the NCAA. The Bluejays are one of just two schools to finish in the top-10 in fielding percentage in each of the last two years (TCU), and are one of just three schools to finish in the top-15 each of the last two years (TCU and Oregon State). Below are the top fielding percentages since 2007.
Team Fielding Pct.
1. Oregon State - .97559367
2. CREIGHTON - .9754241
3. South Carolina - .97526579
4. TCU - .97506535
Look Out!
Junior Robbie Knight has not been one to be afraid of opposing pitchers coming inside. Knight owns the school record for most hit by pitches during a career with 60. In 2007 he set the NCAA single-season record after being beaned 35 times. He is currently 14th on the NCAA all-time hit by pitch leaderboard.
NCAA Record Book, Career HBP's
Player, Team Years G HBP
Brett Lilley, Notre Dame 2005-08 231 109
Tony Hurtado, San Francico 1997-00 221 92
Cody Rizzo, Notre Dame 2003-06 233 84
Gabe Somarriba, Fla. Atlantic 1999-02 226 81
Mark Muscenti, Cincinnati 2003-06 211 76
Jeff Ontiveros, Texas 1999-02 258 74
Clay Schwartz, Milwaukee 1994-97 180 68
Jay Molina, Illinois State 2003-06 189 65
J.R. Revere, Ga. Southern 1999-02 217 62
Karl Jernigan, Florida State 1998-01 250 61
Rusty McNamara, Ok State 1995-97 194 61
Lou Donati, Santa Clara 1991-94 178 61
Jim Murphy, Wash. State 2005-08 217 61
Robbie Knight, Creighton 2007-Pr. 126 60
Immediate Impact
A member of the Bluejay pitching staff took home MVC Newcomer of the Year for the second consecutive year in 2008. Jeremy Hauer earned the honor last year after going 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA. Andy Masten (4-3, 2.02 ERA, 16 saves) was honored following the 2007 season.
Getting Drafted
The conclusion of the 2008 season saw Creighton lose its go-to guy out of the bullpen. Pat Venditte the only known ambidexterous pitcher in the NCAA last year, was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round in June.
Venditte ranked among the top pitchers in the nation in 2008 in a number of categories. He was 22nd in hits allowed per nine innings with just 6.78 allowed, 24th with 10.53 strikeouts per nine innings, and 30th with nine victories.
Venditte had a great season his first year with the Staten Island Yankees. He was 1-0 with a 0.83 ERA in 32.2 innings. He amassed 23 saves in 30 games pitched. This past fall he won Minor League Short Season Reliever of the Year and was third in voting for Minor League Reliever of the Year.
The Bluejays currently have two players on their roster that have been drafted by Major League teams. This past summer freshman Otto Roberts was drafted in the 23rd round by the Cleveland Indians. In 2007, Elliot Soto was drafted in the 13th round by the Minnesota Twins
Team Sacrifice
Creighton showed team play frequently in 2008, as the squad led the nation in sacrifice bunts with 95. That mark set a new school and MVC record, previously set by CU in 2007, when the team had 93.
Shutout Stars
A big part of the reason Creighton was able to rank among the national leaders in ERA in 2008 was its ability to shutout the opponent. In 2008 the team had eight shutouts, just one shy of the national leader, UC Irvine.
