Baseball Returns to MVC Action Against Bradley This Weekend
4/23/2009 4:45:00 PM | Baseball
Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton will look to continue its winning ways in the Missouri Valley Conference this Weekend...The Bluejays enter the weekend at 9-3 in the conference and are currently in third place, just a half-game behind Missouri State and Indiana State...Elliot Soto is currently riding a team and season-best 19-game hitting streak...During that time he has gone 29-82 (.354) with two doubles and a triple...Robbie Knight leads the team with a .346 average, and a .468 on-base percentage...Preseason All-MVC selection Darin Ruf leads the team in home runs with seven as well as RBI with 39...Last week he moved into seventh on the all-time NCAA list with 2,061 putouts, becoming just the eighth player in history to amass 2,000 putouts...As a team the Jays are fielding at a .981 clip, good for second in the NCAA.
Scouting the Braves
Bradley comes into Omaha, needing a good performance in order to keep its postseason hopes alive...Currently the team sits at 1-9 in MVC play, in last place, and three games out of the sixth place finish needed to qualify for the MVC Tournament...Leading the way for the Braves is Tommy Fitzgerald who is second on the team witha .339 average and tied for the team lead in home runs (4) and RBI (24)...He is alone in first place on the club with a .529 slugging percentage...Friday's starter Rob Scahill is making his seventh appearance of the season, all starts, and enters with a 4.83 ERA in 31.2 innings...He has struck out 35 hitters in those 31.2 frames...Saturday starter Collin Brennan has been the innings eater on the squad this season, throwing a team-high 40.2 innings in eight apperances.
Series History
Friday's series opener against Bradley will mark the 100th game all time played between the Bluejays and Braves. In the previous 99 games, Creighton holds a 58-41 edge.
In its last nine games dating back to 2007, CU is 8-1 against BU, including a 3-0 record in the MVC Tournament. At home the Bluejays have won the last eight meetings, with its last loss coming on May 16, 2003.
Going for 400
Ed Servais' next victory will be the 400th of his career. He comes into this weekend with a record of 399-199-1 in his 15th season, during his time at St. Mary's and Creighton.
Good Luck Charm
When starter Greg Hellhake goes to the mound, the Bluejay faithful can count on having a good chance to win the game. When Hellhake's pitched this year, CU is 8-2, including wins in his last seven appearances. The last time Creighton lost in a Hellhake start was on March 7 at Coastal Carolina, when the team barely lost, 8-7.
7th Heaven
The lucky frame for the Bluejays this year has been the seventh. In that innings Creighton has outscored its opponents 40-11. That is the most runs scored in any inning by the Jays, and the second fewest runs allowed in any frame.
No Rest On Sundays
Robbie Knight has been on a tear in the Bluejays' Sunday games thus far. In nine games, Knight has batted a team-high .559 (20-39) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI to go along with 13 runs scored.
Locking it Down at Home
The Bluejays have been very fortunate at home under Ed Servais in keeping leads. Since Servais took the job in 2004, the team is 87-2 at homewhen leading after six innings, 71-2 when leading after seven and 72-3 when up after eight.
NCAA Leader?
First baseman Darin Ruf is one of eight players in NCAA history to record 2,000 or more career putouts, ranking seventh with 2,061. Ruf owns a .996 career fielding percentage in 2,155 career chances, making only eight errors in the last four years. He has handled 417 consecutive chances flawlessly since his only error of 2009.
Ruf has averaged 10.897 putouts per game in 2009. At that rate, he would need to play in 21 more games to break the NCAA record held by Wichita State's Logan Sorensen (2001-04) of 2,289 career putouts.
NCAA Record Book, Career PO's
Player, Team Years G POs
Logan Sorenson, Wichita State 2001-04 258 2,289
Jeff Ontiveros, Texas 1997-00 258 2,263
Tom Guardino, Stanford 1975-78 246 2,220
Andy D'Alessio, Clemson 2004-07 253 2,186
Michael Johnson, Clemson 2000-03 235 2,131
Randy Oyama, Hawaii 1984-87 270 2,070
Darin Ruf, Creighton 2006-Pr. 210 2,061
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). This season Creighton has continued it's success as it is currently second in the NCAA in fielding.
Below are the leaders in fielding this season:
Team Fielding Pct.
1. Pepperdine - .986
2. CREIGHTON - .981
3. Duke - .979
4. Western Kentucky - .979
5. Texas - .979
All About the Glove
A large reason Creighton is 8-3 in its last 11 is because of its defense. In its last 11 games, Creighton has made just four errors good for a .991 fielding percentage while its opponents have made 24 miscues in that same span, just a .944 clip.
Cool Hand Cafaro
On April 7 against Nebraska, Vicente Cafaro had quite a few career-highs in 5-5 night, leading Creighton to a 15-0 victory. Below are his accomplishments:
Career-high five hits, most hits in a game by a CU player since Robbie Knight against Missouri on May 5, 2008.
Career-high three doubles, most by a Jay since Dan Norquist at Sam Houston State on February 11, 2005.
Career-high five runs scored, most since Joe Dunlop did it against Northern Iowa on April 2, 1995.
Gaining Some Perspective
Creighton's 15-0 victory over Nebraska on April 7 marked some milestones in program history. Below are the notable achievements accomplished the Jays in Lincoln:
First shutout over NU since a 6-0 win on April 4, 1990.
Largest win over the Huskers since a 19-1 game on April 1, 1992.
Largest win against any Big 12 team since the 19-1 win over Nebraska.
Worst defeat Nebraska has suffered in Haymarket Park history.
Most runs scored in a true road game for CU since a 16-0 victory over Indiana State on April 22, 2007.
Most runs scored in back-to-back road wins since scoring 25 total runs against North Dakota State in the doubleheader on May 9, 2007.
That's Why He Hits Leadoff
Creighton leadoff man Robbie Knight has done his job in getting on base this season. Knight has reached base in 30 straight games and all but one of Creighton's past 57 games (March 6, 2009 vs. Stony Brook). For the season he leads the team with a .468 on-base percentage.
Change of Style
Prior to last Friday's four-sacrifice performance against UIC, Creighton was riding a six-game streak without a sacrifice bunt. After leading the NCAA in sacrifices a year ago with 95, the current streak is the longest under head coach Ed Servais. Prior to the six-game stretch, the longest the team had gone without a sacrifice was three games from May 25, 2006-February 9, 2007 and from February 28-March 5, 2004.
Getting Over the Hump
Last weekend's two-game sweep of UIC pushed the Bluejays to four games over .500 (21-17) for the first time this season. At 38 games into the season, it is the longest it has taken the team to reach the mark since 2003 under then head coach Jack Dahm, when the team did not get over .500 all season.
Comeback Kids
The Bluejays were able to overcome a 5-0 deficit last April 14 to force extra innings against Kansas. It was the first time CU has comeback from a deficit of five or more since winning 8-5 against Southern Illinois on May 23, 2007, after being down 5-0 in the middle of the second.
It was the first time a game has gone extra innings, a team had a five-run advantage since May 26, 2007 when Wichita State forced extras after being down 6-1. Creighton would go on to win the game 10-9 in 12 innings.
Taking Advantage
The CU offense was helped out by some shaky defense in its two games vs. Northern Iowa and Kansas. Those two teams have combined for eight errors, the most in a two game span by a Creighton opponent since Rice (5) and Chicago State (3), combined for eight from March 9-15, 2008.
Doomsday Defense
Dating back to the April 7 15-0 shutout of Nebraska, Creighton allowed just five runs in four games combined. That is the lowest total since allowing just two in a four-game sweep of Chicago State from March 15-16, 2008.
According to Warrennolan.com, Creighton is allowing the ninth fewest runs a game in the nation at 4.3 this season.
Stingy Scoring
Before giving up a run in the sixth inning on April 12 against Northern Iowa, Greg Hellhake had been stingy in allowing runs. Sunday's run marked the first run allowed by Hellhake allowed in 15.1 innings. The streak saw his ERA dip from 5.96 to 3.92.
Knight in Shining Armor
Prior to last Tuesday's loss to Kansas, Creighton had won each of the last 10 games in which Robbie Knight has scored at least one run. For the season, CU is 15-9 when Knight scores a run, but 6-9 when Knight doesn't cross the plate.
Rather Lopsided
The April 7 15-0 shutout of Nebraska, provided dominant performances at both ends of the spectrum for the Bluejays. Creighton's 15 runs scored were the most scored in a shutout by its pitching staff since a 16-0 victory at Indiana State on April 22, 2007. The game against the Sycamores also marked the fewest runs allowed by the pitching staff in a game where CU scored 15 runs offensively.
Seven Strong
On April 7 against Nebraska, starter Greg Hellhake went just 1.0 inning, allowing no runs and no hits. It snapped a streak of seven straight games, where Bluejay starters went at least 5.0 innings. That is the longest streak since May 3-11, 2008.
Hot Start
Creighton has continued its hot MVC start through nine games. Creighton's 7-2 start in the MVC was its best through nine game since an 8-1 start in 2005.
“K” King
Jonas Dufek was dealing April 5 against Evansville, en route to striking out 10 Purple Aces. It was the most strikeouts by a Bluejay since May 26, 2007 when Pat Venditte accomplished the feat.
Dufek has dominated of late. In his last seven appearances, spanning four starts, he has an ERA of 2.92 in 40.0 innings, going just 2-3 during that time, striking out 28 and walking 12.
Surviving the Long Ball
April 3-5 against Evansville, Creighton surrendered two home runs for the fourth and fifth times this season. It was the first time Creighton has won when surrendering 2+ long balls, as the team is now 2-3 when doing so.
Saving the Day
After his teammates ran into trouble April 3, Jack VanLeur came on in the seventh inning to pitch the final 2.1 innings for his first career save. He allowed one run on two hits to preserve the 7-4 win and pick up his first save in 35 career appearances.
Staying Alive
Robbie Knight's 16-game hitting streak came to an end April 7 against Nebraska. Overall during his streak he was 24-65 (.369), good for second on the team during that time.
Leading the Way
The Creighton bullpen has gotten alot of work through the first half of the season. Carrying the bulk of the load has been pitchers Jack VanLeur and Bob Lackovic. The two pitchers are tops in the nation in terms of appearances as VanLeur's 27 is the most in the NCAA, while Lackovic's 25 appearances ranks third according to boydsworld.com.
Breakout Batter
Since hitting his first career home run on March 7 against Albany, Carson Vitale has been one of the team's hottest hitters going 30-84 (.357) with five doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI.
Sweeping the Salukis
The sweep of Southern Illinois on March 28-29, was a rarity for Creighton. The last time CU managed to capture every game in a series against SIU was April 9-11, 1999, when the Jays managed a four-game sweep. The Bluejays have now won eight of the last 10 against the Salukis.
Shut ?Em Down
Jonas Dufek threw a complete game seven-inning shutout on March 29 against Southern Illinois. He allowed just three hits and a walk, while striking out four. It was the first seven-inning complete game shutout for the Bluejays since Ben Mancuso did it against Indiana State on April 22, 2007.
Season's Best
While Dufek's shutout was the first time the pitching staff had not allowed a run this season, Creighton had another notable performance on March 28 by Jeremy Hauer. Hauer tied his career-high by going 7.2 innings, and struck out a career-best nine hitters. Both marks were season-highs for the Jays.
Terrific Trio
In the series against Southern Illinois, March 28-29, starters Greg Hellhake, Jeremy Hauer and Jonas Dufek all went at least 6.0 innings for the first time in 2009. It was the first time the Jays have had three starters in a row go at least 6.0 innings since May 3-4, 2008, when the team did it against Southern Illinois.
The 20.2 innings the three pitchers combined for was the longest such streak since Zak Moore, Pat Venditte and Marc Lewis combined for 21.2 innings from May 24-26, 2007.
Another Revival
Another pitcher to find success of late, after struggling in the start of the year is reliever Jack VanLeur. Since March 7 against Coastal Carolina, VanLeur has allowed just five earned runs in 27.2 innings, good for a 1.63 ERA, second on the team during that time. He has struck out 17 and walked 10, while allowing just 19 hits, as hitters have hit just .202 against him during the span.
Gotta Watch This One
Vicente Cafaro's hidden ball trick in game two of the doubleheader against Southern Illinois, was not the first time he had successfully done it. Cafaro also used the trick as a member of Iowa Western CC, in the NJCAA World Series in 2007.
Overcoming the Odds
CU had to overcome some adversity to win game one of the doubleheader on March 28 against Southern Illinois. The team committed four errors for the first time since June 3, 2007 against Arkansas. It was the first win the Jays have had when committing four errors since April 20, 2007 against Indiana State.
Bucking the Trend
Prior to the doubleheader against Southern Illinois on March 28, Creighton had lost its first nine games that were decided by two runs or less, including an 0-5 record in one-run contests. That trend was discontinued on March 28, as the Jays won both games by a score of 4-3.
CU had also been 0-11 in games it scored five or less before March 28. However, when scoring six+, the team is 14-3.
Fast Start
The Bluejays got out to quick leads in each of their six games from March 15-25. The team had scored in the first inning in those six straight contests for the first time since it did it from April 22-May 5, 2007.
Under Ed Servais, Creighton is 103-26 (45-9 in MVC play) when scoring in the first inning, and 160-38 (70-15 MVC) when scoring first.
Six Run Rule
The March 24 series opener against North Dakota proved to be a little more difficult than the Jays had bargained for. The game marked the first time that CU has won when allowing six or more runs. For the season Creighton is 1-10 when allowing six+.
Prior to last Tuesday, Creighton had allowed five runs or less in 11 straight games, its longest such stretch since a 16-game run from May 4-26, 2007.
10+ Club
Prior to March 25 against North Dakota, the Creighton offense had collected at least 10 hits in its last seven games, before just getting nine in the series finale against the Fighting Sioux. The last time CU had a team collect 10 or more hits in seven straight games was April 20-May 4, 2007.
Let's Play Six
This season, the outcome of the game has been decided for the most part after six innings. In 38 games played this year, the team leading after six is 31-2. In six ties so far this year after the two-thirds mark, CU is 2-4.
Creighton blew its first lead of the year, when leading after eight innings March 25 against North Dakota. The Jays are now 15-1 in those situations.
Under Ed Servais, CU is 173-8 when leading after six innings and 157-5 when leading after eight innings.
Beware the 25th of March
March 25 has been a productive day for Darin Ruf the last two years. After homering twice on the day last year against South Dakota State, he hit a home run in the first inning on Wednesday against North Dakota to give him three home runs in the last two years on March 25.
Loving Nature
On March 22 against Indiana State, the Bluejays had their 12-game winning streak against the Sycamores snapped. Even with the loss, Creighton has won 18 of the last 20 meetings between the two schools, and has not lost at home against ISU since May 4, 2002.
Streak Snapper
After starting 0-22 through the first six games of the season, Vicente Cafaro was on a 14-game hitting streak, before going 0-4 March 24 against North Dakota. During the streak Cafaro was 23-55 (.418).
Streak Snapper Part II
March 24 snapped another streak for the Bluejays as reliever Matt Patterson surrendered his first earned run of the season. He began the season throwing 16.1 scoreless innings.
Lacking Nothing
In the series opener against Indiana State on March 20, Bob Lackovic had a career-performance in shutting down the Sycamores to preserve the 9-4 win. He threw a career-high 3.1 innings, including a career-best four strikeouts, as he picked up his first win of the season.
Long Ball
As a team in the series finale against South Dakota State on March 15, Creighton launched four home runs en route to its 12-3 victory. That total is the most hit by the Bluejays since April 22, 2007, when the team hit five against Indiana State.
Going Going Gone
On March 15 in the second game of the double header against South Dakota State, right fielder T.J. Roemmich hit two home runs. For the season he has seven home runs and 27 RBI, both career-highs.
Prior to the game, the last Bluejay to hit two home runs in a game was Robbie Knight, who hit two against Missouri on May 5, 2008.
Milestone Marker
On March 14 against South Dakota State, head coach Ed Servais reached the 200 wins mark during his time at Creighton. Over his first six seasons at the helm of CU, Servais is 217-117.
Home Sweet Home
The series on March 14-15 against South Dakota State marked the home opener for Creighton after spending its first 14 games on the road. Among the places the Bluejays traveled to over the first 14 games are Texas, Arizona, Kansas, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The Bluejays extended their home opener winning streak to eight games with their 8-2 win over South Dakota State. The group has not lost its first home game of the season since a 2001 defeat to Northern Iowa, 5-3. Under head coach Ed Servais the team is 5-0.
Developing a Complex
Last season at the CU Sports Complex, CU was 18-1. The only loss of the season came in the team's last regular season game, against Louisiana-Monroe.
This season the team has already surpassed its loss total at the site, going 9-2 in its first 11 games.
He's a Saturday Guy
Saturdays for shortstop Elliot Soto have produced career-high results. On March 7, against Albany, Soto had a career-high four hits, going 4-6 with three runs scored. On Saturday, March 14 against South Dakota State, he tied his career-high going 4-5 with two runs scored.
Offensive Offense
In the last two outings of its spring trip, Creighton scored a combined two runs, after being shutout 1-0 to Coastal Carolina and losing 6-2 to UNC-Wilmington. It is the lowest output in back-to-back games for the Jays since April 6-7, 2007 against Wichita State when the team lost 2-1 and 7-1.
Career Performance
Greg Hellhake pitched the best game of his career thus far March 14 against South Dakota State. He went a Bluejay career-high seven innings, allowing just two runs on five hits. He struck out two and walked just two.
Career Performance II
Jonas Dufek pitched the best game of his career thus far on March 10 against No. 14 Coastal Carolina. He went a Bluejay season-high 7.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits. He struck out four and walked just two.
All Conference Performance
T.J. Roemmich was named MVC Player of the Week on March 9, for his 9-20 performance during the week of March 2-8. His .450 average was a team-high as well as his three home runs, which all occurred in the last three games of the week.
Stranded
This season the Creighton offense has struggled at times from a lack of run production, but not from a lack of opportunities. On the season the Bluejays have had 671 total base runners compared to their opponents having just 533 total base runners.
Creighton has had 236 of its 671 runners score for a 35.17 %.
Its opponents have had 168 of their 533 runners score for a 31.52 %.
Lucky Day
Dan Blair's lucky day is apparently March 8. Before the game against IPFW, he had not had a hit since March 8, 2008. In the game on March 8, of this year he had his first career double.
Freshmen Fire
Creighton has gotten some help in its bullpen from freshmen Brandon Koenigstein and Otto Roberts. The two have combined to strikeout 28 hitters in 34.0 innings of work.
Eight Ball
Through the team's first eight games, only T.J. Roemmich had a hit in every game. During the streak he went 11-33 (.333), which was good for third on the team.
Can We Do This Annually?
On June, 2, 2007 Creighton beat Albany 21-11 in the teams' inaugural matchup at the NCAA Regional held at Fayetteville, Ark.
On March 7, in the schools' second-ever matchup, CU broke out of an early season slump, scoring 20 runs.
In the two teams' meetings, the Jays own a 41-16 advantage.
Not a Good First Impression
The Bluejays finally broke their six-game losing streak on March 1 against Notre Dame. 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
After not having a big offensive display in almost a year, on March 1 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. Creighton has since had four 17+ hit performances in the last month. (20 vs. Albany on 3/7, 17 vs. South Dakota State on 3/15, 18 vs. North Dakota on 3/24 and 17 vs. Northern Iowa 4/12)
Breaking the Luck of the Irish
The March 1 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.
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 March 1 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.
That's Efficient
March 1 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.
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.
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 February, 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 base runners 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).
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.
Congrats to Coach Smith
Last month 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
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 67. In 2007 he set the NCAA single-season record after being beaned 35 times. He is currently eighth 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
Robbie Knight, Creighton 2007-Pr. 157 67
