Baseball Begins MVC Tourney Wednesday Against Southern Illinois
5/19/2009 5:45:00 PM | Baseball
Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton is looking to get back in the win column after dropping each of its last six...Nick Becker has been the team's hottest hitter of late going 19-46 (.413), with four doubles and a home run to go along with eight RBI...His home run on May 8 against Missouri State was the first of his CU career...Second-team All-MVC selection Robbie Knight leads the team with a .3476 average, and a .456 on-base percentage...Fellow second-teamer Darin Ruf leads the team in RBI with 48 and is currently fourth on the all-time NCAA putout list with 2,205...Honorable mention All-MVC rightfieler T.J. Roemmich has been the team's biggest power source, as he owns the team-lead with nine home runs and owns a Bluejay-best .548 slugging percentage...As a team the Jays are fielding at a .983 clip, second in the NCAA.
Scouting the Salukis
Southern Illinois comes into the first-round matchup of the MVC Tournament with a lot of confidence, having swept Evansville on the road last weekend and winning five of its last six overall...The team is led by first baseman Chris Serritella and catcher Mark Kelly, both named to the All-MVC team...Kelly is hiting .330 while Serritella is leading the club at a .336 clip...The team's lone first-team All-MVC pick was DH Tyler Bullock, who had a Saluki-high 10 home runs and a .585 slugging percentage...SIU's toppitcher has been Jimmy Cornell, who has a 2.83 ERA in 63.2 innings...Hitters are batting at just a .205 mark against him and he has struck out 63 men in his 63.2 innings of work...Out of the bullpen Bryant George was a first-team All-MVC pick owning a team-high seven saves despite hitters having success at a .308 clip against him.
Series History Against SIU
Creighton has had success of late in the series with Southern Illinois, going 8-2 in the last 10 contests. Known more for the two schools' basketball rivalry, the baseball teams have had close games recently, as five of the last six contests have all been decided by one run. In those three games, CU is 3-2, including two 4-3 victories over SIU in Omaha this year.
Overall Southern Illinois owns a 57-51 all-time series advantage, after Creighton swept the Salukis 3-0 in Omaha March 28-29 this season.
Getting Off to a Good Start
Under head coach Ed Servais, Creighton has had great success in the first game of the MVC Tournament, going 5-0. That span includes a win over Southern Illinois in 2007, the last year the Bluejays won the MVC Tournament Championship.
CU is the first team to open with a win in five straight tournaments since Wichita State's 10 straight from 1980-89.
Good Choice
Jeremy Hauer is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in two previous starts against SIU. In 2008 he threw 7.2 shutout innings to earn the victory. This season, he threw 7.2 innings but did not receive a decision despite leaving with a 2-1 eighth-inning lead, and striking out a career-high nine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Struggling
CU is currently on a six-game losing streak to close the regular season. That streak is its longest since 2001 under then-head coach Jack Dahm, when the team dropped its last nine games to end the season. That year the Jays finished 21-31. This year the team finished 28-24 to close the regular season.
Playing the Odds
The last two odd numbered years, 2005 & 2007, Creighton has had success in the postseason. In 2005, the team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, after winning the regular season championship and playing in the MVC Tournament Championship game against Wichita State. In 2007 the team won the MVC tournament to receive the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Needing to Reverse Fortune
As the No. 4 seed in the MVC Tournament, Creighton will have a tough road in front of them. The team will face Southern Illinois, Wichita State and Missouri State the first three days of the tournament. All-time in the MVC Tournament the Bluejays have struggled against those three teams, going just 11-28-1 combined against them. This year in the regular season, the Jays were 3-6 against the teams, with all three series resulting in sweeps.
Bad Time for First
From May 8-10, the Bluejays were swept at home by Missouri State. It marked the first sweep at home for the Jays under Ed Servais, as the team hadn't been swept in Omaha since May 18-20, 2003 against Northern Iowa, under then head coach Jack Dahm. The last time Missouri State swept Creighton, was a four-game set from May 5-6, 2001, also in Omaha.
Series Openers
Coming into May 8 against Missouri State, Creighton had won 13 straight MVC series openers. That streak was snapped, as the Jays lost 6-5.
Comeback Kids
The Bluejays were able to overcome a 6-0 deficit against Illinois State after just three innings on May 3, coming back to win 10-6. It was the first time the team has come back from six runs down since March 22, 2002, when the team also won against Illinois State.
Dominating the Valley
Through its first 17 conference games Creighton was 14-3, good for first place in the MVC. The record was its best record through the first 17 games, surpassing the previous best of 13-4 in 2007, 2005, 1995, 1992, and 1991. In all but one of those years (1995), CU went on to play in the NCAA Regionals, including a CWS berth in 1991.
Mr. Reliable
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 eight earned runs in 37.1 innings, good for a 1.93 ERA. He has struck out 26 and walked 12, while allowing just 27 hits, as hitters have hit just .208 against him during the span.
During the streak, spanning 27 apperances VanLeur is 3-2 with five saves.
Going the Distance
Jonas Dufek threw the best game by any Creighton pitcher in the last six years on April 25 against Bradley. He threw a complete-game three-hit shutout, for the second time this season after previously doing it against Southern Illinois on March 29.
His shutout against Bradley was the first nine-inning version by a Bluejay since Steve Grasley did it against Bradley on May 17, 2003. It was also the first nine inning complete game by a CU pitcher since Grasley went the distance against Wichita State on May 7, 2004.
"K" King
On April 25, Dufek struck out seven, and has developed a propensity for getting striekouts of late. On April 5 against Evansville, he fanned 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 12 appearances, spanning nine starts, he has an ERA of 3.02 in 59.2 innings, going 4-4 during that time, striking out 42 and walking 16.
Don't Run on Him
T.J. Roemmich has shown opposing baserunners it is not wise to try to go for an extra base when the ball is hit to right field. He has four outfield assists in Creighton's last eight games, and eight outfield assists on the season.
Five of the men Roemmich has gunned down were thrown out at home plate By comparison, the rest of the team combined has two outfield assists (Knight 1, Becker 1).
Picking up 400
Ed Servais picked up the 400th victory of his career April 24 with a 7-2 win over Bradley. He now is 406-205-1 in 15 seasons, during his time at St. Mary's and Creighton.
7th Heaven
The lucky frame for the Bluejays this year has been the seventh. In that innings Creighton has outscored its opponents 55-15. That is the most runs scored in any inning by the Jays, and the fewest runs allowed in any frame.
NCAA Leader?
First baseman Darin Ruf is one of eight players in NCAA history to record 2,000 or more career putouts, ranking fifth with 2,205. Ruf owns a .996 career fielding percentage in 2,307 career chances, making only eight errors in the last four years.
Ruf has averaged 10.94 putouts per game in 2009. At that rate, he would need to play in eight 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 St. 2001-04 258 2,289
Jeff Ontiveros, Texas 1997-00 258 2,263
Tom Guardino, Stanford 1975-78 246 2,220
Darin Ruf, Creighton 2006-Pr. 220 2,205
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 is tied for first in the NCAA in fielding.
Below are the leaders in fielding this season:
Team Fielding Pct.
1. CREIGHTON - .983
1. Pepperdine - .983
3. Texas - .981
4. Western Kentucky - .980
4. Duke - .978
Change of Style
Prior to the April 17 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 streak was 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.
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.
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. The run allowed on April 12 marked the first run allowed by Hellhake in 15.1 innings. The streak saw his ERA dip from 5.96 to 3.92.
Knight in Shining Armor
Prior to the April 14 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 21-10 when Knight scores a run, but 7-14 when Knight doesn't cross the plate.
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.
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.
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 3-6 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.
Leading the Way
The Creighton bullpen has gotten alot of work this 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 34 is tied for the most in the NCAA, while Lackovic's 32 appearances ranks sixth according to boydsworld.com.
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 106-26 (48-9 in MVC play) when scoring in the first inning, and 162-41 (73-18 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 2-14 when allowing six+.
Prior to April 14, 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 52 games played this year, the team leading after six is 41-4. In seven ties so far this year after the two-thirds mark, CU is 2-5.
Creighton blew its first lead of the year, when leading after eight innings March 25 against North Dakota. The Jays are now 24-2 in those situations.
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.
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.
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 224-120.
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.
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.
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 878 total base runners compared to their opponents having just total base runners.
Creighton has had 314 of its 878 runners score for a 35.76 %.
Its opponents have had 230 of their 720 runners score for a 31.94 %.
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 two months. (20 vs. Albany on 3/7, 17 vs. South Dakota State on 3/15, 18 vs. North Dakota on 3/24, 17 vs. Northern Iowa 4/12 and 19 vs. Iowa on 4/29)
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.
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 70. In 2007 he set the NCAA single-season record after being beaned 35 times. He is currently seventh 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
Robbie Knight, Creighton 2007-Pr. 170 70
