Baseball Goes For Second MVC Tourney Title Saturday Against Wichita State
5/23/2009 1:45:00 AM | Baseball
Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton comes off the heels of a dramatic 7-6 victory in 10 innings over the No. 1 seed Missouri State on Friday to earn a spot in the MVC Championship...CU is 3-0 through the first three days, thanks in large part to Brandon Koenigstein who threw the first complete-game no-hitter in Blueay history on Wednesday in the 11-0 rout of Wichita State....Offensively, the Jays bats have been red hot the last two days, collecting a combined 29 hits against the Shockers and Bears...Second-team All-MVC outfielder Robbie Knight had the key hit on Friday, lacing a line drive over the second baseman, to plate the winning two runs in the 10th..Nick Becker has been the team's hottest hitter of late going 23-58 (.397), with four doubles and a home run to go along with nine RBI...His home run on May 8 against Missouri State was the first of his CU career.
Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State is looking to exact revenge on the Bluejays after being no-hit by CU on Thursday night as part of a 11-0, seven-inning loss..The Shockers rebounded nicely, blanking Illinois State 4-0 on Friday night...Starter Jordan Cooper threw eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits, striking out nine and walking two...Offensively, Ryan Engrav led the way for WSU to earn a spot in the championship game, going 3-4 with a run scored and two RBI...The Shockers will run out Charlie Lowell for the start...last Saturday in the first game of the doubleheader against the Shockers, Lowell got the start, allowing six hits and four walks...He only gave up one unearned run, but had to labor, throwing 115 pitches in 5.0 innings...For the season Lowell is 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 60.2 innings of work.
Title Game on TV
The Missouri Valley Conference will televise the title game from the 2009 State Farm MVC Baseball Championship on Saturday, May 23, on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox College Sports, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Metro Sports.
The telecast will be preceded by the Mercy Health Plans Pre-Game Show at 6:30 p.m. Central, with Mitch Holthus and Kirk Champion serving as co-hosts. The pre-game show will air live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox College Sports and Metro Sports. Metro Sports will televise the pre-game show and title contest digitally via satellite.
What: State Farm MVC Baseball Championship Title Game
When: Saturday, May 23 ? 7 p.m. Central
Where: Eck Stadium-Tyler Field (7,851 Capacity) ? Wichita, Kansas
Mercy Health Plans Pre-Game Show: 6:30 p.m. Central
On Air: 7 p.m. Central
First Pitch: 7:07 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17, Transponder 13 ? Digital Slot C
Band: Digital KU
Bandwidth: 9 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC ?
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 11964.500 (Horizontal)
On-Air Talent: Mitch Holthus, Kirk Champion
TV Ratings
Creighton is 2-1 on television this season, with all three games airing on Nebraska Educational Television (NET) as well as CBS College Sports. The Jays defeated Kansas State 5-1 on April 1st, won at Nebraska 15-0 on April 7th, and lost t Kansas 7-6 in 10 innings on April 14th.
Series History Against Wichita State
Saturday's championship matchup against the Shockers will be the 147th meeting between the two squads. Wichita State has dominated the series thus far, owning a 104-42-1 all-time advantage, including a 3-1 advantage this season.
Wichita State is one of only two active teams in the MVC that Creighton has an all-time losing record against (42-104-1). The Jays are 52-57 against Southern Illinois after defeating the Salukis on Wednesday in the first game of the MVC Tournament.
Getting Used to Lefties
Saturday will mark the third straight left hander the Bluejays have faced. Against Southpaws this year, the Bluejays are 8-6.
MVC Title History
Creighton is 1-7 all time in the MVC title game, winning its first championship in 2007. Its first finals appearance in 1988 ended in a 3-3 tie against Wichita State after the game was called due to rain. The Shockers received the automatic NCAA Tournament bid, for winning the regular season title.
In MVC finals, the Jays are 1-4 against WSU, winning the most recent meeting in 2007.
In the championship game against the Shockers on May 26, 2007, Knight went 2-6 with two runs scored, including a double. Darin Ruf went 2-5 that day with a run scored and an RBI. T.J. Roemmich also appeared in that game as a pinch hitter, going 0-1.
For the Shockers in that game, Max Hutson, who got the loss on Thursday night, started giving up two runs on four hits in 2.2 innings. Other active Shockers who played in the game two years ago are Ryan Jones who went 0-3, Bret Bascue who came in as a defensive replacement and Cody Lassley who scored a run after coming in as a pinch runner.
Having Their Number
Robbie Knight has had the Shockers number of late. He is 6-14 (.429) with three doubles against WSU this season. For his career he is 13-42 (.310) with six doubles and nine RBI.
Brand New Season
In the postseason this year Jimmy Swift has been the Jays best hitter going 6-10 with five runs scored. It represents a dramatic turnaround for him after finishing the regular season going 9-52 (.173) in his last 15 games.
Preserving the Bullpen
Due to Brandon Koenigstein and Jeremy Hauer each throwing complete games to open the MVC Tournament, it took 22.2 innings before the Jays went to their bullpen, relieving Jonas Dufek after 6.2 innings Friday.
Show ?Em How It's Done
In the first three games of the MVC Tournament thus far, Bluejay pitching has drastically outperformed the opposition, having just a 2.42 ERA compared to its opponents mark of 7.56. Creighton has allowed just 18 hits through 26.0 innings, compared to its opponents surrendering 36 hits in 25.0 innings of work. That equates to a .207 average against for the Bluejay pitching staff compared to a .346 average for the opponents' staff.
All About Hellhake
Sophomore Greg Hellhake (HELL-ick) will be making his 15th appearance and start of the year on Saturday. The sophomore from Quincy, Ill., is 5-3 with a 4.86 ERA for the Jays this season, with Creighton winning 10 of his 14 starts to date.
Hellhake's shortest league start of the season came last Saturday when Wichita State tagged him for a season-high-tying seven hits in just 1.1 innings, and he allowed four runs in the eventual 11-1 loss.
Last year as a redshirt freshman Hellhake was 3-2 with a 4.31 ERA in 12 appearances, including nine starts. Among his top performances last year included..
? Six shutout innings of one-hit ball vs. North Dakota State in a 1-0 Bluejay win (April 9).
? Five shutout innings at #10 Nebraska (April 22) before 5,946 fans.
? Three shutout innings at Evansville (April 27).
? Five innings of one-run baseball at #14 Missouri (May 6th).
? Threw 4.1 innings against Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium (May 13), a game played before 14,650 fans.
? Started and threw 4.0 innings of three-run ball against Southern Illinois in a MVC Tournament elimination game (May 23).
Sixth Inning Magic
Creighton has outscored opponents 29-1 in the sixth inning of its last four trips to the MVC Tournament, including 10-0 in 2008 and 10-0 this year.
Creighton is 25-0 when leading after six innings this year, and 88-2 in the past three seasons when leading after six frames. Under Ed Servais, CU is 181-8 overall when leading after six innings.
Defense Rules
Creighton has played 10 straight errorless games at Wichita State's Eck Stadium, successfully handling 365 straight chances since an error in a 2007 game.
Creighton's fielding percentage of .984 not only leads the country this season, but is the best in the NCAA's aluminum bat era dating back to the mid-70's. Below is a look at the top fielding percentages in NCAA history. To pass the 1971 West Virginia team that owns the record, Creighton would need approximately 135 flawless chances.
FLD PCT. Team Year
.984802 West Virginia 1971
.983908 Creighton 2009
.982888 Oklahoma 2006
.981647 Creighton 2004
Cafaro The Magician
Vicente Cafaro has played 43 games since his last error against MVC competition, a streak that includes 231 flawless chances. That includes 147 chances this season against league competition.
Pen Pals
In its 31 wins, Creighton's bullpen is 17-0 with a 1.54 ERA, while the opponents bullpen's are 0-10 with a 8.97 ERA.
In its 24 losses, Creighton's bullpen is 0-7 with a 6.10 ERA, while the opponents bullpen's are 9-0 with a 2.54 ERA.
Jack Be Nimble
Jack VanLeur has allowed just six of 30 inherited runners to score this season. As a team, CU's bullpen has allowed just 41-of-121 (33.9 percent) inherited runners to score.
VanLeur came in the bottom of the 10th yesterday, tying him for second-nationally with his 35th appearance of 2009. Those 35 appearances are also fifth-most in MVC single-season history.
Tournament History Under Servais
Creighton is 15-9 in the MVC Tournament under head coach Ed Servais , now in his sixth tournament. Today is Servais' third title game appearance (won in 2007, lost in 2005).
Extra, Extra
Creighton improved to 4-1 all-time in MVC Tournament games to go extra innings with Friday's 7-6, 10-inning victory over Missouri State. CU's last prior extra-inning affair at the league tournament was its 2007 title game win, a 10-9 victory in 12 innings over Wichita State.
Venditte Update
Creighton's last MVC title game appearance featured the first career start for CU's All-American ambidextrous sensation Pat Venditte. Venditte, normally the team's set-up man, struck out 10 men in 6.1 innings of work before leaving with a 6-1 lead.
Venditte entered the professional ranks last summer after being selected in the 20th round of the MLB draft by the New York Yankees. Last summer while pitching for the Staten Island Yankees (short-season A) he was 1-0 with a 0.83 ERA, converting each of his 23 save opportunities en route to being named Minor League Baseball's Short Season Reliever of the Year.
This season, while moving up to Charleston in the South Atlantic League (class A), Venditte is 2-1 with 11 saves and a 1.00 ERA in 16 appearances. He owns a splendid 27/1 strikeout/walk ratio in 18 innings of work to date and was recently featured in a Rick Reilly article on ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.
Servais Secret?
Ed Servais owns a 227-123 record in his sixth year at Creighton. The only other coach all-time with more coaching wins in their first six seasons in the MVC is WSU skipper Gene Stephenson, who recorded a whopping 345 wins in his first six years with the Shockers.
Creighton head coach Ed Servais is 13-13 (.500) in his career as a head coach against Wichita State., quite impressive when you consider that WSU is 263-113 (.699) against all other schools nationally in that span.
How'd They Do?
Creighton hit 6-for-17 (.353) against WSU's expected starter, Charlie Lowell. Below is a breakdown of each batter against Lowell:
-Vicente Cafaro, 2-2, two doubles and a walk
-Carson Vitale, 1-1 with a walk
-Jimmy Swift, 1-1 with a walk
-Robbie Knight, 1-2 with a walk
-Nick Becker, 1-2 with a strikeout
-T.J. Roemmich, 0-3 with a strikeout
-Darin Ruf, 0-3 with two strikeouts
-Elliot Soto, 0-2 with a strikeout
-Scott Thornburg, 0-1 with a hit-by-pitch
Been A Long Week
Creighton came to Wichita last Wednesday and has spent the better part of 10 days in town. CU was swept in a three-game series last Thursday & Saturday (DH) to close the regular-season on a six-game losing streak.
To help get their mind off the game, CU coaches organized a 24-hour trip to Oklahoma City, where the team took in a Oklahoma City Redhawks game (triple A affiliate of the Rangers). Former Bluejay standout Scott Servais, head coach Ed Servais' nephew, is the Director of Player Development for the Rangers organization currently.
All-Tournament History
Darin Ruf (1B) and Zak Moore (P) are the only Bluejays on the 2009 roster who have previously been named to the MVC's All-Tournament Team, with both men earning such plaudits in 2007. Moore is currently injured and will not play on Saturday.
No-Hit History
Thursday's no-hitter against Wichita State by Brandon Koenigstein was a performance for the ages. Below are some of the accomplishments that were achieved that night:
? First complete game no hitter in Creighton history.
? First complete game no hitter in MVC Tournament history.
? First no hitter Wichita State had suffered since April 15, 1984.
? Koenigstein only threw 73 pitches in the no-hitter against the Shockers.
Other notable accomplishments that happened not related to the no-hitter:
? Largest win (11-0) against Wichita State by the Bluejays since a 16-0 victory on April 27, 2003.
? First back-to-back complete games for CU since March 26-27, 2004 at Missouri State, when Steve Grasley threw all 10 innings of a 2-0 win on the 26th before Jeff Daneff threw all six innings of a 5-0, seven-inning loss on the 27th.
Saving the Best for Last?
In what could prove to be the final start of his career, Jeremy Hauer had arguably his best during his two years at CU. Hauer went the distance on Wednesday against SIU, throwing a career-high 9.0 innings, allowing just one run on five hits. It was the first complete game of any length for the southpaw senior.
Dominating the Dawgs
The season sweep of Southern Illinois 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 also managed a four-game sweep.
The last four-game sweep over any team was in 2007, when the Jays won all five of their games against Bradley.
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.
NCAA Leader?
First baseman Darin Ruf is one of eight players in NCAA history to record 2,000 or more career putouts, ranking third with 2,238. Ruf owns a .996 career fielding percentage in 2,342 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 five 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
Darin Ruf, Creighton 2006-Pr. 221 2,238
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.
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 14-28-1 combined against them. This year in the regular season, the Jays were 3-6 against the teams, with all three series resulting in sweeps.
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 38.1 innings, good for a 1.88 ERA. He has struck out 27 and walked 12, while allowing just 29 hits, as hitters have hit just .215 against him during the span.
During the streak, spanning 28 apperances VanLeur is 3-2 with six saves.
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 409-205-1 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 55-16. That is the most runs scored in any inning by the Jays, and the fewest runs allowed in any frame.
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 Runner
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 23-10 when Knight scores a run, but 8-14 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 35 is tied for the second most in the NCAA, while Lackovic's 33 appearances ranks fifth 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 107-26 (48-9 in MVC play) when scoring in the first inning, and 163-41 (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.
Let's Play Six
This season, the outcome of the game has been decided for the most part after six innings. In 55 games played this year, the team leading after six is 44-4. In seven ties so far this year after the two-thirds mark, CU is 2-5.
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 227-120.
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.
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 934 total base runners compared to their opponents having just 746 total base runners.
Creighton has had 337 of its 934 runners score for a 36.08 %.
Its opponents have had 237 of their 746 runners score for a 31.77 %.
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.
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 72. 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. 173 72
