Baseball Hosts Seattle For Three Game Set
5/13/2010 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton
Baseball Game Notes
Games #43-45 • Seattle Unviersity (8-34) at
Creighton (22-20)
May 14-16 • 7
p.m. / 2 p.m. / Noon
KOZN 1620 AM
Rosenblatt Stadium (23,100) & CU Sports Complex (1,000) • Omaha, Neb.
The Series
Creighton and Seattle University have never met on the baseball diamond. Mainly because this is just the second year of Division I baseball at Seattle. The Redhawks last fielded a team in 1986 when they were an NAIA affiliated. The athletics programs were restored to NCAA status in 2001, spending one season at Division III before moving to Division II in 2002. Last year marked the first season of Division I competition for the Redhawks
The Coaches
Ed Servais (UW-La Crosse, 1981) is in his seventh season at the helm of the Bluejay baseball program in 2009-10. His .634 winning percentage is the best in school history and he has averaged nearly 40 wins a season during his time as head coach. Servais has taken the Jays to two NCAA Tournaments and has won the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year award three times in his five seasons. His career record stands at 431-226-1, with his Creighton mark standing at 249-144.
Donny Harrel (Cal State Bakersfield, 1995) was hired as the head baseball coach at Seattle University prior to this season. Harrel was an assistant coach at the University of Washington for the last four years and was at Oregon State for a year prior to that. His head coaching experience came at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore, where he compiled a 220-90 record and led the team to the NWAACC championship in 1999. Harrel was named NWAACC Southern Division Coach of the Year four times.
Scouting The Redhawks
Seattle has struggled this season in its first season as since 1986. The Redhawks do have a couple of marquee wins, as they defeated a 31-13 Portland squad and a ranked Oregon team.
The Redhawks' top three arms in Arlo Evasick, Brandon Kizer and Max Whieldon have kept them in games, posting a combined ERA of 4.60 in 29 combined starts. Bryan Dalton also has three saves at the back of the bullpen.
The offensive is where the team has seen most of its struggles, as they are hitting just .239 as a team. Cullen Hendrickson is leading the squad with a .282 average and four home runs.
Last Time Out
Creighton suffered a tough sweep at the hands of Wichita State. Wichita State controlled the first two games, but Creighton held a 7-5 lead heading into the ninth inning of game three. The Shockers rallied for three runs in the frame. The winning run scored on a Bobby Lackovic wild pitch with two outs.
Scott Thornburg had the best series of any Bluejay, going 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs. Carson Vitale homered in Sunday's game and Alex Staehely matched a season-high with three hits on Friday.
Home Sweet Home
With Wednesday's doubleheader at North Dakota State being canceled, the Jays will finish the season on a 17-game homestand. It marks the first time in program history the Jays will have a road stretch and homestand of 15 or more games in the same season. It will be the longest homestand to end a regular season in Creighton history. The next longest homestand to end a regular season was 12 games in 1998, as the Jays posted an 8-4 mark over those games.
Servais Sneaking Up On 250
Ed Servais is nearing win No. 250 in his Creighton career. The seventh-year skipper is just one win away from the milestone win. Here are a few more of Servais' notable victories.
Win Date Opponent Score
1 2/15/04 at Air Force CU 13, AFA 8
50 3/20/05 Northern Colorado CU 13, UNC 3
100 3/31/06 #13 Wichita State CU 2, WSU 1 (11)
150 5/12/07 at Illinois State CU 5, ILS 3
200 3/14/09 South Dakota State CU 8, SDSU 2
Not First or Last
Jimmy Swift batted clean-up for the first time since the 2008 season on May 9 against Wichita State. Swift has batted in every spot in the lineup this season except first and ninth. Swift has had the most success in the seven-hole, hitting .500 with four runs, three extra-base hits and a pair of RBI in four games. Swift has seen the most time in the two-hole, however, where he is hitting .333 (21-for-63) in 16 games.
Nation's Best
For the second straight week, the Creighton Baseball team is at the top of the nation in fielding percentage. The Jays have a .981 mark on the season and are ahead of such schools as Duke, Oklahoma State, Texas and Virginia. The Jays rank near the top in sacrifice bunts too, as they are third in that category with 60, one behind second place Texas and five behind leader West Virginia. Creighton's next highest rank is 21st in walks allowed per nine innings, with 2.9.
Six-Hole Success
Creighton's offense has been buoyed by great production for the sixth spot in the lineup. Six-hole hitters for CU are hitting .327 this season, led by Carson Vitale and Ian Dike who are hitting .481 and .348 respectively. Vitale has eight games in the slot, while Dike has played 13.
And As For The Valley...
The Jays pitching staff has allowed the fewest runs (230) among Valley schools and have also walked the fewest (121) by a wide margin. Carson Vitale and Scott Thornburg have also played a major role in the fine CU defense from behind the dish. Teams have run the least on CU catching, as they have allowed the fewest stolen bases among Valley schools.
Three Or Less Is Best
The magic number for Creighton pitchers this season has been three. The Jays are 9-0 when they allow three runs or less and 11-1 when the opponent scores four or less. The Jays haven't finished a season undefeated when allowing fewer than three runs in a game since 2000.
