Baseball Plays First MVC Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this Weekend
4/21/2011 6:00:00 PM | Baseball
# 28 Creighton (26-8, 5-1)
vs. Southern Illinois (13-23, 4-2) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
April 22 @ 6:30 pm • April 23 @ 2:00 pm • April 24 @ 1:00 pm
NET-HD • KOZN 1620 AM Radio
vs. Southern Illinois (13-23, 4-2) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
April 22 @ 6:30 pm • April 23 @ 2:00 pm • April 24 @ 1:00 pm
NET-HD • KOZN 1620 AM Radio
ERA W-L App GS SV IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Fri. - Ty Blach, LHP 2.18 6-0 10 10 0 53.2 45 14 13 16 44
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.31 6-0 10 8 0 58.1 40 17 15 18 66
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 3.86 3-1 9 9 0 37.1 31 16 16 14 18
Southern Illinois
Fri. - Cameron Maldonado, RHP 6.23 3-5 9 9 0 43.1 60 36 30 19 41
Sat. - Cody Forsythe, LHP 2.31 4-3 9 9 0 62.1 64 22 16 7 40
Sun. - Brad Drust, LHP 3.56 1-2 9 5 0 30.1 35 19 12 11 20
Creighton
Fri. - Ty Blach, LHP 2.18 6-0 10 10 0 53.2 45 14 13 16 44
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.31 6-0 10 8 0 58.1 40 17 15 18 66
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 3.86 3-1 9 9 0 37.1 31 16 16 14 18
Southern Illinois
Fri. - Cameron Maldonado, RHP 6.23 3-5 9 9 0 43.1 60 36 30 19 41
Sat. - Cody Forsythe, LHP 2.31 4-3 9 9 0 62.1 64 22 16 7 40
Sun. - Brad Drust, LHP 3.56 1-2 9 5 0 30.1 35 19 12 11 20
The weekend series with the SIU Salukis will be available to Bluejay fans through live stats at www.gocreighton.com and on 1620 AM, with John Bishop, David Gustafson and Jake Ryan calling throughout the weekend. NET-HD will televise the 2:00 start on Saturday, with Bishop and Kevin Kugler broadcasting live from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. NET will also offer a free video webcast available on their website, found by clicking the link at www.gocreighton.com.
Follow the Jays
Follow the Jays all week through live stats at www.gocreighton.com. Click on the link on the right side of the front page to follow all the action of Creighton baseball vs. Southern Illinois this weekend. The games will also be broadcast on KOZN 1620 AM. A link for that is on the baseball schedule page on www.gocreighton.com also. Make sure to check in after the game for statistics on your favorite Jays. You can also follow the Jays via Twitter at gocreighton or on Facebook at Official Creighton Athletics Page.
Follow the Jays all week through live stats at www.gocreighton.com. Click on the link on the right side of the front page to follow all the action of Creighton baseball vs. Southern Illinois this weekend. The games will also be broadcast on KOZN 1620 AM. A link for that is on the baseball schedule page on www.gocreighton.com also. Make sure to check in after the game for statistics on your favorite Jays. You can also follow the Jays via Twitter at gocreighton or on Facebook at Official Creighton Athletics Page.
The Series
Creighton and Southern Illinois have met on the baseball diamond 112 times, with the initial meeting a 9-2 Salukis win in 1979. SIU holds a 58-54 all time lead over the Jays, including a 34-20 advantage when in Carbondale. The Jays have had the edge in the last eight seasons under Ed Servais, however, as they are 15-11, including an impressive 7-2 mark when playing in Omaha.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (277-156) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just six wins to move into second in Creighton history in wins by a head coach, as Jack Dahm (283) and Jim Hendry (289) sit in front of him. He has taken the Jays to two NCAA Tournaments and has won the MVC Coach of the Year award three times in his seven seasons.
Servais' teams pride themselves on defense, as they again ranked among the top teams in the Nation in defensive fielding percentage last season, boasting a .980 percentage as a team, good for second in the nation. Servais has coached three Gold Gloves in his time at Creighton.
Servais started his coaching career as an assistant at St. Mary's and then was the first head coach at Viterbo, starting up the program and leading them to a 23-6 record in the first year. He then moved back to St. Mary's as the head coach, went to Iowa State as an assistant and landed at Creighton as an assistant from 1998-2003 before being named head coach in 2004. Servais is assisted by Rob Smith, Craig Moore and Brandon Tormoehlen.
Ken Henderson (Interim - Southern Illinois) - Ken Henderson, a veteran Division I baseball coach of over 27 years and loyal member of the Saluki coaching staff, takes over as Southern Illinois' interim head coach for the 2011 season. It will be his 21st season at SIU. He came to Southern Illinois in the fall of 1990 as an assistant coach and held the title of associate head coach from 1993-2010. This will be Henderson's second term serving as interim head coach, and his first stint was a successful one. In 1994, he took over the Saluki program on an interim basis midway through the year and led SIU to a 12-8 record under his direction. Henderson guided Southern to a winning season after the club started the year off winning just 15 of its first 33 games. In his 26 years coaching at the Division I level, which included three-year stints at Kansas State (1984-86) and Oral Roberts (1987-89), Henderson has helped guide his teams to a 744-711-2 record. He is assisted by P.J. Finigan and Ryan Strain.
Looking Back
The Jays took two of three from the Salukis last season, winning Friday night's battle 4-2, edging the Salukis 2-1 on Saturday before dropping a 5-4, 11-inning game on Sunday. Creighton picked up 26 hits in the two outings, eight doubles but no home runs, and struck out 19 times. In another uncharacteristic game for the Jays, Creighton made three errors in the final game proved the difference maker, allowing the Salukis to stay in the game and eventually get the win on a bloop pop fly in the 11th that landed between Bluejay outfielders.
Record Setters
Creighton and SIU will be the first weekend series to play at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Jays dropped the opener 2-1 to Nebraska, but will be looking to rebound with the first Valley series this weekend.
Familiar Foes
The two teams have met up 14 times in post season play, with the Salukis holding the 10-4 advantage. In the last eight years, the teams are split 2-2 in post season wins. Creighton and SIU met in the Valley tournament three years in a row, from 2007-2009, with the Jays winning on the odd years and the Salukis picking up the 2008 win.
Fast Facts
Creighton is 17-3 this season when allowing five runs or less. The Bluejays have given up more than five runs to the Salukis just six times, with the last being 5/23/08, a 6-5 SIU win. In those six games, the Jays are 1-5.
Creighton is 17-0 this season when owning more hits than the opposition
Janitor's Closet
Creighton will look to pick up just their second series sweep of the Salukis in the last eight years. The Jays swept SIU in 2009, including winning the post season battle between the two teams. In the other series at home, the Jays lost the third game in 2005 and the opener in 2007.
The Land of Lincoln
Out of the players on both the Creighton travel roster and the 35-man roster, the Jays have seven players from Illinois, tied for the most from a single state on the team (the other being Nebraska), On the contrary, there are no Nebraska natives on the SIU roster this season.
Creighton and Southern Illinois have met on the baseball diamond 112 times, with the initial meeting a 9-2 Salukis win in 1979. SIU holds a 58-54 all time lead over the Jays, including a 34-20 advantage when in Carbondale. The Jays have had the edge in the last eight seasons under Ed Servais, however, as they are 15-11, including an impressive 7-2 mark when playing in Omaha.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (277-156) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just six wins to move into second in Creighton history in wins by a head coach, as Jack Dahm (283) and Jim Hendry (289) sit in front of him. He has taken the Jays to two NCAA Tournaments and has won the MVC Coach of the Year award three times in his seven seasons.
Servais' teams pride themselves on defense, as they again ranked among the top teams in the Nation in defensive fielding percentage last season, boasting a .980 percentage as a team, good for second in the nation. Servais has coached three Gold Gloves in his time at Creighton.
Servais started his coaching career as an assistant at St. Mary's and then was the first head coach at Viterbo, starting up the program and leading them to a 23-6 record in the first year. He then moved back to St. Mary's as the head coach, went to Iowa State as an assistant and landed at Creighton as an assistant from 1998-2003 before being named head coach in 2004. Servais is assisted by Rob Smith, Craig Moore and Brandon Tormoehlen.
Ken Henderson (Interim - Southern Illinois) - Ken Henderson, a veteran Division I baseball coach of over 27 years and loyal member of the Saluki coaching staff, takes over as Southern Illinois' interim head coach for the 2011 season. It will be his 21st season at SIU. He came to Southern Illinois in the fall of 1990 as an assistant coach and held the title of associate head coach from 1993-2010. This will be Henderson's second term serving as interim head coach, and his first stint was a successful one. In 1994, he took over the Saluki program on an interim basis midway through the year and led SIU to a 12-8 record under his direction. Henderson guided Southern to a winning season after the club started the year off winning just 15 of its first 33 games. In his 26 years coaching at the Division I level, which included three-year stints at Kansas State (1984-86) and Oral Roberts (1987-89), Henderson has helped guide his teams to a 744-711-2 record. He is assisted by P.J. Finigan and Ryan Strain.
Looking Back
The Jays took two of three from the Salukis last season, winning Friday night's battle 4-2, edging the Salukis 2-1 on Saturday before dropping a 5-4, 11-inning game on Sunday. Creighton picked up 26 hits in the two outings, eight doubles but no home runs, and struck out 19 times. In another uncharacteristic game for the Jays, Creighton made three errors in the final game proved the difference maker, allowing the Salukis to stay in the game and eventually get the win on a bloop pop fly in the 11th that landed between Bluejay outfielders.
Record Setters
Creighton and SIU will be the first weekend series to play at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Jays dropped the opener 2-1 to Nebraska, but will be looking to rebound with the first Valley series this weekend.
Familiar Foes
The two teams have met up 14 times in post season play, with the Salukis holding the 10-4 advantage. In the last eight years, the teams are split 2-2 in post season wins. Creighton and SIU met in the Valley tournament three years in a row, from 2007-2009, with the Jays winning on the odd years and the Salukis picking up the 2008 win.
Fast Facts
Creighton is 17-3 this season when allowing five runs or less. The Bluejays have given up more than five runs to the Salukis just six times, with the last being 5/23/08, a 6-5 SIU win. In those six games, the Jays are 1-5.
Creighton is 17-0 this season when owning more hits than the opposition
Janitor's Closet
Creighton will look to pick up just their second series sweep of the Salukis in the last eight years. The Jays swept SIU in 2009, including winning the post season battle between the two teams. In the other series at home, the Jays lost the third game in 2005 and the opener in 2007.
The Land of Lincoln
Out of the players on both the Creighton travel roster and the 35-man roster, the Jays have seven players from Illinois, tied for the most from a single state on the team (the other being Nebraska), On the contrary, there are no Nebraska natives on the SIU roster this season.
Last Time Out
Creighton played its first game in the new home of Bluejay baseball, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on Tuesday, April 19 in front of a Creighton record 21,197 fans. It was the largest crowd this season to take in a college baseball game, besting the previous best this season by 9,121 (Florida @ LSU).
Creighton 1, Nebraska 2 - The Bluejays put up the first run of the ball game and in the new park, but then would give up two unearned runs on an uncharacteristic three error night, giving the 2-1 win to the Huskers. The Jays scored in the second inning when Trever Adams singled, moved to second on a balk, and came home on Mike Gerber's single up the middle. The Huskers answered with a run in the top of the third inning, using one out double and a Bluejay error to push across their first run. After scoreless baseball for three innings, the Huskers took the lead in the sixth, using a Mark Winkelman throwing error to load the bases before the winning run scored on a ground out double play. Logan Ehlers was near perfect on the mound for the Huskers, allowing just two hits and striking out five in his 5.1 innings. No strike out was bigger than the bases loaded K to Trever Adams to end a Bluejay scoring threat in the bottom of the eighth.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the MVC this season, returning 20 players and just four starters from the team that went 27-25 last season. So far in the 2011 season, the Bluejays sit atop the MVC, with a 26-8 overall record and 5-1 mark in the MVC. Creighton is being led offensively early this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.400), home runs (10), RBI (44) and triples (4). Adams has two game winning hits this season, blasting a two run home run against North Dakota State and a walk-off single up the middle in the 4-3 win over Portland. He also picked up the first Bluejay hit and scored the first run in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history. Staehely is still swinging a hot bat, second on the team with a .323 batting average and a team high 16 doubles. Jimmy Swift leads the team in hit by pitch with nine on the season and is second in assists with 103. Overall, the team is hitting .275 with 198 runs on 305 hits and 62 doubles. The Jays have had solid pitching performances on the mound already this season. Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have already set career strikeout records, with 13 and six, respectively while Ty Blach fanned a career high of eight against South Dakota State University (3/11/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a .224 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 28.0 innings pitched. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.32 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.37 ERA and is holding opponents to a .240 batting average against.
Creighton played its first game in the new home of Bluejay baseball, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on Tuesday, April 19 in front of a Creighton record 21,197 fans. It was the largest crowd this season to take in a college baseball game, besting the previous best this season by 9,121 (Florida @ LSU).
Creighton 1, Nebraska 2 - The Bluejays put up the first run of the ball game and in the new park, but then would give up two unearned runs on an uncharacteristic three error night, giving the 2-1 win to the Huskers. The Jays scored in the second inning when Trever Adams singled, moved to second on a balk, and came home on Mike Gerber's single up the middle. The Huskers answered with a run in the top of the third inning, using one out double and a Bluejay error to push across their first run. After scoreless baseball for three innings, the Huskers took the lead in the sixth, using a Mark Winkelman throwing error to load the bases before the winning run scored on a ground out double play. Logan Ehlers was near perfect on the mound for the Huskers, allowing just two hits and striking out five in his 5.1 innings. No strike out was bigger than the bases loaded K to Trever Adams to end a Bluejay scoring threat in the bottom of the eighth.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the MVC this season, returning 20 players and just four starters from the team that went 27-25 last season. So far in the 2011 season, the Bluejays sit atop the MVC, with a 26-8 overall record and 5-1 mark in the MVC. Creighton is being led offensively early this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.400), home runs (10), RBI (44) and triples (4). Adams has two game winning hits this season, blasting a two run home run against North Dakota State and a walk-off single up the middle in the 4-3 win over Portland. He also picked up the first Bluejay hit and scored the first run in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history. Staehely is still swinging a hot bat, second on the team with a .323 batting average and a team high 16 doubles. Jimmy Swift leads the team in hit by pitch with nine on the season and is second in assists with 103. Overall, the team is hitting .275 with 198 runs on 305 hits and 62 doubles. The Jays have had solid pitching performances on the mound already this season. Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have already set career strikeout records, with 13 and six, respectively while Ty Blach fanned a career high of eight against South Dakota State University (3/11/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a .224 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 28.0 innings pitched. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.32 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.37 ERA and is holding opponents to a .240 batting average against.
Scouting the Salukis
The Salukis are coming off a 5-3 loss at home against Illinois, but have won their last four games on the road. SIU, 13-23, 4-2, is led on the season by Wes Neece, who enters the weekend series with a nine-game hit streak (the second best this season, as Brock Harding had a 12-game streak snapped April 6). Neece is hitting .336 with 44 hits and a .450 slugging percentage. Leading the team in hits is Chris Murphy, a senior outfielder with 48 hits, including a team leading eight home runs. Murphy has also driven in 40 runs on the season. On the mound the Salukis are led by Cody Forsythe who has a 4-3 record, 2-0 in Valley play, and a 2.31 era in his nine starts. Tyler Dray (1.27 era) leads the team in appearances with 15, pitching 21.1. innings and giving up just three earned runs. He is holding opponents to a .197 batting average against. Defensive errors have hurt the Salukis, as they have 58 errors on the season for a .955 fielding percentage. SIU has given up 193 runs on the year, but just 148 have been earned.
Last Time Out
The Salukis welcomed UT Martin in a midweek game, but fell to the Skyhawks 5-3 for the second time this season. SIU picked up 10 hits in the ball game, led by Chris Murphy, Jordan Sivertsen, and Jake Welch, who had two a piece. Three defensive errors hurt the Salukis, as they gave up two in the seventh inning to give the Skyhawks the lead for good, adding an insurance run in the eighth. SIU pitcher Andrew Bever drew the loss, his first since March 29. The senior right hander had gone 17 straight innings without allowing a run.
The Salukis are coming off a 5-3 loss at home against Illinois, but have won their last four games on the road. SIU, 13-23, 4-2, is led on the season by Wes Neece, who enters the weekend series with a nine-game hit streak (the second best this season, as Brock Harding had a 12-game streak snapped April 6). Neece is hitting .336 with 44 hits and a .450 slugging percentage. Leading the team in hits is Chris Murphy, a senior outfielder with 48 hits, including a team leading eight home runs. Murphy has also driven in 40 runs on the season. On the mound the Salukis are led by Cody Forsythe who has a 4-3 record, 2-0 in Valley play, and a 2.31 era in his nine starts. Tyler Dray (1.27 era) leads the team in appearances with 15, pitching 21.1. innings and giving up just three earned runs. He is holding opponents to a .197 batting average against. Defensive errors have hurt the Salukis, as they have 58 errors on the season for a .955 fielding percentage. SIU has given up 193 runs on the year, but just 148 have been earned.
Last Time Out
The Salukis welcomed UT Martin in a midweek game, but fell to the Skyhawks 5-3 for the second time this season. SIU picked up 10 hits in the ball game, led by Chris Murphy, Jordan Sivertsen, and Jake Welch, who had two a piece. Three defensive errors hurt the Salukis, as they gave up two in the seventh inning to give the Skyhawks the lead for good, adding an insurance run in the eighth. SIU pitcher Andrew Bever drew the loss, his first since March 29. The senior right hander had gone 17 straight innings without allowing a run.
Late Night Losses
The Bluejays are 0-2 when playing at night this season. Both game, 6:30 and 6:35 starts, have been against Nebraska. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1 in the opener at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. With the new facility, Creighton will play nine more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including six at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and have recently cracked the top-30 poll. The Jays sit at #28 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's magazine, released on Monday, April 18. The last time the Jays were ranked in the poll was May 28, 2007, when the Jays won the MVC Tournament and jumped into the #22 spot after not previously being ranked. Creighton is #29 in the Baseball Writers Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
Weekend Warriors
Creighton is one of just 13 teams nationally that has not lost a weekend series this season. That list consists of Connecticut, Creighton, Dallas Baptist, Fordham, Fresno State, Indiana, New Mexico State, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stetson, Texas A&M, Virginia and Yale.
National Numbers
Trever Adams is ranked seventh nationally in slugging percentage this season (763), seventh in OPS, 1207 (which is computed by adding on-base percentage + slugging percentage) and sixth in total bases. Mark Winkelman is tied for sixth in pitching appearances, 22, which leads the Valley this season.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 98 career appearances entering this weekend, and will soon become the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games. With 98 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (96) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (94), through games of April 21.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha was significant for many reasons. Obviously it was the first Bluejay hit in their new home (a single by Trever Adams in the second inning), but it was also Creighton's 300th hit this season. The Bluejays had 341 hits the whole season last year. Leading the Jays this season with 54 hits (over a sixth of the total) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games last night. The Creighton-Nebraska crowd of 22,197 was larger than six of them, and also larger than the MLB
average crowd of 22,072.
45,408 Milwaukee at Philadelphia
41,596 Atlanta at Los Angeles (NL)
30,320 San Francisco at Colorado
27,032 Houston at New York (NL)
25,250 New York (AL) at Toronto
22,450 Los Angeles (AL) at Texas
-- 22,197 Nebraska at Creighton --
13,731 Chicago (AL) at Tampa Bay
12,994 Arizona at Cincinnati
12,411 Detroit at Seattle
12,045 Minnesota at Baltimore
11,118 Pittsburgh at Florida
10,506 Cleveland at Kansas City
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 26-8 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Indiana State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 5-1 record in Valley play this season, marking the sixth time in Ed Servais' tenure the team has done so. The Jays have moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indinaa State but have fallen to 42 after the loss against Nebraska. It is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 4/21/11.
Creighton 42
Illinois State 68
Missouri State 89
Evansville 114 Wichita State 116
Indiana State 182
Bradley 187
Record Setting
Creighton is off to a 26-8 start, matching the best record after 33 games in school history. Also starting 26-7 after 33 games were both the 2000 and 2005 teams that eventually would qualify for the NCAA Regionals. The 2000 team lost its 34th game (also against Nebraska), while the 2005 club is the program's only squad to start 27-7.
Starter's Success
Ty Blach will be making his team-high 11th start of the season on Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 8-2 in Blach's first 10 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 11 of the past 13 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
A New Place to Call Home
Tuesday, April 19th's opening game against Nebraska was the first for the Bluejays in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, their new home for games. Creighton had a great deal of success playing at the CU Sports Complex, racking up a .770 winning percentage under Ed Servais in his tenure. When opening the CU Sports Complex, the Jays won the first 14 games at the stadium, including defeating Mount Marty 8-7 in the opener and 16-3 in game two. That season, the Jays finished 23-6 overall at home, losing the last six straight. Creighton fell to Nebraska 2-1 in the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha opener, starting 0-1 in the new complex.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this week, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate over the last week. The senior right fielder improved his overall batting average to .397, driving out two doubles and two home runs on the week, both in the sweep at Indiana State. Adams finished the week hitting .500, with a slugging percentage of 1.071 and an on-base percentage of .611. Adams was intentionally walked twice on the week, both against Big 12 power Kansas State. He was also walked twice in the 6-5 win on Sunday over Indiana State, both after his solo home run and one on four pitches. Adams finished the day on Saturday (the 9-5 win) going 3-for-4 from the plate, driving in four and scoring once. He finished the week with five runs scored, scoring in every game last week and twice in the 6-5 Sunday win. In Kurt Spomer's last eight appearances, the junior from Honey Creek, Iowa, has some sort of a decision in each, picking up three wins, four saves and one loss. In action last week, Spomer picked up a win over Kansas State, a win over Indiana State (4/17) and a save at Indiana State (4/16). In 4.1 innings of work, the right hander gave up just two hits, no runs, walked two and struck out four. Spomer got out of a jam in the eighth inning of Sunday's win, coming in with a tie ball game, getting two outs and then striking out two and forcing a ground ball in the ninth to earn the win.
In Great Company
Trever Adams has a .400 batting average to go with 10 homers and 44 RBI thus far. Not only is he leading Creighton in all three Triple Crown categories this season, but he's leading all three categories for any Bluejay after 34 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 34 games were Ryan Gripp (.415-13-53) and Peyton Lewis (.395-12-44), both in 1999. Gripp would be named a first-team All-American, while Lewis earned second-team All-America accolades as the duo helped lead Creighton to the NCAA Regionals.
Our Own Rick Vaughn
Kurt Spomer has been Creighton's top pitcher of late, and has moved into the closer's role. Spomer went 2-0 with a save over 4.1 scoreless innings in three games at Indiana State. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-1 record and 0.49 ERA and four saves in his last 12 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 19.0 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just two of his 18 relief appearances this season, with 17 of those 18 outings lasting an inning or longer.
A Steady Improvement
Creighton reliever Kurt Spomer has already out-worked his numbers from his first two seasons combined, and with a more successful outcome. In his freshman season, Spomer toed the rubber for 2.0 innings, finishing with a 9.00 ERA. 2010 saw him in the game for 21.0 innings, finishing with a 5.57 ERA. This season, with the help of his eight decisions (four saves, three wins and a loss) in his last nine outings, Spomer has a 2.32 ERA in 31.0 innings of work.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 17-6 when playing on the road this season, including playing their first 12 games away from home. In the games away from home (both at an opponents home field and at a neutral site), the Jays are outscoring opponents 124-86.
Going Streaking
Trever Adams enters the weekend series with SIU with an 18-game hitting streak. In that time, he's 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owns at least one hit in 28 of his last 29 games, and during those 29 games he is 52-for-112 (.464) with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Here are Creighton's longest hitting streaks under Ed Servais:
28 – Tony Roth, April 23, 2004 - March 1, 2005
23 – Elliot Soto, March 24 - April 29, 2009
19 – Zach Daeges, May 8, 2004 - March 1, 2005
18 - Trever Adams, March 16, 2011 - Present
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Best of the Best
Head coach Ed Servais is just four wins away from second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach, and just 10 away from taking the lead as the most successful and winningest skipper. Servais holds a .642 winning percentage at the helm of the Jays, winning MVC Coach of the Year award three times in his first seven seasons. He has compiled a 280-157 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper.
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton has won in “walk-off” fashion in each of its last two home games. Last Tuesday, Creighton beat Kansas State 7-6 on a walk-off walk by Joey Bowens in the final game at the CU Sports Complex. Before that, Trever Adams had a walk-off single to score Michael Mutcheson and give the Jays a 4-3 win over Portland on April 3rd.
Touch Em All
The Bluejays hit eight home runs in the series sweep at Indiana State on April 15-17, getting two each from Nick Judkins, Trever Adams and Anthony Bemboom, with Jimmy Swift and Mike Gerber each adding solo shots on the weekend. The Jays improved their slugging percentage 15 points on the weekend, moving from .410 as a team to .425. The Jays added four doubles to the eight home runs to help improve the percentage. Creighton moved from a tie for 5th in the Valley in slugging percentage to second over the weekend. Adams is now the sole leader in the slugging percentage in the Valley, holding a .763 percentage, nearly 100 points higher than Cody Fick of Evansville, who has a .676 average and is in second place.
Running Rampant
Ed Servais has turned Creighton loose on the basepaths so far this season. Creighton has stolen 46 bases, matching its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 76.3 success rate on the basepaths is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in last weekend's sweep at Indiana State, hitting three each on Friday and Sunday and two dingers on Saturday. The Jays entered the weekend with multiple homers in just two of its first 29 games, and hadn't had two or more homers in three straight games since March 7-8, 2009. Creighton has never had four straight games with two or more homers under Ed Servais.
Yep, He's That Good
Ty Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs. Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
Bluejay Quick Hits
* Creighton has not allowed a run in the second inning of a game since March 21 vs. BYU, a span of 14 straight scoreless second innings by its opponents.
* One reason for Creighton's success has been the ability of the top of the order to get on base. Clean-up hitter Trever Adams has reached safely in Creighton's last 18 games, while the two men who typically hit in front of him, Jimmy Swift and Nick Judkins have both reached in the past 16 and 15 contests, respectively.
* Creighton is 12-4 this season in games decided by one run, dropping to 64-51 all-time under Ed Servais in one-run games after the 2-1 loss to Nebraska on April 19. Both previous seasons that Creighton had nine or more one-run victories under Servais (12-6 in 2007 and 9-2 in 2005), the Jays advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
* Creighton has also thrived this season in extra inning games, going 3-0. Creighton is now 23-12 all-time under Servais in extra-inning games
Finding a Gap
With 16 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently sits tied for the lead in the category in the MVC, and leads the Bluejays this season. Staehely's double output has been slowed a little, as he has now gone nine games without a double dating back to the April 3 win over Portland. The sophomore has had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely's last extra base hit was a triple in the 8-5 loss at Nebraska.
Catch Ya Later
Creighton left 10 runners on base in the rubber match between CU and Illinois State on Sunday, April 10 in Normal, Ill., pushing the total to 26 on the weekend. The Jays outscored the Redbirds 18-12, but with the extra runners driven in it could have helped Creighton's cause. The Jays left the bases loaded three times in the series.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
Creighton's Sunday starter Greg Hellhake pitched a great game in the 6-5 win on Sunday, April 10 as well as the Sunday, April 17 6-5 win over Indiana State, picking up his third win of the season in the first game and leaving with a 4-3 lead. In the fifth inning, Hellhake's last full inning of work, the right hander threw just four pitches. It marks the first time for a CU pitcher since Otto Roberts accomplished the feat at Air Force in 2009.
Sunday “Shellhaker”
Creighton's Greg Hellhake has turned into the weekend finisher, earning the nod to start on Sundays. After starting the season off with a couple rough outings, Hellhake has gotten into a rhythm on the mound. In the last six starts, Hellhake has gone 25.0 innings, allowing just seven earned runs and picking up nine strike outs to just three walks. In his best start in the last six, Sunday, April 3 against Portland, a 4-3 win, Hellhake went 6.0 scoreless innings of work, giving up just four hits and striking out two. He has lowered his ERA from 6.57 in his third start to 3.62 after seven starts. He currently has a 3.86 ERA and is holding batters to a .225 average against him.
Under The Lights
Creighton played its first night game on April 5 at Nebraska. With the building of TD Ameritrade Park, many of Creighton's games will now be evening games, much different than the afternoon games played at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays have posted a .500 record or better in games played under the stars in all but one of Ed Servais' seasons.
Year Record Pct.
2011 0-2 .000
2010 4-1 .800
2009 10-6 .625
2008 4-4 .500
2007 10-3 .769
2006 4-5 .444
2005 11-7 .611
2004 5-3 .625
Ker-Plunk
Creighton batters were hit-by-pitch three times in the seventh inning of the 11-3 win against Portland on Friday, April 1. Jimmy Swift, Alex Staehely and Chance Ross each reached first base safely after they were hit by a pitch. It is the first time this season three players have been hit in the same inning. three times on the weekend against Portland, including being plunked twice in the series opener on Friday. Swift now leads the team with nine hit-by-pitch on the season, as the Jays have reached base 51 times by virtue of the hit-by-pitch, while the pitching staff has hit just 19 batters.
Mr. Clutch
Creighton senior outfielder Trever Adams has turned into a clutch performer. The preseason All-MVC pick hit two game winners the week of March 26. With the Jays trailing in the bottom of the eighth against North Dakota State, Adams hit a two out, two run home run to propel the Jays to a 3-2 win. Less than a week later, Adams again had a game winner, knocking in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. With runners on first and second, Adams ripped a ball back up the middle to score the winning run in walk off fashion.
Break Out the Brooms
Creighton is now 10-2 under head coach Ed Servais when playing in Terre Haute, Ind. After the three game sweep over the Sycamores, the first since the 2007 season, the Bluejays sit at 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Servais is now 23-6 over the Sycamores, with four of the losses coming last season.
Hall of Greatness
The Creighton baseball team helped induct Bluejay great Alan Benes into the Creighton Hall of Fame Monday, April 11 at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Omaha. The freshman All-American who led the Jays to the College World Series in 1991, is one of three Bluejay greats to be inducted tonight. Benes was named MVC Pitcher of the Year in 1992 and named to the MVC All-Centennial team. He left Creighton when he was drafted by the Cardinals, picking up the Cardinals' Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. Benes is currently a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Soft Hands
Creighton first baseman Nick Judkins had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through the first 21 games, committing his first error as a Bluejay on April 9 at Illinois State. The middle infielder-turned first baseman holds a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 339 chances this season. A Gold Glove winner at Iowa Central Community College, the right handed Judkins has been a part of 17 double plays and can field his spot, as he has played other positions on the infield through his career.
The Bluejays are 0-2 when playing at night this season. Both game, 6:30 and 6:35 starts, have been against Nebraska. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1 in the opener at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. With the new facility, Creighton will play nine more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including six at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and have recently cracked the top-30 poll. The Jays sit at #28 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's magazine, released on Monday, April 18. The last time the Jays were ranked in the poll was May 28, 2007, when the Jays won the MVC Tournament and jumped into the #22 spot after not previously being ranked. Creighton is #29 in the Baseball Writers Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll.
Weekend Warriors
Creighton is one of just 13 teams nationally that has not lost a weekend series this season. That list consists of Connecticut, Creighton, Dallas Baptist, Fordham, Fresno State, Indiana, New Mexico State, Oregon State, South Carolina, Stetson, Texas A&M, Virginia and Yale.
National Numbers
Trever Adams is ranked seventh nationally in slugging percentage this season (763), seventh in OPS, 1207 (which is computed by adding on-base percentage + slugging percentage) and sixth in total bases. Mark Winkelman is tied for sixth in pitching appearances, 22, which leads the Valley this season.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 98 career appearances entering this weekend, and will soon become the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games. With 98 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (96) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (94), through games of April 21.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha was significant for many reasons. Obviously it was the first Bluejay hit in their new home (a single by Trever Adams in the second inning), but it was also Creighton's 300th hit this season. The Bluejays had 341 hits the whole season last year. Leading the Jays this season with 54 hits (over a sixth of the total) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games last night. The Creighton-Nebraska crowd of 22,197 was larger than six of them, and also larger than the MLB
average crowd of 22,072.
45,408 Milwaukee at Philadelphia
41,596 Atlanta at Los Angeles (NL)
30,320 San Francisco at Colorado
27,032 Houston at New York (NL)
25,250 New York (AL) at Toronto
22,450 Los Angeles (AL) at Texas
-- 22,197 Nebraska at Creighton --
13,731 Chicago (AL) at Tampa Bay
12,994 Arizona at Cincinnati
12,411 Detroit at Seattle
12,045 Minnesota at Baltimore
11,118 Pittsburgh at Florida
10,506 Cleveland at Kansas City
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 26-8 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Indiana State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 5-1 record in Valley play this season, marking the sixth time in Ed Servais' tenure the team has done so. The Jays have moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indinaa State but have fallen to 42 after the loss against Nebraska. It is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 4/21/11.
Creighton 42
Illinois State 68
Missouri State 89
Evansville 114 Wichita State 116
Indiana State 182
Bradley 187
Record Setting
Creighton is off to a 26-8 start, matching the best record after 33 games in school history. Also starting 26-7 after 33 games were both the 2000 and 2005 teams that eventually would qualify for the NCAA Regionals. The 2000 team lost its 34th game (also against Nebraska), while the 2005 club is the program's only squad to start 27-7.
Starter's Success
Ty Blach will be making his team-high 11th start of the season on Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 8-2 in Blach's first 10 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 11 of the past 13 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
A New Place to Call Home
Tuesday, April 19th's opening game against Nebraska was the first for the Bluejays in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, their new home for games. Creighton had a great deal of success playing at the CU Sports Complex, racking up a .770 winning percentage under Ed Servais in his tenure. When opening the CU Sports Complex, the Jays won the first 14 games at the stadium, including defeating Mount Marty 8-7 in the opener and 16-3 in game two. That season, the Jays finished 23-6 overall at home, losing the last six straight. Creighton fell to Nebraska 2-1 in the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha opener, starting 0-1 in the new complex.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this week, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate over the last week. The senior right fielder improved his overall batting average to .397, driving out two doubles and two home runs on the week, both in the sweep at Indiana State. Adams finished the week hitting .500, with a slugging percentage of 1.071 and an on-base percentage of .611. Adams was intentionally walked twice on the week, both against Big 12 power Kansas State. He was also walked twice in the 6-5 win on Sunday over Indiana State, both after his solo home run and one on four pitches. Adams finished the day on Saturday (the 9-5 win) going 3-for-4 from the plate, driving in four and scoring once. He finished the week with five runs scored, scoring in every game last week and twice in the 6-5 Sunday win. In Kurt Spomer's last eight appearances, the junior from Honey Creek, Iowa, has some sort of a decision in each, picking up three wins, four saves and one loss. In action last week, Spomer picked up a win over Kansas State, a win over Indiana State (4/17) and a save at Indiana State (4/16). In 4.1 innings of work, the right hander gave up just two hits, no runs, walked two and struck out four. Spomer got out of a jam in the eighth inning of Sunday's win, coming in with a tie ball game, getting two outs and then striking out two and forcing a ground ball in the ninth to earn the win.
In Great Company
Trever Adams has a .400 batting average to go with 10 homers and 44 RBI thus far. Not only is he leading Creighton in all three Triple Crown categories this season, but he's leading all three categories for any Bluejay after 34 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 34 games were Ryan Gripp (.415-13-53) and Peyton Lewis (.395-12-44), both in 1999. Gripp would be named a first-team All-American, while Lewis earned second-team All-America accolades as the duo helped lead Creighton to the NCAA Regionals.
Our Own Rick Vaughn
Kurt Spomer has been Creighton's top pitcher of late, and has moved into the closer's role. Spomer went 2-0 with a save over 4.1 scoreless innings in three games at Indiana State. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-1 record and 0.49 ERA and four saves in his last 12 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 19.0 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just two of his 18 relief appearances this season, with 17 of those 18 outings lasting an inning or longer.
A Steady Improvement
Creighton reliever Kurt Spomer has already out-worked his numbers from his first two seasons combined, and with a more successful outcome. In his freshman season, Spomer toed the rubber for 2.0 innings, finishing with a 9.00 ERA. 2010 saw him in the game for 21.0 innings, finishing with a 5.57 ERA. This season, with the help of his eight decisions (four saves, three wins and a loss) in his last nine outings, Spomer has a 2.32 ERA in 31.0 innings of work.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 17-6 when playing on the road this season, including playing their first 12 games away from home. In the games away from home (both at an opponents home field and at a neutral site), the Jays are outscoring opponents 124-86.
Going Streaking
Trever Adams enters the weekend series with SIU with an 18-game hitting streak. In that time, he's 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owns at least one hit in 28 of his last 29 games, and during those 29 games he is 52-for-112 (.464) with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Here are Creighton's longest hitting streaks under Ed Servais:
28 – Tony Roth, April 23, 2004 - March 1, 2005
23 – Elliot Soto, March 24 - April 29, 2009
19 – Zach Daeges, May 8, 2004 - March 1, 2005
18 - Trever Adams, March 16, 2011 - Present
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Best of the Best
Head coach Ed Servais is just four wins away from second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach, and just 10 away from taking the lead as the most successful and winningest skipper. Servais holds a .642 winning percentage at the helm of the Jays, winning MVC Coach of the Year award three times in his first seven seasons. He has compiled a 280-157 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper.
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton has won in “walk-off” fashion in each of its last two home games. Last Tuesday, Creighton beat Kansas State 7-6 on a walk-off walk by Joey Bowens in the final game at the CU Sports Complex. Before that, Trever Adams had a walk-off single to score Michael Mutcheson and give the Jays a 4-3 win over Portland on April 3rd.
Touch Em All
The Bluejays hit eight home runs in the series sweep at Indiana State on April 15-17, getting two each from Nick Judkins, Trever Adams and Anthony Bemboom, with Jimmy Swift and Mike Gerber each adding solo shots on the weekend. The Jays improved their slugging percentage 15 points on the weekend, moving from .410 as a team to .425. The Jays added four doubles to the eight home runs to help improve the percentage. Creighton moved from a tie for 5th in the Valley in slugging percentage to second over the weekend. Adams is now the sole leader in the slugging percentage in the Valley, holding a .763 percentage, nearly 100 points higher than Cody Fick of Evansville, who has a .676 average and is in second place.
Running Rampant
Ed Servais has turned Creighton loose on the basepaths so far this season. Creighton has stolen 46 bases, matching its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 76.3 success rate on the basepaths is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in last weekend's sweep at Indiana State, hitting three each on Friday and Sunday and two dingers on Saturday. The Jays entered the weekend with multiple homers in just two of its first 29 games, and hadn't had two or more homers in three straight games since March 7-8, 2009. Creighton has never had four straight games with two or more homers under Ed Servais.
Yep, He's That Good
Ty Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs. Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
Bluejay Quick Hits
* Creighton has not allowed a run in the second inning of a game since March 21 vs. BYU, a span of 14 straight scoreless second innings by its opponents.
* One reason for Creighton's success has been the ability of the top of the order to get on base. Clean-up hitter Trever Adams has reached safely in Creighton's last 18 games, while the two men who typically hit in front of him, Jimmy Swift and Nick Judkins have both reached in the past 16 and 15 contests, respectively.
* Creighton is 12-4 this season in games decided by one run, dropping to 64-51 all-time under Ed Servais in one-run games after the 2-1 loss to Nebraska on April 19. Both previous seasons that Creighton had nine or more one-run victories under Servais (12-6 in 2007 and 9-2 in 2005), the Jays advanced to the NCAA Regionals.
* Creighton has also thrived this season in extra inning games, going 3-0. Creighton is now 23-12 all-time under Servais in extra-inning games
Finding a Gap
With 16 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently sits tied for the lead in the category in the MVC, and leads the Bluejays this season. Staehely's double output has been slowed a little, as he has now gone nine games without a double dating back to the April 3 win over Portland. The sophomore has had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely's last extra base hit was a triple in the 8-5 loss at Nebraska.
Catch Ya Later
Creighton left 10 runners on base in the rubber match between CU and Illinois State on Sunday, April 10 in Normal, Ill., pushing the total to 26 on the weekend. The Jays outscored the Redbirds 18-12, but with the extra runners driven in it could have helped Creighton's cause. The Jays left the bases loaded three times in the series.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
Creighton's Sunday starter Greg Hellhake pitched a great game in the 6-5 win on Sunday, April 10 as well as the Sunday, April 17 6-5 win over Indiana State, picking up his third win of the season in the first game and leaving with a 4-3 lead. In the fifth inning, Hellhake's last full inning of work, the right hander threw just four pitches. It marks the first time for a CU pitcher since Otto Roberts accomplished the feat at Air Force in 2009.
Sunday “Shellhaker”
Creighton's Greg Hellhake has turned into the weekend finisher, earning the nod to start on Sundays. After starting the season off with a couple rough outings, Hellhake has gotten into a rhythm on the mound. In the last six starts, Hellhake has gone 25.0 innings, allowing just seven earned runs and picking up nine strike outs to just three walks. In his best start in the last six, Sunday, April 3 against Portland, a 4-3 win, Hellhake went 6.0 scoreless innings of work, giving up just four hits and striking out two. He has lowered his ERA from 6.57 in his third start to 3.62 after seven starts. He currently has a 3.86 ERA and is holding batters to a .225 average against him.
Under The Lights
Creighton played its first night game on April 5 at Nebraska. With the building of TD Ameritrade Park, many of Creighton's games will now be evening games, much different than the afternoon games played at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays have posted a .500 record or better in games played under the stars in all but one of Ed Servais' seasons.
Year Record Pct.
2011 0-2 .000
2010 4-1 .800
2009 10-6 .625
2008 4-4 .500
2007 10-3 .769
2006 4-5 .444
2005 11-7 .611
2004 5-3 .625
Ker-Plunk
Creighton batters were hit-by-pitch three times in the seventh inning of the 11-3 win against Portland on Friday, April 1. Jimmy Swift, Alex Staehely and Chance Ross each reached first base safely after they were hit by a pitch. It is the first time this season three players have been hit in the same inning. three times on the weekend against Portland, including being plunked twice in the series opener on Friday. Swift now leads the team with nine hit-by-pitch on the season, as the Jays have reached base 51 times by virtue of the hit-by-pitch, while the pitching staff has hit just 19 batters.
Mr. Clutch
Creighton senior outfielder Trever Adams has turned into a clutch performer. The preseason All-MVC pick hit two game winners the week of March 26. With the Jays trailing in the bottom of the eighth against North Dakota State, Adams hit a two out, two run home run to propel the Jays to a 3-2 win. Less than a week later, Adams again had a game winner, knocking in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. With runners on first and second, Adams ripped a ball back up the middle to score the winning run in walk off fashion.
Break Out the Brooms
Creighton is now 10-2 under head coach Ed Servais when playing in Terre Haute, Ind. After the three game sweep over the Sycamores, the first since the 2007 season, the Bluejays sit at 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Servais is now 23-6 over the Sycamores, with four of the losses coming last season.
Hall of Greatness
The Creighton baseball team helped induct Bluejay great Alan Benes into the Creighton Hall of Fame Monday, April 11 at the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Omaha. The freshman All-American who led the Jays to the College World Series in 1991, is one of three Bluejay greats to be inducted tonight. Benes was named MVC Pitcher of the Year in 1992 and named to the MVC All-Centennial team. He left Creighton when he was drafted by the Cardinals, picking up the Cardinals' Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. Benes is currently a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Soft Hands
Creighton first baseman Nick Judkins had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through the first 21 games, committing his first error as a Bluejay on April 9 at Illinois State. The middle infielder-turned first baseman holds a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 339 chances this season. A Gold Glove winner at Iowa Central Community College, the right handed Judkins has been a part of 17 double plays and can field his spot, as he has played other positions on the infield through his career.
Valley's Best
Bluejay senior right fielder Trever Adams was named the MVC Player of the Week, after his play from March 7-13. The Lincoln, Neb., native hit two home runs, two triples and knocked in five RBI over the week, improving his batting average 100 points. He is also on a 10 game hit streak, the longest by a Bluejay this season.
Smarty Pants
Ty Blach, a sophomore southpaw from Centennial, Colo., was named the Prairie Farms MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week, named on Wednesday, March 16. The pitcher struck out a career high eight batters in the 6-0 win over South Dakota State on March 12. Blach has a 3.812 gpa in business
Tossing Your Cookies
Head coach Ed Servais and Bluejay assistant Brandon Tormoehlen each got thrown out of the ball game on Monday, March 7 at Arkansas State. After a called strike three, the two voiced their feelings on the call, resulting in an ejection from home plate umpire Steve Dew. The last time Coach Servais was thrown out of a game was at Evansville on April 4, 2009.
Going Yard
Bluejay senior Trever Adams had another good series over spring break in Arkansas. The right fielder went six-for-twelve in the three games at Arkansas State,with two home runs (one to straight away center in the 6-0 win and the other off the scoreboard in right field in the 6-8 loss). He also added a triple and beat out a drag bunt for an infield hit. Adams finished the Central Arkansas game with two RBI in the game on a sacrifice fly and double down the left field line.
Get Your Motor Running
Bluejay senior Trever Adams had a rough start to the season, going .095 through the first five games of the season with just two hits. Adams has started his offensive power in the last three games, improving his average to .314 by getting seven hits in the final three games of the New Mexico weekend's games, including two doubles and a triple and scoring three runs. Adams also finished the Arkansas trip going seven for 14, with two homeruns. The Preseason MVC All-Valley pick finished last season with a .356 batting average while starting all 52 games.
Opening Shut-Outs
There have only been three opening day shutouts in Bluejay history, one of which happened last season. Jonas Dufek (5.0 IP), Jack VanLeur (2.0 IP), Mark Winkelman (1.0 IP) and Kurt Spomer (1.0 IP) each had a part in last season's 22-0 opening win over SIU Edwardsville. The other two shutouts have come in 1984, a 12-0 win over Xavier and in 1970, a 3-0 win over MVC foe Wichita State.
Opening Day History
The Jays moved one step closer to evening the opening day record to .500. In the 43 recorded openers, Creighton is 21-22, including the 5-1 victory over Toledo at the USA Baseball Training Facility. Creighton has won five of the eight season openers under Ed Servais. Below is a list of those games:
Date Opponent Score Location
2/19/11 Toledo W, 5-1 Cary, N.C.
2/20/10 SIU Edwardsville W, 22-0 Conway, Ark.
2/20/09 Sam Houston St. L, 8-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/22/08 Washington St. W, 8-4 Pullman, Wash.
2/9/07 Gardner-Webb W, 4-3 Rock Hill, S.C.
2/11/06 Ark.-Little Rock L, 11-12 Little Rock, Ark.
2/11/05 Sam Houston St. W, 9-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/14/04 Southern Utah L, 10-5 Colorado Springs, Colo.
A New Start
The Jays are ready to kick off the 2011 campaign for a fresh start. Creighton finished the 2010 season 27-25 and went 1-2 in the MVC Tournament. The Jays kick off the 2011 season at the USA National Training Center in Cary, N.C. with games against Toledo (11 a.m. on Feb. 19) and Canisius (3 p.m. on Feb 19 and 11 a.m. on Feb. 20.)
I'll Bet on a Nine
Creighton has had multiples of nine hits in its last three season openers. In 2010, Creighton had 18 hits, scoring 22 runs in a 22-0 shut out of SIU Edwardsville. In the 2009 opener against Sam Houston State, the Jays finished with nine hits and six runs in an 8-6 loss. The 2008 opener proved the same, with the Jays scratching out nine hits and eight runs in an 8-4 win over Washington State.
Everyone in on the Fun
In last year's season opener, eight of the nine starters got at least one hit, with freshman Alex Staehely being the only Jay not to get a hit. Creighton knocked out 18 hits, second most on the season, en route to a 22-0 win over SIU Edwardsville.
Iron Men
Five Bluejays played and started in all 52 games last season, including returners Trever Adams, Jimmy Swift and Alex Staehely. Joining those three were T.J. Roemmich and Ian Dike, both lost to graduation. Swift has started every game the last two seasons, 139 straight, and has played in 155 games over his career.
He'll Rob Ya
Senior Jimmy Swift led the team in stolen bases last season, going 10-of-13 on the season. Swift has 14 stolen bases in his Bluejay career. Creighton, as a team, stole 44 bases last season and was caught stealing 22 times.
No Free Tickets
Under pitching coach Rob Smith the Jays have had one of the top pitching staffs in the MVC. Last season marked the fourth straight season in which the Jays ranked in the top-25 nationally for fewest walks per nine innings. Over that same period, the Jays have combined for a 4.14 ERA which ranks 19th overall in the country.
Give Him the Ball
Last year, southpaw Ty Blach was named a Freshman All-American, the fifth selection during Rob Smith's four years. Blach finished the 2010 season with a 3.11 ERA, with one complete game in 75.1 innings pitched. Blach was second on the team in strikeouts (58) and held opponents to a .231 batting average. He will be one of the series starting pitchers for the Jays this season.
Sticky Business
Creighton's defense is annually among the national leaders, and with a .980 mark to date, this year is no different. Creighton is 11-2 this year in games in which it does not make an error, and has won 16 of its last 18 games without an error dating to last year. Creighton owns the nation's best fielding percentage since Ed Servais took over eight years ago (.977), as well as the nation's fewest errors in that time (396).
Bluejay senior right fielder Trever Adams was named the MVC Player of the Week, after his play from March 7-13. The Lincoln, Neb., native hit two home runs, two triples and knocked in five RBI over the week, improving his batting average 100 points. He is also on a 10 game hit streak, the longest by a Bluejay this season.
Smarty Pants
Ty Blach, a sophomore southpaw from Centennial, Colo., was named the Prairie Farms MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week, named on Wednesday, March 16. The pitcher struck out a career high eight batters in the 6-0 win over South Dakota State on March 12. Blach has a 3.812 gpa in business
Tossing Your Cookies
Head coach Ed Servais and Bluejay assistant Brandon Tormoehlen each got thrown out of the ball game on Monday, March 7 at Arkansas State. After a called strike three, the two voiced their feelings on the call, resulting in an ejection from home plate umpire Steve Dew. The last time Coach Servais was thrown out of a game was at Evansville on April 4, 2009.
Going Yard
Bluejay senior Trever Adams had another good series over spring break in Arkansas. The right fielder went six-for-twelve in the three games at Arkansas State,with two home runs (one to straight away center in the 6-0 win and the other off the scoreboard in right field in the 6-8 loss). He also added a triple and beat out a drag bunt for an infield hit. Adams finished the Central Arkansas game with two RBI in the game on a sacrifice fly and double down the left field line.
Get Your Motor Running
Bluejay senior Trever Adams had a rough start to the season, going .095 through the first five games of the season with just two hits. Adams has started his offensive power in the last three games, improving his average to .314 by getting seven hits in the final three games of the New Mexico weekend's games, including two doubles and a triple and scoring three runs. Adams also finished the Arkansas trip going seven for 14, with two homeruns. The Preseason MVC All-Valley pick finished last season with a .356 batting average while starting all 52 games.
Opening Shut-Outs
There have only been three opening day shutouts in Bluejay history, one of which happened last season. Jonas Dufek (5.0 IP), Jack VanLeur (2.0 IP), Mark Winkelman (1.0 IP) and Kurt Spomer (1.0 IP) each had a part in last season's 22-0 opening win over SIU Edwardsville. The other two shutouts have come in 1984, a 12-0 win over Xavier and in 1970, a 3-0 win over MVC foe Wichita State.
Opening Day History
The Jays moved one step closer to evening the opening day record to .500. In the 43 recorded openers, Creighton is 21-22, including the 5-1 victory over Toledo at the USA Baseball Training Facility. Creighton has won five of the eight season openers under Ed Servais. Below is a list of those games:
Date Opponent Score Location
2/19/11 Toledo W, 5-1 Cary, N.C.
2/20/10 SIU Edwardsville W, 22-0 Conway, Ark.
2/20/09 Sam Houston St. L, 8-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/22/08 Washington St. W, 8-4 Pullman, Wash.
2/9/07 Gardner-Webb W, 4-3 Rock Hill, S.C.
2/11/06 Ark.-Little Rock L, 11-12 Little Rock, Ark.
2/11/05 Sam Houston St. W, 9-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/14/04 Southern Utah L, 10-5 Colorado Springs, Colo.
A New Start
The Jays are ready to kick off the 2011 campaign for a fresh start. Creighton finished the 2010 season 27-25 and went 1-2 in the MVC Tournament. The Jays kick off the 2011 season at the USA National Training Center in Cary, N.C. with games against Toledo (11 a.m. on Feb. 19) and Canisius (3 p.m. on Feb 19 and 11 a.m. on Feb. 20.)
I'll Bet on a Nine
Creighton has had multiples of nine hits in its last three season openers. In 2010, Creighton had 18 hits, scoring 22 runs in a 22-0 shut out of SIU Edwardsville. In the 2009 opener against Sam Houston State, the Jays finished with nine hits and six runs in an 8-6 loss. The 2008 opener proved the same, with the Jays scratching out nine hits and eight runs in an 8-4 win over Washington State.
Everyone in on the Fun
In last year's season opener, eight of the nine starters got at least one hit, with freshman Alex Staehely being the only Jay not to get a hit. Creighton knocked out 18 hits, second most on the season, en route to a 22-0 win over SIU Edwardsville.
Iron Men
Five Bluejays played and started in all 52 games last season, including returners Trever Adams, Jimmy Swift and Alex Staehely. Joining those three were T.J. Roemmich and Ian Dike, both lost to graduation. Swift has started every game the last two seasons, 139 straight, and has played in 155 games over his career.
He'll Rob Ya
Senior Jimmy Swift led the team in stolen bases last season, going 10-of-13 on the season. Swift has 14 stolen bases in his Bluejay career. Creighton, as a team, stole 44 bases last season and was caught stealing 22 times.
No Free Tickets
Under pitching coach Rob Smith the Jays have had one of the top pitching staffs in the MVC. Last season marked the fourth straight season in which the Jays ranked in the top-25 nationally for fewest walks per nine innings. Over that same period, the Jays have combined for a 4.14 ERA which ranks 19th overall in the country.
Give Him the Ball
Last year, southpaw Ty Blach was named a Freshman All-American, the fifth selection during Rob Smith's four years. Blach finished the 2010 season with a 3.11 ERA, with one complete game in 75.1 innings pitched. Blach was second on the team in strikeouts (58) and held opponents to a .231 batting average. He will be one of the series starting pitchers for the Jays this season.
Sticky Business
Creighton's defense is annually among the national leaders, and with a .980 mark to date, this year is no different. Creighton is 11-2 this year in games in which it does not make an error, and has won 16 of its last 18 games without an error dating to last year. Creighton owns the nation's best fielding percentage since Ed Servais took over eight years ago (.977), as well as the nation's fewest errors in that time (396).
First to 20
Creighton's hot start this season is one of the best in the Ed Servais tenure at Creighton, as well as one of the best in Creighton baseball history. When looking back over the history of Servais' tenure, the only other team with just five losses when the team hits the 20-win mark was the 2005, NCAA qualifying team. That team finished the season 48-17 overall, 17-7 in the MVC. Even the 1991 College World Series team was 20-6 when they hit the 20-win plateau.
2011 20-5
2010 20-17
2009 20-17
2008 20-7
2007 20-11
2006 20-7
2005 20-5
2004 20-17
1991 20-6
Perfect Pitching
The Creighton pitching staff has done well this season, only hitting a couple bumps in the first half of the season. On Sunday, April 3, Mark Winkelman continued his perfect pitching he has shown thus far on the season. Winkelman pitched 1.1 innings in the 4-3 win, picking up his first win of the season. In that outing, he struck out two batters, not allowing a single batter on base. On the season, Winkelman holds a 3.38 ERA in 21 appearances. The right hander has allowed just 10 runs in 26.2 innings of work.
No Foolin' Around
Creighton's bullpen has been one of its biggest strengths this season, with five different men logging 10 more appearances with great success. The Jays are 19-2 this year when leading after six innings, and 21-0 when leading after eight frames. In eight seasons under Ed Servais, Creighton is 214-12 when leading after six innings and 208-9 when leading after eight innings.
Counting Down
This season is the last the Jays will play on campus at the CU Sports Complex. TD Ameritrade Park Omaha will become the new home of the Jays, starting with the April 19 opener against Nebraska. Following this weekend's series with Portland, the Jays will play just one more game at the CU Sports Complex, an April 12 meeting with Kansas State.
Home Field Advantage
Creighton is 9-1 already this season at home, losing just one against BYU on March 22. In the last 10 seasons, Creighton has a .677 winning percentage when playing at home, winning 147 of 217 home games. Creighton's best season at home was in 2003, when the Jays went 21-3 from home. Under Ed Servais, the Jays are 125-49 when playing at home. Below is the home record in each of the last 10 seasons.
2011 9-1
2010 10-14
2009 15-8
2008 22-6
2007 22-4
2006 12-7
2005 21-3
2004 19-6
2003 6-14
2002 16-7
Perserverance
Creighton's 3-2 win over North Dakota State may not have been the prettiest game coach Ed Servais and his staff would have liked, but it did show the Jays don't give up. Creighton was trailing after the seventh inning, a spot they are just 2-4 in this season. But the Jays used a Michael Mutcheson double and a Trever Adams home run in the bottom of the bottom of the eighth to win the game. The two multi-base hits were the only two for the Jays the whole game, as they picked up just four hits the whole time.
Multi-madness
Two Bluejays, senior Trever Adams and sophomore Alex Staehely are in the top three in the Valley in multi-hit games, with Adams putting together 15 on the season and Staehely with 12. In the first game with BYU, the two were a combined seven-for-seven, each with a double while Adams drove out his team leading fourth home run of the season.
Blast-off
Creighton's Trever Adams knocked in three RBI in the 3-2 win over NDSU, the only three of the game. Adams popped in a seeing eye single in the first inning and then hit the home run in the bottom of the eighth. Adams has a team high 21 RBI on the season, knocking in 10 in the last 10 games straight.
We'll C U at the Sports Complex
Creighton is 9-1 at home this season, losing one against BYU on March 22. In the last 10 seasons, Creighton has a .677 winning percentage when playing at home, winning 148 of 217 home games. Under Ed Servais, the Jays are 126-49 when playing at home.
Back on Track
After starting the 2011 season just two-of-21 in the first five games, senior Trever Adams has connected and found his stride, going 30-of-65 in the next 16 games (.462) and recording multi-hit games in eight of the 17 games. He had seven doubles, three triples and five home runs in that time span, getting a hit in 16 of the 17 games.
Two and Bar-B-Que
Head coach Ed Servais has done an impressive job of getting his teams refocused after losing a home game. In the time he has been at Creighton, the team has only lost back-to-back home games eight times, including going the 2004 and 2007 without dropping multiple games at home in a row. Last season, Creighton dropped four back-to-back games, including a four game skid with the Wichita State series being three of the four.
2011 1 time
2010 4 times
2009 one time
2008 one time
2007 none
2006 two times
2005 one time
2004 none
Dufek's Dominance
Creighton's senior pitcher Jonas Dufek turned in another stellar performance in the Saturday, March 19th, win over Valparaiso. After improving his career strikeout numbers from nine to 11 in the Canisius game (Feb. 19), Dufek struck out 13 Crusader batters while giving up just one hit in the game. He pitched Creighton's first complete game of the season, and first since last year.
Look Alikes
Creighton has hit program “bests” at various win plateau's this season, including their best start since the 2006 season when the Jays reached the 17 win mark with just five losses. During Ed Servais' tenure, this ranks as the second-best overall start. The only team in the last 20 years to reach 17 wins with just four losses? The 1991 College World Series Bluejay team.
Free Baseball
The Jays have played three extra-inning games this season and are a perfect 3-0 in each game. Creighton has been the visiting team in each extra inning game, defeating Kansas 4-3, New Mexico 8-7 and SIU Edwardsville 4-3 on their respective home fields. Creighton played in six extra frame games last season, splitting a perfect 3-3 on the games.
Taking Extra BP
Two Bluejays, senior Trever Adams and spohomore Alex Staehely are in the top three in the Valley in multi-hit games, with Adams putting together 15 on the season and Staehely just behind him with 12. In the first game with BYU, the two were a combined seven for seven, each with a double while Adams drove out his fourth home run of the season.
Use Your Brain
Adding to Creighton's list of accolades already this season is sophomore Alex Staehely. The Bluejay second baseman was named Prairie Farms MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of March 21 (along with Bluejay softball player Christa Ruf), marking the second straight week a baseball player has received the award. Staehely had three hits, including two doubles and two runs batted in, as the Jays defeated Air Force, Valparaiso and SIU Edwardsville. He holds a 3.50 gpa in economics/finance.
Soft Hands
Creighton first baseman Nick Judkins had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through the first 21 games, committing his first error as a Bluejay on April 9 at Illinois State. The middle infielder-turned first baseman holds a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 339 chances this season. A Gold Glove winner at Iowa Central Community College, the right handed Judkins has been a part of 17 double plays and can field his spot, as he has played other positions on the infield through his career.
Speed Demons
The Jays defeated Valparaiso in one hour and 25 minutes on Saturday. The 85 minute game is one of the fastest nine-inning game in the history of baseball, professional included. There was an MLB game recorded as finishing in 89 minutes, but there is no record of a faster nine-inning NCAA game. Jonas Dufek pitched the complete game, two hitter for the Jays, striking out 13 in the 1-0 win.
Adams Tabbed Preseason All-MVC
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams is the only Bluejay to be named to the preseason all-Valley team, earning the nod in the outfield. Adams, an all-Valley honorable mention selection last season, hit .356 last season with a team high 74 hits, 12 home runs and 58 RBI. Adams is slated to see most of his time in right field this season.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
With poor weather conditions all across the nation this spring, all but one MVC team played three or fewer games last week. The Jays got in two against BYU, but had their weekend series cancelled with North Dakota. Wichita State split a four game series with Oregon, as the only team that got in more than three games last week. The cancellation was the third time this season the Jays have had to adjust their schedule due to inclement weather, making two adjustments during the Spring break trip in Arkansas, March 4-9.
2-2-2
Creighton's Michael Blatchford has had a good streak in his first at-bat of the season. Last year, as a freshman in his first ever collegiate at-bat, Blatchford knocked in his first homerun of his career. In the game at Air Force on March 16, Blatchford's first at-bat of the 2011 season resulted in the same way, a homerun over the left center field fence. Two season opening at bat homeruns in back to back seasons, not too shabby.
20-Years Later
This year marks the 20 year reunion of the NCAA College World Series team from 1991. It is the only time in Bluejay history the Jays have made it to the CWS. Creighton was eliminated by Wichita State, finished 2-2 in the tournament.
Middle of the Pack
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the MVC preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Jays were picked second in last season's preseason poll and finished sixth. Creighton finished with 35 points, just two points behind Indiana State at number five.
Place Team Points
1 Illinois State (4) 58
2 Wichita State (4) 53
3 Evansville 41
4 Indiana State 37
5 Creighton 35
6 Missouri State 27
7 Southern Illinois 25
8 Bradley 13
Small Ball
With the first set of NCAA statistics to be released next week, the Jays are sure to be in the top of the lists in sacrifices thus far this season. The Jays have 50 sacrifices on the season and 16 sacrifice fly's. Leading the way is Nick Judkins. The junior college transfer, who usually hits in the number two position, has 11 sacrifices on the season and three sacrifice fly. With the change of the bat, many teams will turn to the bunt, although anyone familiar with Creighton baseball knows Ed Servais has always been a fan of getting a runner on and moving them over.
Multiplication
Creighton senior Trever Adams had put together a 10 game it streak from February 26-March 13, the longest at the time of any Bluejay this season. Possibly even more impressive - the right fielder has had multiple hits in six games during that stretch, incuuding a three hit outing on March 12 and a two hit game on March 13, both against South Dakota State. With out the single game at Air Force when Adams was no hit, he would have a 28 game streak.
Fresh Faces
The Jays were able to get a couple players in on Sunday, March 13 in the 13-0 win over SDSU, that haven't seen much playing time this season. Included in that mix were seniors Vince Bellino and Clay Cuno. Bellino scored his first run as a Bluejay, picking up a walk. He also made his first defensive play, tossing out a runner on a ground ball late in the game. Cuno went one for two from the dish in his first appearance this season, after being the designated hitter for much of last season.
High Fives
Creighton seniors Jimmy Swift, Greg Hellhake and Jack VanLeur are all in their fifth-year of competition, after redshirting one year in their stay. The three have compiled 166-94 record, making it to one NCAA Regional and winning one MVC Tournament (both in 2007),
Double Dip Anyone?
CU currently has four 2011 dates scheduled with multiple games, inlcuding this weekend's opening Saturday games. The Ed Servais era has seen great success on such dates, as the Jays are 60-24 in twinbills since 2004, good for a .829 winning percentage. That mark includes 23 Jay sweeps and 14 splits.
Bye Bye Birdie
Creighton played its final game at the CU Sports Complex on Tuesday, April 12, defeating Kansas State 7-6. It was the home of Bluejay baseball since 1988, their on-campus field. Creighton has played 118 games in the CU Sports Complex since head coach Ed Servais has taken over the reigns of the Jays. Creighton finished 92-27 in those games, for a winning percentage of .771. Creighton had back-to-back great seasons at the complex, going 20-2 on campus in 2007 and 18-1 in 2008. The Jays are 8-1 this season when playing at home, picking up two series sweeps over South Dakota State and Portland.
2011 9-1
2010 7-6
2009 10-4
2008 18-1
2007 20-2
2006 9-5
2005 19-3
2004 15-5
Walk This Way...
Tuesday, April 12, marked just the fifth time under Ed Servais that one player (Trever Adams) had two intentional walks in the same game. Darin Ruf was the last player to do it (May 11, 2008 vs. Indiana State), while Chris Gradoville, Tony Roth and Zach Daeges each did so one time as well. Ruf (17), Daeges (10) and Roth (6) were the only Creighton players with more intentional walks than Adams in the last eight years.
Streaking... Again
For the second time this season, Creighton outfielder Trever Adams has put together a hitting streak of at least 10 games. With his double in the win over Kansas State, Adams extended this streak to 14 games. Bluejay second baseman Alex Staehely had a 14 game streak last season, as this by Adams matches the longest of any player last season.
Field of 64
Creighton's 2011 schedule pitted them against four teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, in New Mexico, Illinois State and Kansas State. The Jays have now faced all three teams, coming out with a 7-1 record against the three. Creighton swept New Mexico in four games, went 2-1 against Illinois State and defeated Kansas State on April 12, the final game at the CU Sports Complex.
Fun Fact
Creighton entered its final home game at the CU Sports Complex on April 12 with an 8-1 record in home games, a figure it improved to 9-1 after the walk-off win over Kansas State. The only teams with one loss or less in 10 or more home games though games of Tuesday were Creighton, North Carolina, New Mexico State, UC Irvine, Gonzaga, Wright State and Stanford.
Sweeping in Up
The Jays were just a half inning away from dropping the third game for the second time this season, before they rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, April 3 against Portland. Creighton has swept the series four times this season, defeating New Mexico in four games (Feb. 25-27), South Dakota State in three (March 11-13) and the most recent sweep over Indiana State (April 15-17). Creighton lost the third game in the series with Arkansas State, dropping game three 8-6.
Ball Hog
The Creighton pitching staff has been pretty good this season at striking out opponents, as they have fanned 170 batters. But in the 4-3 win over Portland on Sunday, April 3, the Jays staff forced 14 fly balls and seven ground outs, including an inning ending double play in the seventh. Creighton's outfield was busy, as Joey Bowens and Mike Gerber caught more than half of the fly balls, with Bowens getting five in left field and Gerber catching four in center.
For the Team
Creighton has already put down 50 sacrifices this season and 16 sacrifice fly balls. True to any Ed Servais team, the Jays continued the same ball on the weekend. Creighton had five sacrifices on the weekend against Portland, with Alex Staehely and Joey Bowens each credited with two on the weekend. Leading the team this season is Nick Judkins with 11. Bowens and Staehely are tied in second with eight each. In Valley play, Staehely leads the team with three in the first six conference games.
Creighton's hot start this season is one of the best in the Ed Servais tenure at Creighton, as well as one of the best in Creighton baseball history. When looking back over the history of Servais' tenure, the only other team with just five losses when the team hits the 20-win mark was the 2005, NCAA qualifying team. That team finished the season 48-17 overall, 17-7 in the MVC. Even the 1991 College World Series team was 20-6 when they hit the 20-win plateau.
2011 20-5
2010 20-17
2009 20-17
2008 20-7
2007 20-11
2006 20-7
2005 20-5
2004 20-17
1991 20-6
Perfect Pitching
The Creighton pitching staff has done well this season, only hitting a couple bumps in the first half of the season. On Sunday, April 3, Mark Winkelman continued his perfect pitching he has shown thus far on the season. Winkelman pitched 1.1 innings in the 4-3 win, picking up his first win of the season. In that outing, he struck out two batters, not allowing a single batter on base. On the season, Winkelman holds a 3.38 ERA in 21 appearances. The right hander has allowed just 10 runs in 26.2 innings of work.
No Foolin' Around
Creighton's bullpen has been one of its biggest strengths this season, with five different men logging 10 more appearances with great success. The Jays are 19-2 this year when leading after six innings, and 21-0 when leading after eight frames. In eight seasons under Ed Servais, Creighton is 214-12 when leading after six innings and 208-9 when leading after eight innings.
Counting Down
This season is the last the Jays will play on campus at the CU Sports Complex. TD Ameritrade Park Omaha will become the new home of the Jays, starting with the April 19 opener against Nebraska. Following this weekend's series with Portland, the Jays will play just one more game at the CU Sports Complex, an April 12 meeting with Kansas State.
Home Field Advantage
Creighton is 9-1 already this season at home, losing just one against BYU on March 22. In the last 10 seasons, Creighton has a .677 winning percentage when playing at home, winning 147 of 217 home games. Creighton's best season at home was in 2003, when the Jays went 21-3 from home. Under Ed Servais, the Jays are 125-49 when playing at home. Below is the home record in each of the last 10 seasons.
2011 9-1
2010 10-14
2009 15-8
2008 22-6
2007 22-4
2006 12-7
2005 21-3
2004 19-6
2003 6-14
2002 16-7
Perserverance
Creighton's 3-2 win over North Dakota State may not have been the prettiest game coach Ed Servais and his staff would have liked, but it did show the Jays don't give up. Creighton was trailing after the seventh inning, a spot they are just 2-4 in this season. But the Jays used a Michael Mutcheson double and a Trever Adams home run in the bottom of the bottom of the eighth to win the game. The two multi-base hits were the only two for the Jays the whole game, as they picked up just four hits the whole time.
Multi-madness
Two Bluejays, senior Trever Adams and sophomore Alex Staehely are in the top three in the Valley in multi-hit games, with Adams putting together 15 on the season and Staehely with 12. In the first game with BYU, the two were a combined seven-for-seven, each with a double while Adams drove out his team leading fourth home run of the season.
Blast-off
Creighton's Trever Adams knocked in three RBI in the 3-2 win over NDSU, the only three of the game. Adams popped in a seeing eye single in the first inning and then hit the home run in the bottom of the eighth. Adams has a team high 21 RBI on the season, knocking in 10 in the last 10 games straight.
We'll C U at the Sports Complex
Creighton is 9-1 at home this season, losing one against BYU on March 22. In the last 10 seasons, Creighton has a .677 winning percentage when playing at home, winning 148 of 217 home games. Under Ed Servais, the Jays are 126-49 when playing at home.
Back on Track
After starting the 2011 season just two-of-21 in the first five games, senior Trever Adams has connected and found his stride, going 30-of-65 in the next 16 games (.462) and recording multi-hit games in eight of the 17 games. He had seven doubles, three triples and five home runs in that time span, getting a hit in 16 of the 17 games.
Two and Bar-B-Que
Head coach Ed Servais has done an impressive job of getting his teams refocused after losing a home game. In the time he has been at Creighton, the team has only lost back-to-back home games eight times, including going the 2004 and 2007 without dropping multiple games at home in a row. Last season, Creighton dropped four back-to-back games, including a four game skid with the Wichita State series being three of the four.
2011 1 time
2010 4 times
2009 one time
2008 one time
2007 none
2006 two times
2005 one time
2004 none
Dufek's Dominance
Creighton's senior pitcher Jonas Dufek turned in another stellar performance in the Saturday, March 19th, win over Valparaiso. After improving his career strikeout numbers from nine to 11 in the Canisius game (Feb. 19), Dufek struck out 13 Crusader batters while giving up just one hit in the game. He pitched Creighton's first complete game of the season, and first since last year.
Look Alikes
Creighton has hit program “bests” at various win plateau's this season, including their best start since the 2006 season when the Jays reached the 17 win mark with just five losses. During Ed Servais' tenure, this ranks as the second-best overall start. The only team in the last 20 years to reach 17 wins with just four losses? The 1991 College World Series Bluejay team.
Free Baseball
The Jays have played three extra-inning games this season and are a perfect 3-0 in each game. Creighton has been the visiting team in each extra inning game, defeating Kansas 4-3, New Mexico 8-7 and SIU Edwardsville 4-3 on their respective home fields. Creighton played in six extra frame games last season, splitting a perfect 3-3 on the games.
Taking Extra BP
Two Bluejays, senior Trever Adams and spohomore Alex Staehely are in the top three in the Valley in multi-hit games, with Adams putting together 15 on the season and Staehely just behind him with 12. In the first game with BYU, the two were a combined seven for seven, each with a double while Adams drove out his fourth home run of the season.
Use Your Brain
Adding to Creighton's list of accolades already this season is sophomore Alex Staehely. The Bluejay second baseman was named Prairie Farms MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week for the week of March 21 (along with Bluejay softball player Christa Ruf), marking the second straight week a baseball player has received the award. Staehely had three hits, including two doubles and two runs batted in, as the Jays defeated Air Force, Valparaiso and SIU Edwardsville. He holds a 3.50 gpa in economics/finance.
Soft Hands
Creighton first baseman Nick Judkins had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage through the first 21 games, committing his first error as a Bluejay on April 9 at Illinois State. The middle infielder-turned first baseman holds a .997 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 339 chances this season. A Gold Glove winner at Iowa Central Community College, the right handed Judkins has been a part of 17 double plays and can field his spot, as he has played other positions on the infield through his career.
Speed Demons
The Jays defeated Valparaiso in one hour and 25 minutes on Saturday. The 85 minute game is one of the fastest nine-inning game in the history of baseball, professional included. There was an MLB game recorded as finishing in 89 minutes, but there is no record of a faster nine-inning NCAA game. Jonas Dufek pitched the complete game, two hitter for the Jays, striking out 13 in the 1-0 win.
Adams Tabbed Preseason All-MVC
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams is the only Bluejay to be named to the preseason all-Valley team, earning the nod in the outfield. Adams, an all-Valley honorable mention selection last season, hit .356 last season with a team high 74 hits, 12 home runs and 58 RBI. Adams is slated to see most of his time in right field this season.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
With poor weather conditions all across the nation this spring, all but one MVC team played three or fewer games last week. The Jays got in two against BYU, but had their weekend series cancelled with North Dakota. Wichita State split a four game series with Oregon, as the only team that got in more than three games last week. The cancellation was the third time this season the Jays have had to adjust their schedule due to inclement weather, making two adjustments during the Spring break trip in Arkansas, March 4-9.
2-2-2
Creighton's Michael Blatchford has had a good streak in his first at-bat of the season. Last year, as a freshman in his first ever collegiate at-bat, Blatchford knocked in his first homerun of his career. In the game at Air Force on March 16, Blatchford's first at-bat of the 2011 season resulted in the same way, a homerun over the left center field fence. Two season opening at bat homeruns in back to back seasons, not too shabby.
20-Years Later
This year marks the 20 year reunion of the NCAA College World Series team from 1991. It is the only time in Bluejay history the Jays have made it to the CWS. Creighton was eliminated by Wichita State, finished 2-2 in the tournament.
Middle of the Pack
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the MVC preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Jays were picked second in last season's preseason poll and finished sixth. Creighton finished with 35 points, just two points behind Indiana State at number five.
Place Team Points
1 Illinois State (4) 58
2 Wichita State (4) 53
3 Evansville 41
4 Indiana State 37
5 Creighton 35
6 Missouri State 27
7 Southern Illinois 25
8 Bradley 13
Small Ball
With the first set of NCAA statistics to be released next week, the Jays are sure to be in the top of the lists in sacrifices thus far this season. The Jays have 50 sacrifices on the season and 16 sacrifice fly's. Leading the way is Nick Judkins. The junior college transfer, who usually hits in the number two position, has 11 sacrifices on the season and three sacrifice fly. With the change of the bat, many teams will turn to the bunt, although anyone familiar with Creighton baseball knows Ed Servais has always been a fan of getting a runner on and moving them over.
Multiplication
Creighton senior Trever Adams had put together a 10 game it streak from February 26-March 13, the longest at the time of any Bluejay this season. Possibly even more impressive - the right fielder has had multiple hits in six games during that stretch, incuuding a three hit outing on March 12 and a two hit game on March 13, both against South Dakota State. With out the single game at Air Force when Adams was no hit, he would have a 28 game streak.
Fresh Faces
The Jays were able to get a couple players in on Sunday, March 13 in the 13-0 win over SDSU, that haven't seen much playing time this season. Included in that mix were seniors Vince Bellino and Clay Cuno. Bellino scored his first run as a Bluejay, picking up a walk. He also made his first defensive play, tossing out a runner on a ground ball late in the game. Cuno went one for two from the dish in his first appearance this season, after being the designated hitter for much of last season.
High Fives
Creighton seniors Jimmy Swift, Greg Hellhake and Jack VanLeur are all in their fifth-year of competition, after redshirting one year in their stay. The three have compiled 166-94 record, making it to one NCAA Regional and winning one MVC Tournament (both in 2007),
Double Dip Anyone?
CU currently has four 2011 dates scheduled with multiple games, inlcuding this weekend's opening Saturday games. The Ed Servais era has seen great success on such dates, as the Jays are 60-24 in twinbills since 2004, good for a .829 winning percentage. That mark includes 23 Jay sweeps and 14 splits.
Bye Bye Birdie
Creighton played its final game at the CU Sports Complex on Tuesday, April 12, defeating Kansas State 7-6. It was the home of Bluejay baseball since 1988, their on-campus field. Creighton has played 118 games in the CU Sports Complex since head coach Ed Servais has taken over the reigns of the Jays. Creighton finished 92-27 in those games, for a winning percentage of .771. Creighton had back-to-back great seasons at the complex, going 20-2 on campus in 2007 and 18-1 in 2008. The Jays are 8-1 this season when playing at home, picking up two series sweeps over South Dakota State and Portland.
2011 9-1
2010 7-6
2009 10-4
2008 18-1
2007 20-2
2006 9-5
2005 19-3
2004 15-5
Walk This Way...
Tuesday, April 12, marked just the fifth time under Ed Servais that one player (Trever Adams) had two intentional walks in the same game. Darin Ruf was the last player to do it (May 11, 2008 vs. Indiana State), while Chris Gradoville, Tony Roth and Zach Daeges each did so one time as well. Ruf (17), Daeges (10) and Roth (6) were the only Creighton players with more intentional walks than Adams in the last eight years.
Streaking... Again
For the second time this season, Creighton outfielder Trever Adams has put together a hitting streak of at least 10 games. With his double in the win over Kansas State, Adams extended this streak to 14 games. Bluejay second baseman Alex Staehely had a 14 game streak last season, as this by Adams matches the longest of any player last season.
Field of 64
Creighton's 2011 schedule pitted them against four teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, in New Mexico, Illinois State and Kansas State. The Jays have now faced all three teams, coming out with a 7-1 record against the three. Creighton swept New Mexico in four games, went 2-1 against Illinois State and defeated Kansas State on April 12, the final game at the CU Sports Complex.
Fun Fact
Creighton entered its final home game at the CU Sports Complex on April 12 with an 8-1 record in home games, a figure it improved to 9-1 after the walk-off win over Kansas State. The only teams with one loss or less in 10 or more home games though games of Tuesday were Creighton, North Carolina, New Mexico State, UC Irvine, Gonzaga, Wright State and Stanford.
Sweeping in Up
The Jays were just a half inning away from dropping the third game for the second time this season, before they rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, April 3 against Portland. Creighton has swept the series four times this season, defeating New Mexico in four games (Feb. 25-27), South Dakota State in three (March 11-13) and the most recent sweep over Indiana State (April 15-17). Creighton lost the third game in the series with Arkansas State, dropping game three 8-6.
Ball Hog
The Creighton pitching staff has been pretty good this season at striking out opponents, as they have fanned 170 batters. But in the 4-3 win over Portland on Sunday, April 3, the Jays staff forced 14 fly balls and seven ground outs, including an inning ending double play in the seventh. Creighton's outfield was busy, as Joey Bowens and Mike Gerber caught more than half of the fly balls, with Bowens getting five in left field and Gerber catching four in center.
For the Team
Creighton has already put down 50 sacrifices this season and 16 sacrifice fly balls. True to any Ed Servais team, the Jays continued the same ball on the weekend. Creighton had five sacrifices on the weekend against Portland, with Alex Staehely and Joey Bowens each credited with two on the weekend. Leading the team this season is Nick Judkins with 11. Bowens and Staehely are tied in second with eight each. In Valley play, Staehely leads the team with three in the first six conference games.
Players Mentioned
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/ Baseball2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
Friday, October 30
Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
Friday, October 30
CREIGHTON BASEBALL
Thursday, October 15
Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
