Baseball Prepares for Battle of the Birds on Tuesday
4/25/2011 7:23:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton (27-10, 6-3)
vs. Kansas (20-20, 9-9 MVC) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
Tuesday, April 26 @ 6:30 pm
NET-HD • KOZN 1620 AM Radio
vs. Kansas (20-20, 9-9 MVC) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
Tuesday, April 26 @ 6:30 pm
NET-HD • KOZN 1620 AM Radio
ERA W-L App GS SV IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Brandon Koenigstein, RHP 7.84 0-1 9 5 0 20.2 33 24 18 8 13
Kansas
Alex Cox, RHP 4.68 2-3 10 8 0 42.1 49 25 22 15 25
Creighton
Brandon Koenigstein, RHP 7.84 0-1 9 5 0 20.2 33 24 18 8 13
Kansas
Alex Cox, RHP 4.68 2-3 10 8 0 42.1 49 25 22 15 25
Kansas Jayhawks
www.kuathletics.com
Record: 20-20 • Location: Lawrence, Kan. • Enrollment: 30,004
Head Coach: Ritch Price • Alma Mater: Williamette (1978)
Career Record: 967-662-3 • School Record: 292-238-2
2010 Record: 31-27-1 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 19/9
www.kuathletics.com
Record: 20-20 • Location: Lawrence, Kan. • Enrollment: 30,004
Head Coach: Ritch Price • Alma Mater: Williamette (1978)
Career Record: 967-662-3 • School Record: 292-238-2
2010 Record: 31-27-1 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 19/9
The mid week game with the Kansas Jayhawks will be available to Bluejay fans through live stats at www.gocreighton.com and on 1620 AM, with David Gustafson and Jake Ryan calling the ball game. NET-HD will televise the 6:30 pm start on Tuesday, the third Bluejay game on TV in the last week, with John 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 season 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. Kansas. 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 season 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. Kansas. 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 vs. Kansas - The Jays have an 18-10 lead over Kansas. The first game was played in 1980, a 6-3 Creighton victory, but Kansas has won five of the last six meetings, with the Bluejays pulling out a come from behind win earlier this season. Coach Servais is 1-4 against the Jayhawks.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (281-159) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just three 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.
Ritch Price (Kansas) – One of the top coaches in the country, Price is in his ninth season at KU. He has led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament twice and had 30-plus win seasons in six of his first seven years. Price led his team to 31 wins last season, with two wins over LSU and two-of-three wins from Baylor, a first for the program. Price has coached 36 players who have either been drafted or signed by professional programs, including a record seven Jayhawks last season. Price has an overall record of 948-644-3 in 32 years of coaching at the collegiate level and is 273-220-2 at KU. He is assisted by Ryan Graves, John Szefc and Brett Lisher.
Jays vs. the BIG 12
The Big 12 holds a 160-103-3 record over Creighton, with Nebraska holding a commanding 71-39-2 win and Kansas and Kansas State combining for a 57-54-1 lead over the Jays. Last season, Creighton split with the Big 12 opponents three games a piece. Creighton is currently .500 agianst the conference, with two wins and two losses. Creighton beat the two schools from Kansas (KU and Kansas State) this season, but has fallen twice to Nebraska this season. The game tonight and one more on May 10 against Nebraska will allow the Jays a chance to better their record from a season ago.
Looking Back
Creighton and Kansas met on February 22 of this season in Lawrence. For the first time in the last five tries and the first time in Ed Servais' career, the Bluejays defeated the Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday, a 10 inning come from behind 4-3 win. The Jays trailed 3-0 until the top of the fifth, but scored two runs in the fifth, one in the eighth and one in the 10th to earn the win. Alex Staehely went three-for-five on the day, including knocking in the game winning run on his first triple of the season. Creighton improves to 3-1 while KU falls to 1-3. Both Creighton and Kansas struggled to get any offense going early, as both teams went three-up, three-down through the first inning, and didn't get more than one runner on base in any given inning through the third. Brandon Koenigstein was lights out on the mound for Creighton through the first three innings, allowing just one hit and forcing four fly-outs. The Jays took their first lead of the game in the top of the 10th inning. With a 1-1 count, Bowens took a pitch in the middle of the back to earn a trip to first base. Staehely then ripped his first triple of the season to the right-center field fence, scoring Bowens from first. Creighton tried to squeeze home Staehely, but a bunt back to the pitcher made for an easy Jayhawk out at the plate. The Creighton threat ended when Thornburg flew out to right field. The Jays led 4-3 going into the bottom of the 10th inning.
Creighton vs. Kansas - The Jays have an 18-10 lead over Kansas. The first game was played in 1980, a 6-3 Creighton victory, but Kansas has won five of the last six meetings, with the Bluejays pulling out a come from behind win earlier this season. Coach Servais is 1-4 against the Jayhawks.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (281-159) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just three 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.
Ritch Price (Kansas) – One of the top coaches in the country, Price is in his ninth season at KU. He has led the Jayhawks to the NCAA Tournament twice and had 30-plus win seasons in six of his first seven years. Price led his team to 31 wins last season, with two wins over LSU and two-of-three wins from Baylor, a first for the program. Price has coached 36 players who have either been drafted or signed by professional programs, including a record seven Jayhawks last season. Price has an overall record of 948-644-3 in 32 years of coaching at the collegiate level and is 273-220-2 at KU. He is assisted by Ryan Graves, John Szefc and Brett Lisher.
Jays vs. the BIG 12
The Big 12 holds a 160-103-3 record over Creighton, with Nebraska holding a commanding 71-39-2 win and Kansas and Kansas State combining for a 57-54-1 lead over the Jays. Last season, Creighton split with the Big 12 opponents three games a piece. Creighton is currently .500 agianst the conference, with two wins and two losses. Creighton beat the two schools from Kansas (KU and Kansas State) this season, but has fallen twice to Nebraska this season. The game tonight and one more on May 10 against Nebraska will allow the Jays a chance to better their record from a season ago.
Looking Back
Creighton and Kansas met on February 22 of this season in Lawrence. For the first time in the last five tries and the first time in Ed Servais' career, the Bluejays defeated the Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday, a 10 inning come from behind 4-3 win. The Jays trailed 3-0 until the top of the fifth, but scored two runs in the fifth, one in the eighth and one in the 10th to earn the win. Alex Staehely went three-for-five on the day, including knocking in the game winning run on his first triple of the season. Creighton improves to 3-1 while KU falls to 1-3. Both Creighton and Kansas struggled to get any offense going early, as both teams went three-up, three-down through the first inning, and didn't get more than one runner on base in any given inning through the third. Brandon Koenigstein was lights out on the mound for Creighton through the first three innings, allowing just one hit and forcing four fly-outs. The Jays took their first lead of the game in the top of the 10th inning. With a 1-1 count, Bowens took a pitch in the middle of the back to earn a trip to first base. Staehely then ripped his first triple of the season to the right-center field fence, scoring Bowens from first. Creighton tried to squeeze home Staehely, but a bunt back to the pitcher made for an easy Jayhawk out at the plate. The Creighton threat ended when Thornburg flew out to right field. The Jays led 4-3 going into the bottom of the 10th inning.
Last Time Out
The Bluejays dropped their first weekend series this season, losing both the Saturday and Sunday games.
Creighton 5, SIU 4 - On a night when the Bluejays celebrated the 1991 College World Series Bluejay team, the 2011 Jays had a little magic of their own. Creighton (27-8, 6-1) put up two wins in the bottom of the 10th to defeat Southern Illinois (13-24, 4-3) 5-4 on Friday night. Chance Ross drove in the winning run on a blooper over the shortstop's head, scoring Alex Staehely from third base. The first game of the series proved to be a pitchers duel early on, with both starting pitchers, Ty Blach for Creighton and Cameron Maldonado having career bests in strikeouts. In the first five innings of play, the game saw 18 strikeouts, nine by each starter, who each bested their career high of eight K's in a night through the first five innings.
Creighton 2, SIU 3 - A late rally by the Creighton baseball team proved to be too-little, too-late, as they fell 3-2 to the Southern Illinois Salukis (14-24, 5-3). Creighton (27-9, 6-2) used a single by Jimmy Swift and a home run by Trever Adams (his 11th of the season) in the final frame to put come within one, but stranded two runners on base to end the game. SIU's Cody Forsythe picked up his fifth win of the season, striking out a career high 10 Bluejay batters while Jonas Dufek picks up his first loss, dropping to 6-1 on the season.
Creighton 1, SIU 2 - For the first time this season, the Creighton baseball team dropped a weekend series, falling 2-1 to Southern Illinois on Sunday. The Jays (27-10, 6-3) plated just one run on six hits on the afternoon but stranded eight runners on base. SIU (15-24, 6-3) used another good outing from their starting pitcher (this time it was Brad Drust), striking out 10 Jays on the day. The Bluejays plated their only run in the sixth inning. Ross was hit by pitch to earn a free ticket to first and advanced to third on Swift's second single of the day, this time to right field. Staehely then ripped his 17th double of the season down the left field line, plating Ross and advancing Swift to third base. A ground out to the first baseman ended the inning for the Jays, stranding two runners in scoring position.
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 27-10 overall record and 6-3 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 (.390), home runs (11), RBI (47) 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 .268 with 206 runs on 325 hits and 65 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 3.30 ERA and is holding opponents to a .236 batting average against.
The Bluejays dropped their first weekend series this season, losing both the Saturday and Sunday games.
Creighton 5, SIU 4 - On a night when the Bluejays celebrated the 1991 College World Series Bluejay team, the 2011 Jays had a little magic of their own. Creighton (27-8, 6-1) put up two wins in the bottom of the 10th to defeat Southern Illinois (13-24, 4-3) 5-4 on Friday night. Chance Ross drove in the winning run on a blooper over the shortstop's head, scoring Alex Staehely from third base. The first game of the series proved to be a pitchers duel early on, with both starting pitchers, Ty Blach for Creighton and Cameron Maldonado having career bests in strikeouts. In the first five innings of play, the game saw 18 strikeouts, nine by each starter, who each bested their career high of eight K's in a night through the first five innings.
Creighton 2, SIU 3 - A late rally by the Creighton baseball team proved to be too-little, too-late, as they fell 3-2 to the Southern Illinois Salukis (14-24, 5-3). Creighton (27-9, 6-2) used a single by Jimmy Swift and a home run by Trever Adams (his 11th of the season) in the final frame to put come within one, but stranded two runners on base to end the game. SIU's Cody Forsythe picked up his fifth win of the season, striking out a career high 10 Bluejay batters while Jonas Dufek picks up his first loss, dropping to 6-1 on the season.
Creighton 1, SIU 2 - For the first time this season, the Creighton baseball team dropped a weekend series, falling 2-1 to Southern Illinois on Sunday. The Jays (27-10, 6-3) plated just one run on six hits on the afternoon but stranded eight runners on base. SIU (15-24, 6-3) used another good outing from their starting pitcher (this time it was Brad Drust), striking out 10 Jays on the day. The Bluejays plated their only run in the sixth inning. Ross was hit by pitch to earn a free ticket to first and advanced to third on Swift's second single of the day, this time to right field. Staehely then ripped his 17th double of the season down the left field line, plating Ross and advancing Swift to third base. A ground out to the first baseman ended the inning for the Jays, stranding two runners in scoring position.
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 27-10 overall record and 6-3 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 (.390), home runs (11), RBI (47) 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 .268 with 206 runs on 325 hits and 65 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 3.30 ERA and is holding opponents to a .236 batting average against.
Scouting the Jayhawks
The Jayhawks currently sit at .500 in both non-conference and Big 12 play, with a 20-20 record overall and 9-9 mark in the Big 12. The last time the Bluejays met the Jayhawks, KU was 1-2. The Jayhawks are hitting .249 as a team, with 324 hits, including 62 doubles. KU does not have a single player hitting over .300, with Casey Lytle and Jake Marasco leading the team with a .289 and .284 average, respectively. Lytle leads the teams with 41 hits and 16 walks. Alex DeLeon has a team high five home runs, while Zac Elgie has driven in 22 RBI this season. On the base paths, the Jayhawks have swiped 35-of-55 bases this season, led by Lytle with nine. On the mound, T.J. Walz and Wally Marciel each have picked up five wins this season to lead the squad. Walz has thrown a team high 64.2 innings while Frank Duncan has 17 appearances to lead the team. Tuesday's starter, Alex Cox, holds a 4.68 era with a 2-3 record in 42.1 innings of work.
Last Time Out
Senior shortstop Brandon Macias led off the game with his second home run of the season, while the Kansas bullpen held Texas hitless over the final 3 2/3 innings as the Jayhawks salvaged the final game of the three-game set, 4-2, from the Longhorns at Hoglund Ballpark Saturday afternoon. KU improves to 20-20 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play, while the Longhorns fall to 30-10 overall and 13-6 in the conference. Following results Saturday, the Jayhawks sit in fifth-place in the league standings, behind Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. On Saturday, KU used a strong pitching performance by Tanner Poppe and the bullpen and an opportunistic offense to claim the win.
The Jayhawks currently sit at .500 in both non-conference and Big 12 play, with a 20-20 record overall and 9-9 mark in the Big 12. The last time the Bluejays met the Jayhawks, KU was 1-2. The Jayhawks are hitting .249 as a team, with 324 hits, including 62 doubles. KU does not have a single player hitting over .300, with Casey Lytle and Jake Marasco leading the team with a .289 and .284 average, respectively. Lytle leads the teams with 41 hits and 16 walks. Alex DeLeon has a team high five home runs, while Zac Elgie has driven in 22 RBI this season. On the base paths, the Jayhawks have swiped 35-of-55 bases this season, led by Lytle with nine. On the mound, T.J. Walz and Wally Marciel each have picked up five wins this season to lead the squad. Walz has thrown a team high 64.2 innings while Frank Duncan has 17 appearances to lead the team. Tuesday's starter, Alex Cox, holds a 4.68 era with a 2-3 record in 42.1 innings of work.
Last Time Out
Senior shortstop Brandon Macias led off the game with his second home run of the season, while the Kansas bullpen held Texas hitless over the final 3 2/3 innings as the Jayhawks salvaged the final game of the three-game set, 4-2, from the Longhorns at Hoglund Ballpark Saturday afternoon. KU improves to 20-20 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play, while the Longhorns fall to 30-10 overall and 13-6 in the conference. Following results Saturday, the Jayhawks sit in fifth-place in the league standings, behind Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. On Saturday, KU used a strong pitching performance by Tanner Poppe and the bullpen and an opportunistic offense to claim the win.
Late Night Losses
The Bluejays are 1-2 when playing at night this season. The Bluejays had a come from behind win against SIU on Friday, 4/22. Both losses, 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.
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 19 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 13-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 37 games in 2011, over half (.514) have been decided by just one run. In fact, only one of the Bluejays' seven losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22.
Home or Away
The Jays are one of four Missouri Valley teams that holds a winning record both at home and on the road. Creighton is 10-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend, the Bluejays had struck out 213 times as a team. In the highest total in three games all season, Creighton batters struck out 32 times on the weekend, just under a sixth of the previous season total. The starting three Saluki pitchers all had career high strike out numbers against the Jays, as they struck out 11 times both Friday and Saturday and 10 on Sunday.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and cracked the top-30 poll on April 18, 2011. The Jays were ranked 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. After a 1-3 week, Creighton dropped out of both polls.
National Numbers
The Bluejays are still putting up national numbers this week, with the team ranking in the top 10 in two different categories. The Jays are sixth in sacrifice bunts with 50 and also rank in seventh in fielding percentage, holding a .980 percentage this season.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 100 career appearances entering this weekend, and has become just the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games, joining he ranks of Pat Vindette and Scott Reece. With his 100 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (98) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (95), through games of April 28.
TWINS
The Bluejays have a lot to take from the 1-2 weekend, and 1-3 total record in the last week. The Jays are now 27-10 on the season, marking the third time in the last 20 years a Bluejay team has won 27 games in the first 37 played. The other two teams to accomplish the feat? The 2000 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team.
Oh Snap!
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams snapped his 18-game hit streak in the 3-2 loss to SIU on Friday, April 22. Adams went 0-for-3 in the game with two different hit-by-pitches, including on in the 10th inning of the game. The senior put together the longest streak by a Bluejay since the 2009 season. Adams did have a 10-game streak earlier this season.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on April 19, 2011 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 57 hits (over a sixth of the total 325) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games the night of April 19. 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 27-10 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's record after 33 games was 26-7, 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 made his team-high 11th start of the season last Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 9-2 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 last 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 ten outings, Spomer has a 2.45 ERA in 33.0 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 entered 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 three 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 281-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper.
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton has won in “walk-off” fashion in three of the four home games from April 3-April 22. 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. The Jays also defeated SIU on April 22 in the bottom of the 10th, putting up a run to win the game on a Chance Ross blooper over the short stop's head, scoring Adams from third base.
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 48 bases, elipsing 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.
The Bluejays are 1-2 when playing at night this season. The Bluejays had a come from behind win against SIU on Friday, 4/22. Both losses, 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.
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 19 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 13-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 37 games in 2011, over half (.514) have been decided by just one run. In fact, only one of the Bluejays' seven losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22.
Home or Away
The Jays are one of four Missouri Valley teams that holds a winning record both at home and on the road. Creighton is 10-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend, the Bluejays had struck out 213 times as a team. In the highest total in three games all season, Creighton batters struck out 32 times on the weekend, just under a sixth of the previous season total. The starting three Saluki pitchers all had career high strike out numbers against the Jays, as they struck out 11 times both Friday and Saturday and 10 on Sunday.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and cracked the top-30 poll on April 18, 2011. The Jays were ranked 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. After a 1-3 week, Creighton dropped out of both polls.
National Numbers
The Bluejays are still putting up national numbers this week, with the team ranking in the top 10 in two different categories. The Jays are sixth in sacrifice bunts with 50 and also rank in seventh in fielding percentage, holding a .980 percentage this season.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 100 career appearances entering this weekend, and has become just the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games, joining he ranks of Pat Vindette and Scott Reece. With his 100 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (98) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (95), through games of April 28.
TWINS
The Bluejays have a lot to take from the 1-2 weekend, and 1-3 total record in the last week. The Jays are now 27-10 on the season, marking the third time in the last 20 years a Bluejay team has won 27 games in the first 37 played. The other two teams to accomplish the feat? The 2000 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team.
Oh Snap!
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams snapped his 18-game hit streak in the 3-2 loss to SIU on Friday, April 22. Adams went 0-for-3 in the game with two different hit-by-pitches, including on in the 10th inning of the game. The senior put together the longest streak by a Bluejay since the 2009 season. Adams did have a 10-game streak earlier this season.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on April 19, 2011 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 57 hits (over a sixth of the total 325) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games the night of April 19. 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 27-10 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's record after 33 games was 26-7, 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 made his team-high 11th start of the season last Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 9-2 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 last 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 ten outings, Spomer has a 2.45 ERA in 33.0 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 entered 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 three 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 281-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper.
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton has won in “walk-off” fashion in three of the four home games from April 3-April 22. 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. The Jays also defeated SIU on April 22 in the bottom of the 10th, putting up a run to win the game on a Chance Ross blooper over the short stop's head, scoring Adams from third base.
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 48 bases, elipsing 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.
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
