Baseball Looking to Rebound in Valley Play; Hosts Bradley this Weekend
4/27/2011 10:24:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton (28-10, 6-3)
vs. Bradley (20-19, 2-7 MVC) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
April 29 @ 6:30 pm • April 30 @ 6:30 pm • May 1 @ 1:00 pm
KOZN 1620 AM Radio
vs. Bradley (20-19, 2-7 MVC) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
April 29 @ 6:30 pm • April 30 @ 6:30 pm • May 1 @ 1:00 pm
KOZN 1620 AM Radio
Probable Pitching Starters:
ERA W-L App GS SV IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Fri - Ty Blach, LHP 2.24 6-0 11 11 0 60.1 52 16 15 16 53
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.48 6-1 11 9 1 65.1 44 20 18 20 73
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 3.68 3-2 10 10 0 44.0 34 18 18 17 22
Bradley
Fri. - Joe Bircher, LHP 2.65 5-3 10 10 1 68.0 58 27 20 21 46
Sat. - Tory Doerr, LHP 3.43 2-1 9 5 0 39.1 49 22 15 7 18
Sun. - John Nasshan, RHP 5.37 2-5 10 10 1 55.1 67 39 33 15 27
Creighton
Fri - Ty Blach, LHP 2.24 6-0 11 11 0 60.1 52 16 15 16 53
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.48 6-1 11 9 1 65.1 44 20 18 20 73
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 3.68 3-2 10 10 0 44.0 34 18 18 17 22
Bradley
Fri. - Joe Bircher, LHP 2.65 5-3 10 10 1 68.0 58 27 20 21 46
Sat. - Tory Doerr, LHP 3.43 2-1 9 5 0 39.1 49 22 15 7 18
Sun. - John Nasshan, RHP 5.37 2-5 10 10 1 55.1 67 39 33 15 27
The Series
Creighton vs. Bradley - The two schools have met up 105 times in the history of the two programs, with the Jays holding a 63-42 lead over the Braves. An 8-0 Bradley win started the series history in 1968, with the most recent meeting going to the Jays, a 12-3 win at Bradley on April 18 last season. Creighton won three-of-four from the Braves last season, winning two-of-three in Peoria and then winning 6-5 in the Valley tournament. The one-run game marked the 12th one-run game between the two schools, with Bradley holding a 9-3 advantage in those games.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .639 winning percentage (282-159) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just two 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.
Elvis Dominguez (Bradley) – A four year starting shortstop for Creighton, Elvis Dominguez was named the 15th head coach in Braves baseball history in 2008. A standout infielder for the Bluejays, Dominguez led the team with a .348 batting average as a senior. He has compiled a 57-82 record since then, when he replaced Dewey Kalmer, a 29-year veteran at the helm of Bradley baseball. Dominguez, 46, has 19 years of college coaching experience, including seven seasons as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University. During his career, Dominguez has recruited and coached eight players that advanced to the Major Leagues, 22 All-Americans and three Ohio Valley Conference Players of the Year. Eight of his Eastern Kentucky players were drafted by Major League organizations, including a trio of Colonels selected within the first seven rounds of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Of particular note, 2008 OVC Pitcher of the Year Christian Friedrich was the 25th overall selection by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2008 draft. Dominguez is assisted by John Corbin, Sean Lyons and Ross Winter.
Welcome Home
The lone Nebraska native on the Braves roster is Friday night starter Joe Bircher. The left handed pitcher from Omaha Roncalli Catholic High School has compiled a 5-3 record this season in 10 starts, throwing one complete game for the Braves. In his career against the Bluejays, Bircher has thrown 16.1 innings, allowing 15 hits, 10 runs (just six earned), walking just three batters while striking out 13. In his best outing against CU, Bircher went 2.1 innings on April 25, 2009 at the CU Sports Complex, allowing no runs, no hits, and striking out two batters.
Looking Back
The Bluejays took three-of-four from BU last season, including the final meeting at the MVC Tournament. The Jays erased a four-run deficit in the eighth inning to force the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Michael Blatchford recorded his first hit in over two months that plated Carson Vitale and give the Jays the 6-5 win over Bradley.
Odd-Balls
Creighton entered their MVC series with SIU with a 5-1 record in Valley play, finishing the series with a 6-3 mark and tied for first with Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Creighton will look to rebound this weekend, trying to become just the third team under Ed Servais to start the Valley with exactly a .750 conference record. The Jays started 9-3 in both 2007 and 2009, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2007. The only team with a better start was the 2005 Bluejay team, who went 10-2 through the first four conference series.
Motivation
As the Bluejays try to pull off their first sweep of the Braves since 2007, they might want to look at that season for inspiration. The Jays came into the series with Bradley with a 20-11 record, not quite as good as this season, but were also 6-3 in Valley play. They swept the Braves that season in Omaha and went on to get two more conference sweeps (Indiana State and Illinois State) and take two-of-three in their other two series (Southern Illinois and Missouri State) to finish the season 19-5 in Valley play and 25-16 overall (going 25-5 in the second half of the season) to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton vs. Bradley - The two schools have met up 105 times in the history of the two programs, with the Jays holding a 63-42 lead over the Braves. An 8-0 Bradley win started the series history in 1968, with the most recent meeting going to the Jays, a 12-3 win at Bradley on April 18 last season. Creighton won three-of-four from the Braves last season, winning two-of-three in Peoria and then winning 6-5 in the Valley tournament. The one-run game marked the 12th one-run game between the two schools, with Bradley holding a 9-3 advantage in those games.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .639 winning percentage (282-159) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais needs just two 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.
Elvis Dominguez (Bradley) – A four year starting shortstop for Creighton, Elvis Dominguez was named the 15th head coach in Braves baseball history in 2008. A standout infielder for the Bluejays, Dominguez led the team with a .348 batting average as a senior. He has compiled a 57-82 record since then, when he replaced Dewey Kalmer, a 29-year veteran at the helm of Bradley baseball. Dominguez, 46, has 19 years of college coaching experience, including seven seasons as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University. During his career, Dominguez has recruited and coached eight players that advanced to the Major Leagues, 22 All-Americans and three Ohio Valley Conference Players of the Year. Eight of his Eastern Kentucky players were drafted by Major League organizations, including a trio of Colonels selected within the first seven rounds of the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Of particular note, 2008 OVC Pitcher of the Year Christian Friedrich was the 25th overall selection by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2008 draft. Dominguez is assisted by John Corbin, Sean Lyons and Ross Winter.
Welcome Home
The lone Nebraska native on the Braves roster is Friday night starter Joe Bircher. The left handed pitcher from Omaha Roncalli Catholic High School has compiled a 5-3 record this season in 10 starts, throwing one complete game for the Braves. In his career against the Bluejays, Bircher has thrown 16.1 innings, allowing 15 hits, 10 runs (just six earned), walking just three batters while striking out 13. In his best outing against CU, Bircher went 2.1 innings on April 25, 2009 at the CU Sports Complex, allowing no runs, no hits, and striking out two batters.
Looking Back
The Bluejays took three-of-four from BU last season, including the final meeting at the MVC Tournament. The Jays erased a four-run deficit in the eighth inning to force the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the 12th inning, Michael Blatchford recorded his first hit in over two months that plated Carson Vitale and give the Jays the 6-5 win over Bradley.
Odd-Balls
Creighton entered their MVC series with SIU with a 5-1 record in Valley play, finishing the series with a 6-3 mark and tied for first with Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Creighton will look to rebound this weekend, trying to become just the third team under Ed Servais to start the Valley with exactly a .750 conference record. The Jays started 9-3 in both 2007 and 2009, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2007. The only team with a better start was the 2005 Bluejay team, who went 10-2 through the first four conference series.
Motivation
As the Bluejays try to pull off their first sweep of the Braves since 2007, they might want to look at that season for inspiration. The Jays came into the series with Bradley with a 20-11 record, not quite as good as this season, but were also 6-3 in Valley play. They swept the Braves that season in Omaha and went on to get two more conference sweeps (Indiana State and Illinois State) and take two-of-three in their other two series (Southern Illinois and Missouri State) to finish the season 19-5 in Valley play and 25-16 overall (going 25-5 in the second half of the season) to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
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. Bradley. 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.
Last Time Out
The Bluejays won in dramatic fashion against the Kansas Jayhawks, coming from behind to tie the game at three in the seventh and take the lead in the eighth inning. A Jordan Makovicka single in the eighth drove in two runs, giving Creighton the 5-3 win.
Creighton 5, Kansas 3 - For the second time this season, the battle of the birds was won by the Bluejays. In both meetings this season, Creighton has used the eighth inning in their favor, to tie the game in the first meeting and to win it on Tuesday. The Jays took the early lead when Alex Staehely hit his second home run of the season, putting it over the left field fence and into the Bluejay bullpen. KU tied the game in the third before the Jays regained the lead, thanks to a Jimmy Swift sacrifice fly that drove in Jordan Makovicka from third. The Jays were held scoreless through the heart of the game, but put up a single run to tie the game in the seventh and two runs in the eighth to win it. Mike Gerber picked up his second triple of the season and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh. A double by Alex Staehely and back-to-back walks to Anthony Bemboom and Chance Ross loaded the bases, and with two outs, Makovicka ripped a two-RBI single to center-field in just his 16th at-bat this season. Creighton brought in Kurt Spomer to close the game in the ninth, picking up his fifth save of the season.
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 28-10 overall record and 6-3 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.387), home runs (11), RBI (47) and triples (4). Adams has six game winning RBI this season, including 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 continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .340 batting average and a team high 17 doubles. Jimmy Swift leads the team in hit by pitch with nine on the season and is second in assists with 110. Overall, the team is hitting .268 with 211 runs on 332 hits and 65 doubles.
The Jays have also had solid pitching performances on the mound 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 nine against MVC foe Southern Illinois (4/22/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a .216 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 30.2 innings pitched, including not allowing a single run in MVC play in his 6.0 innings of work. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.38 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.29 ERA and is holding opponents to a .236 batting average against.
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. Bradley. 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.
Last Time Out
The Bluejays won in dramatic fashion against the Kansas Jayhawks, coming from behind to tie the game at three in the seventh and take the lead in the eighth inning. A Jordan Makovicka single in the eighth drove in two runs, giving Creighton the 5-3 win.
Creighton 5, Kansas 3 - For the second time this season, the battle of the birds was won by the Bluejays. In both meetings this season, Creighton has used the eighth inning in their favor, to tie the game in the first meeting and to win it on Tuesday. The Jays took the early lead when Alex Staehely hit his second home run of the season, putting it over the left field fence and into the Bluejay bullpen. KU tied the game in the third before the Jays regained the lead, thanks to a Jimmy Swift sacrifice fly that drove in Jordan Makovicka from third. The Jays were held scoreless through the heart of the game, but put up a single run to tie the game in the seventh and two runs in the eighth to win it. Mike Gerber picked up his second triple of the season and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh. A double by Alex Staehely and back-to-back walks to Anthony Bemboom and Chance Ross loaded the bases, and with two outs, Makovicka ripped a two-RBI single to center-field in just his 16th at-bat this season. Creighton brought in Kurt Spomer to close the game in the ninth, picking up his fifth save of the season.
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 28-10 overall record and 6-3 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.387), home runs (11), RBI (47) and triples (4). Adams has six game winning RBI this season, including 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 continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .340 batting average and a team high 17 doubles. Jimmy Swift leads the team in hit by pitch with nine on the season and is second in assists with 110. Overall, the team is hitting .268 with 211 runs on 332 hits and 65 doubles.
The Jays have also had solid pitching performances on the mound 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 nine against MVC foe Southern Illinois (4/22/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a .216 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 30.2 innings pitched, including not allowing a single run in MVC play in his 6.0 innings of work. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.38 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.29 ERA and is holding opponents to a .236 batting average against.
Scouting the Braves
The Braves finished the 2010 season with a 20-32 record for the Creighton graduate Elvis Dominguez. A team that returned 16 letter winners then jumped out to the team's best record since the 2005 season, going 18-8 early. Since April 6, the Braves have lost 11-of-13 games, including the last two games they played (2-0 loss to Evansville and a 14-1 loss to Northern Illinois). In that time span, the Braves have lost seven games by three runs or more, three games by two runs and one by one run. Their two wins have both been by just one run. The Braves are led by Mike Tauchman, Jason Leblebijian and Brad Kimball offensively this season, as they are the only three with a batting average above .300. Tauchman has a team high .352, with 44 hits and 24 runs scored, while Leblebijian leads the team in hits (48) and doubles (10). The Braves have swiped a Missouri Valley leading 76 bases this season, led by Rob Elliott with 23. Overall, BU is hitting .273 with 221 runs on 350 hits and 10 home runs. As a pitching staff, the Braves hold a 4.46 ERA, allowing 169 earned runs in 341 innings of play. Joe Bircher, an Omaha native (Roncalli High School) holds a 2.65 ERA in his 10 starts and has one complete game under his belt. Bircher leads the team in strike outs with 46 and is holding opponents to a .237 average against. Also on the mound is John Nasshan who holds a 5.37 ERA in his 10 starts, allowing just 15 walks in his 55.1 innings of work this season. Errors have plagued the Braves this season, as they have 70 as a team for a .954 fielding percentage.
Last Time Out For the Braves
The Braves had a mid-week game against Illinois rained out, but did play against Northern Illinois, falling 14-1 to the Huskies. UNI scored four runs in both the first and fifth innings against the Braves. The highlight of the night for the Braves came when Rob Elliott stole two bases to move into fourth place on the school's career stolen base list.
The Braves finished the 2010 season with a 20-32 record for the Creighton graduate Elvis Dominguez. A team that returned 16 letter winners then jumped out to the team's best record since the 2005 season, going 18-8 early. Since April 6, the Braves have lost 11-of-13 games, including the last two games they played (2-0 loss to Evansville and a 14-1 loss to Northern Illinois). In that time span, the Braves have lost seven games by three runs or more, three games by two runs and one by one run. Their two wins have both been by just one run. The Braves are led by Mike Tauchman, Jason Leblebijian and Brad Kimball offensively this season, as they are the only three with a batting average above .300. Tauchman has a team high .352, with 44 hits and 24 runs scored, while Leblebijian leads the team in hits (48) and doubles (10). The Braves have swiped a Missouri Valley leading 76 bases this season, led by Rob Elliott with 23. Overall, BU is hitting .273 with 221 runs on 350 hits and 10 home runs. As a pitching staff, the Braves hold a 4.46 ERA, allowing 169 earned runs in 341 innings of play. Joe Bircher, an Omaha native (Roncalli High School) holds a 2.65 ERA in his 10 starts and has one complete game under his belt. Bircher leads the team in strike outs with 46 and is holding opponents to a .237 average against. Also on the mound is John Nasshan who holds a 5.37 ERA in his 10 starts, allowing just 15 walks in his 55.1 innings of work this season. Errors have plagued the Braves this season, as they have 70 as a team for a .954 fielding percentage.
Last Time Out For the Braves
The Braves had a mid-week game against Illinois rained out, but did play against Northern Illinois, falling 14-1 to the Huskies. UNI scored four runs in both the first and fifth innings against the Braves. The highlight of the night for the Braves came when Rob Elliott stole two bases to move into fourth place on the school's career stolen base list.
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 0.89 ERA and five saves in his last 14 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 20.1 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just three of his 21 relief appearances this season, with 20 of those 21 outings lasting an inning or longer.
Get one for the Gipper... Or Skipper!
Head coach Ed Servais is just two wins away from second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach, and just eight away from taking the lead as the most successful and winningest skipper. Servais holds a .639 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 282-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper. Below is a list of the top three in order:
Coach (Years) Record Win %
Jim Hendry (1984*-1991) 289-182-2 .613
Jack Dahm (1994-2003) 283-276-2 .506
Ed Servais (2004-present) 282-159 .639
* Hendry took over mid-way through the 1984 season.
A Little Fun
The Bluejays had a little fun at the expense of sophomore Jordan Makovicka following the 5-3 win over Kansas on April 26. After Makovicka knocked a two-RBI single in the eighth to give the Jays the win, his Bluejay teammates gave him a shaving cream pie in the face while he was talking to reporters. The two RBI were just the second and third for Makovicka on the season, and the single came in his 16th at-bat of the year.
Revolving Door
Jordan Makovicka put his name in a hat for the starting left fielder on Tuesday and made a pretty good case for himself. The sophomore drove in the game winning run on a single in the eighth. He now is hitting .333 when patrolling left field. Seven different Bluejays have seen time in left field this season, as Creighton continues to try and find the best lineup. Taking most of the games has been Joey Bowens, who has played 32 games in left, hitting .205 when in the outfield. No other Jay has played in more than 16 games in left, with Brad McKewon (.200) and Erik Mattingly (.125) have each played in 16 games in left. Creighton has also thrown catcher Anthony Bemboom in left field to keep his bat in the order, but the junior is hitting just .125 when in left (half of his .250 average overall).
Making the Switch
While the Bluejay weekend starters Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have pitched great the whole season, owning a 2.76 ERA overall, it has been the bullpen that has excelled in Valley play. The three starters hold a 3.53 ERA in MVC play, while the bullpen (including Jack VanLeur, Kurt Spomer, Reese McGraw, Mark Winkelman and Chase Webb) has combined for a 2.88 ERA in conference play. VanLeur has a 0.00 ERA in 6.0 innings and CU closer Spomer holds a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings of Valley work.
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has relied heavily on the three weekend starters this season. Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have a combined for a 2.76 ERA this season.
• has allowed 4 or fewer earned runs in 14 of 15 home games this season, and owns a 2.58 ERA at home this year. Take out the 7-run first inning by BYU on March 22nd and it drops to 2.13, and take out the 11-runs in 9 innings by BYU that day and it drops all the way down to 1.98.
• owns a 2.15 ERA in the five games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but is just 1-3.
• has trailed in 15 of its 28 victories this season.
• is 22-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 23-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 27-5 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• has a bullpen that has allowed just 27 of 85 inherited runners (31.8 percent) to score this season. That includes just 2-of-12 vs. Kurt Spomer and 2-of-16 vs. Mark Winkelman.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 31 of his last 33 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 22 games.
Decades
With 11 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, Trever Adams is the only player in the MVC this season with 10 or more homers and 10 or more stolen bases. In the past three seasons, the only other Valley players with at least 11 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
Meet The Jays
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 13 sacrifice bunts, tied for seventh nationally. No other player has more than nine.
• Brandon Koenigstein has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last four outings.
• Each of Greg Hellhake's last six starts have been decided by one run.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 24-5 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-5 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the leadoff hitter in each of the last 8 innings he has started.
• Alex Staehely is the only player with a hit in every game in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history.
• Jack VanLeur has not allowed an earned run in his last seven outings dating to April 5th, throwing 9.0 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.53.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 2-2 when playing at night this season. Both of Creighton's wins have been come from behind, as the Bluejays had a come from behind win against SIU on Friday, 4/22 and put up two runs in the eighth to defeat Kansas on April 26. 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 seven more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including four at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
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 11-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
If You Build It... They Will Come
Creighton's new home, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, has boosted the average attendance of the Jays this season considerably (and the winning ways of the Jays doesn't hurt either!) Creighton now sits in 16th in total attendance this season (63,435) and 30th in average per game (1,669). The Bluejays sit in 15th in home attendance, averaging 3,388 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 329,530 31 10,630
2 Mississippi 204,341 25 8,173
3 Arkansas 172,568 22 7,844
4 S. Carolina 190,587 26 7,330
5 Texas 172,332 27 6,382
6 Mississippi St. 152,025 25 6,081
7 Florida St. 123,707 26 7,757
8 Clemson 113,367 26 4,360
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 103,893 26 3,995
11 Alabama 105,243 27 3,897
12 Texas A&M 100,867 26 3,879
13 Southern Miss. 68,926 20 3,446
14 Rice 92,507 27 3,426
15 Creighton 50,826 15 3,388
16 Arizona St. 62,309 19 3,279
17 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243
18 Wichita St. 72,368 23 3,146
19 East Carolina 75,981 26 2,922
20 Virginia 82,630 29 2,849
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.)
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend's series with Southern Illinois, 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 was #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.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 101 career appearances entering this weekend, and has become just the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games with his appearance against SIU on April 24, joining the ranks of Pat Venditte and Scott Reese. With his 101 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (99) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (95), through games of April 28.
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 tied for sixth in sacrifice bunts with 54 and also rank tied for fifth in fielding percentage, holding a .979 percentage this season. Individually, Trever Adams sits a seventh in slugging percentage (.733), 16th in RBI per game (1.27), 19th in home runs (11) and 20th in total RBI (47). Nick Judkins is tied for 15th is sacrifice bunts with 12 and tied for 16th in sacrifices per game with .32. Alex Staehely also ranks among the top's in doubles this season, tied for 18th in doubles this season (17), and 15th in doubles per game, with .46.
Triplets
Creighton has started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 28-10, tying them for the second best start in program history. The only team to start better through the first 38 games was the 2005 NCAA team, who started 30-8 (but went 1-2 in their next series). The 2000 NCAA Tournament team also started 28-10, dropping two-of-three in their next series. The final team in the three way tie, the 1991 College World Series team, started 28-10 and then rattled off six wins in a row.
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 one 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 58 hits (over a sixth of the total 332) 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 28-10 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Kansas State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 6-3 record in Valley play this season. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State, but have fallen to 42 after the loss against Nebraska and the 1-2 weekend against SIU. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 4/27/11.
Creighton 49
Illinois State 68
Missouri State 92
Wichita State 102
Evansville 123 Indiana State 187
Bradley 194
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 will make his team-high 12th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 9-2 in Blach's first 11 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 12 of the past 14 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 25 career appearances, including 22 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 19 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. The Jays won just one-of-three against SIU, but defeated Kansas State on April 26 to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 2-3.
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 .387 batting average to go with 11 homers and 47 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 38 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 38 games were Ryan Gripp (.413-14-56) and Peyton Lewis (.388-12-50), 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.
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 10 decisions (five saves, three wins and two losses) in his last 14 outings, Spomer has a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 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 was 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owned at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games, and during those 29 games he was 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 - April 24, 2011
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton 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 Staehely 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 49 bases, elipsing its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 73.1 success rate on the basepaths this season (49-67 )is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in the series 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 17 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 went ten games without a double dating from April 3 to April 23. He did hit a double in the April 24 loss to Southern Illinois. The sophomore had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely did pick up his second home run of the season in the 5-3 win over Kansas, marking back-to-back games with extra base hits.
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 29.2 innings, allowing just nine earned runs and picking up 13 strike outs to eight 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 3.68 after seven starts. He currently has a 3.68 ERA and is holding batters to a .214 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 2-2 .500
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
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 0.89 ERA and five saves in his last 14 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 20.1 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just three of his 21 relief appearances this season, with 20 of those 21 outings lasting an inning or longer.
Get one for the Gipper... Or Skipper!
Head coach Ed Servais is just two wins away from second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach, and just eight away from taking the lead as the most successful and winningest skipper. Servais holds a .639 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 282-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper. Below is a list of the top three in order:
Coach (Years) Record Win %
Jim Hendry (1984*-1991) 289-182-2 .613
Jack Dahm (1994-2003) 283-276-2 .506
Ed Servais (2004-present) 282-159 .639
* Hendry took over mid-way through the 1984 season.
A Little Fun
The Bluejays had a little fun at the expense of sophomore Jordan Makovicka following the 5-3 win over Kansas on April 26. After Makovicka knocked a two-RBI single in the eighth to give the Jays the win, his Bluejay teammates gave him a shaving cream pie in the face while he was talking to reporters. The two RBI were just the second and third for Makovicka on the season, and the single came in his 16th at-bat of the year.
Revolving Door
Jordan Makovicka put his name in a hat for the starting left fielder on Tuesday and made a pretty good case for himself. The sophomore drove in the game winning run on a single in the eighth. He now is hitting .333 when patrolling left field. Seven different Bluejays have seen time in left field this season, as Creighton continues to try and find the best lineup. Taking most of the games has been Joey Bowens, who has played 32 games in left, hitting .205 when in the outfield. No other Jay has played in more than 16 games in left, with Brad McKewon (.200) and Erik Mattingly (.125) have each played in 16 games in left. Creighton has also thrown catcher Anthony Bemboom in left field to keep his bat in the order, but the junior is hitting just .125 when in left (half of his .250 average overall).
Making the Switch
While the Bluejay weekend starters Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have pitched great the whole season, owning a 2.76 ERA overall, it has been the bullpen that has excelled in Valley play. The three starters hold a 3.53 ERA in MVC play, while the bullpen (including Jack VanLeur, Kurt Spomer, Reese McGraw, Mark Winkelman and Chase Webb) has combined for a 2.88 ERA in conference play. VanLeur has a 0.00 ERA in 6.0 innings and CU closer Spomer holds a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings of Valley work.
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has relied heavily on the three weekend starters this season. Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have a combined for a 2.76 ERA this season.
• has allowed 4 or fewer earned runs in 14 of 15 home games this season, and owns a 2.58 ERA at home this year. Take out the 7-run first inning by BYU on March 22nd and it drops to 2.13, and take out the 11-runs in 9 innings by BYU that day and it drops all the way down to 1.98.
• owns a 2.15 ERA in the five games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but is just 1-3.
• has trailed in 15 of its 28 victories this season.
• is 22-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 23-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 27-5 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• has a bullpen that has allowed just 27 of 85 inherited runners (31.8 percent) to score this season. That includes just 2-of-12 vs. Kurt Spomer and 2-of-16 vs. Mark Winkelman.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 31 of his last 33 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 22 games.
Decades
With 11 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, Trever Adams is the only player in the MVC this season with 10 or more homers and 10 or more stolen bases. In the past three seasons, the only other Valley players with at least 11 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
Meet The Jays
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 13 sacrifice bunts, tied for seventh nationally. No other player has more than nine.
• Brandon Koenigstein has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last four outings.
• Each of Greg Hellhake's last six starts have been decided by one run.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 24-5 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-5 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the leadoff hitter in each of the last 8 innings he has started.
• Alex Staehely is the only player with a hit in every game in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history.
• Jack VanLeur has not allowed an earned run in his last seven outings dating to April 5th, throwing 9.0 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.53.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 2-2 when playing at night this season. Both of Creighton's wins have been come from behind, as the Bluejays had a come from behind win against SIU on Friday, 4/22 and put up two runs in the eighth to defeat Kansas on April 26. 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 seven more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including four at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
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 11-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
If You Build It... They Will Come
Creighton's new home, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, has boosted the average attendance of the Jays this season considerably (and the winning ways of the Jays doesn't hurt either!) Creighton now sits in 16th in total attendance this season (63,435) and 30th in average per game (1,669). The Bluejays sit in 15th in home attendance, averaging 3,388 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 329,530 31 10,630
2 Mississippi 204,341 25 8,173
3 Arkansas 172,568 22 7,844
4 S. Carolina 190,587 26 7,330
5 Texas 172,332 27 6,382
6 Mississippi St. 152,025 25 6,081
7 Florida St. 123,707 26 7,757
8 Clemson 113,367 26 4,360
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 103,893 26 3,995
11 Alabama 105,243 27 3,897
12 Texas A&M 100,867 26 3,879
13 Southern Miss. 68,926 20 3,446
14 Rice 92,507 27 3,426
15 Creighton 50,826 15 3,388
16 Arizona St. 62,309 19 3,279
17 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243
18 Wichita St. 72,368 23 3,146
19 East Carolina 75,981 26 2,922
20 Virginia 82,630 29 2,849
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.)
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend's series with Southern Illinois, 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 was #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.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 101 career appearances entering this weekend, and has become just the third player in Creighton history to pitch in 100 games with his appearance against SIU on April 24, joining the ranks of Pat Venditte and Scott Reese. With his 101 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (99) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (95), through games of April 28.
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 tied for sixth in sacrifice bunts with 54 and also rank tied for fifth in fielding percentage, holding a .979 percentage this season. Individually, Trever Adams sits a seventh in slugging percentage (.733), 16th in RBI per game (1.27), 19th in home runs (11) and 20th in total RBI (47). Nick Judkins is tied for 15th is sacrifice bunts with 12 and tied for 16th in sacrifices per game with .32. Alex Staehely also ranks among the top's in doubles this season, tied for 18th in doubles this season (17), and 15th in doubles per game, with .46.
Triplets
Creighton has started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 28-10, tying them for the second best start in program history. The only team to start better through the first 38 games was the 2005 NCAA team, who started 30-8 (but went 1-2 in their next series). The 2000 NCAA Tournament team also started 28-10, dropping two-of-three in their next series. The final team in the three way tie, the 1991 College World Series team, started 28-10 and then rattled off six wins in a row.
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 one 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 58 hits (over a sixth of the total 332) 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 28-10 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Kansas State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 6-3 record in Valley play this season. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State, but have fallen to 42 after the loss against Nebraska and the 1-2 weekend against SIU. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 4/27/11.
Creighton 49
Illinois State 68
Missouri State 92
Wichita State 102
Evansville 123 Indiana State 187
Bradley 194
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 will make his team-high 12th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 9-2 in Blach's first 11 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 12 of the past 14 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 25 career appearances, including 22 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 19 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. The Jays won just one-of-three against SIU, but defeated Kansas State on April 26 to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 2-3.
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 .387 batting average to go with 11 homers and 47 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 38 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 38 games were Ryan Gripp (.413-14-56) and Peyton Lewis (.388-12-50), 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.
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 10 decisions (five saves, three wins and two losses) in his last 14 outings, Spomer has a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 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 was 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owned at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games, and during those 29 games he was 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 - April 24, 2011
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton 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 Staehely 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 49 bases, elipsing its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 73.1 success rate on the basepaths this season (49-67 )is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in the series 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 17 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 went ten games without a double dating from April 3 to April 23. He did hit a double in the April 24 loss to Southern Illinois. The sophomore had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely did pick up his second home run of the season in the 5-3 win over Kansas, marking back-to-back games with extra base hits.
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 29.2 innings, allowing just nine earned runs and picking up 13 strike outs to eight 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 3.68 after seven starts. He currently has a 3.68 ERA and is holding batters to a .214 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 2-2 .500
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
Overall 28-10
Non-Conference 22-7
MVC 6-3
MVC Tournament 0-0
vs. Ranked Teams 0-0
vs. Unranked Teams 28-10
Home 11-4
Away 14-5
Neutral 3-1
Day 26-8
Night 2-2
vs. Left 5-3
vs. Right 23-7
Friday 5-1
Saturday 10-1
Sunday 7-2
Monday 2-1 Tuesday 3-3 Wednesday 1-2
Thursday 0-0
1-Run Games 13-6
2-Run Games 2-1
5+ Run Games 6-1
In Extra Innings 4-0
Shutouts 6-0
Game 1 of MVC Series 2-1
Game 2 of MVC Series 2-1
Game 3 of MVC Series 2-1
Scoring First 19-5
When opponent scores first 9-5
After 6 leading 19-2
After 6 trailing 4-7
After 6 tied 5-1
After 7 leading 22-0
After 7 trailing 2-9
After 7 tied 3-1
After 8 leading 23-0
After 8 trailing 1-9
After 8 tied 3-1
Last at-bat wins 3-0
Last at-bat losses 0-1
When hitting a homerun 15-5
When not hitting a homerun 13-5
When allowing a homerun 8-4
When not allowing a homerun 20-6
February 7-1
March 10-4
April 11-5
May 0-0
June 0-0
Non-Conference 22-7
MVC 6-3
MVC Tournament 0-0
vs. Ranked Teams 0-0
vs. Unranked Teams 28-10
Home 11-4
Away 14-5
Neutral 3-1
Day 26-8
Night 2-2
vs. Left 5-3
vs. Right 23-7
Friday 5-1
Saturday 10-1
Sunday 7-2
Monday 2-1 Tuesday 3-3 Wednesday 1-2
Thursday 0-0
1-Run Games 13-6
2-Run Games 2-1
5+ Run Games 6-1
In Extra Innings 4-0
Shutouts 6-0
Game 1 of MVC Series 2-1
Game 2 of MVC Series 2-1
Game 3 of MVC Series 2-1
Scoring First 19-5
When opponent scores first 9-5
After 6 leading 19-2
After 6 trailing 4-7
After 6 tied 5-1
After 7 leading 22-0
After 7 trailing 2-9
After 7 tied 3-1
After 8 leading 23-0
After 8 trailing 1-9
After 8 tied 3-1
Last at-bat wins 3-0
Last at-bat losses 0-1
When hitting a homerun 15-5
When not hitting a homerun 13-5
When allowing a homerun 8-4
When not allowing a homerun 20-6
February 7-1
March 10-4
April 11-5
May 0-0
June 0-0
Players Mentioned
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RHP
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LHP
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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
