Baseball Ready for Final Road Trip of the Season
5/11/2011 4:53:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton (33-12, 10-5)
at Evansville (26-17*, 6-8 MVC) • May 13-15 • Braun Stadium
at Iowa (18-27*, 7-10 Big 10) • May 17 • Duane Banks Field
KOZN 1620 AM Radio
(* records as of Wednesday, May 11)
at Evansville (26-17*, 6-8 MVC) • May 13-15 • Braun Stadium
at Iowa (18-27*, 7-10 Big 10) • May 17 • Duane Banks Field
KOZN 1620 AM Radio
(* records as of Wednesday, May 11)
Evansville Purple Aces
www.gopurpleaces.com
Record: 26-17*, 6-8 • Location: Evansville, Ind. • Enrollment: 2,699
Head Coach: Wes Carroll • Alma Mater: Evansville (2001)
Career Record: 83-74 • School Record: 83-74
2010 Record: 37-22 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 18/11
www.gopurpleaces.com
Record: 26-17*, 6-8 • Location: Evansville, Ind. • Enrollment: 2,699
Head Coach: Wes Carroll • Alma Mater: Evansville (2001)
Career Record: 83-74 • School Record: 83-74
2010 Record: 37-22 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 18/11
Iowa Hawkeyes
www.hawkeyesports.com
Record: 18-27, 7-10 • Location: Iowa City, Iowa • Enrollment: 30,825
Head Coach: Jack Dahm • Alma Mater: Creighton (1989)
Career Record: 471-519-2 • School Record: 188-245
2010 Record: 30-28 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 21/8
www.hawkeyesports.com
Record: 18-27, 7-10 • Location: Iowa City, Iowa • Enrollment: 30,825
Head Coach: Jack Dahm • Alma Mater: Creighton (1989)
Career Record: 471-519-2 • School Record: 188-245
2010 Record: 30-28 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 21/8
Probable Starters
ERA W-L App GS CG IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Fri. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.46 8-1 13 11 1 80.1 56 24 22 22 92
Sat. - Ty Blach, LHP 2.77 8-1 14 14 0 74.2 73 24 23 21 68
Sun. - TBA
Evansville
Fri. - Kyle Lloyd, RHP 4.60 4-5 12 12 0 72.1 74 47 37 25 34
Sat. - Cole Isom, LHP 4.95 5-4 12 10 2 67.1 78 38 37 31 31
Sun. - Cody Fick, RHP 2.57 6-3 9 9 3 63.0 56 25 18 26 43
Creighton
Fri. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.46 8-1 13 11 1 80.1 56 24 22 22 92
Sat. - Ty Blach, LHP 2.77 8-1 14 14 0 74.2 73 24 23 21 68
Sun. - TBA
Evansville
Fri. - Kyle Lloyd, RHP 4.60 4-5 12 12 0 72.1 74 47 37 25 34
Sat. - Cole Isom, LHP 4.95 5-4 12 10 2 67.1 78 38 37 31 31
Sun. - Cody Fick, RHP 2.57 6-3 9 9 3 63.0 56 25 18 26 43
** Starters against Iowa are TBA.
AGAINST EVANSVILLE:
The Series
Creighton and Evansville have met up on the baseball field 59 times in the history of the two programs, with the first meeting coming in 1993. The Jays took that game 4-3 and hold a 37-22 lead over the Purple Aces. Creighton leads one run games 8-4 and is currently on a four game winning streak. The Jays are 14-14 all time when playing in Evansville, 20-6 when playing in Omaha.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (287-161) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais moved into second in Creighton history in wins by a head coach with his win on Saturday, April 30 over Bradley, as Jack Dahm had 283 wins as a Bluejay coach. Sitting just two wins ahead of Servais is Jim Hendry who has a career 289 wins at CU, the most of any Bluejay baseball head coach. Servais 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.
Wes Carroll (Evansville) - Inheriting a team which won only 14 games in 2008, Carroll quickly transformed the Purple Aces into a 32-win program in 2010. Carroll has increased UE's victory total by at least seven wins in each of his first two seasons as head coach at Evansville, and he has done so with the same enthusiasm and hard-nosed approach which made Carroll one of the top players to wear a Purple Aces' uniform and play in the Missouri Valley Conference. Carroll became UE's first Freshman All-America selection in 1998, thanks to a rookie campaign in which he hit .355 with 18 doubles, two home runs, and 39 runs batted in. Carroll set the school's all-time career record for doubles (74), while also ranking in the school's career top 10 in six different categories. He still holds the record for career doubles, has the second-most base hits in school history with 308, and ranks ninth all-time in UE history with a .339 career batting average. Carroll earned all-conference and all-region honors on the UE infield during his four-year career, before being named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007 as one of the top players in league history. He played seven years of professional baseball before returning to Evansville. He is assisted by Marc Wagner, Mike Gilner and Andy Pascoe
Creighton and Evansville have met up on the baseball field 59 times in the history of the two programs, with the first meeting coming in 1993. The Jays took that game 4-3 and hold a 37-22 lead over the Purple Aces. Creighton leads one run games 8-4 and is currently on a four game winning streak. The Jays are 14-14 all time when playing in Evansville, 20-6 when playing in Omaha.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (287-161) while at the helm of the Jays, which is the second best in school history. Servais moved into second in Creighton history in wins by a head coach with his win on Saturday, April 30 over Bradley, as Jack Dahm had 283 wins as a Bluejay coach. Sitting just two wins ahead of Servais is Jim Hendry who has a career 289 wins at CU, the most of any Bluejay baseball head coach. Servais 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.
Wes Carroll (Evansville) - Inheriting a team which won only 14 games in 2008, Carroll quickly transformed the Purple Aces into a 32-win program in 2010. Carroll has increased UE's victory total by at least seven wins in each of his first two seasons as head coach at Evansville, and he has done so with the same enthusiasm and hard-nosed approach which made Carroll one of the top players to wear a Purple Aces' uniform and play in the Missouri Valley Conference. Carroll became UE's first Freshman All-America selection in 1998, thanks to a rookie campaign in which he hit .355 with 18 doubles, two home runs, and 39 runs batted in. Carroll set the school's all-time career record for doubles (74), while also ranking in the school's career top 10 in six different categories. He still holds the record for career doubles, has the second-most base hits in school history with 308, and ranks ninth all-time in UE history with a .339 career batting average. Carroll earned all-conference and all-region honors on the UE infield during his four-year career, before being named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007 as one of the top players in league history. He played seven years of professional baseball before returning to Evansville. He is assisted by Marc Wagner, Mike Gilner and Andy Pascoe
Scouting the Aces
Evansville finished the 2010 season 32-27 and in 5th in the Missouri Valley Conference. Head coach Wes Carroll returned 18 letter winners from a season ago and is off to a 26-17 record this season with a 6-8 record in MVC play. Leading the way for the Aces is Cody Fick, who is hitting .409 (which leads the Valley) and holds a 2.57 era when on the mound, with a 6-3 record. The senior has eight home runs and 18 doubles this season, driving in 61 RBI, all which lead the Aces. He has made nine starts and earned a decision in each one. Four other Purples Aces hold a batting average above .300, pulling UE's team average up to .298. They have 443 hits, 96 of which are doubles. The Purple Aces are also fast on the basepaths, as they have swiped 79 total bases this season in their 43 games.
The pitching staff is led by Fick, Kyle Lloyd and Cole Isom, who each have nine or more starts. Lloyd holds a 4-5 record in 12 starts with a 4.60 ERA. Isom has made 12 appearances nad holds a 4.95 ERA. The Aces have a .976 fielding percentage, committing 40 errors in 1,605 chances.
Blast Off
After not hittng a home run in seven straight games, UE's longest drought of the season, senior Ryan Oesterle put an end to it in style Saturday versus Indiana State. Oesterle belted a grand slam in the fourth inning that gained a 4-2 lead for Evansville. Sophomore Eric Stamets also slugged a homer in the 13-inning win, a solo shot in the fifth. The dingers marked Oesterle's sixth of the season and Stamets' second.
At Braun Stadium
The Aces will play their last home games of the season this week, first hosting Austin Peay for a non-conference midweek game on Wednesday. UE topped the Governors, 24-3, back on April 5th. Evansville hosts their last Valley series Friday through Sunday, welcoming Creighton to Braun Stadium. Evansville owns a 14-6 record at home this season.
Bring 'Em In
Senior Cody Fick leads the MVC with 61 runs batted in this season, totaling five this past week. A transfer from Jeff erson College, the senior has tallied 172 RBI in his career in less than three seasons of play. Fick ranks second in UE's all-time list behind Pat Schulz (1990-93) who knocked in 188 in his career.
Evansville finished the 2010 season 32-27 and in 5th in the Missouri Valley Conference. Head coach Wes Carroll returned 18 letter winners from a season ago and is off to a 26-17 record this season with a 6-8 record in MVC play. Leading the way for the Aces is Cody Fick, who is hitting .409 (which leads the Valley) and holds a 2.57 era when on the mound, with a 6-3 record. The senior has eight home runs and 18 doubles this season, driving in 61 RBI, all which lead the Aces. He has made nine starts and earned a decision in each one. Four other Purples Aces hold a batting average above .300, pulling UE's team average up to .298. They have 443 hits, 96 of which are doubles. The Purple Aces are also fast on the basepaths, as they have swiped 79 total bases this season in their 43 games.
The pitching staff is led by Fick, Kyle Lloyd and Cole Isom, who each have nine or more starts. Lloyd holds a 4-5 record in 12 starts with a 4.60 ERA. Isom has made 12 appearances nad holds a 4.95 ERA. The Aces have a .976 fielding percentage, committing 40 errors in 1,605 chances.
Blast Off
After not hittng a home run in seven straight games, UE's longest drought of the season, senior Ryan Oesterle put an end to it in style Saturday versus Indiana State. Oesterle belted a grand slam in the fourth inning that gained a 4-2 lead for Evansville. Sophomore Eric Stamets also slugged a homer in the 13-inning win, a solo shot in the fifth. The dingers marked Oesterle's sixth of the season and Stamets' second.
At Braun Stadium
The Aces will play their last home games of the season this week, first hosting Austin Peay for a non-conference midweek game on Wednesday. UE topped the Governors, 24-3, back on April 5th. Evansville hosts their last Valley series Friday through Sunday, welcoming Creighton to Braun Stadium. Evansville owns a 14-6 record at home this season.
Bring 'Em In
Senior Cody Fick leads the MVC with 61 runs batted in this season, totaling five this past week. A transfer from Jeff erson College, the senior has tallied 172 RBI in his career in less than three seasons of play. Fick ranks second in UE's all-time list behind Pat Schulz (1990-93) who knocked in 188 in his career.
Looking Back
Creighton swept the series last season for the third time under head coach Ed Servais (The Jays took all four regular season games in 2004, 2008 and 2010). The series finale was a slug-fest, with the first seven runs of the game coming thanks to the long ball. Trever Adams put on a clinic offensively, as the right fielder went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. Brandon Koenigstein threw his first complete game of the season, going all seven innings in the run-ruled game, allowing five runs on 10 hits. He struck out a season high six batters in the game. Four other Bluejays, Elliot Soto, T.J. Roemmich, Ian Dike and Jimmy Swift, each picked up two hits on the day.
Braun Stadium
The Purple Aces call Charles H. Braun Stadium home. Braun Stadium is located on the north-end of the UE campus. Home to over 1,200 seats, including several-hundred chair-backed seats, Braun Stadium is a comfortable and inviting place to watch a ballgame. The namesake for Braun Stadium was as dynamic and exciting as the new stadium itself. Charles H. Braun, Sr. was a man who excelled in both sports and business, and who always found a place in his heart for the Purple Aces.
Creighton swept the series last season for the third time under head coach Ed Servais (The Jays took all four regular season games in 2004, 2008 and 2010). The series finale was a slug-fest, with the first seven runs of the game coming thanks to the long ball. Trever Adams put on a clinic offensively, as the right fielder went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI. Brandon Koenigstein threw his first complete game of the season, going all seven innings in the run-ruled game, allowing five runs on 10 hits. He struck out a season high six batters in the game. Four other Bluejays, Elliot Soto, T.J. Roemmich, Ian Dike and Jimmy Swift, each picked up two hits on the day.
Braun Stadium
The Purple Aces call Charles H. Braun Stadium home. Braun Stadium is located on the north-end of the UE campus. Home to over 1,200 seats, including several-hundred chair-backed seats, Braun Stadium is a comfortable and inviting place to watch a ballgame. The namesake for Braun Stadium was as dynamic and exciting as the new stadium itself. Charles H. Braun, Sr. was a man who excelled in both sports and business, and who always found a place in his heart for the Purple Aces.
AGAINST IOWA:
The Series
With the two schools located less than an hour apart, Creighton and Nebraska are familiar foes on the baseball field. The two schools have met up 114 times, with the Huskers holding a 73-39-2 record. When playing in Omaha, the Huskers hold a 29-15 advantage over the Bluejays. Under head coach Ed Servais, the Huskers lead 16-8 on the series, winning both of the first two games this season. Nebraska defeated the Jays 8-5 in Lincoln on April 5 and came from a run down to win 2-1 in Omaha. The April 19 game was the opener in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history, the stadium which will be the home of the Bluejays as well as the College World Series.
Meet the Coach
Jack Dahm (Iowa) - Former Creighton baseball head coach Jack Dahm enters his eighth season at the helm of Iowa baseball. In seven years at Iowa, Dahm has established the Hawkeyes as Big Ten contenders and is ready to lead the Iowa baseball program to new heights with his commitment to excellence. Since taking over the Iowa baseball team in July of 2003, Dahm has sparked resurgence in the Hawkeye program, having success Hawkeye fans hadn't seen in years. Dahm has guided the Black and Gold to 30 or more wins two of the last four seasons. In Dahm's 17 years as a head coach, he has produced 24 first team all-conference performers, eight freshmen All-Americans and two All-Americans. In his seven years at Iowa, Dahm has coached 28 all-Big Ten selections, including eight first teamers. Iowa had only four first team selections in the previous 14 years before his arrival in Iowa City. Last season, Iowa finished with a bang, winning 11 of its final 14 contests and eventually finishing 30-28. Dahm coached the Hawkeyes to road series victories at Michigan and Penn State and home sets against Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue. Furthermore, Iowa ultimately won all five meetings against the Boilermakers in 2010, sweeping a three-game regular-season set and winning two in the league tournament. The Hawkeyes finished third in the conference and ultimately placed second at the Big Ten Tournament. Dahm is assisted by Ryan Brownlee, Chris Maliszewski and Zach Dillon.
With the two schools located less than an hour apart, Creighton and Nebraska are familiar foes on the baseball field. The two schools have met up 114 times, with the Huskers holding a 73-39-2 record. When playing in Omaha, the Huskers hold a 29-15 advantage over the Bluejays. Under head coach Ed Servais, the Huskers lead 16-8 on the series, winning both of the first two games this season. Nebraska defeated the Jays 8-5 in Lincoln on April 5 and came from a run down to win 2-1 in Omaha. The April 19 game was the opener in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history, the stadium which will be the home of the Bluejays as well as the College World Series.
Meet the Coach
Jack Dahm (Iowa) - Former Creighton baseball head coach Jack Dahm enters his eighth season at the helm of Iowa baseball. In seven years at Iowa, Dahm has established the Hawkeyes as Big Ten contenders and is ready to lead the Iowa baseball program to new heights with his commitment to excellence. Since taking over the Iowa baseball team in July of 2003, Dahm has sparked resurgence in the Hawkeye program, having success Hawkeye fans hadn't seen in years. Dahm has guided the Black and Gold to 30 or more wins two of the last four seasons. In Dahm's 17 years as a head coach, he has produced 24 first team all-conference performers, eight freshmen All-Americans and two All-Americans. In his seven years at Iowa, Dahm has coached 28 all-Big Ten selections, including eight first teamers. Iowa had only four first team selections in the previous 14 years before his arrival in Iowa City. Last season, Iowa finished with a bang, winning 11 of its final 14 contests and eventually finishing 30-28. Dahm coached the Hawkeyes to road series victories at Michigan and Penn State and home sets against Ohio State, Illinois and Purdue. Furthermore, Iowa ultimately won all five meetings against the Boilermakers in 2010, sweeping a three-game regular-season set and winning two in the league tournament. The Hawkeyes finished third in the conference and ultimately placed second at the Big Ten Tournament. Dahm is assisted by Ryan Brownlee, Chris Maliszewski and Zach Dillon.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Iowa sits at 18-27 this season, including a 7-12 record when playing at home. Jack Dahm, former Bluejay head coach, returned 21 players from a team that finished last season 30-28 for a tie for third in the Big Ten.
On the Offense
The Hawkeyes have two players that are hitting above .300 on the season with Mike McQuillan and Tyson Blaser holding .329 and .303 averages this season, respectively. McQuillan had 11 RBI and a team leading 57 hits this season while Blaser has 14 doubles on the year. Bryan Niedbalski has a team high 24 walks, with a .411 on base percentage compared to a .260 batting average. As a team the Hawkeyes are hitting .263 with 66 doubles and just eight home runs on the season. They have grounded into 28 double plays and stolen 55 bases. Trevor Willis leads the team on the basepaths, with 11 this year.
On the Mound
The Hawkeye pitching staff has given up 186 earned runs in 406.2 innings for a combined 4.12 ERA. Leading the team with 12 starts each are Jarred Hippen (3-5) and Matt Dermody (4-5). Dermody leads the team with 68 strike outs in 73 innings of work. Teams are hitting .282 against the Hawkeye staff and have hit 112 extra base hits this season.
Durability
Starters Jarred Hippen and Matt Dermody have been providing the Iowa pitching staff with long, quality outings of late. The duo each threw complete games in Iowa's series with Indiana (April 16-17). In the doubleheader against Michigan on April 23, Hippen pitched six and two thirds in his outing and Dermody threw eight and two thirds. Last weekend at Minnesota, Hippen tossed a complete game one-hitter Friday and Dermody pitched five and two thirds Saturday. With fellow starter Nick Brown out indefinitely due to injury, this has been crucial for the Hawkeye pitching staff.
Doubles Machine
Tyson Blaser went 2-for-3 with a double against Milwaukee Wednesday night. The catcher leads all Hawkeyes with 14 doubles this season. The total ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
Iowa sits at 18-27 this season, including a 7-12 record when playing at home. Jack Dahm, former Bluejay head coach, returned 21 players from a team that finished last season 30-28 for a tie for third in the Big Ten.
On the Offense
The Hawkeyes have two players that are hitting above .300 on the season with Mike McQuillan and Tyson Blaser holding .329 and .303 averages this season, respectively. McQuillan had 11 RBI and a team leading 57 hits this season while Blaser has 14 doubles on the year. Bryan Niedbalski has a team high 24 walks, with a .411 on base percentage compared to a .260 batting average. As a team the Hawkeyes are hitting .263 with 66 doubles and just eight home runs on the season. They have grounded into 28 double plays and stolen 55 bases. Trevor Willis leads the team on the basepaths, with 11 this year.
On the Mound
The Hawkeye pitching staff has given up 186 earned runs in 406.2 innings for a combined 4.12 ERA. Leading the team with 12 starts each are Jarred Hippen (3-5) and Matt Dermody (4-5). Dermody leads the team with 68 strike outs in 73 innings of work. Teams are hitting .282 against the Hawkeye staff and have hit 112 extra base hits this season.
Durability
Starters Jarred Hippen and Matt Dermody have been providing the Iowa pitching staff with long, quality outings of late. The duo each threw complete games in Iowa's series with Indiana (April 16-17). In the doubleheader against Michigan on April 23, Hippen pitched six and two thirds in his outing and Dermody threw eight and two thirds. Last weekend at Minnesota, Hippen tossed a complete game one-hitter Friday and Dermody pitched five and two thirds Saturday. With fellow starter Nick Brown out indefinitely due to injury, this has been crucial for the Hawkeye pitching staff.
Doubles Machine
Tyson Blaser went 2-for-3 with a double against Milwaukee Wednesday night. The catcher leads all Hawkeyes with 14 doubles this season. The total ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
Looking Back
Creighton and Iowa have played a single game in each of the last three seasons, with the Jays holding the 2-1 advantage. The Jays won the only meeting between the two teams in Iowa City, a 12-3 Creighton win in 2009.
Jays vs. the Big 10
The meeting Tuesday will be the first between the Bluejays and a team from the Big Ten this season. Creighton holds a 38-37 lead over the league all time.
That's Called a Winning Streak
The Bluejays have won the last two games between the two teams, single games in 2009 and 2010, but has won just one of the last four in Iowa City. In 1997 the Jays went 1-3 at Iowa, but outscored the Hawkeyes 30-27. Creighton is 4-5 all-time when playing at Iowa.
Two Birds of a Feather
• Iowa head coach Jack Dahm spent 10 years as the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays (from , compiling a 283-276-2 overall record for a .506 winning percentage. He took the Jays to two different NCAA Regionals in 1999 and 2000.
• Dahm earned MVC Coach of the Year honors in 1999, with Peyton Lewis picking up MVC Pitcher of the Year and Ryan Gripp being named All-American. Relief pitcher Scott Yahraus was also named Freshman All-America that season.
• Dahm graduated from Creighton in 1989, playing for head coach Jim Hendry. He was then named a graduate assistant following his graduation from Creighton.
• Current Bluejay head coach Ed Servais was hired by Dahm and recently moved ahead of him in wins as a head coach (Dahm had 283 at Creighton and as of May 11 Servais has 287).
• Ed Servais holds a 2-1 record against Iowa. When Dahm was at the head of the Bluejay program he was 2-3 against the Hawkeyes, going 1-3 when playing in Iowa City.
• Jimmy Swift and Kurt Spomer are the only Bluejays who are originally from Iowa. Swift grew up in West Des Moines and went to Dowling Catholic High School, while Spomer hails from Honey Creek and went to Tri-Center High School.
Duane Banks Field
In the fall of 2001, the Iowa baseball field was re-named The Duane Banks Baseball Field in honor of the Hawkeyes' former head coach. Banks, the winningest coach in Iowa history, served as Iowa's head baseball coach from 1970-1997. Banks Field was originally built in 1974. The 3,000-seat stadium has dimensions of 330 feet down the lines, 375 in the power alleys and 400 to centerfield. As a whole, the complex is one of the top facilities in the Big Ten and the Midwest.
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 in the three game series at Evansville and then next Tuesday at Iowa. 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
Creighton avoided the series sweep and a vicious comeback by the Nebraska Huskers on Tuesday, May 10, earning a 9-8 win in front of 17,588 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
Creighton 9, Nebraska 8 - The Bluejays jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings and then used stellar bullpen performances by Reese McGraw and Kurt Spomer to hold onto the 9-8 win. The Bluejays scored four in the first inning thanks to singles by Nick Judkins and Alex Staehely. sandwiched around Jimmy Swift and Trever Adams being hit by pitch. Staehely drove in the first two runs of the game, followed by Scott Thornburg knocking in the next two with a one out single. In the second inning, Michael Mutcheson led off the frame and scored on Swift's third home run of the season, a blast over the left field fence. Three more runs were put up in the third. Thornburg led off the frame with a double, Mike Gerber reached on an error and Chance Ross drove in one with his third inning double. A ground out, double play plated Ross to give the Jays the 9-8 lead. Creighton used seven pitchers on the night, with Ty Blach throwing two perfect innings to lead things off, McGraw shutting down a rally in the sixth, and Spomer closing in the ninth. Blach earned his eighth win of the season, while Spomer picks up his team leading eighth save of the year.
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 33-12 overall record and 10-5 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.407), home runs (13), RBI (52) 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. He currently has a 10-game hitting streak, the third time this season he has put together a streak, and has reached base safely 29-times. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .323 batting average and a team and Valley leading 19 doubles. Michael Mutcheson and Jimmy Swift lead the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season. Overall, the team is hitting .277 with 263 runs on 407 hits and 87 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). Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.48 ERA and seven saves. The pitching staff has a combined 3.64 ERA and is holding opponents to a .248 batting average against.
As any team under Ed Servais can attest - the Jays are still among the nation's best in defense, as they hold a .978 fielding percentage on the season. Creighton committed just one error last weekend at Wichita State and has committed 38 in the 45 games this season.
Bluejays at their Best
• Scott Thornburg is 8-for-19 (.421) with five doubles in his last seven games. He's also walked twice, drove in six and scored eight runs in his most productive span this season.
• Trever Adams is hitting .462 (18-of-39) during his 10-game hitting streak. It marks the third time this season he has put together a streak of at least 10-games, with 18-games being his high. He has at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games and is hitting .446 (50-for-112) in those contests with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Adams also has a hit in 38 of the last 40 games, going 70-for-156 (.449) with 13 homers and 48 RBI in that time.
• Ty Blach has made two starts against Nebraska, throwing 3.0 innings. He has allowed no runs and struck out five in the two outings combined.
• Mike Gerber went 4-for-11 (.364) last weekend at Wichita State, with a single, double, triple and home run. He has had an extra base-hit in four of his last six games.
• Since beginning MVC play at Illinois State, Kurt Spomer holds a 1.17 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. He has picked up six saves and is 2-0 in that time fram, spanning 12 appearances out of the bullpen.
• Head coach Ed Servais is just three wins away from becoming the winningest head coach in Bluejay history. He currently sits at 287-161.
• Jimmy Swift hit his third home run of the season in the second inning against Nebraska, a two run shot over the left field fence. Swift has a hit in 8-of -the-last-10 games, holding a .325 average in that stretch. He has driven in 12 in that span, picking up four doubles. He was named MVC Player of the Week following the Bradley series when he went 7-for-13 with 10 RBI.
• Nick Judkins has been a vaccuum at first base this season. The junior has committed just two errors on the season (one at Illinois State on 4/9 and one against Nebraska on 5/10) in 441 chances, for a .995 fielding percentage.
• Chance Ross had an RBI double against Nebraska on Tuesday, his fifth of the season. The everyday third baseman is hitting .273 when playing at home with two doubles and 10 RBI.
Batting Around
Creighton batters 1-through-9 each picked up a hit in the game against Nebraska on Tuesday, marking the third time this season the Jays have accomplished the feat. They also did it in the 7-5 win at Wichita State on May 7 and at Air Force on March 16. Leading the Jays on Tuesday were Michael Mutcheson, Alex Staehely and Scott Thornburg with two hits a piece, while Trever Adams improved his hit streak to 10-games, and his reaching base safely streak to 29 games, which leads the Valley this season.
Horse Racing?
In addition to leading Creighton in its pursuit of a regular-season title, senior OF Trever Adams is also chasing an MVC Triple Crown. He ranks third in the MVC in batting average (.407), leads the league with 13 homers, and is third with 52 RBI. In league play, he's just as good, ranking third in batting average (.450), first in homers (6) and second in RBI (20). Since 1975, the only player to win the MVC Triple Crown was Missoui State outfielder Matt Cepicky (.414-30-100).
For the Team
Creighton excels when it comes to the little things, such as sacrifice bunts. The Jays are fourth nationally in sacrifice bunts since the start of the 2008 season, with 281 in that time. Leading the way this season has been junior first baseman Nick Judkins, who is tied for first nationally with 19 sacrifice bunts. Judkins has eight sacrifices in his last nine games, and has nine more sac bunts than any other Valley player this spring. He now sits in 2nd place on the all-time Bluejay charts, just three behind the MVC Record set by Vince Pietro in 1999. The NCAA record in a single season is 34, set by Ben Orloff of UC Irvine in 2007.
One to Four
Bluejay right hander Jonas Dufek has turned into a strike out pitcher in his senior season on the mound, leading the Jays with 92 strike outs this season. In his career, Dufek has fanned 209 batters while walking just 59 total. He has cut his ERA from the past two seasons in half, holding just a 2.46 ERA this season against a 4.33 his sophomore season and 4.92 his junior year.
Keep Going and Going
Jimmy Swift leads the Creighton lineup with 154 consecutive starts in his career. The senior, who moved from the hot corner at third base to short stop this season, has played in and started every game since his sophomore season, holding a .293 lifetime batting average with 19 stolen bases. He is one of four Jays this season who has started every game for the club, joining Trever Adams, Alex Staehely and Chance Ross. Nick Judkins has started 44-of-45 games at first base this season.
Keeping off the Leadoff
Creighton pitchers have been very efficient in getting the leadoff batter out this season. In the 9-8 win against Nebraska on Tuesday, the pitching staff allowed the first batter of the inning to reach in all four innings they scored (innings three-six). The Jays had their leadoff man on just three times on the night.
We Came to Play
The Bluejays put up a four-spot to open the game on Tuesday, the first time this season they have scored four in the opening frame and the highest first inning output since last season against Portland (5-0 after one).
Adapting
Creighton has played a majority of their games on the road this season, putting together the eighth best road record, as ranked by WarrenNolan.com. The Bluejays have won six of the last eight on the road and are 15-7 in road games this season. The Jays also sit at #15 in the country in win percentage, winning 73.3% of their games this season
Moving On Up
The Tuesday night against Nebraska brought 17, 588 fans to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, ranking third in attendances this season, behind the 22,197 from the first NU vs CU game at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and the 18,156 who saw Georgia at Georgia Tech on April 26. Creighton now sits in 8th in the country in home attendance, averaging 4,546 in their 19 home games this season. While at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Creighton is averaging 9,127 fans.
The Park that Adams Built...
Creighton is 6-3 in its first nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, including a 5-1 mark in night games at the venue. Trever Adams leads all players with 16 hits and two homers, while Jimmy Swift tops everyone with four doubles and 12 RBI. On the mound, Reese McGraw and Ty Blach are each 2-0, making them the only two players with multiple victories on the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha mound.
Walking Woes
The Creighton pitching staff walked a combined 10 batters on Sunday, May 8 at Wichita State and seven batters against Nebraska on Tuesday. Six of the 10 batter walked scored in the 12-3 Shocker win, while just 2-of-the-7 scored in the Husker game. 10-of-the-13 combined Bluejay pitchers used in the two games had at least one walk. On the season, the Jays have walked 142 batters while striking out 321, a 1-to-:2.30 ratio.
D-D-D-DFENCE
There's an old adage that championships are won with pitching and defense, and those are two characteristics associated with Creighton baseball under Ed Servais. In the eight years under Servais, Creighton owns the nation's fewest errors with just 408 miscues, far ahead of second-place San Jose State's 448 errors in that same span.
Additionally, Creighton's .9765 fielding percentage under Servais also leads the nation, ahead of second-place South Carolina (.9748.)
Creighton also ranks 20th nationally with a 4.06 ERA in the eight years under Servais. Of the teams on that top-20 list, 19 of the 20 have advanced to the Super Regionals since 2004, and 13 of the 20 have advanced to the College World Series (garnering five titles) in those years.
No Picnic in the Park
The move into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha highlighted the longest home-stand of the season for the Jays, as they played eight straight at home, going 5-3. Creighton now hits the road for a 3-game series at Evansville, who is sixth in the conference at 26-17, 6-8 and then closes the MVC regular season at home against Missouri State, who is third with an 8-6 MVC record, 27-18 overall. Creighton has one mid-week games left at Iowa on May 17.
They Needed One
Creighton put up 16 runs in the win over Bradley on May 1, scoring 11 of the 16 with two outs. The Jays stranded just three runners on base on the day, The 16 runs on 16 RBI both marked season high outputs for the team.
CPR
Creighton has found a closer in walk-on Kurt Spomer. The junior from Honey Creek, Iowa leads the team with seven saves this season, nearly perfect in 7-8 save opportunities. The right-hander holds a 2.04 ERA when coming out of the bullpen this season, working 35.1 innings in 24 appearances. 23 of the 24 appearances have been at least 1.0 innings of work.
Just Another Day's Work
Bluejay outfielder Trever Adams has now reached safely in 29 consecutive games, a streak that leads the MVC. He has also gotten a hit in 37 of his last 39 games, including 21 multi hit games in that stretch. He is hitting .451 with 13 home runs 48 RBI in the last 39 games.
TDAPO
Creighton has outscored the opposition 56-32 in nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. That includes a 7-0 margin in the first inning, and a 22-3 differential in the 7th through 9th innings. Creighton is 6-0 when scoring three or more runs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Jays have attracted 82,950 fans in its first eight home dates at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, an average of 9,216 fans per game. That figure would rank second-best nationally, trailing only LSU (10,550).
This year's College World Series will be played June 18-28/29 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton serves as the annual host of the College World Series.
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 33-12 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 10-5 record in Valley play this season, leading the chase with two weekends left. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Hawkeyes sit at 182 this week. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/11/11.
Creighton 48
Missouri State 70
Illinois State 71
Wichita State 94
Evansville 119
Indiana State 164 Southern Illinois 176
Bradley 190
Through the Order
Creighton's eight and nine-hole hitters in the Saturday, April 30 game, Scott Thornburg and Joey Bowens, combined for five hits on the night, each scoring two runs and knocking in at least one RBI (Bowens with two). It marked the first time those two spots in the line-up have both had two hits since March 16, when they Jays played at Air Force.
Take 'em to the Casino
Bluejay pitchers Jonas Dufek and Ty Blach each picked up their seventh win of the season in the weekend sweep of Bradley. It marks the first time since 2008 that Creighton has had two pitchers aith 7+ wins in a season. Pat Venditte (9-3) and Jeremy Hauer (8-2) both did it that season. Dufek also won again at Wichita State on May 7, becoming the first Bluejay this season to reach eight wins. Blach picked up his eighth win in a pre-determined 2.0 innings on Tuesday, May 10 against Nebraska.
Doctor, Doctor
Creighton's future med-school student, Joey Bowens, went a perfect 3-for-3 in the 10-1 win over Bradley on April 30. The junior has played in 34 games, starting 18 in the outfield. Bowens has a career high of four hits in a single game (earlieer this season against SDSU), but this was the first time the Libertyville, Ill., native had exactly three on the night.
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 and held off a comeback bid by Wichita State, striking out the final two batters in the 7-5 win on May 7. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-2 record and 1.60 ERA and seven saves in his last 18 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 24.2 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just four of his 24 relief appearances this season, with 24 of those 24 outings lasting an inning or longer.
Get one for the Gipper... Or Skipper!
Head coach Ed Servais took over second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach in the 10-1 win over Bradley on Saturday, April 30. He now sits just three wins 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 287-161 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
Ed Servais (2004-present) 287-161 .642
Jack Dahm (1994-2003) 283-276-2 .506
* 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. Less than a week later, Makovicka returned the favor, pie-ing Joey Bowens after his 3-for-3 night at the plate and stellar defense in the 10-1 win over Bradley on April 30.
The Valley's Best
Creighton owns a one-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with two weeks to go. The MVC is currently rated as the No. 10-rated conference by Warrennolan.com. In 2010, the regular-season champion from the No. 10-rated conference was eventual College World Series darling TCU.
Anniversary
The 1991 season marks the 20-year anniversary of Creighton's 1991 College World Series team. The group was honored by Creighton April 22-24 and will be honored again in June during the 2011 College World Series. Top names on that squad include head coach Jim Hendry (current GM Of the Chicago Cubs), and future first-round draft picks Scott Stahoviak, Chad McConnell and Alan Benes. The Bluejays went 2-2 in 1991, becoming the first school from Nebraska to reach as well as win games in the CWS. Creighton's two wins are twice as many as all other schools from the state of Nebraska combined in CWS action.
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 .231 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 .208 when in left and .246 overall.
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 20 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 14-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 45 games in 2011, just under half (.444) have been decided by just one run. In fact, three of the Bluejays' 12 losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22, and at Wichita State, 8-0 on May 6 and 12-3 on May 8.)
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has shown more power when playing on the road this season. The Jays have 19 home runs and 39 doubles when playing on the road.
• has been caught in 36 double plays when on the road this season against just eight when at home.
• struck out just four times in both the Friday and Saturday night games against Bradley, both which were season low's for the team.
• is 12-7 when committing one error, 7-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 14-4 when playing error free baseball.
• owns a 2.81 ERA in the nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and is over .500 with a 6-3 record.
• is hitting .290 while playing at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season with seven home runs and 19 doubles.
• has trailed in 17 of its 33 victories this season.
• is 14-6 in one run games this season, 3-1 in two run games and 6-1 when one team or the other is shutout.
• is 26-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 27-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 32-6 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 38 of his last 40 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 29 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Meet The Jays
• Jonas Dufek is a perfect 4-0 on the road this season, holding a 3.00 ERA in his five starts away from home.
• Mark Winkelman leads the pitching staff on the road with 16 appearances. He holds a 3.62 ERA with one save when Wink is on the mound.
• Jonas Dufek moved in the Creighton all-time charts last weekend, thanks to his 12 strikeouts against Wichita State. He now is T-7th in career wins (20), 10th in strike outs in a season (92) and 10th in strike outs in a career (209).
• Jimmy Swift had a career high three doubles in the May 1 game against Bradley, including two in the same inning.
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 19 sacrifice bunts, tied for first nationally. No other Bluejay has more than nine. He broke into the top 10 on the Bluejay all-time charts, jumping all the way into 2nd for sacrifices in a season.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 29-6 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-6 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Scott Thornburg increased his average 10 points last weekend, going 3-for-9, with two runs scored, two RBI and two doubles.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the first hitter he has faced in 10 of the last 11 outings.
• Trever Adams leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 home runs this season, all of which have come since his 2-for-20 start at the beginning of the season.
• Jack VanLeur had not allowed an earned run in eight straight outings, dating April 5th through May 6. He had thrown 9.1 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 5-3 when playing at night this season. Two 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. The three losses, 6:30 and later start times, have been at the hands of Nebraska and Wichita State. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1against the Huskers earlier this season and were shut out 8-0 against Wichita State on Friday, May 6. With the new facility, Creighton will play three more regular season games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (just one more at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
Decades
With 13 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 13 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
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 15-4 at home and 15-7 on the road this season. The Jays also hold the distinction of having a winning record at home and on the road in Valley play, going 4-2 at home and 6-3 on the road. Creighton has one series left at home (against Missouri State, May 19-21) and one on the road (at Evansville this weekend).
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 105 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 104 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (103) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (97), through games of May 2.
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 8th in home attendance, averaging 4,546 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 369,278 35 10,550
2 Mississippi 228,840 28 8,172
3 Arkansas 211,477 27 7,832
4 S. Carolina 221,440 30 7,381
5 Texas 199,267 31 6,427
6 Mississippi St. 170,075 28 6,074
7 Florida St. 137,670 29 4,747
8 Creighton 86,389 19 4,546
9 Clemson 133,020 30 4,434
10 TCU 122,530 29 4,225
11 Florida 117,759 30 3,971
12 Alabama 117,622 30 3,920
13 Texas A&M 114,002 30 3,800
14 Southern Miss. 79,217 23 3,444
15 Rice 96,115 28 3,432
16 Wichita State 93,724 28 3,347
17 Louisiana 82,693 25 3,307
18 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243 19 Arizona St. 86,522 27 3,204
20 East Carolina 89,012 30 2,967
Fanning Figures
Going into the 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 the following week, Creighton dropped out of both polls. They are now receiving votes in both the NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Poll.
FORE!
Creighton started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but have improved to 6-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 33-12, tying them for the best start in program history. Three other seasons have reached 33 wins in 45 games, the 2005 NCAA Tournament team, the 2007 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team. Below is how each of those teams, as well as the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Tournament teams fared in their next eight games (the amount of regular season games the Jays have left).
Year Record After 45 Games Next 7
2007 33-12 7-0
2005 33-12 5-2
2000 31-14 5-2
1999 29-16 5-2
1991 33-12 1-6
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 72 hits (under a sixth of the total 407) 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
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 14th start of the season Tuesday, May 19, taking over the lead in the Valley this season. Creighton is 11-3 in Blach's first 14 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 14 of the past 17 games he's appeared in (including eight in a row), dating to late last season. Blach has made 28 career appearances, including 25 starts. Only three times has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 21 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.94 ranks third-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 second 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 and swept Bradley the last weekend of May to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 6-3 with the win over Nebraska.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of April 18, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate during that 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 to that date, 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 .407 batting average to go with 13 homers and 52 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 45 games since 1999. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 45 games were Ryan Gripp (.416-16-64) and Peyton Lewis (.373-13-61), 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.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 18-8 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 134-111.
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 52 bases, eclipsing 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.
Finding a Gap
With 19 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently leads the MVC 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. He had a double and home run in the 7-5 win over Wichita State on May 7.
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 4.74 ERA and is holding batters to a .232 average against him.
Creighton and Iowa have played a single game in each of the last three seasons, with the Jays holding the 2-1 advantage. The Jays won the only meeting between the two teams in Iowa City, a 12-3 Creighton win in 2009.
Jays vs. the Big 10
The meeting Tuesday will be the first between the Bluejays and a team from the Big Ten this season. Creighton holds a 38-37 lead over the league all time.
That's Called a Winning Streak
The Bluejays have won the last two games between the two teams, single games in 2009 and 2010, but has won just one of the last four in Iowa City. In 1997 the Jays went 1-3 at Iowa, but outscored the Hawkeyes 30-27. Creighton is 4-5 all-time when playing at Iowa.
Two Birds of a Feather
• Iowa head coach Jack Dahm spent 10 years as the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays (from , compiling a 283-276-2 overall record for a .506 winning percentage. He took the Jays to two different NCAA Regionals in 1999 and 2000.
• Dahm earned MVC Coach of the Year honors in 1999, with Peyton Lewis picking up MVC Pitcher of the Year and Ryan Gripp being named All-American. Relief pitcher Scott Yahraus was also named Freshman All-America that season.
• Dahm graduated from Creighton in 1989, playing for head coach Jim Hendry. He was then named a graduate assistant following his graduation from Creighton.
• Current Bluejay head coach Ed Servais was hired by Dahm and recently moved ahead of him in wins as a head coach (Dahm had 283 at Creighton and as of May 11 Servais has 287).
• Ed Servais holds a 2-1 record against Iowa. When Dahm was at the head of the Bluejay program he was 2-3 against the Hawkeyes, going 1-3 when playing in Iowa City.
• Jimmy Swift and Kurt Spomer are the only Bluejays who are originally from Iowa. Swift grew up in West Des Moines and went to Dowling Catholic High School, while Spomer hails from Honey Creek and went to Tri-Center High School.
Duane Banks Field
In the fall of 2001, the Iowa baseball field was re-named The Duane Banks Baseball Field in honor of the Hawkeyes' former head coach. Banks, the winningest coach in Iowa history, served as Iowa's head baseball coach from 1970-1997. Banks Field was originally built in 1974. The 3,000-seat stadium has dimensions of 330 feet down the lines, 375 in the power alleys and 400 to centerfield. As a whole, the complex is one of the top facilities in the Big Ten and the Midwest.
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 in the three game series at Evansville and then next Tuesday at Iowa. 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
Creighton avoided the series sweep and a vicious comeback by the Nebraska Huskers on Tuesday, May 10, earning a 9-8 win in front of 17,588 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
Creighton 9, Nebraska 8 - The Bluejays jumped out to a 9-0 lead after three innings and then used stellar bullpen performances by Reese McGraw and Kurt Spomer to hold onto the 9-8 win. The Bluejays scored four in the first inning thanks to singles by Nick Judkins and Alex Staehely. sandwiched around Jimmy Swift and Trever Adams being hit by pitch. Staehely drove in the first two runs of the game, followed by Scott Thornburg knocking in the next two with a one out single. In the second inning, Michael Mutcheson led off the frame and scored on Swift's third home run of the season, a blast over the left field fence. Three more runs were put up in the third. Thornburg led off the frame with a double, Mike Gerber reached on an error and Chance Ross drove in one with his third inning double. A ground out, double play plated Ross to give the Jays the 9-8 lead. Creighton used seven pitchers on the night, with Ty Blach throwing two perfect innings to lead things off, McGraw shutting down a rally in the sixth, and Spomer closing in the ninth. Blach earned his eighth win of the season, while Spomer picks up his team leading eighth save of the year.
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 33-12 overall record and 10-5 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.407), home runs (13), RBI (52) 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. He currently has a 10-game hitting streak, the third time this season he has put together a streak, and has reached base safely 29-times. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .323 batting average and a team and Valley leading 19 doubles. Michael Mutcheson and Jimmy Swift lead the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season. Overall, the team is hitting .277 with 263 runs on 407 hits and 87 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). Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.48 ERA and seven saves. The pitching staff has a combined 3.64 ERA and is holding opponents to a .248 batting average against.
As any team under Ed Servais can attest - the Jays are still among the nation's best in defense, as they hold a .978 fielding percentage on the season. Creighton committed just one error last weekend at Wichita State and has committed 38 in the 45 games this season.
Bluejays at their Best
• Scott Thornburg is 8-for-19 (.421) with five doubles in his last seven games. He's also walked twice, drove in six and scored eight runs in his most productive span this season.
• Trever Adams is hitting .462 (18-of-39) during his 10-game hitting streak. It marks the third time this season he has put together a streak of at least 10-games, with 18-games being his high. He has at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games and is hitting .446 (50-for-112) in those contests with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Adams also has a hit in 38 of the last 40 games, going 70-for-156 (.449) with 13 homers and 48 RBI in that time.
• Ty Blach has made two starts against Nebraska, throwing 3.0 innings. He has allowed no runs and struck out five in the two outings combined.
• Mike Gerber went 4-for-11 (.364) last weekend at Wichita State, with a single, double, triple and home run. He has had an extra base-hit in four of his last six games.
• Since beginning MVC play at Illinois State, Kurt Spomer holds a 1.17 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. He has picked up six saves and is 2-0 in that time fram, spanning 12 appearances out of the bullpen.
• Head coach Ed Servais is just three wins away from becoming the winningest head coach in Bluejay history. He currently sits at 287-161.
• Jimmy Swift hit his third home run of the season in the second inning against Nebraska, a two run shot over the left field fence. Swift has a hit in 8-of -the-last-10 games, holding a .325 average in that stretch. He has driven in 12 in that span, picking up four doubles. He was named MVC Player of the Week following the Bradley series when he went 7-for-13 with 10 RBI.
• Nick Judkins has been a vaccuum at first base this season. The junior has committed just two errors on the season (one at Illinois State on 4/9 and one against Nebraska on 5/10) in 441 chances, for a .995 fielding percentage.
• Chance Ross had an RBI double against Nebraska on Tuesday, his fifth of the season. The everyday third baseman is hitting .273 when playing at home with two doubles and 10 RBI.
Batting Around
Creighton batters 1-through-9 each picked up a hit in the game against Nebraska on Tuesday, marking the third time this season the Jays have accomplished the feat. They also did it in the 7-5 win at Wichita State on May 7 and at Air Force on March 16. Leading the Jays on Tuesday were Michael Mutcheson, Alex Staehely and Scott Thornburg with two hits a piece, while Trever Adams improved his hit streak to 10-games, and his reaching base safely streak to 29 games, which leads the Valley this season.
Horse Racing?
In addition to leading Creighton in its pursuit of a regular-season title, senior OF Trever Adams is also chasing an MVC Triple Crown. He ranks third in the MVC in batting average (.407), leads the league with 13 homers, and is third with 52 RBI. In league play, he's just as good, ranking third in batting average (.450), first in homers (6) and second in RBI (20). Since 1975, the only player to win the MVC Triple Crown was Missoui State outfielder Matt Cepicky (.414-30-100).
For the Team
Creighton excels when it comes to the little things, such as sacrifice bunts. The Jays are fourth nationally in sacrifice bunts since the start of the 2008 season, with 281 in that time. Leading the way this season has been junior first baseman Nick Judkins, who is tied for first nationally with 19 sacrifice bunts. Judkins has eight sacrifices in his last nine games, and has nine more sac bunts than any other Valley player this spring. He now sits in 2nd place on the all-time Bluejay charts, just three behind the MVC Record set by Vince Pietro in 1999. The NCAA record in a single season is 34, set by Ben Orloff of UC Irvine in 2007.
One to Four
Bluejay right hander Jonas Dufek has turned into a strike out pitcher in his senior season on the mound, leading the Jays with 92 strike outs this season. In his career, Dufek has fanned 209 batters while walking just 59 total. He has cut his ERA from the past two seasons in half, holding just a 2.46 ERA this season against a 4.33 his sophomore season and 4.92 his junior year.
Keep Going and Going
Jimmy Swift leads the Creighton lineup with 154 consecutive starts in his career. The senior, who moved from the hot corner at third base to short stop this season, has played in and started every game since his sophomore season, holding a .293 lifetime batting average with 19 stolen bases. He is one of four Jays this season who has started every game for the club, joining Trever Adams, Alex Staehely and Chance Ross. Nick Judkins has started 44-of-45 games at first base this season.
Keeping off the Leadoff
Creighton pitchers have been very efficient in getting the leadoff batter out this season. In the 9-8 win against Nebraska on Tuesday, the pitching staff allowed the first batter of the inning to reach in all four innings they scored (innings three-six). The Jays had their leadoff man on just three times on the night.
We Came to Play
The Bluejays put up a four-spot to open the game on Tuesday, the first time this season they have scored four in the opening frame and the highest first inning output since last season against Portland (5-0 after one).
Adapting
Creighton has played a majority of their games on the road this season, putting together the eighth best road record, as ranked by WarrenNolan.com. The Bluejays have won six of the last eight on the road and are 15-7 in road games this season. The Jays also sit at #15 in the country in win percentage, winning 73.3% of their games this season
Moving On Up
The Tuesday night against Nebraska brought 17, 588 fans to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, ranking third in attendances this season, behind the 22,197 from the first NU vs CU game at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and the 18,156 who saw Georgia at Georgia Tech on April 26. Creighton now sits in 8th in the country in home attendance, averaging 4,546 in their 19 home games this season. While at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Creighton is averaging 9,127 fans.
The Park that Adams Built...
Creighton is 6-3 in its first nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, including a 5-1 mark in night games at the venue. Trever Adams leads all players with 16 hits and two homers, while Jimmy Swift tops everyone with four doubles and 12 RBI. On the mound, Reese McGraw and Ty Blach are each 2-0, making them the only two players with multiple victories on the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha mound.
Walking Woes
The Creighton pitching staff walked a combined 10 batters on Sunday, May 8 at Wichita State and seven batters against Nebraska on Tuesday. Six of the 10 batter walked scored in the 12-3 Shocker win, while just 2-of-the-7 scored in the Husker game. 10-of-the-13 combined Bluejay pitchers used in the two games had at least one walk. On the season, the Jays have walked 142 batters while striking out 321, a 1-to-:2.30 ratio.
D-D-D-DFENCE
There's an old adage that championships are won with pitching and defense, and those are two characteristics associated with Creighton baseball under Ed Servais. In the eight years under Servais, Creighton owns the nation's fewest errors with just 408 miscues, far ahead of second-place San Jose State's 448 errors in that same span.
Additionally, Creighton's .9765 fielding percentage under Servais also leads the nation, ahead of second-place South Carolina (.9748.)
Creighton also ranks 20th nationally with a 4.06 ERA in the eight years under Servais. Of the teams on that top-20 list, 19 of the 20 have advanced to the Super Regionals since 2004, and 13 of the 20 have advanced to the College World Series (garnering five titles) in those years.
No Picnic in the Park
The move into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha highlighted the longest home-stand of the season for the Jays, as they played eight straight at home, going 5-3. Creighton now hits the road for a 3-game series at Evansville, who is sixth in the conference at 26-17, 6-8 and then closes the MVC regular season at home against Missouri State, who is third with an 8-6 MVC record, 27-18 overall. Creighton has one mid-week games left at Iowa on May 17.
They Needed One
Creighton put up 16 runs in the win over Bradley on May 1, scoring 11 of the 16 with two outs. The Jays stranded just three runners on base on the day, The 16 runs on 16 RBI both marked season high outputs for the team.
CPR
Creighton has found a closer in walk-on Kurt Spomer. The junior from Honey Creek, Iowa leads the team with seven saves this season, nearly perfect in 7-8 save opportunities. The right-hander holds a 2.04 ERA when coming out of the bullpen this season, working 35.1 innings in 24 appearances. 23 of the 24 appearances have been at least 1.0 innings of work.
Just Another Day's Work
Bluejay outfielder Trever Adams has now reached safely in 29 consecutive games, a streak that leads the MVC. He has also gotten a hit in 37 of his last 39 games, including 21 multi hit games in that stretch. He is hitting .451 with 13 home runs 48 RBI in the last 39 games.
TDAPO
Creighton has outscored the opposition 56-32 in nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. That includes a 7-0 margin in the first inning, and a 22-3 differential in the 7th through 9th innings. Creighton is 6-0 when scoring three or more runs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Jays have attracted 82,950 fans in its first eight home dates at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, an average of 9,216 fans per game. That figure would rank second-best nationally, trailing only LSU (10,550).
This year's College World Series will be played June 18-28/29 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton serves as the annual host of the College World Series.
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 33-12 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 10-5 record in Valley play this season, leading the chase with two weekends left. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Hawkeyes sit at 182 this week. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/11/11.
Creighton 48
Missouri State 70
Illinois State 71
Wichita State 94
Evansville 119
Indiana State 164 Southern Illinois 176
Bradley 190
Through the Order
Creighton's eight and nine-hole hitters in the Saturday, April 30 game, Scott Thornburg and Joey Bowens, combined for five hits on the night, each scoring two runs and knocking in at least one RBI (Bowens with two). It marked the first time those two spots in the line-up have both had two hits since March 16, when they Jays played at Air Force.
Take 'em to the Casino
Bluejay pitchers Jonas Dufek and Ty Blach each picked up their seventh win of the season in the weekend sweep of Bradley. It marks the first time since 2008 that Creighton has had two pitchers aith 7+ wins in a season. Pat Venditte (9-3) and Jeremy Hauer (8-2) both did it that season. Dufek also won again at Wichita State on May 7, becoming the first Bluejay this season to reach eight wins. Blach picked up his eighth win in a pre-determined 2.0 innings on Tuesday, May 10 against Nebraska.
Doctor, Doctor
Creighton's future med-school student, Joey Bowens, went a perfect 3-for-3 in the 10-1 win over Bradley on April 30. The junior has played in 34 games, starting 18 in the outfield. Bowens has a career high of four hits in a single game (earlieer this season against SDSU), but this was the first time the Libertyville, Ill., native had exactly three on the night.
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 and held off a comeback bid by Wichita State, striking out the final two batters in the 7-5 win on May 7. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-2 record and 1.60 ERA and seven saves in his last 18 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 24.2 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just four of his 24 relief appearances this season, with 24 of those 24 outings lasting an inning or longer.
Get one for the Gipper... Or Skipper!
Head coach Ed Servais took over second place on the All-Time list for wins as a Bluejay baseball head coach in the 10-1 win over Bradley on Saturday, April 30. He now sits just three wins 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 287-161 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
Ed Servais (2004-present) 287-161 .642
Jack Dahm (1994-2003) 283-276-2 .506
* 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. Less than a week later, Makovicka returned the favor, pie-ing Joey Bowens after his 3-for-3 night at the plate and stellar defense in the 10-1 win over Bradley on April 30.
The Valley's Best
Creighton owns a one-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with two weeks to go. The MVC is currently rated as the No. 10-rated conference by Warrennolan.com. In 2010, the regular-season champion from the No. 10-rated conference was eventual College World Series darling TCU.
Anniversary
The 1991 season marks the 20-year anniversary of Creighton's 1991 College World Series team. The group was honored by Creighton April 22-24 and will be honored again in June during the 2011 College World Series. Top names on that squad include head coach Jim Hendry (current GM Of the Chicago Cubs), and future first-round draft picks Scott Stahoviak, Chad McConnell and Alan Benes. The Bluejays went 2-2 in 1991, becoming the first school from Nebraska to reach as well as win games in the CWS. Creighton's two wins are twice as many as all other schools from the state of Nebraska combined in CWS action.
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 .231 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 .208 when in left and .246 overall.
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 20 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 14-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 45 games in 2011, just under half (.444) have been decided by just one run. In fact, three of the Bluejays' 12 losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22, and at Wichita State, 8-0 on May 6 and 12-3 on May 8.)
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has shown more power when playing on the road this season. The Jays have 19 home runs and 39 doubles when playing on the road.
• has been caught in 36 double plays when on the road this season against just eight when at home.
• struck out just four times in both the Friday and Saturday night games against Bradley, both which were season low's for the team.
• is 12-7 when committing one error, 7-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 14-4 when playing error free baseball.
• owns a 2.81 ERA in the nine games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and is over .500 with a 6-3 record.
• is hitting .290 while playing at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season with seven home runs and 19 doubles.
• has trailed in 17 of its 33 victories this season.
• is 14-6 in one run games this season, 3-1 in two run games and 6-1 when one team or the other is shutout.
• is 26-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 27-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 32-6 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 38 of his last 40 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 29 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Meet The Jays
• Jonas Dufek is a perfect 4-0 on the road this season, holding a 3.00 ERA in his five starts away from home.
• Mark Winkelman leads the pitching staff on the road with 16 appearances. He holds a 3.62 ERA with one save when Wink is on the mound.
• Jonas Dufek moved in the Creighton all-time charts last weekend, thanks to his 12 strikeouts against Wichita State. He now is T-7th in career wins (20), 10th in strike outs in a season (92) and 10th in strike outs in a career (209).
• Jimmy Swift had a career high three doubles in the May 1 game against Bradley, including two in the same inning.
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 19 sacrifice bunts, tied for first nationally. No other Bluejay has more than nine. He broke into the top 10 on the Bluejay all-time charts, jumping all the way into 2nd for sacrifices in a season.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 29-6 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-6 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Scott Thornburg increased his average 10 points last weekend, going 3-for-9, with two runs scored, two RBI and two doubles.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the first hitter he has faced in 10 of the last 11 outings.
• Trever Adams leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 home runs this season, all of which have come since his 2-for-20 start at the beginning of the season.
• Jack VanLeur had not allowed an earned run in eight straight outings, dating April 5th through May 6. He had thrown 9.1 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 5-3 when playing at night this season. Two 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. The three losses, 6:30 and later start times, have been at the hands of Nebraska and Wichita State. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1against the Huskers earlier this season and were shut out 8-0 against Wichita State on Friday, May 6. With the new facility, Creighton will play three more regular season games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (just one more at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
Decades
With 13 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 13 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
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 15-4 at home and 15-7 on the road this season. The Jays also hold the distinction of having a winning record at home and on the road in Valley play, going 4-2 at home and 6-3 on the road. Creighton has one series left at home (against Missouri State, May 19-21) and one on the road (at Evansville this weekend).
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 105 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 104 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (103) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (97), through games of May 2.
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 8th in home attendance, averaging 4,546 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 369,278 35 10,550
2 Mississippi 228,840 28 8,172
3 Arkansas 211,477 27 7,832
4 S. Carolina 221,440 30 7,381
5 Texas 199,267 31 6,427
6 Mississippi St. 170,075 28 6,074
7 Florida St. 137,670 29 4,747
8 Creighton 86,389 19 4,546
9 Clemson 133,020 30 4,434
10 TCU 122,530 29 4,225
11 Florida 117,759 30 3,971
12 Alabama 117,622 30 3,920
13 Texas A&M 114,002 30 3,800
14 Southern Miss. 79,217 23 3,444
15 Rice 96,115 28 3,432
16 Wichita State 93,724 28 3,347
17 Louisiana 82,693 25 3,307
18 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243 19 Arizona St. 86,522 27 3,204
20 East Carolina 89,012 30 2,967
Fanning Figures
Going into the 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 the following week, Creighton dropped out of both polls. They are now receiving votes in both the NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Poll.
FORE!
Creighton started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but have improved to 6-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 33-12, tying them for the best start in program history. Three other seasons have reached 33 wins in 45 games, the 2005 NCAA Tournament team, the 2007 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team. Below is how each of those teams, as well as the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Tournament teams fared in their next eight games (the amount of regular season games the Jays have left).
Year Record After 45 Games Next 7
2007 33-12 7-0
2005 33-12 5-2
2000 31-14 5-2
1999 29-16 5-2
1991 33-12 1-6
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 72 hits (under a sixth of the total 407) 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
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 14th start of the season Tuesday, May 19, taking over the lead in the Valley this season. Creighton is 11-3 in Blach's first 14 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 14 of the past 17 games he's appeared in (including eight in a row), dating to late last season. Blach has made 28 career appearances, including 25 starts. Only three times has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 21 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.94 ranks third-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 second 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 and swept Bradley the last weekend of May to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 6-3 with the win over Nebraska.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of April 18, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate during that 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 to that date, 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 .407 batting average to go with 13 homers and 52 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 45 games since 1999. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 45 games were Ryan Gripp (.416-16-64) and Peyton Lewis (.373-13-61), 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.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 18-8 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 134-111.
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 52 bases, eclipsing 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.
Finding a Gap
With 19 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently leads the MVC 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. He had a double and home run in the 7-5 win over Wichita State on May 7.
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 4.74 ERA and is holding batters to a .232 average against him.
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ 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
