MVC Leading Baseball Travels to Wichita State this Weekend
5/4/2011 5:14:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton (31-10, 9-3)
at Wichita State (28-20*, 7-5 MVC) • Tyler Field at Eck Stadium
May 6 @ 6:30 pm • May 7 @ 2:00 pm • May 8 @ 1:00 pm
KOZN 1620 AM Radio • ShockerVision
at Wichita State (28-20*, 7-5 MVC) • Tyler Field at Eck Stadium
May 6 @ 6:30 pm • May 7 @ 2:00 pm • May 8 @ 1:00 pm
KOZN 1620 AM Radio • ShockerVision
ERA W-L App GS CG IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Fri - Ty Blach, LHP 2.31 7-0 12 12 0 66.1 59 18 17 18 60
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.33 7-1 12 10 1 73.1 49 21 19 21 80
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 4.18 3-2 11 11 0 47.1 40 22 22 17 25
Wichita State
Fri. - Charlie Lowell, LHP 3.25 8-4 12 12 1 72.0 55 31 26 28 95
Sat. - Brian Flynn, LHP 4.11 4-2 16 7 2 61.1 52 33 28 30 56
Sun. - TBA
Creighton
Fri - Ty Blach, LHP 2.31 7-0 12 12 0 66.1 59 18 17 18 60
Sat. - Jonas Dufek, RHP 2.33 7-1 12 10 1 73.1 49 21 19 21 80
Sun. - Greg Hellhake, LHP 4.18 3-2 11 11 0 47.1 40 22 22 17 25
Wichita State
Fri. - Charlie Lowell, LHP 3.25 8-4 12 12 1 72.0 55 31 26 28 95
Sat. - Brian Flynn, LHP 4.11 4-2 16 7 2 61.1 52 33 28 30 56
Sun. - TBA
The weekend games at Wichita State will be available to Bluejay fans through live stats at www.gocreighton.com and on 1620 AM. John Bishop and David Gustafson will have the call all weekend for Bluejays baseball. The games will also be televised online on ShockerVision, by purchasing a month subscription for $12.95. A link is on the www.goshockers.com website.
Category Overall MVC Overall MVC
Average .279 .283 .289 .330
Runs 244 78 314 85
Hits 371 109 482 144
Doubles 79 25 99 28
Triples 14 1 15 3
Home Runs 30 14 27 10
Stolen Bases 51 15 83 16
ERA 3.26 3.23 3.36 3.81
Comp. Games 1 0 4 3
Saves 11 3 8 3
Runs Allowed 149 41 207 58
Earned Runs Allowed 132 38 159 44
Walks 122 34 182 46
Strikeouts 283 87 365 93
Average Against .238 .227 .243 .247
Average .279 .283 .289 .330
Runs 244 78 314 85
Hits 371 109 482 144
Doubles 79 25 99 28
Triples 14 1 15 3
Home Runs 30 14 27 10
Stolen Bases 51 15 83 16
ERA 3.26 3.23 3.36 3.81
Comp. Games 1 0 4 3
Saves 11 3 8 3
Runs Allowed 149 41 207 58
Earned Runs Allowed 132 38 159 44
Walks 122 34 182 46
Strikeouts 283 87 365 93
Average Against .238 .227 .243 .247
The Series
Creighton vs. Wichita State - Creighton and Wichita State have one of the longest series in The Valley, as they have matched up 151 times, with the Shockers holding the 108-42-1 advantage. The two teams have met 30 times since Ed Servais took over the helm of the Jays, with WSU still holding the 19-11 advantage, including winning 10-of-the-last 11 games. When playing in Wichita, the Jays are just 5-of-10. On the current Bluejay roster, only seven Bluejays have won against the Shockers in Wichita (Joey Bowens, Clay Cuno, Jonas Dufek, Greg Hellhake, Brandon Koenigstein, Jimmy Swift and Jack VanLeur), as the Jays took the first meeting in the 2009 MVC Tournament 11-0.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .642 winning percentage (285-159) 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 four 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.
Gene Stephenson (Wichita State) – The winningest NCAA Division I program in the country over the last 34 seasons has been led by just one man, Gene Stephenson. He holds a career .743 winning percentage which ranks second highest among active NCAA Division I coaches, second to Augie Garrido of Texas. Stephenson has lead the Shockers to one College World Series Championship, seven College World Series appearaces, 27 NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances, 20 MVC regular-season titles and 17 MVC tournament championships. 28 former players have played Major League Baseball, while 146 players have played professional baseball. Stephenson has led the MVC preseason #2 Wichita State Shockers to a 28-19 overall record, 7-5 in the MVC. He is assisted by Brent Kemnitz, Jim Thomas and Jeff Christy.
Foreign Soil
None of Creighton's 35 man roster is originally from the state of Kansas, although 16 Jays are from states that border Kansas (7 from Nebraska, 4 from Colorado, 3 from Missouri, 2 from Oklahoma). Four Jays, Trever Adams, Clay Cuno, Erik Mattingly and Reese McGraw all went to junior college in Kansas, with Adams and Cuno spending time at Hutchinson CC and Mattingly and McGraw coming out of Garden City CC.
Looking Back
Wichita State took all three from the Jays in Omaha last season, outscoring the Jays 24-10 in the series. Creighton's last regular season win in Wichita came on April 6, 2007, a 3-2 win over then then ranked #8 Shockers. The Jays won the game in the top of the ninth, after Steve Winkelmann hit a 2 RBI single to left field to upset WSU.
When in Rome...
Creighton will look to snap a four game losing skid to the Shockers, dropping all three games last season and in the finals of the 2009 MVC Tournament. Creighton's last win over the Shockers was when Brandon Koenigstein threw a no-hitter in 2009. The Jays have won two series over the Shockers in Ed Servais' tenure, both coming at home. The Jays took three of four in 2004 when the Shockers were ranked 12th, and two of three in 2006 when they were ranked 13th. The Jays, who are now receiving votes, will look to post the first season with two wins at Wichita since 2005.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
Creighton comes into the weekend holding sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the MVC with a 9-3 record. The Shockers sit two games back, in a three-way tie for second place with Southern Illinois and Illinois State, all holding 7-5 records. The weekend series will pit two of the top hitters in the MVC against eachother, with Trever Adams (.411) in Creighton's corner and Chris O'Brien (.404) in the Shockers corner. The two schools have combined for 14 combined Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including the last five Player of the Week weekly honors. WSU holds eight while the Jays have six (Trever Adams (2), Jimmy Swift, Reese McGraw, Jonas Dufek and Kurt Spomer).
Creighton vs. Wichita State - Creighton and Wichita State have one of the longest series in The Valley, as they have matched up 151 times, with the Shockers holding the 108-42-1 advantage. The two teams have met 30 times since Ed Servais took over the helm of the Jays, with WSU still holding the 19-11 advantage, including winning 10-of-the-last 11 games. When playing in Wichita, the Jays are just 5-of-10. On the current Bluejay roster, only seven Bluejays have won against the Shockers in Wichita (Joey Bowens, Clay Cuno, Jonas Dufek, Greg Hellhake, Brandon Koenigstein, Jimmy Swift and Jack VanLeur), as the Jays took the first meeting in the 2009 MVC Tournament 11-0.
Meet the Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais is in his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .642 winning percentage (285-159) 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 four 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.
Gene Stephenson (Wichita State) – The winningest NCAA Division I program in the country over the last 34 seasons has been led by just one man, Gene Stephenson. He holds a career .743 winning percentage which ranks second highest among active NCAA Division I coaches, second to Augie Garrido of Texas. Stephenson has lead the Shockers to one College World Series Championship, seven College World Series appearaces, 27 NCAA Regional appearances, two NCAA Super Regional appearances, 20 MVC regular-season titles and 17 MVC tournament championships. 28 former players have played Major League Baseball, while 146 players have played professional baseball. Stephenson has led the MVC preseason #2 Wichita State Shockers to a 28-19 overall record, 7-5 in the MVC. He is assisted by Brent Kemnitz, Jim Thomas and Jeff Christy.
Foreign Soil
None of Creighton's 35 man roster is originally from the state of Kansas, although 16 Jays are from states that border Kansas (7 from Nebraska, 4 from Colorado, 3 from Missouri, 2 from Oklahoma). Four Jays, Trever Adams, Clay Cuno, Erik Mattingly and Reese McGraw all went to junior college in Kansas, with Adams and Cuno spending time at Hutchinson CC and Mattingly and McGraw coming out of Garden City CC.
Looking Back
Wichita State took all three from the Jays in Omaha last season, outscoring the Jays 24-10 in the series. Creighton's last regular season win in Wichita came on April 6, 2007, a 3-2 win over then then ranked #8 Shockers. The Jays won the game in the top of the ninth, after Steve Winkelmann hit a 2 RBI single to left field to upset WSU.
When in Rome...
Creighton will look to snap a four game losing skid to the Shockers, dropping all three games last season and in the finals of the 2009 MVC Tournament. Creighton's last win over the Shockers was when Brandon Koenigstein threw a no-hitter in 2009. The Jays have won two series over the Shockers in Ed Servais' tenure, both coming at home. The Jays took three of four in 2004 when the Shockers were ranked 12th, and two of three in 2006 when they were ranked 13th. The Jays, who are now receiving votes, will look to post the first season with two wins at Wichita since 2005.
No. 1 vs. No. 2
Creighton comes into the weekend holding sole possession of the No. 1 spot in the MVC with a 9-3 record. The Shockers sit two games back, in a three-way tie for second place with Southern Illinois and Illinois State, all holding 7-5 records. The weekend series will pit two of the top hitters in the MVC against eachother, with Trever Adams (.411) in Creighton's corner and Chris O'Brien (.404) in the Shockers corner. The two schools have combined for 14 combined Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this season, including the last five Player of the Week weekly honors. WSU holds eight while the Jays have six (Trever Adams (2), Jimmy Swift, Reese McGraw, Jonas Dufek and Kurt Spomer).
Bluejay Career Hitting Statistics vs. Wichita State
AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB K AVG
Trever Adams 10 0 2 1 1 1 0 3 3 .200
Joey Bowens 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
Michael Blatchford 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Clay Cuno 6 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Alex Staehely 11 1 4 1 0 0 0 2 3 .364
Jimmy Swift 27 3 6 1 1 0 0 5 8 .222
Scott Thornburg 13 4 5 1 0 0 0 1 1 .385
Bluejay Career Pitching Statistics vs. Wichita State
W-L ERA GS SV IP H R ER BB K
Ty Blach 0-1 9.64 1 0 4.2 8 5 5 3 3
Jonas Dufek 0-2 6.55 2 0 11.0 17 8 8 3 6
Greg Hellhake 0-1 12.70 2 0 5.2 14 8 8 3 4
Brandon Koenigstein 1-0 4.24 2 0 17.0 12 8 8 4 15
Jack VanLeur 0-1 15.00 0 0 3.0 8 8 5 3 2
Mark Winkelman 0-1 12.86 0 0 2.1 5 3 3 0 1
AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB K AVG
Trever Adams 10 0 2 1 1 1 0 3 3 .200
Joey Bowens 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
Michael Blatchford 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
Clay Cuno 6 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
Alex Staehely 11 1 4 1 0 0 0 2 3 .364
Jimmy Swift 27 3 6 1 1 0 0 5 8 .222
Scott Thornburg 13 4 5 1 0 0 0 1 1 .385
Bluejay Career Pitching Statistics vs. Wichita State
W-L ERA GS SV IP H R ER BB K
Ty Blach 0-1 9.64 1 0 4.2 8 5 5 3 3
Jonas Dufek 0-2 6.55 2 0 11.0 17 8 8 3 6
Greg Hellhake 0-1 12.70 2 0 5.2 14 8 8 3 4
Brandon Koenigstein 1-0 4.24 2 0 17.0 12 8 8 4 15
Jack VanLeur 0-1 15.00 0 0 3.0 8 8 5 3 2
Mark Winkelman 0-1 12.86 0 0 2.1 5 3 3 0 1
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 at Wichita State. 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 picked up its second MVC series sweep last weekend, defeating Bradley in three games. The Jays scored 33 runs on the weekend and picked up 39 hits in the series.
Creighton 7, Bradley 3 - The Jays took an early 3-0 lead in the series opener and never looked back, claming a 7-3 win over Bradley. The Jays picked up 14 hits in the game, with Trever Adams leading the charge, finishing the night a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate, with an RBI and a run scored. Ty Blach picked up the win, improving to 7-0 on the season. Creighton's offense came to the park early on Friday, as the Jays put three runs on the board in the first inning. Michael Mutcheson led off the game with a double that knocked off the right field wall. Nick Judkins reached safely on a sacrifice bunt, when the Braves pitcher Joe Bircher fumbled the pick-up, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Jimmy Swift then picked up his 26th RBI of the season, driving a single to center to score Mutcheson. With runners on first and second, Adams then singled to center to load the bases. Alex Staehely reached safely on a fielder's choice, a double play ball that rolled up both Swift at third and Judkins at the plate. Anthony Bemboom then kept the inning going with a double down into left field, scoring both Adams and Staehely. Blach finished the game with 6.0 innings, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven.
Creighton 10, Bradley 1 - Jonas Dufek's eight-inning performance and home runs by Jimmy Swift and Trever Adams along with a 3-for-3 night for Joey Bowens led Creighton to their 30th win of the season (30-10, 8-3), defeating Bradley 10-1 on Saturday night. The Jays now hold sole possession of first place in the Valley. After a three-up, three-down first inning for both teams, the Bluejays put up three in the bottom of the second inning, highlighted by Adams' solo home run to lead off the frame. His league leading 12th home run of the season marked his fifth in MVC play, a line drive shot over the left center field fence. Alex Staehely then hit his first double of the series, pulling it into the left field corner. A sacrifice bunt by Anthony Bemboom moved Staehely to third before Chance Ross flew out to right field, driving in his second RBI of the weekend, 13th on the season, with a sacrifice fly. The Bluejays scored one more run in the frame, thanks to back-to-back hits by Scott Thornburg and Bowens. Thornburg ripped a double into left field, sliding in safely to second and just beating the throw. Bowens then knocked one back up the middle to score Thornburg from second. The Jays put up solo runs in the fifth and sixth before exploding for five in the eighth. Mark Winkelman closed the final inning on the mound, shutting down the Braves in order 1,2,3 to end the game. The win gave Ed Servais his 284th win as a Bluejay head coach, moving him into second place on the all-time lists at Creighton.
Creighton 16, Bradley 6, (7) - Creighton matched it's largest comeback of the season, scoring 16 unanswered runs in three innings to shut down the Braves and earn the series sweep. The Jays scored four in the fifth, four in the sixth and eight in the seventh, after being completely baffled in the opening four frames. Jimmy Swift and Michael Mutcheson highlighted the charge offensively on the day, with Swift going 3-for-5 with three doubles, and Mutcheson picking up his first career homerun as a Bluejay.
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 31-10 overall record and 9-3 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.411), home runs (12), RBI (50) and triples (4). Adams has six game winning RBI this season, including blasting a two run home run against North Dakota State and a walk-off single up the middle in the 4-3 win over Portland. He also picked up the first Bluejay hit and scored the first run in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .329 batting average and a team high 17 doubles. Michael Mutcheson leads the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season. Overall, the team is hitting .278 with 244 runs on 371 hits and 79 doubles.
The Jays have also had solid pitching performances on the mound this season. Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have already set career strikeout records, with 13 and six, respectively while Ty Blach fanned a career high of nine against MVC foe Southern Illinois (4/22/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a 233 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 32.1 innings pitched, including not allowing a single run in MVC play in his 6.1 innings of work. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.31 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.26 ERA and is holding opponents to a .238 batting average against.
Follow the Jays all season through live stats at www.gocreighton.com. Click on the link on the right side of the front page to follow all the action of Creighton baseball at Wichita State. 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 picked up its second MVC series sweep last weekend, defeating Bradley in three games. The Jays scored 33 runs on the weekend and picked up 39 hits in the series.
Creighton 7, Bradley 3 - The Jays took an early 3-0 lead in the series opener and never looked back, claming a 7-3 win over Bradley. The Jays picked up 14 hits in the game, with Trever Adams leading the charge, finishing the night a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate, with an RBI and a run scored. Ty Blach picked up the win, improving to 7-0 on the season. Creighton's offense came to the park early on Friday, as the Jays put three runs on the board in the first inning. Michael Mutcheson led off the game with a double that knocked off the right field wall. Nick Judkins reached safely on a sacrifice bunt, when the Braves pitcher Joe Bircher fumbled the pick-up, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Jimmy Swift then picked up his 26th RBI of the season, driving a single to center to score Mutcheson. With runners on first and second, Adams then singled to center to load the bases. Alex Staehely reached safely on a fielder's choice, a double play ball that rolled up both Swift at third and Judkins at the plate. Anthony Bemboom then kept the inning going with a double down into left field, scoring both Adams and Staehely. Blach finished the game with 6.0 innings, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven.
Creighton 10, Bradley 1 - Jonas Dufek's eight-inning performance and home runs by Jimmy Swift and Trever Adams along with a 3-for-3 night for Joey Bowens led Creighton to their 30th win of the season (30-10, 8-3), defeating Bradley 10-1 on Saturday night. The Jays now hold sole possession of first place in the Valley. After a three-up, three-down first inning for both teams, the Bluejays put up three in the bottom of the second inning, highlighted by Adams' solo home run to lead off the frame. His league leading 12th home run of the season marked his fifth in MVC play, a line drive shot over the left center field fence. Alex Staehely then hit his first double of the series, pulling it into the left field corner. A sacrifice bunt by Anthony Bemboom moved Staehely to third before Chance Ross flew out to right field, driving in his second RBI of the weekend, 13th on the season, with a sacrifice fly. The Bluejays scored one more run in the frame, thanks to back-to-back hits by Scott Thornburg and Bowens. Thornburg ripped a double into left field, sliding in safely to second and just beating the throw. Bowens then knocked one back up the middle to score Thornburg from second. The Jays put up solo runs in the fifth and sixth before exploding for five in the eighth. Mark Winkelman closed the final inning on the mound, shutting down the Braves in order 1,2,3 to end the game. The win gave Ed Servais his 284th win as a Bluejay head coach, moving him into second place on the all-time lists at Creighton.
Creighton 16, Bradley 6, (7) - Creighton matched it's largest comeback of the season, scoring 16 unanswered runs in three innings to shut down the Braves and earn the series sweep. The Jays scored four in the fifth, four in the sixth and eight in the seventh, after being completely baffled in the opening four frames. Jimmy Swift and Michael Mutcheson highlighted the charge offensively on the day, with Swift going 3-for-5 with three doubles, and Mutcheson picking up his first career homerun as a Bluejay.
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 31-10 overall record and 9-3 mark in the MVC.
Creighton is being led offensively this season by Trever Adams and Alex Staehely. Adams leads the team in batting average (.411), home runs (12), RBI (50) and triples (4). Adams has six game winning RBI this season, including blasting a two run home run against North Dakota State and a walk-off single up the middle in the 4-3 win over Portland. He also picked up the first Bluejay hit and scored the first run in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .329 batting average and a team high 17 doubles. Michael Mutcheson leads the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season. Overall, the team is hitting .278 with 244 runs on 371 hits and 79 doubles.
The Jays have also had solid pitching performances on the mound this season. Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have already set career strikeout records, with 13 and six, respectively while Ty Blach fanned a career high of nine against MVC foe Southern Illinois (4/22/11). Jack VanLeur has been solid as a middle reliever, holding opponents to just a 233 average against. VanLeur has given up just nine earned runs on the season in 32.1 innings pitched, including not allowing a single run in MVC play in his 6.1 innings of work. Kurt Spomer has been the top pitcher lately, picking up the closer position and limiting opponents to a 2.31 ERA. The pitching staff has a combined 3.26 ERA and is holding opponents to a .238 batting average against.
Scouting the Shockers
Picked to finish second in the MVC this season, the Wichita State Shockers currently hold a 28-20 record heading into the Wednesday night game with Kansas. The Shockers returned 16 letterwinners from a season ago, in which WSU went 41-19 and tied for first in the conference. Leading Wichita State this season is Chris O'Brien, who is hitting .404 on the season and an impressive .481 in MVC play. He leads the team in doubles with 21, RBI with 58 and slugging percentage with a .645. Two other Shockers are batting over .300, with Tyler Grimes (.314) and Preston Springer (.311) adding to an overall team batting average of .289. The Shockers have stolen 83 bases this season, with Grimes and Kevin Hall each swiping 21 on their own. As a pitching staff, WSU holds a 3.36 ERA, giving up 387 hits and allowing 159 earned runs. Friday night starter Charlie Lowell has a 3.25 ERA with a league leading eight wins (8-4) on the season, holding a decision in each of his 12 appearances. Brian Flynn (Saturday's starter) has made 16 appearances, tossing two complete games. Cale Elam has a team high four saves and has a 0.91 ERA on the season. Defensively the Shockers have committed 77 errors, 12 more than they have seen from teams they have faced, and hold a .959 fielding percentage.
Last Time Out
The Shockers played a Tuesday-Wednesday home and home series with Kansas. The Jayhawks took game one 7-4 in Lawrence, and results from Wednesday's game in Wichita were not available at this time.
Picked to finish second in the MVC this season, the Wichita State Shockers currently hold a 28-20 record heading into the Wednesday night game with Kansas. The Shockers returned 16 letterwinners from a season ago, in which WSU went 41-19 and tied for first in the conference. Leading Wichita State this season is Chris O'Brien, who is hitting .404 on the season and an impressive .481 in MVC play. He leads the team in doubles with 21, RBI with 58 and slugging percentage with a .645. Two other Shockers are batting over .300, with Tyler Grimes (.314) and Preston Springer (.311) adding to an overall team batting average of .289. The Shockers have stolen 83 bases this season, with Grimes and Kevin Hall each swiping 21 on their own. As a pitching staff, WSU holds a 3.36 ERA, giving up 387 hits and allowing 159 earned runs. Friday night starter Charlie Lowell has a 3.25 ERA with a league leading eight wins (8-4) on the season, holding a decision in each of his 12 appearances. Brian Flynn (Saturday's starter) has made 16 appearances, tossing two complete games. Cale Elam has a team high four saves and has a 0.91 ERA on the season. Defensively the Shockers have committed 77 errors, 12 more than they have seen from teams they have faced, and hold a .959 fielding percentage.
Last Time Out
The Shockers played a Tuesday-Wednesday home and home series with Kansas. The Jayhawks took game one 7-4 in Lawrence, and results from Wednesday's game in Wichita were not available at this time.
He Just Keeps Winning...
Creighton's Friday night starter, Ty Blach, has complied a 7-0 record so far this season. The sophomore from Centennial, Colo., was named the most underrated pitcher in the conference in preseason rankings, and has shown he is worthy of the accolade. Blach is 7-0, and was the first player in the Valley to reach both the four win and six win plateau this season. He has not lost a game on the mound since last seasons MVC Tournament. Below is a list of national current win streaks on the mound.
Pitcher (Team) W Last Loss Will Roberts (Virginia) 16 Never
Taylor Jungmann (Texas) 12 May 27, 2010
Will Helms (Appalachian St.) 10 Never
John Neely (Texas Tech) 10 March 19, 2010
Tyler Ray (Troy) 10 May 27, 2010
John Brebbia (Elon) 9 Never
Greg Gonzalez (Fresno St.) 9 May 15, 2010
Kurt Schluter (Stetson) 9 April 20, 2010
Ty Blach (Creighton) 8 May 8, 2010*
Justin Malone (Georgia St.) 8 April 2, 2010
Steve Eagerton (Jacksonville) 8 March 4, 2008
Justin Amlung (Louisville) 8 June 6, 2010
Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) 8 Feb. 27, 2011
* Blach's last loss was in the Saturday game last season against the Wichita State Shockers. Creighton fell 8-3 and Blach gave up five earned runs in his 4.2 innings of work, walking three and striking out just three Shocker batters.
Against the Lefty
Wichita State plans to start two left handed pitchers this weekend in Charlie Lowell and Brian Flynn. The Creighton hitters have had success overall against south-paws on the mound, holding a .324 average against and 105 hits. Creighton has five every-day starters who are hitting over .300 against left-handed pitchers.
On the Road Again
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 two, 3-game series, first at Wichita State and then Evansville. Creighton has two mid-week games left, the first on May 10th at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha against Nebraska and the second 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.
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 teh 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 sevnth 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 and Jeremy Hauer both did it that season.
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.
Just Another Day's Work
Bluejay outfielder Trever Adams has now reached safely in 25 consecutive games, a streak that leads the MVC. He has also gotten a hit in 34 of his last 36 games, including 19 multi hit games in that stretch. He is hitting .458 with 12 home runs 46 RBI in the last 36 games.
Our Own Rick Vaughn
Kurt Spomer has been Creighton's top pitcher of late, and has moved into the closer's role. Spomer went 2-0 with a save over 4.1 scoreless innings in three games at Indiana State. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-2 record and 1.91 ERA and five saves in his last 16 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 33.0 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just three of his 22 relief appearances this season, with 21 of those 22 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. He now sits just five 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 285-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper. Below is a list of the top three in order:
Coach (Years) Record Win %
Jim Hendry (1984*-1991) 289-182-2 .613
Ed Servais (2004-present) 285-159 .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.
Revolving Door
Jordan Makovicka put his name in a hat for the starting left fielder on Tuesday and made a pretty good case for himself. The sophomore drove in the game winning run on a single in the eighth. He now is hitting .333 when patrolling left field. Seven different Bluejays have seen time in left field this season, as Creighton continues to try and find the best lineup. Taking most of the games has been Joey Bowens, who has played 32 games in left, hitting .205 when in the outfield. No other Jay has played in more than 16 games in left, with Brad McKewon (.200) and Erik Mattingly (.125) have each played in 16 games in left. Creighton has also thrown catcher Anthony Bemboom in left field to keep his bat in the order, but the junior is hitting just .125 when in left (half of his .250 average overall).
Making the Switch
While the Bluejay weekend starters Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have pitched great the whole season, owning a 2.83 ERA overall, and a 17-3 record, it has been the bullpen that has excelled in Valley play. The three starters hold a 3.56 ERA in MVC play, while the bullpen (including Jack VanLeur, Kurt Spomer, Reese McGraw, Mark Winkelman and Chase Webb) has combined for a 2.48 ERA in conference play. VanLeur has a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 innings and CU closer Spomer holds a 0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings of Valley work.
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has relied heavily on the three weekend starters this season. Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have a combined for a 2.84 ERA this season.
• struck out just four times in both the Friday and Saturday night games last week, both which were season low's for the team.
• has allowed 4 or fewer earned runs in 17 of 18 home games this season, and owns a 2.53 ERA at home this year. Take out the 7-run first inning by BYU on March 22nd and it drops to 2.13, and take out the 11-runs in 9 innings by BYU that day and it drops all the way down to 1.98.
• is 12-6 when committing one error, 6-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 13-3 when playing error free baseball.
• owns a 2.41 ERA in the eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and is over .500 with a 5-3 record.
• has trailed in 16 of its 31 victories this season.
• is 13-6 in one run games this season, 2-1 in two run games and a perfect 6-0 in shutouts.
• is 24-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 25-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 30-5 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 34 of his last 37 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 25 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Decades
With 12 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, Trever Adams is the only player in the MVC this season with 10 or more homers and 10 or more stolen bases. In the past three seasons, the only other Valley players with at least 11 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
Meet The Jays
• Ty Blach is among the active leaders in the country in consecutive wins, holding eight straight, dating back to last season.
• Jonas Dufek has struck out 80 batters this season, more than any of his first three seasons. He is averaging 8.0 strikeouts in each start this season.
• Jimmy Swift had a career high three doubles in th May 1 game against Bradley, including two in the same inning.
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 15 sacrifice bunts, tied for seventh nationally. No other Bluejay has more than nine.
• Brandon Koenigstein has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last four outings.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 27-5 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-5 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the leadoff hitter in each of the last nine innings he has started.
• Trever Adams raised his batting average 24 points over the weekend after compiling a .692 (9-for-13) average over the three games.
• Jack VanLeur has not allowed an earned run in his last eight outings dating to April 5th, throwing 9.1 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 4-2 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. Both losses, 6:30 and 6:35 starts, have been against Nebraska. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1 in the opener at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. With the new facility, Creighton will play five more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including two at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
Home or Away
The Jays are one of four Missouri Valley teams that holds a winning record both at home and on the road. Creighton is 14-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
If You Build It... They Will Come
Creighton's new home, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, has boosted the average attendance of the Jays this season considerably (and the winning ways of the Jays doesn't hurt either!) Creighton now sits in 13th ihome attendance, averaging 3,388 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 359,546 34 10,574
2 Mississippi 204,341 25 8,173
3 Arkansas 172,568 22 7,844
4 S. Carolina 215,865 29 7,409
5 Texas 193,554 30 6,451
6 Mississippi St. 164,402 27 6,088
7 Florida St. 123,707 26 4,757
8 Clemson 127,869 29 4,409
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 115,177 29 3,971
11 Alabama 105,243 27 3,897
12 Texas A&M 100,867 26 3,879
13 Creighton 68,801 18 3,822
14 Southern Miss. 68,926 20 3,446
15 Rice 92,507 27 3,426
16 Arizona St. 71,967 22 3,271
17 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243
18 Wichita State 72,368 23 3,146
19 East Carolina 89,012 30 2,967
20 Miami 79,988 27 2,963
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 19 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 13-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 37 games in 2011, over half (.514) have been decided by just one run. In fact, only one of the Bluejays' seven losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22.)
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend's series with Southern Illinois, the Bluejays had struck out 213 times as a team. In the highest total in three games all season, Creighton batters struck out 32 times on the weekend, just under a sixth of the previous season total. The starting three Saluki pitchers all had career high strike out numbers against the Jays, as they struck out 11 times both Friday and Saturday and 10 on Sunday.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and cracked the top-30 poll on April 18, 2011. The Jays were ranked at #28 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's magazine, released on Monday, April 18. The last time the Jays were ranked in the poll was May 28, 2007, when the Jays won the MVC Tournament and jumped into the #22 spot after not previously being ranked. Creighton was #29 in the Baseball Writers Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll. After a 1-3 week the following week, Creighton dropped out of both polls. They are now receiving votes in both the NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Poll.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 102 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 102 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (101) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (96), through games of May 2.
National Numbers
The Bluejays are still putting up national numbers this week, with the team ranking in the top 10 in two different categories. The Jays are tied for sixth in sacrifice bunts with 54 and also rank tied for fifth in fielding percentage, holding a .979 percentage this season. Individually, Trever Adams sits a seventh in slugging percentage (.755), 16th in RBI per game (1.27), 19th in home runs (12) and 20th in total RBI (50). Nick Judkins is tied for 15th is sacrifice bunts with 12 and tied for 16th in sacrifices per game with .32. Alex Staehely also ranks among the top's in doubles this season, tied for 18th in doubles this season (17), and 15th in doubles per game, with .46.
Triplets
Creighton started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but have improved to 5-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 31-10, tying them for the best start in program history. The 2005 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team, both also started 31-10, with the '91 team rattling off a series sweep the next weekend, picking up three more wins in a row.
Oh Snap!
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams snapped his 18-game hit streak in the 3-2 loss to SIU on Friday, April 22. Adams went 0-for-3 in the game with two different hit-by-pitches, including one in the 10th inning of the game. The senior put together the longest streak by a Bluejay since the 2009 season. Adams did have a 10-game streak earlier this season.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on April 19, 2011 was significant for many reasons. Obviously it was the first Bluejay hit in their new home (a single by Trever Adams in the second inning), but it was also Creighton's 300th hit this season. The Bluejays had 341 hits the whole season last year. Leading the Jays this season with 58 hits (over a sixth of the total 332) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games the night of April 19. The Creighton-Nebraska crowd of 22,197 was larger than six of them, and also larger than the MLB average crowd of 22,072.
45,408 Milwaukee at Philadelphia
41,596 Atlanta at Los Angeles (NL)
30,320 San Francisco at Colorado
27,032 Houston at New York (NL)
25,250 New York (AL) at Toronto
22,450 Los Angeles (AL) at Texas
-- 22,197 Nebraska at Creighton --
13,731 Chicago (AL) at Tampa Bay
12,994 Arizona at Cincinnati
12,411 Detroit at Seattle
12,045 Minnesota at Baltimore
11,118 Pittsburgh at Florida
10,506 Cleveland at Kansas City
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 31-10 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Kansas State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 6-3 record in Valley play this season. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/3/11.
Creighton 40
Illinois State 74
Missouri State 77
Wichita State 93
Evansville 94
Southern Illinois 160 Indiana State 179
Bradley 189
Record Setting
Creighton's record after 33 games was 26-7, matching the best record after 33 games in school history. Also starting 26-7 after 33 games were both the 2000 and 2005 teams that eventually would qualify for the NCAA Regionals. The 2000 team lost its 34th game (also against Nebraska), while the 2005 club is the program's only squad to start 27-7.
Starter's Success
Ty Blach will make his team-high 13th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 10-2 in Blach's first 12 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 13 of the past 15 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 26 career appearances, including 23 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 20 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.73 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
A New Place to Call Home
Tuesday, April 19th's opening game against Nebraska was the first for the Bluejays in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, their new home for games. Creighton had a great deal of success playing at the CU Sports Complex, racking up a .770 winning percentage under Ed Servais in his tenure. When opening the CU Sports Complex, the Jays won the first 14 games at the stadium, including defeating Mount Marty 8-7 in the opener and 16-3 in game two. That season, the Jays finished 23-6 overall at home, losing the last six straight. Creighton fell to Nebraska 2-1 in the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha opener, starting 0-1 in the new complex. The Jays won just one-of-three against SIU, but defeated Kansas State on April 26 to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 2-3.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors last week, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate over the last week. The senior right fielder improved his overall batting average to .397, driving out two doubles and two home runs on the week, both in the sweep at Indiana State. Adams finished the week hitting .500, with a slugging percentage of 1.071 and an on-base percentage of .611. Adams was intentionally walked twice on the week, both against Big 12 power Kansas State. He was also walked twice in the 6-5 win on Sunday over Indiana State, both after his solo home run and one on four pitches. Adams finished the day on Saturday (the 9-5 win) going 3-for-4 from the plate, driving in four and scoring once. He finished the week with five runs scored, scoring in every game last week and twice in the 6-5 Sunday win. In Kurt Spomer's last eight appearances, the junior from Honey Creek, Iowa, has some sort of a decision in each, picking up three wins, four saves and one loss. In action last week, Spomer picked up a win over Kansas State, a win over Indiana State (4/17) and a save at Indiana State (4/16). In 4.1 innings of work, the right hander gave up just two hits, no runs, walked two and struck out four. Spomer got out of a jam in the eighth inning of Sunday's win, coming in with a tie ball game, getting two outs and then striking out two and forcing a ground ball in the ninth to earn the win.
In Great Company
Trever Adams has a .411 batting average to go with 12 homers and 50 RBI thus far. Not only is he leading Creighton in all three Triple Crown categories this season, but he's leading all three categories for any Bluejay after 38 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 38 games were Ryan Gripp (.413-14-56) and Peyton Lewis (.388-12-50), both in 1999. Gripp would be named a first-team All-American, while Lewis earned second-team All-America accolades as the duo helped lead Creighton to the NCAA Regionals.
A Steady Improvement
Creighton reliever Kurt Spomer has already out-worked his numbers from his first two seasons combined, and with a more successful outcome. In his freshman season, Spomer toed the rubber for 2.0 innings, finishing with a 9.00 ERA. 2010 saw him in the game for 21.0 innings, finishing with a 5.57 ERA. This season, with the help of his 10 decisions (five saves, three wins and two losses) in his last 14 outings, Spomer has a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings of work.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 17-6 when playing on the road this season, including playing their first 12 games away from home. In the games away from home (both at an opponents home field and at a neutral site), the Jays are outscoring opponents 124-86.
Going Streaking
Trever Adams entered the weekend series with SIU with an 18-game hitting streak. In that time, he was 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owned at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games, and during those 29 games he was 52-for-112 (.464) with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Here are Creighton's longest hitting streaks under Ed Servais:
28 – Tony Roth, April 23, 2004 - March 1, 2005
23 – Elliot Soto, March 24 - April 29, 2009
19 – Zach Daeges, May 8, 2004 - March 1, 2005
18 - Trever Adams, March 16, 2011 - April 24, 2011
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton won in “walk-off” fashion in three of the four home games from April 3-April 22. Creighton beat Kansas State 7-6 on a walk-off walk by Joey Bowens in the final game at the CU Sports Complex. Before that, Trever Adams had a walk-off single to score Michael Mutcheson and give the Jays a 4-3 win over Portland on April 3rd. The Jays also defeated SIU on April 22 in the bottom of the 10th, putting up a run to win the game on a Chance Ross blooper over the short stop's head, scoring Staehely from third base.
Touch Em All
The Bluejays hit eight home runs in the series sweep at Indiana State on April 15-17, getting two each from Nick Judkins, Trever Adams and Anthony Bemboom, with Jimmy Swift and Mike Gerber each adding solo shots on the weekend. The Jays improved their slugging percentage 15 points on the weekend, moving from .410 as a team to .425. The Jays added four doubles to the eight home runs to help improve the percentage. Creighton moved from a tie for 5th in the Valley in slugging percentage to second over the weekend. Adams is now the sole leader in the slugging percentage in the Valley, holding a .763 percentage, nearly 100 points higher than Cody Fick of Evansville, who has a .676 average and is in second place.
Running Rampant
Ed Servais has turned Creighton loose on the basepaths so far this season. Creighton has stolen 51 bases, elipsing its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 73.1 success rate on the basepaths this season (49-67 )is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in the series sweep at Indiana State, hitting three each on Friday and Sunday and two dingers on Saturday. The Jays entered the weekend with multiple homers in just two of its first 29 games, and hadn't had two or more homers in three straight games since March 7-8, 2009. Creighton has never had four straight games with two or more homers under Ed Servais.
Yep, He's That Good
Ty Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs. Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
Finding a Gap
With 17 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently sits tied for the lead in the category in the MVC, and leads the Bluejays this season. Staehely's double output has been slowed a little, as he has went ten games without a double dating from April 3 to April 23. He did hit a double in the April 24 loss to Southern Illinois. The sophomore had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely did pick up his second home run of the season in the 5-3 win over Kansas, marking back-to-back games with extra base hits.
Catch Ya Later
Creighton left 10 runners on base in the rubber match between CU and Illinois State on Sunday, April 10 in Normal, Ill., pushing the total to 26 on the weekend. The Jays outscored the Redbirds 18-12, but with the extra runners driven in it could have helped Creighton's cause. The Jays left the bases loaded three times in the series.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
Creighton's Sunday starter Greg Hellhake pitched a great game in the 6-5 win on Sunday, April 10 as well as the Sunday, April 17 6-5 win over Indiana State, picking up his third win of the season in the first game and leaving with a 4-3 lead. In the fifth inning, Hellhake's last full inning of work, the right hander threw just four pitches. It marks the first time for a CU pitcher since Otto Roberts accomplished the feat at Air Force in 2009.
Sunday “Shellhaker”
Creighton's Greg Hellhake has turned into the weekend finisher, earning the nod to start on Sundays. After starting the season off with a couple rough outings, Hellhake has gotten into a rhythm on the mound. In the last six starts, Hellhake has gone 29.2 innings, allowing just nine earned runs and picking up 13 strike outs to eight walks. In his best start in the last six, Sunday, April 3 against Portland, a 4-3 win, Hellhake went 6.0 scoreless innings of work, giving up just four hits and striking out two. He has lowered his ERA from 6.57 in his third start to 3.68 after seven starts. He currently has a 4.18 ERA and is holding batters to a .231 average against him.
Under The Lights
Creighton played its first night game on April 5 at Nebraska. With the building of TD Ameritrade Park, many of Creighton's games will now be evening games, much different than the afternoon games played at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays have posted a .500 record or better in games played under the stars in all but one of Ed Servais' seasons.
Year Record Pct.
2011 2-2 .500
2010 4-1 .800
2009 10-6 .625
2008 4-4 .500
2007 10-3 .769
2006 4-5 .444
2005 11-7 .611
2004 5-3 .625
Creighton's Friday night starter, Ty Blach, has complied a 7-0 record so far this season. The sophomore from Centennial, Colo., was named the most underrated pitcher in the conference in preseason rankings, and has shown he is worthy of the accolade. Blach is 7-0, and was the first player in the Valley to reach both the four win and six win plateau this season. He has not lost a game on the mound since last seasons MVC Tournament. Below is a list of national current win streaks on the mound.
Pitcher (Team) W Last Loss Will Roberts (Virginia) 16 Never
Taylor Jungmann (Texas) 12 May 27, 2010
Will Helms (Appalachian St.) 10 Never
John Neely (Texas Tech) 10 March 19, 2010
Tyler Ray (Troy) 10 May 27, 2010
John Brebbia (Elon) 9 Never
Greg Gonzalez (Fresno St.) 9 May 15, 2010
Kurt Schluter (Stetson) 9 April 20, 2010
Ty Blach (Creighton) 8 May 8, 2010*
Justin Malone (Georgia St.) 8 April 2, 2010
Steve Eagerton (Jacksonville) 8 March 4, 2008
Justin Amlung (Louisville) 8 June 6, 2010
Grayson Garvin (Vanderbilt) 8 Feb. 27, 2011
* Blach's last loss was in the Saturday game last season against the Wichita State Shockers. Creighton fell 8-3 and Blach gave up five earned runs in his 4.2 innings of work, walking three and striking out just three Shocker batters.
Against the Lefty
Wichita State plans to start two left handed pitchers this weekend in Charlie Lowell and Brian Flynn. The Creighton hitters have had success overall against south-paws on the mound, holding a .324 average against and 105 hits. Creighton has five every-day starters who are hitting over .300 against left-handed pitchers.
On the Road Again
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 two, 3-game series, first at Wichita State and then Evansville. Creighton has two mid-week games left, the first on May 10th at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha against Nebraska and the second 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.
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 teh 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 sevnth 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 and Jeremy Hauer both did it that season.
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.
Just Another Day's Work
Bluejay outfielder Trever Adams has now reached safely in 25 consecutive games, a streak that leads the MVC. He has also gotten a hit in 34 of his last 36 games, including 19 multi hit games in that stretch. He is hitting .458 with 12 home runs 46 RBI in the last 36 games.
Our Own Rick Vaughn
Kurt Spomer has been Creighton's top pitcher of late, and has moved into the closer's role. Spomer went 2-0 with a save over 4.1 scoreless innings in three games at Indiana State. Since March 11th, Spomer owns a 3-2 record and 1.91 ERA and five saves in his last 16 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 33.0 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just three of his 22 relief appearances this season, with 21 of those 22 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. He now sits just five 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 285-159 record in his eighth season as Creighton's skipper. Below is a list of the top three in order:
Coach (Years) Record Win %
Jim Hendry (1984*-1991) 289-182-2 .613
Ed Servais (2004-present) 285-159 .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.
Revolving Door
Jordan Makovicka put his name in a hat for the starting left fielder on Tuesday and made a pretty good case for himself. The sophomore drove in the game winning run on a single in the eighth. He now is hitting .333 when patrolling left field. Seven different Bluejays have seen time in left field this season, as Creighton continues to try and find the best lineup. Taking most of the games has been Joey Bowens, who has played 32 games in left, hitting .205 when in the outfield. No other Jay has played in more than 16 games in left, with Brad McKewon (.200) and Erik Mattingly (.125) have each played in 16 games in left. Creighton has also thrown catcher Anthony Bemboom in left field to keep his bat in the order, but the junior is hitting just .125 when in left (half of his .250 average overall).
Making the Switch
While the Bluejay weekend starters Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have pitched great the whole season, owning a 2.83 ERA overall, and a 17-3 record, it has been the bullpen that has excelled in Valley play. The three starters hold a 3.56 ERA in MVC play, while the bullpen (including Jack VanLeur, Kurt Spomer, Reese McGraw, Mark Winkelman and Chase Webb) has combined for a 2.48 ERA in conference play. VanLeur has a 0.00 ERA in 6.1 innings and CU closer Spomer holds a 0.96 ERA in 9.1 innings of Valley work.
Finish this... “Creighton...:
• has relied heavily on the three weekend starters this season. Ty Blach, Jonas Dufek and Greg Hellhake have a combined for a 2.84 ERA this season.
• struck out just four times in both the Friday and Saturday night games last week, both which were season low's for the team.
• has allowed 4 or fewer earned runs in 17 of 18 home games this season, and owns a 2.53 ERA at home this year. Take out the 7-run first inning by BYU on March 22nd and it drops to 2.13, and take out the 11-runs in 9 innings by BYU that day and it drops all the way down to 1.98.
• is 12-6 when committing one error, 6-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 13-3 when playing error free baseball.
• owns a 2.41 ERA in the eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and is over .500 with a 5-3 record.
• has trailed in 16 of its 31 victories this season.
• is 13-6 in one run games this season, 2-1 in two run games and a perfect 6-0 in shutouts.
• is 24-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 25-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 30-5 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 34 of his last 37 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 25 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Decades
With 12 homers and 11 stolen bases this year, Trever Adams is the only player in the MVC this season with 10 or more homers and 10 or more stolen bases. In the past three seasons, the only other Valley players with at least 11 homers and 11 steals in the same season was Evansville's Cody Fick (19 HR/12 SB) in 2010.
Meet The Jays
• Ty Blach is among the active leaders in the country in consecutive wins, holding eight straight, dating back to last season.
• Jonas Dufek has struck out 80 batters this season, more than any of his first three seasons. He is averaging 8.0 strikeouts in each start this season.
• Jimmy Swift had a career high three doubles in th May 1 game against Bradley, including two in the same inning.
• Nick Judkins leads the MVC with 15 sacrifice bunts, tied for seventh nationally. No other Bluejay has more than nine.
• Brandon Koenigstein has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last four outings.
• Michael Mutcheson has been Creighton's top leadoff hitter this season. The Jays are 27-5 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-5 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Kurt Spomer has retired the leadoff hitter in each of the last nine innings he has started.
• Trever Adams raised his batting average 24 points over the weekend after compiling a .692 (9-for-13) average over the three games.
• Jack VanLeur has not allowed an earned run in his last eight outings dating to April 5th, throwing 9.1 innings in that time to lower his ERA to 2.51.
Under the Stars
The Bluejays are 4-2 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. Both losses, 6:30 and 6:35 starts, have been against Nebraska. The Jays lost game one 8-5 and gave up two unearned runs in the second to fall 2-1 in the opener at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. With the new facility, Creighton will play five more games this season with a start time after 6:00 pm central time (including two at home). The Jays were 10-7 in night games last season.
Home or Away
The Jays are one of four Missouri Valley teams that holds a winning record both at home and on the road. Creighton is 14-4 at home and 14-5 on the road this season. CU joins Evansville, Illinois State and Missouri State in the category this season.
If You Build It... They Will Come
Creighton's new home, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, has boosted the average attendance of the Jays this season considerably (and the winning ways of the Jays doesn't hurt either!) Creighton now sits in 13th ihome attendance, averaging 3,388 per game. Below is the top 20 home averages this season:
1 LSU 359,546 34 10,574
2 Mississippi 204,341 25 8,173
3 Arkansas 172,568 22 7,844
4 S. Carolina 215,865 29 7,409
5 Texas 193,554 30 6,451
6 Mississippi St. 164,402 27 6,088
7 Florida St. 123,707 26 4,757
8 Clemson 127,869 29 4,409
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 115,177 29 3,971
11 Alabama 105,243 27 3,897
12 Texas A&M 100,867 26 3,879
13 Creighton 68,801 18 3,822
14 Southern Miss. 68,926 20 3,446
15 Rice 92,507 27 3,426
16 Arizona St. 71,967 22 3,271
17 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243
18 Wichita State 72,368 23 3,146
19 East Carolina 89,012 30 2,967
20 Miami 79,988 27 2,963
Cutting it Close
Creighton has played in 19 one-run games this season, tallying an impressive 13-6 record in those contests. Of Creighton's 37 games in 2011, over half (.514) have been decided by just one run. In fact, only one of the Bluejays' seven losses has been by more than three runs (the 11-4 BYU loss on March 22.)
Fanning Figures
Going into last weekend's series with Southern Illinois, the Bluejays had struck out 213 times as a team. In the highest total in three games all season, Creighton batters struck out 32 times on the weekend, just under a sixth of the previous season total. The starting three Saluki pitchers all had career high strike out numbers against the Jays, as they struck out 11 times both Friday and Saturday and 10 on Sunday.
In the Polls
The Bluejays have put together one of the best starts in school history and cracked the top-30 poll on April 18, 2011. The Jays were ranked at #28 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's magazine, released on Monday, April 18. The last time the Jays were ranked in the poll was May 28, 2007, when the Jays won the MVC Tournament and jumped into the #22 spot after not previously being ranked. Creighton was #29 in the Baseball Writers Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today/ESPN poll. After a 1-3 week the following week, Creighton dropped out of both polls. They are now receiving votes in both the NCBWA and USA Today/ESPN Poll.
Pitching Machine
Jack VanLeur has 102 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 102 career appearances, he leads all active players nationally, just ahead of Elon's Thomas Girdwood (101) and Southern Miss ace Collin Cargill (96), through games of May 2.
National Numbers
The Bluejays are still putting up national numbers this week, with the team ranking in the top 10 in two different categories. The Jays are tied for sixth in sacrifice bunts with 54 and also rank tied for fifth in fielding percentage, holding a .979 percentage this season. Individually, Trever Adams sits a seventh in slugging percentage (.755), 16th in RBI per game (1.27), 19th in home runs (12) and 20th in total RBI (50). Nick Judkins is tied for 15th is sacrifice bunts with 12 and tied for 16th in sacrifices per game with .32. Alex Staehely also ranks among the top's in doubles this season, tied for 18th in doubles this season (17), and 15th in doubles per game, with .46.
Triplets
Creighton started 2-3 in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, but have improved to 5-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 31-10, tying them for the best start in program history. The 2005 NCAA Tournament team and the 1991 College World Series team, both also started 31-10, with the '91 team rattling off a series sweep the next weekend, picking up three more wins in a row.
Oh Snap!
Creighton outfielder Trever Adams snapped his 18-game hit streak in the 3-2 loss to SIU on Friday, April 22. Adams went 0-for-3 in the game with two different hit-by-pitches, including one in the 10th inning of the game. The senior put together the longest streak by a Bluejay since the 2009 season. Adams did have a 10-game streak earlier this season.
Hits for 300, Alex
Creighton's first hit in the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on April 19, 2011 was significant for many reasons. Obviously it was the first Bluejay hit in their new home (a single by Trever Adams in the second inning), but it was also Creighton's 300th hit this season. The Bluejays had 341 hits the whole season last year. Leading the Jays this season with 58 hits (over a sixth of the total 332) is Adams.
Major League Numbers
There were 12 Major League Baseball games the night of April 19. The Creighton-Nebraska crowd of 22,197 was larger than six of them, and also larger than the MLB average crowd of 22,072.
45,408 Milwaukee at Philadelphia
41,596 Atlanta at Los Angeles (NL)
30,320 San Francisco at Colorado
27,032 Houston at New York (NL)
25,250 New York (AL) at Toronto
22,450 Los Angeles (AL) at Texas
-- 22,197 Nebraska at Creighton --
13,731 Chicago (AL) at Tampa Bay
12,994 Arizona at Cincinnati
12,411 Detroit at Seattle
12,045 Minnesota at Baltimore
11,118 Pittsburgh at Florida
10,506 Cleveland at Kansas City
Worth Noting
Creighton has put together an impressive 31-10 record already this season, with four wins over New Mexico, two wins over Illinois State and a victory over Kansas State, all of which were NCAA Tournament teams following the 2010 season. Creighton also has a 6-3 record in Valley play this season. The Jays had moved up in RPI to a season high 38 following the weekend sweep at Indina State. Creighton is still the highest in the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/3/11.
Creighton 40
Illinois State 74
Missouri State 77
Wichita State 93
Evansville 94
Southern Illinois 160 Indiana State 179
Bradley 189
Record Setting
Creighton's record after 33 games was 26-7, matching the best record after 33 games in school history. Also starting 26-7 after 33 games were both the 2000 and 2005 teams that eventually would qualify for the NCAA Regionals. The 2000 team lost its 34th game (also against Nebraska), while the 2005 club is the program's only squad to start 27-7.
Starter's Success
Ty Blach will make his team-high 13th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 10-2 in Blach's first 12 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 13 of the past 15 games he's appeared in dating to late last season. Blach has made 26 career appearances, including 23 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 20 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs.
Blach's career ERA of 2.73 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
A New Place to Call Home
Tuesday, April 19th's opening game against Nebraska was the first for the Bluejays in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, their new home for games. Creighton had a great deal of success playing at the CU Sports Complex, racking up a .770 winning percentage under Ed Servais in his tenure. When opening the CU Sports Complex, the Jays won the first 14 games at the stadium, including defeating Mount Marty 8-7 in the opener and 16-3 in game two. That season, the Jays finished 23-6 overall at home, losing the last six straight. Creighton fell to Nebraska 2-1 in the TD Ameritrade Park Omaha opener, starting 0-1 in the new complex. The Jays won just one-of-three against SIU, but defeated Kansas State on April 26 to move their current record in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha to 2-3.
Two-for-Two
The Bluejays swept the MVC Player/Pitcher of the Week honors last week, with Trever Adams and Kurt Spomer earning the honors. Adams continued to lead the Bluejay offense, going 7-for-14 from the plate over the last week. The senior right fielder improved his overall batting average to .397, driving out two doubles and two home runs on the week, both in the sweep at Indiana State. Adams finished the week hitting .500, with a slugging percentage of 1.071 and an on-base percentage of .611. Adams was intentionally walked twice on the week, both against Big 12 power Kansas State. He was also walked twice in the 6-5 win on Sunday over Indiana State, both after his solo home run and one on four pitches. Adams finished the day on Saturday (the 9-5 win) going 3-for-4 from the plate, driving in four and scoring once. He finished the week with five runs scored, scoring in every game last week and twice in the 6-5 Sunday win. In Kurt Spomer's last eight appearances, the junior from Honey Creek, Iowa, has some sort of a decision in each, picking up three wins, four saves and one loss. In action last week, Spomer picked up a win over Kansas State, a win over Indiana State (4/17) and a save at Indiana State (4/16). In 4.1 innings of work, the right hander gave up just two hits, no runs, walked two and struck out four. Spomer got out of a jam in the eighth inning of Sunday's win, coming in with a tie ball game, getting two outs and then striking out two and forcing a ground ball in the ninth to earn the win.
In Great Company
Trever Adams has a .411 batting average to go with 12 homers and 50 RBI thus far. Not only is he leading Creighton in all three Triple Crown categories this season, but he's leading all three categories for any Bluejay after 38 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 38 games were Ryan Gripp (.413-14-56) and Peyton Lewis (.388-12-50), both in 1999. Gripp would be named a first-team All-American, while Lewis earned second-team All-America accolades as the duo helped lead Creighton to the NCAA Regionals.
A Steady Improvement
Creighton reliever Kurt Spomer has already out-worked his numbers from his first two seasons combined, and with a more successful outcome. In his freshman season, Spomer toed the rubber for 2.0 innings, finishing with a 9.00 ERA. 2010 saw him in the game for 21.0 innings, finishing with a 5.57 ERA. This season, with the help of his 10 decisions (five saves, three wins and two losses) in his last 14 outings, Spomer has a 1.35 ERA in 20.0 innings of work.
Road Warriors
Creighton is 17-6 when playing on the road this season, including playing their first 12 games away from home. In the games away from home (both at an opponents home field and at a neutral site), the Jays are outscoring opponents 124-86.
Going Streaking
Trever Adams entered the weekend series with SIU with an 18-game hitting streak. In that time, he was 32-for-70 (.457) with seven homers and 32 RBI. Adams owned at least one hit in 28 of the last 29 games, and during those 29 games he was 52-for-112 (.464) with 10 homers and 40 RBI. Here are Creighton's longest hitting streaks under Ed Servais:
28 – Tony Roth, April 23, 2004 - March 1, 2005
23 – Elliot Soto, March 24 - April 29, 2009
19 – Zach Daeges, May 8, 2004 - March 1, 2005
18 - Trever Adams, March 16, 2011 - April 24, 2011
16 – Robbie Knight, March 11 - April 5, 2009
15 – Darin Ruf, April 12 - May 3, 2008
15 – Chris Gradoville, April 20 - May 15, 2007
Walk-Off Winners
Creighton won in “walk-off” fashion in three of the four home games from April 3-April 22. Creighton beat Kansas State 7-6 on a walk-off walk by Joey Bowens in the final game at the CU Sports Complex. Before that, Trever Adams had a walk-off single to score Michael Mutcheson and give the Jays a 4-3 win over Portland on April 3rd. The Jays also defeated SIU on April 22 in the bottom of the 10th, putting up a run to win the game on a Chance Ross blooper over the short stop's head, scoring Staehely from third base.
Touch Em All
The Bluejays hit eight home runs in the series sweep at Indiana State on April 15-17, getting two each from Nick Judkins, Trever Adams and Anthony Bemboom, with Jimmy Swift and Mike Gerber each adding solo shots on the weekend. The Jays improved their slugging percentage 15 points on the weekend, moving from .410 as a team to .425. The Jays added four doubles to the eight home runs to help improve the percentage. Creighton moved from a tie for 5th in the Valley in slugging percentage to second over the weekend. Adams is now the sole leader in the slugging percentage in the Valley, holding a .763 percentage, nearly 100 points higher than Cody Fick of Evansville, who has a .676 average and is in second place.
Running Rampant
Ed Servais has turned Creighton loose on the basepaths so far this season. Creighton has stolen 51 bases, elipsing its entire stolen base total from 2010 and exceeding the 38 swipes in 2009. Creighton's 73.1 success rate on the basepaths this season (49-67 )is the best mark in any season so far under Servais.
A First for Everything
Creighton had eight homers in the series sweep at Indiana State, hitting three each on Friday and Sunday and two dingers on Saturday. The Jays entered the weekend with multiple homers in just two of its first 29 games, and hadn't had two or more homers in three straight games since March 7-8, 2009. Creighton has never had four straight games with two or more homers under Ed Servais.
Yep, He's That Good
Ty Blach has made 24 career appearances, including 21 starts. Only twice has the opposition scored four or more earned runs against him, and in 18 of those games Blach allowed two or fewer earned runs. Blach's career ERA of 2.72 ranks second-best in the Ed Servais era among pitchers with 50 innings or more. Brandon Bird is first on that list at 2.60, while Pat Venditte is third on the same list at 2.86.
Finding a Gap
With 17 doubles on the season, Alex Staehely currently sits tied for the lead in the category in the MVC, and leads the Bluejays this season. Staehely's double output has been slowed a little, as he has went ten games without a double dating from April 3 to April 23. He did hit a double in the April 24 loss to Southern Illinois. The sophomore had seven hits in the span, accompanied by four sacrifice bunts. Staehely did pick up his second home run of the season in the 5-3 win over Kansas, marking back-to-back games with extra base hits.
Catch Ya Later
Creighton left 10 runners on base in the rubber match between CU and Illinois State on Sunday, April 10 in Normal, Ill., pushing the total to 26 on the weekend. The Jays outscored the Redbirds 18-12, but with the extra runners driven in it could have helped Creighton's cause. The Jays left the bases loaded three times in the series.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4
Creighton's Sunday starter Greg Hellhake pitched a great game in the 6-5 win on Sunday, April 10 as well as the Sunday, April 17 6-5 win over Indiana State, picking up his third win of the season in the first game and leaving with a 4-3 lead. In the fifth inning, Hellhake's last full inning of work, the right hander threw just four pitches. It marks the first time for a CU pitcher since Otto Roberts accomplished the feat at Air Force in 2009.
Sunday “Shellhaker”
Creighton's Greg Hellhake has turned into the weekend finisher, earning the nod to start on Sundays. After starting the season off with a couple rough outings, Hellhake has gotten into a rhythm on the mound. In the last six starts, Hellhake has gone 29.2 innings, allowing just nine earned runs and picking up 13 strike outs to eight walks. In his best start in the last six, Sunday, April 3 against Portland, a 4-3 win, Hellhake went 6.0 scoreless innings of work, giving up just four hits and striking out two. He has lowered his ERA from 6.57 in his third start to 3.68 after seven starts. He currently has a 4.18 ERA and is holding batters to a .231 average against him.
Under The Lights
Creighton played its first night game on April 5 at Nebraska. With the building of TD Ameritrade Park, many of Creighton's games will now be evening games, much different than the afternoon games played at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays have posted a .500 record or better in games played under the stars in all but one of Ed Servais' seasons.
Year Record Pct.
2011 2-2 .500
2010 4-1 .800
2009 10-6 .625
2008 4-4 .500
2007 10-3 .769
2006 4-5 .444
2005 11-7 .611
2004 5-3 .625
Players Mentioned
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/ Baseball2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
Friday, October 30
Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
Friday, October 30
CREIGHTON BASEBALL
Thursday, October 15
Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
