Baseball Prepares for Game Three Against Nebraska
5/9/2011 5:17:00 PM | Baseball
Creighton (32-12, 10-5)
vs Nebraska (28-20, 7-13 Big 12)
• TD Ameritrade Park Omaha •
• Tuesday, May 10 • 7:00 pm •
• The Nebraska Classic •
KOZN 1620 AM Radio • ESPNU
vs Nebraska (28-20, 7-13 Big 12)
• TD Ameritrade Park Omaha •
• Tuesday, May 10 • 7:00 pm •
• The Nebraska Classic •
KOZN 1620 AM Radio • ESPNU
ERA W-L App GS CG IP H R ER BB SO
Creighton
Ty Blach, LHP 2.85 7-1 13 13 0 72.2 72 24 23 19 64
Nebraska
Matt Freeman, RHP 4.42 5-5 15 9 0 57.0 60 29 28 13 52
Creighton
Ty Blach, LHP 2.85 7-1 13 13 0 72.2 72 24 23 19 64
Nebraska
Matt Freeman, RHP 4.42 5-5 15 9 0 57.0 60 29 28 13 52
Nebraska Huskers
www.huskers.com
Record: 28-20, 7-13 • Location: Lincoln, Neb. • Enrollment: 23,573
Head Coach: Mike Anderson • Alma Mater: Northern Colorado (90)
Career Record: 330-188-2 • School Record: 330-188-2
2010 Record: 27-27 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 20/11
www.huskers.com
Record: 28-20, 7-13 • Location: Lincoln, Neb. • Enrollment: 23,573
Head Coach: Mike Anderson • Alma Mater: Northern Colorado (90)
Career Record: 330-188-2 • School Record: 330-188-2
2010 Record: 27-27 • Letterwinners returning/lost: 20/11
Tuesday's game will be the first for the Jays on ESPNU this season. Kyle Peterson and Jon Sciambi will broadcast the game. Live stats will be available at www.gocreighton.com and live radio for the game against the Huskers will be available through a link on the Creighton website. John Bishop and David Gustafson will have the call from TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on KOZN 1620 AM.
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 Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (286-161) 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 three 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.
Mike Anderson (Nebraska) - Mike Anderson is in his ninth year as Nebraska's head baseball coach. He has guided the Husker program to two Big 12 regular season titles (2003 and 2005), five NCAA Regionals and an appearance in the College World Series. He also holds the distinction as the only coach to win a game for the Huskers in the CWS. Anderson has coached 22 first-team all conference players and 52 of his former players have signed pro contracts. Before coming to Nebraska and spending time as an assistant coach, he was the top assistant at the University of Northern Colorado. Anderson was also a head coach with the Northern Colorado Lab School. Anderson played his college ball at UNC and played four seasons of professional baseball in the Angels organization. He is assisted by Dave Bingham, Eric Newman and Darin Erstad.
Looking Back
Emotions were high in the last meeting between the Bluejays and Huskers, as the Jays opened the first game in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton got on the board first when freshman Mike Gerber picked up Creighton's first RBI in the new park, scoring Trever Adams who had picked up the first Bluejay hit of the game. That would be the only run the Jays would get, as they left seven runners on base and gave up two, unearned runs to the Huskers in the game. The first came in the third inning when Tanner Krietemeier scored on an error by Bluejay thirdbaseman Chance Ross and the winning run was on an errant throw on a bunt in the sixth inning.
Jays vs. the Big 12
In overall competition against the Big 12 Conference, the Jays trail 106-162-3. The Bluajays do hold the advantage this season, holding a 3-2 record over Big 12 schools. The Jays swept Kansas this season, a 4-3 victory in Lawrence and a 5-3 win on April 26 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Bluejays came from behind to defeat Kansas State on April 12, picking up a 7-6 win to close out play at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays look to earn their first win of the season over the Huskers, as Nebraska has won the first two meetings - 8-5 and 2-1. A win Tuesday would give the Jays a 4-2 edge over the Big 12 this season, just the third time in the Ed Servais era the Jays would post a winning record against the conference during the regular. The other two times were the 2005 (3-1 against the Big 12) and 2007 (4-3) NCAA Regional teams.
Dusty Mops
The Bluejays will be looking to prevent the first three-game sweep for the Huskers since 2008. That season, the Huskers were ranked #10 for the first two meetings and moved to #6 in the final meeting, posting wins of 4-3, 16-7 and 8-1 over the Jays. The Bluejays have never swept a series from the Huskers under Ed Servais.
The Battery
Creighton has frequently tried to save its pitching staff for league play during its midweek games against Nebraska in past years, limiting pitchers to an inning or two of predetermined work. In the 10 meetings over the past four years, Creighton starting pitchers have combined to throw just 19.2 innings, and the Jays have used 64 pitchers in those 10 games. The last Creighton hurler to throw more than five innings against Nebraska in any game was Casey Schmidt in April of 2007.
He's a Trooper
The last time Creighton played a Big 12 foe at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Jordan Makovicka had a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the 8th to plate the winning runs in a 5-3 Creighton victory. Makovicka has become Creighton's top bench threat in recent games. He's reached base in each of his last six pinch-hit appearances, including two singles, two doubles and two walks in that span.
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 Coaches
Ed Servais (Creighton) - Ed Servais enters his eighth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2011. He currently holds a .640 winning percentage (286-161) 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 three 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.
Mike Anderson (Nebraska) - Mike Anderson is in his ninth year as Nebraska's head baseball coach. He has guided the Husker program to two Big 12 regular season titles (2003 and 2005), five NCAA Regionals and an appearance in the College World Series. He also holds the distinction as the only coach to win a game for the Huskers in the CWS. Anderson has coached 22 first-team all conference players and 52 of his former players have signed pro contracts. Before coming to Nebraska and spending time as an assistant coach, he was the top assistant at the University of Northern Colorado. Anderson was also a head coach with the Northern Colorado Lab School. Anderson played his college ball at UNC and played four seasons of professional baseball in the Angels organization. He is assisted by Dave Bingham, Eric Newman and Darin Erstad.
Looking Back
Emotions were high in the last meeting between the Bluejays and Huskers, as the Jays opened the first game in their new ballpark, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton got on the board first when freshman Mike Gerber picked up Creighton's first RBI in the new park, scoring Trever Adams who had picked up the first Bluejay hit of the game. That would be the only run the Jays would get, as they left seven runners on base and gave up two, unearned runs to the Huskers in the game. The first came in the third inning when Tanner Krietemeier scored on an error by Bluejay thirdbaseman Chance Ross and the winning run was on an errant throw on a bunt in the sixth inning.
Jays vs. the Big 12
In overall competition against the Big 12 Conference, the Jays trail 106-162-3. The Bluajays do hold the advantage this season, holding a 3-2 record over Big 12 schools. The Jays swept Kansas this season, a 4-3 victory in Lawrence and a 5-3 win on April 26 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Bluejays came from behind to defeat Kansas State on April 12, picking up a 7-6 win to close out play at the CU Sports Complex. The Jays look to earn their first win of the season over the Huskers, as Nebraska has won the first two meetings - 8-5 and 2-1. A win Tuesday would give the Jays a 4-2 edge over the Big 12 this season, just the third time in the Ed Servais era the Jays would post a winning record against the conference during the regular. The other two times were the 2005 (3-1 against the Big 12) and 2007 (4-3) NCAA Regional teams.
Dusty Mops
The Bluejays will be looking to prevent the first three-game sweep for the Huskers since 2008. That season, the Huskers were ranked #10 for the first two meetings and moved to #6 in the final meeting, posting wins of 4-3, 16-7 and 8-1 over the Jays. The Bluejays have never swept a series from the Huskers under Ed Servais.
The Battery
Creighton has frequently tried to save its pitching staff for league play during its midweek games against Nebraska in past years, limiting pitchers to an inning or two of predetermined work. In the 10 meetings over the past four years, Creighton starting pitchers have combined to throw just 19.2 innings, and the Jays have used 64 pitchers in those 10 games. The last Creighton hurler to throw more than five innings against Nebraska in any game was Casey Schmidt in April of 2007.
He's a Trooper
The last time Creighton played a Big 12 foe at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Jordan Makovicka had a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the 8th to plate the winning runs in a 5-3 Creighton victory. Makovicka has become Creighton's top bench threat in recent games. He's reached base in each of his last six pinch-hit appearances, including two singles, two doubles and two walks in that span.
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 against the Nebraska Huskers on Tuesday. The games will also be broadcast on KOZN 1620 AM and on ESPNU. 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 won its first regular season game in Wichita on Saturday, May 7, but lost both the Friday and Sunday games to fall to 10-5 in the Valley. Even with the two losses on the weekend, the Jays still sit in first place in the Valley standings.
Wichita State 8, Creighton 0 - For the first time this season the Bluejays were shut down offensively, dropping an 8-0 loss to the Shockers. The Jays picked up just five hits off WSU starter Charlie Lowell, who threw his second complete game fo the season. On the other hand, the Shockers picked up 15 hits, including three home runs in the win. In his second start against the Shockers, Ty Blach surrendered a career high 13 hits and six earned runs. The Jays failed to get anything going, as they were doubled off the bases three times on the night.
Creighton 7, Wichita State 5 - Creighton won a regular season game in Wichita for the first time since 2007, defeating the Shockers 7-5. The Shockers got on the board first when they put up a single run in the first, but the Jays scored two in the fourth to take the lead. Scott Thornburg drove in Alex Staehely with a double to left center. Thornburg then scored on a Chance Ross strikeout, wild pitch. In the back and forth game, the Shockers took back the lead with two of their own in the frame, but the Jays answered with five runs, highlighted by Staehely's third home run of the season. Nick Judkins, Trever Adams, Anthony Bemboom and Staehely and Thornburg all scored in the frame, giving the Jays the 7-4 lead. Creighton closer Kurt Spomer earned his sixth save of the season, stranding Shockers on second and third in the ninth, striking out the final two batters.
Wichita State 12, Creighton 3 - The Jays pitching staff gave up a season high 12 runs, in part thanks to 10 walks given up by the combined six pitchers Creighton used. The Shockers scored runs in the first, third, fourth and seventh innings, and played solid defense, again turning a pair of double plays to shut down the Jays. Creighton's only three runs were thanks to the long ball. Mike Gerber drove a ball to right field that appeared to be caught. A hustling Gerber was headed to third as the Shockers realized it wasn't ruled a catch, crossing the plate just before the ball reached. It marked the first inside the park home run for a Bluejay since 2008. Trever Adams belted his league leading 13th home run in the sixth, driving in Jimmy Swift who had singled to center.
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 32-12 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 (.408), 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. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .319 batting average and a team high 19 doubles. Michael Mutcheson leads the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season, with Jimmy Swift right behind him with nine. Overall, the team is hitting .276 with 254 runs on 395 hits and 85 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. The pitching staff has a combined 3.59 ERA and is holding opponents to a .246 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 .979 fielding percentage on the season. Creighton committed just one error last weekend at Wichita State and has committed 36 in the 44 games this season.
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 against the Nebraska Huskers on Tuesday. The games will also be broadcast on KOZN 1620 AM and on ESPNU. 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 won its first regular season game in Wichita on Saturday, May 7, but lost both the Friday and Sunday games to fall to 10-5 in the Valley. Even with the two losses on the weekend, the Jays still sit in first place in the Valley standings.
Wichita State 8, Creighton 0 - For the first time this season the Bluejays were shut down offensively, dropping an 8-0 loss to the Shockers. The Jays picked up just five hits off WSU starter Charlie Lowell, who threw his second complete game fo the season. On the other hand, the Shockers picked up 15 hits, including three home runs in the win. In his second start against the Shockers, Ty Blach surrendered a career high 13 hits and six earned runs. The Jays failed to get anything going, as they were doubled off the bases three times on the night.
Creighton 7, Wichita State 5 - Creighton won a regular season game in Wichita for the first time since 2007, defeating the Shockers 7-5. The Shockers got on the board first when they put up a single run in the first, but the Jays scored two in the fourth to take the lead. Scott Thornburg drove in Alex Staehely with a double to left center. Thornburg then scored on a Chance Ross strikeout, wild pitch. In the back and forth game, the Shockers took back the lead with two of their own in the frame, but the Jays answered with five runs, highlighted by Staehely's third home run of the season. Nick Judkins, Trever Adams, Anthony Bemboom and Staehely and Thornburg all scored in the frame, giving the Jays the 7-4 lead. Creighton closer Kurt Spomer earned his sixth save of the season, stranding Shockers on second and third in the ninth, striking out the final two batters.
Wichita State 12, Creighton 3 - The Jays pitching staff gave up a season high 12 runs, in part thanks to 10 walks given up by the combined six pitchers Creighton used. The Shockers scored runs in the first, third, fourth and seventh innings, and played solid defense, again turning a pair of double plays to shut down the Jays. Creighton's only three runs were thanks to the long ball. Mike Gerber drove a ball to right field that appeared to be caught. A hustling Gerber was headed to third as the Shockers realized it wasn't ruled a catch, crossing the plate just before the ball reached. It marked the first inside the park home run for a Bluejay since 2008. Trever Adams belted his league leading 13th home run in the sixth, driving in Jimmy Swift who had singled to center.
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 32-12 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 (.408), 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. Staehely continues to swing a hot bat, second on the team with a .319 batting average and a team high 19 doubles. Michael Mutcheson leads the team in hit by pitch with 10 on the season, with Jimmy Swift right behind him with nine. Overall, the team is hitting .276 with 254 runs on 395 hits and 85 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. The pitching staff has a combined 3.59 ERA and is holding opponents to a .246 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 .979 fielding percentage on the season. Creighton committed just one error last weekend at Wichita State and has committed 36 in the 44 games this season.
Scouting the Huskers
Picked to finish 8th in the Big 12 this season, Nebraska currently sits at 28-20 and 7-13 in the conference heading into the Tuesday night game. Mike Anderson's squad returned 20 letter winners from the team that finished last season 27-27. The Huskers have put together five and seven game win streaks this season, opening the season with five straight wins and then sweeping North Dakota in four games at Hawks Field. The Huskers are 13-5 when playing at home, but lost two of three when they hosted Big 12 foes Oklahoma State and Texas, and split the first two games with KSTATE in Lincoln. Nebraska is led offensively on the season by Kash Kalkowsi, Kody Farmer and Cody Ashe, who are hitting .311, .316 and .317, respectively. Asche has a team high 58 hits, with 21 doubles and a team high 12 home runs. Kalkowski has five home runs and two triples, for a .491 slugging percentage. Three everyday Huskers have a .300 or higher batting average, giving the team a .270 average. The Huskers have put together 434 hits on the season, with 84 doubles and 30 homers. The Husker pitching staff holds a 3.74 combined ERA, giving up 179 earned runs in 430.2 innings of work. Leading the staff in appearances is Casey Hauptman with 24, as he holds a 1.53 ERA. Jon Keller has started 12 times for the Huskers and holds a 3.08 ERA with a 2-5 record. Tuesday's starter, Matt Freeman, has made 15 appearances and nine starts on the season. In 57.0 innings, Freeman has allowed 28 earned runs and holds a 4.42 era.
Picked to finish 8th in the Big 12 this season, Nebraska currently sits at 28-20 and 7-13 in the conference heading into the Tuesday night game. Mike Anderson's squad returned 20 letter winners from the team that finished last season 27-27. The Huskers have put together five and seven game win streaks this season, opening the season with five straight wins and then sweeping North Dakota in four games at Hawks Field. The Huskers are 13-5 when playing at home, but lost two of three when they hosted Big 12 foes Oklahoma State and Texas, and split the first two games with KSTATE in Lincoln. Nebraska is led offensively on the season by Kash Kalkowsi, Kody Farmer and Cody Ashe, who are hitting .311, .316 and .317, respectively. Asche has a team high 58 hits, with 21 doubles and a team high 12 home runs. Kalkowski has five home runs and two triples, for a .491 slugging percentage. Three everyday Huskers have a .300 or higher batting average, giving the team a .270 average. The Huskers have put together 434 hits on the season, with 84 doubles and 30 homers. The Husker pitching staff holds a 3.74 combined ERA, giving up 179 earned runs in 430.2 innings of work. Leading the staff in appearances is Casey Hauptman with 24, as he holds a 1.53 ERA. Jon Keller has started 12 times for the Huskers and holds a 3.08 ERA with a 2-5 record. Tuesday's starter, Matt Freeman, has made 15 appearances and nine starts on the season. In 57.0 innings, Freeman has allowed 28 earned runs and holds a 4.42 era.
Last Time Out
The Huskers dropped two-of-three against the Texas Longhorns in Lincoln last weekend. After falling in the opening two games, the Huskers downed the No. 5 Longhorns 6-3. Tyler Niederklein and Casey Hauptman combined to hold the powerful Longhorn bats on the day. Kash Kalkowski went 2-for-4 while Bryan Peters finished the day 2-dor-3 with a run scored.
Bluejays at their Best
• Scott Thornburg is 6-for-14 (.429) with four doubles in his last five games. He's also walked twice and scored seven runs in that span.
• Trever Adams is hitting .472 (17-36) during his nine-game hitting streak. He has at least one hit in 27 of the last 28 games and is hitting .450 (49-109) in those contests with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Adams also has a hit in 37 of the last 39 games, going 69-for-153 (.451) with 13 homers and 48 RBI in that time.
• Brandon Koenigstein owns a 1.69 ERA in his last four appearances. Take out his March 22nd start vs. BYU (1 IP, 7 ER), and his ERA would drop from 7.03 to 4.62.
• Mike Gerber went 4-for-11 (.364) over the weekend with Wichita State, with a single, double, triple and home run.
Playing Nicely
Even though Creighton is playing in its home park and the NCAA counts Tuesday's game as a Creighton home game for RPI and attendance purposes, the Bluejays will bat as the visiting team on Tuesday. That's because the Huskers and Bluejays annually play three games (two in Omaha, one in Lincoln), with the team that bats last alternating for the annual May meeting. Creighton has won each of its last two games in Omaha against Nebraska when batting as the visiting team, 5-3 in 2005 and 9-2 in 2007 (the 2009 meeting was rained out).
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 second in the MVC in batting average (.408), 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).
The Park that Adams Built...
Creighton is 5-3 in its first eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, including a 4-1 mark in night games at the venue. Trever Adams leads all players with 15 hits and two homers, while Jimmy Swift tops everyone with four doubles and 10 RBI. On the mound, Reese McGraw is 2-0, making him the only player 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. Six of the 10 batter walked scored in the 12-3 Shocker win. 5-of-the-6 Bluejay pitchers had at least one walk on the afternoon. On the season, the Jays have walked 135 batters while striking out 310, a 1:2.30 ratio.
The Last Time...
Creighton lost a single game going into the mid-week May game with Nebraska, prior to Sunday's 12-3 loss at Wichita State, was in 2001. The Jays fell 10-4 against Missouri State that season. Creighton has won every other game under Ed Servais leading into the May game, although they are just 2-4 against the Huskers in May under Servais (the 2009 game got rained out).
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 406 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.
-Creighton also 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 second nationally with 18 sacrifice bunts. Judkins has seven sacrifices in his last eight games, and has eight more sac bunts than any other Valley player this spring.
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 72.7 % of their games this season
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 two mid-week games left, the first on Tuesday 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.
TDAPO
Creighton has outscored the opposition 47-24 in eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. That includes a 3-0 margin in the first inning, and a 22-3 differential in the 7th through 9th innings. Creighton is 5-0 when scoring three or more runs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Jays have attracted 65,362 fans in its first eight home dates at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, an average of 8,170 fans per game. That figure would rank third-best nationally, trailing only LSU (10,550) and Mississippi (8,172).
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 32-12 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 Huskers cocme in at 56 this week. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/9/11.
Creighton 49
Missouri State 69
Illinois State 70
Wichita State 92
Evansville 114
Indiana State 172 Southern Illinois 163
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 and Jeremy Hauer 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.
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 28 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.
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 1.69 ERA and six saves in his last 17 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 24.2 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just four of his 23 relief appearances this season, with 22 of those 23 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 four 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 286-161 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) 286-161 .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 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, 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 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 against Bradley, 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 12-7 when committing one error, 6-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 14-4 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 17 of its 32 victories this season.
• is 13-6 in one run games this season, 3-1 in two run games and 6-1 when one team or the other is shutout.
• is 25-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 26-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 31-6 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 37 of his last 39 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 28 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Meet The Jays
• Jonas Dufek has struck out 92 batters this season, more than any of his first three seasons. He is averaging 8.4 strikeouts in each of his 11 starts this season.
• Jonas Dufek moved in the Creighton all-time charts this 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 18 sacrifice bunts, tied for fourth 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 a tie for 2nd for sacrifices in a season.
• 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 28-6 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-6 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Scott Thornburg increased his average 10 points on the 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 each of the last 10 outings.
• Trever Adams leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 home runs this season, all 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 4-3 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 four 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.
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 14-4 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 ont he 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 104 career appearances entering Tuesday's game 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 13th ihome attendance, averaging 3,388 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 214,865 29 7,409
5 Texas 199,267 31 6,427
6 Mississippi St. 164,402 27 6,088
7 Florida St. 137,670 29 4,747
8 Clemson 133,020 30 4,434
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 117,759 30 3,971
11 Alabama 117,622 30 3,920
12 Texas A&M 110,914 29 3,824
13 Creighton 68,801 18 3,822
14 Southern Miss. 79,217 23 3,444
15 Rice 96,115 28 3,432
16 Wichita State 90,263 27 3,343
17 Louisana 78,793 24 3,432
18 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243 1 9 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 5-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 32-12, tying them for the best start in program history. Three other seasons have reached 32 wins in 44 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 44 Games Next 8
2007 32-12 8-0
2005 32-12 6-2
2000 30-14 6-2
1999 28-16 6-2
1991 32-12 2-6
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 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
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 13th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 10-3 in Blach's first 13 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 13 of the past 16 games he's appeared in, dating to late last season. Blach has made 27 career appearances, including 24 starts. Only three times 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 2.98 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 5-3.
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 .408 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 44 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 44 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.
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 4.18 ERA and is holding batters to a .231 average against him.
• Scott Thornburg is 6-for-14 (.429) with four doubles in his last five games. He's also walked twice and scored seven runs in that span.
• Trever Adams is hitting .472 (17-36) during his nine-game hitting streak. He has at least one hit in 27 of the last 28 games and is hitting .450 (49-109) in those contests with 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Adams also has a hit in 37 of the last 39 games, going 69-for-153 (.451) with 13 homers and 48 RBI in that time.
• Brandon Koenigstein owns a 1.69 ERA in his last four appearances. Take out his March 22nd start vs. BYU (1 IP, 7 ER), and his ERA would drop from 7.03 to 4.62.
• Mike Gerber went 4-for-11 (.364) over the weekend with Wichita State, with a single, double, triple and home run.
Playing Nicely
Even though Creighton is playing in its home park and the NCAA counts Tuesday's game as a Creighton home game for RPI and attendance purposes, the Bluejays will bat as the visiting team on Tuesday. That's because the Huskers and Bluejays annually play three games (two in Omaha, one in Lincoln), with the team that bats last alternating for the annual May meeting. Creighton has won each of its last two games in Omaha against Nebraska when batting as the visiting team, 5-3 in 2005 and 9-2 in 2007 (the 2009 meeting was rained out).
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 second in the MVC in batting average (.408), 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).
The Park that Adams Built...
Creighton is 5-3 in its first eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, including a 4-1 mark in night games at the venue. Trever Adams leads all players with 15 hits and two homers, while Jimmy Swift tops everyone with four doubles and 10 RBI. On the mound, Reese McGraw is 2-0, making him the only player 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. Six of the 10 batter walked scored in the 12-3 Shocker win. 5-of-the-6 Bluejay pitchers had at least one walk on the afternoon. On the season, the Jays have walked 135 batters while striking out 310, a 1:2.30 ratio.
The Last Time...
Creighton lost a single game going into the mid-week May game with Nebraska, prior to Sunday's 12-3 loss at Wichita State, was in 2001. The Jays fell 10-4 against Missouri State that season. Creighton has won every other game under Ed Servais leading into the May game, although they are just 2-4 against the Huskers in May under Servais (the 2009 game got rained out).
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 406 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.
-Creighton also 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 second nationally with 18 sacrifice bunts. Judkins has seven sacrifices in his last eight games, and has eight more sac bunts than any other Valley player this spring.
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 72.7 % of their games this season
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 two mid-week games left, the first on Tuesday 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.
TDAPO
Creighton has outscored the opposition 47-24 in eight games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. That includes a 3-0 margin in the first inning, and a 22-3 differential in the 7th through 9th innings. Creighton is 5-0 when scoring three or more runs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Jays have attracted 65,362 fans in its first eight home dates at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, an average of 8,170 fans per game. That figure would rank third-best nationally, trailing only LSU (10,550) and Mississippi (8,172).
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 32-12 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 Huskers cocme in at 56 this week. Below is where the MVC teams sit as of 5/9/11.
Creighton 49
Missouri State 69
Illinois State 70
Wichita State 92
Evansville 114
Indiana State 172 Southern Illinois 163
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 and Jeremy Hauer 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.
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 28 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.
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 1.69 ERA and six saves in his last 17 games out of the bullpen, a span covering 24.2 innings. He has allowed an earned run in just four of his 23 relief appearances this season, with 22 of those 23 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 four 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 286-161 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) 286-161 .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 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, 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 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 against Bradley, 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 12-7 when committing one error, 6-1 when bobbling two or more balls and 14-4 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 17 of its 32 victories this season.
• is 13-6 in one run games this season, 3-1 in two run games and 6-1 when one team or the other is shutout.
• is 25-0 when leading after 7 innings this season.
• is 26-0 when leading after 8 innings this season.
• is 31-6 when scoring 3 runs or more this year.
• is being led offensively by Trever Adams, who has at least one hit in 37 of his last 39 games. He has reached base safely in each of the last 28 games, a streak that leads the Valley.
Meet The Jays
• Jonas Dufek has struck out 92 batters this season, more than any of his first three seasons. He is averaging 8.4 strikeouts in each of his 11 starts this season.
• Jonas Dufek moved in the Creighton all-time charts this 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 18 sacrifice bunts, tied for fourth 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 a tie for 2nd for sacrifices in a season.
• 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 28-6 when Mutcheson bats leadoff, but 4-6 when all other players hit atop the order.
• Scott Thornburg increased his average 10 points on the 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 each of the last 10 outings.
• Trever Adams leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 home runs this season, all 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 4-3 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 four 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.
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 14-4 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 ont he 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 104 career appearances entering Tuesday's game 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 13th ihome attendance, averaging 3,388 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 214,865 29 7,409
5 Texas 199,267 31 6,427
6 Mississippi St. 164,402 27 6,088
7 Florida St. 137,670 29 4,747
8 Clemson 133,020 30 4,434
9 TCU 118,448 28 4,230
10 Florida 117,759 30 3,971
11 Alabama 117,622 30 3,920
12 Texas A&M 110,914 29 3,824
13 Creighton 68,801 18 3,822
14 Southern Miss. 79,217 23 3,444
15 Rice 96,115 28 3,432
16 Wichita State 90,263 27 3,343
17 Louisana 78,793 24 3,432
18 Hawaii 103,790 32 3,243 1 9 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 5-3. And while the team was hopeful to have a better opening weekend against SIU, the Jays currently sit at 32-12, tying them for the best start in program history. Three other seasons have reached 32 wins in 44 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 44 Games Next 8
2007 32-12 8-0
2005 32-12 6-2
2000 30-14 6-2
1999 28-16 6-2
1991 32-12 2-6
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 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
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 13th start of the season Friday night, tying him with Wichita State's Charlie Lowell for the league-lead. Creighton is 10-3 in Blach's first 13 starts this year and the Bluejays have won 13 of the past 16 games he's appeared in, dating to late last season. Blach has made 27 career appearances, including 24 starts. Only three times 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 2.98 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 5-3.
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 .408 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 44 games since 2000. The last Bluejay players to get off to a comparable start after 44 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.
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 4.18 ERA and is holding batters to a .231 average against him.
Players Mentioned
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ 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
