Baseball Travels to Portland This Weekend
2/22/2012 2:13:00 PM | Baseball
2012 Creighton Baseball
Defending MVC Regular-Season and Conference champions
Opening weekend
Creighton (3-0) at Portland (3-0)
After sweeping the opening series at Central Arkansas, Creighton travels to Portland, Ore., this weekend for another three-game series, this time with the Portland Pilots. Game-times are slated for 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday (all times central). Live stats, as well as live Twitter updates (@gocreighton and @CU_baseball) will be available through the Creighton website. There will also be a link on the www.gocreighton.com site to link with the Pilots radio broadcast.
The Bluejays are coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history, finishing 2011 with a 45-16 overall record. Creighton won the Missouri Valley Conference both regular-season and tournament titles in 2011, marking the first time in program history the Jays have claimed both in a single season.
Creighton returns seven starting position players from the squad last season, led by centerfielder Mike Gerber and senior catcher Anthony Bemboom, both which have been tabbed preseason All-MVC picks. Gerber finished with a .280 average last season, playing flawless defense in center, while Bemboom shot down seven runners attempting to steal and finished with a .233 average.
Highlighting a deep pitching staff will be junior Ty Blach, who has already picked up preseason All-America nods. The southpaw held a 10-3 record last season, fanning 100 batters in 102.0 innings of work. Out of the pen, which lost just one pitcher from last season (Jack VanLeur), look for Kurt Spomer (13 saves in 2011), Mark Winkelman (35 appearances) and Reese McGraw (35 appearances, 5 saves) to headline one of the deepest staff's in Ed Servais' tenure.
Against the Pilots
Creighton and Portland have met up four times on the baseball diamond, with the Bluejays holding a 3-1 advantage. UP won the opening meeting between the two 7-6, when they met on Feb. 20, 2000. Each team has won a one-run game.
Last Season
Creighton swept Portland in the three-game series played at the CU Sports Complex last season. The Bluejays outscored UP 27-6 in the series, also leading in the hit column with a 34-20 advantage. The Bluejays controlled the tempo through the first two games, winning by scores of 11-3 and 12-0, but used a Trever Adams single in the bottom of the ninth inning to win 4-3 in the series finale.
The sweep improved the Jays to 20-5 on the season, the best start through 25 games since the 2005 team also started with the same mark.
Meet the Pilots
Portland is coming off a season where they finished 24-30 overall, 11-10 in the West Coast Conference. Head coach Chris Sperry returns five starters from last years team and 21 letterwinners. Leading the team offensively this season is Kris Kauppila, Caleb Whalen and Brian Frattali, who each are hitting better than .450 in three starts on the season. Four different Pilots have a home run on the year, while Whalen leads all players with four runs driven in and has a 1.200 slugging percenage to go along with his .600 on-base percetage. The Pilots are hitting .342 overall and have scored 32 runs in their first three games (a pair of wins over Stephen F. Austin and an 11-4 win over Concordia on Tuesday).
On the mound, UP has surrendered nine runs on the season and holds a 3.00 overall earned run average. Kyle Kraus, the projected Friday night starter, started the season with a three-hit, scoreless 7.0 inning outing where he struck out seven batters. Thirteen different pitchers have seen time on the mound, with JR Bunda the only Pilot with two appearances.
The Real Stuff
The Bluejays have spent a good amount of time this preseason practicing outside, thanks to beautiful weather and a mild winter. The Jays played the opening weekend on a field with turf infield and grass outfield. This will mark the first time this season the Bluejay infield will be grass and dirt, which of course is the same as TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The Top of the Charts
Ty Blach was tabbed the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week following the opening weekend of play, the first time in his career he has earned the award. Blach picked up the first win on the mound in 2012, striking out six batters in 5.0 innings of work on Friday, Feb. 17.
Offseason Pays Off
Nick Judkins was named to the All-Star team of the Northwoods League this summer, Judkins hit .309 with a .414 on-base percentage for the Mankato MoonDogs and has contiuned his success at the start of this season.
Judkins finished the weekend 4-for-12 (.333) from the plate, scoring three runs and driving in three. His two-run home run put the Bluejays on the board first in the final game of the series, the fi rst round-tripper of the season for the Jays. Judkins added a double and finished with a .667 slugging percentage to add to his .429 on-base percentage. Judkins was one of three Bluejays with a stolen base on the opening weekend. The senior also played flawless defense, error-free in 31 chances at first base.
If We Win Tomorrow, It's Called a Winning Streak
Creighton opened the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2000 season, marking the first time in Ed Servais' career. A Creighton baseball team hasn't opened the season 4-0 since 1999, and 5-0 since the 1991 team started 6-0.
Despite a 4-1 loss in the third game of the season last year to Canisius, the Bluejays won 9 of the first 10 games.
New Kids On The Block
Andrew Urban became the first fresh face to make it into the starting rotation since Ty Blach earned a spot as the Sunday starter midway through his freshman season (2010). Urban is the first junior college transfer to start in the rotation since Jeremy Hauer started in 2008-09 (Hauer transferred from Indian Hills, Urban from Hutchinson CC).
Jake Peter earned his first start on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Central Arkansas, finishing 1-2 from the plate, while playing second base. Peter drove in a run and picked up his first collegiate basehit in the same at-bat. Alex Staehely, who has made the switch to second base, also started at second base as a true freshman.
Making his first appearance for the Bluejays on opening weekend was Shane Liska. The graduate student and transfer from Duke tossed 0.2 inning in the Sunday, Feb. 19 game, striking out one and hitting a batter.
Replacing Trever Adams in right field, Brennan Murphy started every game on the weekend, finishing 4-for-12 with an RBI and two runs scored. He also finished 2-for-2 on the basepaths to pace the Jays on the first weekend
Switching it Up
Creighton used three different defensive starting lineups on opening weekend, as Ed Servais looks to find the perfect combination. Brad McKewon, Anthony Bemboom and Erik Mattingly all saw time in left field, while Michael Mutcheson and Jake Peter were each in at second base. Bemboom and Scott Thornburg split catching duties through the weekend.
Midevil Warrior
Head coach Ed Servais surpassed the first of a pair of milestones he will be looking to overcome in the 2012 season. Servais earned his 300th as a Bluejay head coach (302-165 after the whole weekend), when Creighton opened the season with a 4-3 win over Central Arkansas. The skipper needs just 16 wins to get his 500th of his career (484-247-1).
Big Dog
Ed Servais became the winningest coach in program history last season, surpassing both Jim Hendry and Jack Dahm to post a 299-165 overall record at the helm of the Jays. He now is in the top-20 in winning percentage among active head coaches, holding a .644 overall record. Servais was also named the MVC Coach of the Year, picking up the honor for the fourth time in his first eight years at Creighton.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Nick Judkins needed just three games to send out Creighton's first home run of the season, lining a two-run shot over the right field fence in the 5-1 win over Central Arkansas on Feb. 19. Creighton didn't have a home run until the seventh game of the season last year, when Anthony Bemboom drove out a three-run shot in the seventh inning at New Mexico on Feb. 26.
Second-Best
Creighton was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, picking up three votes in the preseason coaches poll. The Bluejays will aim to repeat as regular-season champions and then head to Springfield, Mo., to try to repeat as Tournament champions.
Four Bluejays were named to the preseason all-conference team, with Ty Blach, Anthony Bemboom, Mike Gerber and Kurt Spomer all earning preseason nods.
On the 2012 Schedule
Games against three teams who played in the 2011 NCAA Baseball Tournament, including the California Golden Bears who made it to the College World Series, highlight the 2012 Creighton baseball spring schedule. The Bluejays will meet up with the Cal Bears in a single game as part of the spring break trip in California, while also traveling to Kansas State (Fullerton Regional) and hosting Dallas Baptist (Ft. Worth Regional).
The Bluejays will also host four different Missouri Valley Conference weekend series, kicked off by hosting Evansville at the end of March and closing the regular season hosting Wichita State just prior to the MVC Tournament.
Wild Thing is Back
Kurt Spomer has earned a spot on the NCBWA preseason Stopper of the Year Award list. Spomer, who led the league with 13 saves a season ago, was named to the second team All-MVC in 2011. The senior made 35 appearances last season, 34 from the bullpen and one start against Nebraska. In 48.2 innings of work, Spomer surrendered 35 hits and held a 2.22 earned run average, including two stretches of six-plus appearances without an earned run allowed. He held a 37-13 strikeout-walk ratio, finishign the season with a 3-4 record along with his 13 saves.
Smith is Smiling
Associate head coach and Bluejay pitching coach Rob Smith has to be happy with the performance of his pitching staff on the mound on the opening weekend. Creighton holds a 1.93 earned run average through the first three games, allowing just seven runs while striking out 22 batters. After three games a year ago, Creighton held a 3.12 earned run average and had allowed 10 runs. Listed below is the opening weekend ERA under Smith in the last five seasons:
2012 1.93 3-0
2011 3.12 2-1
2010 3.00 2-1
2009 5.96 0-3
2008 4.32 1-2
2007 5.06 1-2
In Mid-season Form
Ty Blach opened the 2012 campaign with 5.0 flawless innings of baseball, striking out six batters in his first start, a 4-3 win at Central Arkansas. The junior finished last season with a 10-3 record, striking out 100 in the process.
Chase Webb and Reese McGraw both started off their seasons perfectly on the mound, striking out the first two batters they saw. Webb did it by throwing six straight strikes for two strikeouts.
Pinching In
Junior Jordan Makovicka became the first Bluejay to have a pinch hit in 2012, when he hit a pop-up in the top of the ninth inning of the Feb. 18, 7-3 win over Central Arkansas. Makovicka led the squad in pinch hits last season, asked to come in off the bench in 15 different games. Makovicka hit .400 in pinch hit situations last year, bested only by Scott Thornburg, who hit .429 in seven pinch hit at bats last season.
Player AB Avg. OB%
Thornburg 7 .429 .429
Makovicka 10 .400 .571
Thibodeaux 10 .400 .400
Cuno 8 .375 .500
Bemboom 4 .250 .400
Within Reach
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America have released their 2012 preseason baseball poll, and the Creighton baseball squad is among the teams receiving votes. After finishing the 2011 season with a 45-16 overall record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the Bluejays have high expectations for the 2012 season.
Blach Among Best
Bluejay junior southpaw Ty Blach has picked up a pair of preseason accolades, being named to the 2012 Louisville Slugger Preseason All-America team and earning NCBWA Preseason All-America honors. The Friday night starter turned in one of the top pitching performances in the league last season, sitting ninth in the country and leading the Valley with 18 games started on the mound. He finished with a 10-3 record, owning the second most wins on the Bluejay staff and in the conference. Blach's 100 strikeouts placed him second on the Bluejay squad, and ninth on the Creighton all-time charts.
Put Him in the Books
Ty Blach put his name on the single-season, top-10 charts in numerous categories last season, including wins (10), strikeouts (100), and ERA in a season (2.65). He holds a career 2.84 earned run average, a number that sits second on the all-time charts. He also has a .684 (13-6) career winning percentage, which also sits on the top-10 lists.
Fresh Faces
Creighton will have many new faces fighting for playing time in 2012. Already slated to start in right-field will be Brennan Murphy, a junior from Butler Community College. He helped lead his team to the NJCAA playoffs and earning second-team all-conference accolades. Look for freshman Jake Peter and junior Petr Zyma to provide depth and even fight for starting spots on the infield this season. Peter led his Mason City high school team to back-to-back state tournaments his junior and senior seasons, while Zyma was part of the Czech National Baseball Team in 2010.
Opening Day Numbers
Creighton evened its opening day record to .500 this season. In the 44 recorded openers, Creighton is now 22-22, including the 4-3 win at Central Arkansas this season. The Jays are 20-13 in neutral site openers but just 13-24 in the season-opening road contests. Creighton has won six of the nine season openers under Ed Servais. Below is a list of those games:
Date Opponent Score Location
2/19/11 Toledo W, 5-1 Cary, N.C.
2/20/10 SIU Edwardsville W, 22-0 Conway, Ark.
2/20/09 Sam Houston St. L, 8-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/22/08 Washington St. W, 8-4 Pullman, Wash.
2/9/07 Gardner-Webb W, 4-3 Rock Hill, S.C.
2/11/06 Ark.-Little Rock L, 11-12 Little Rock, Ark.
2/11/05 Sam Houston St. W, 9-6 Huntsville, Texas
2/14/04 Southern Utah L, 10-5 Colorado Springs, Colo.
Opening Shut-Outs
There have only been three opening day shutouts in Bluejay history, one of which happened in 2010. Jonas Dufek (5.0 IP), Jack VanLeur (2.0 IP), Mark Winkelman (1.0 IP) and Kurt Spomer (1.0 IP) each had a part in the 22-0 opening win over SIU Edwardsville. The other two shutouts have come in 1984, a 12-0 win over Xavier and in 1970, a 3-0 win over MVC foe Wichita State.
Fast Start in February
In his first three years on the job, head coach Ed Servais posted .500 records or better in the month of February. The Jays then went sub-.500 in each of the middle three Februarys. The Bluejays have had great success in the last two Februarys, posting a .750, three-for-four February record in 2010 and a 7-1 mark last season, thanks in part to the four-game sweep at New Mexico. The Bluejays are off to a 3-0 mark this February already, looking to improve it at Portland this weekend. Here are Creighton's records in the month since 2004:
Year Record 2004 3-3
2005 6-2
2006 5-3
2007 2-4
2008 1-2
2009 0-6
2010 3-1
2011 7-1
2012 3-0
What a Ride
The Bluejays are coming off one of the best season's in program history, finishing with a 45-16 overall record, and claiming the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championship in the same season for the first time in program history. The tournament title gave Creighton the MVC's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, the fifth time in 13 seasons and the third time in Ed Servais' career at Creighton.
Among the Best in 2011
As is true to any Ed Servais coached team, the 2011 Bluejays thrived on the team-game concept, highlighted by solid defense and offensive execution. The Jays led the MVC and finished fourth in the nation in fielding percentage with a .980, led by first baseman Nick Judkins, who finished with just two errors in 596 chances. Offensively, the junior tied a school record with 22 sacrifice bunts on the year. Trever Adams provided the power for the Bluejays, earning All-American nods from Baseball America, NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball after finishing the season with a .387 batting average, 14 homeruns and 57 runs driven in. Freshman Mike Gerber earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball after stepping in as the every-day starting centerfielder, playing flawless defense and blasting a .488 slugging percentage on offense.
Energizer Batteries
On the mound, Creighton finished the season as one of three teams (Creighton, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech) with two pitchers with over 10-wins and 100 strikeouts, with Jonas Dufek finishing with a 12-1 record (128 strikeouts) and southpaw standout Ty Blach held a 10-3 record (100 strikeouts). The starter
Out of the Pen
Junior Kurt Spomer emerged as a closer for the pitching staff in 2011, moving into second on the Creighton all-time charts with 13 saves on the year. Three different pitchers made 35 appearances on the season, with Spomer, Mark Winkelman and Reese McGraw used as workhorses out of the bullpen. Jack VanLeur, who sits second in all-time appearances, finished the season with 34 appearances and his Bluejay career with 115.
Dancing
Creighton entered the NCAA tournament as the 25th ranked team in the nation, and rode a stellar pitching performance from Jonas Dufek in the opening round to defeat Georgia 2-1. Dufek, who earned MVC first team honors, fanned 10 batters in his second complete game of the season. Creighton then hit a pair of road blocks, falling to #13 Oregon State 5-1 before being eliminated by Georgia, 5-4 in 11 innings.
For the Mantel
Any time a team has such a successful season, individual accolades are sure to follow, and 2011 was no different. Head coach Ed Servais was named the MVC Coach of the year for the fourth time in his career following 2011, highlighting the Missouri Valley Conference awards handed out to the Bluejays following the season. Jonas Dufek, Trever Adams and Jimmy Swift were named first teamers, while Ty Blach, Mike Gerber and Kurt Spomer were named to the second team. Adams and Dufek were named All-Americans, while Gerber picked up Freshman All-America honors. Blach also became just the seventh Creighton baseball player to garner CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.
Big Shoes to Fill
Creighton will look to replace All-America outfielder Trever Adams and Friday night pitcher Jonas Dufek, who also received All-America honors, as they were both drafted following the season. Jimmy Swift, Creighton's starting shortstop and Jack VanLeur (34 appearances out of the bullpen last season, 115 career appearances) also signed professional contracts, while Greg Hellhake and Joey Bowens both ended their Bluejay careers due to graduation.
In the Field
Creighton returns seven position starters and one member from its starting rotation this season, padded by a full return of the Bullpen staff. Freshman All-American Mike Gerber will be counted on to expand his offensive numbers, stepping immediately into the starting centerfield position last season. The Bluejays return 75% of their infield in Chance Ross (3B), Alex Staehely (SS) and Nick Judkins (1B). Senior catcher Anthony Bemboom returns behind the dish, leading the squad with seven runners caught stealing last season.
Starting Rotation
On the mound, Ty Blach will enter the season as one of the most feared pitchers in the conference, aiming to improve on his 10-3 record a season ago. Replacing Jonas Dufek will be a major concentration leading up to the season, but expect Brandon Koenigstein and newcomer Andrew Urban to step into the big shoes. The Bluejays return nearly all of their bullpen from last season, including three players who made 35 appearances last season (Kurt Spomer, Reese McGraw and Mark Winkelman).
Feeling at Home Again
Creighton made the move into their new home at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on April 19, 2011. The $128 milliion dollar facility will be Creighton's new stadium, replacing the CU Sports Complex, where the Bluejays have called home since 1977. The Bluejays finished 14-4 in the new ballpark, winning the MVC Tournament to complete the first season of play. Below are a list of firsts from the new move.
First Game: April 19, 2011
Nebraska 2, Creighton 1
Ceremonial First Pitch: Fred Tomczyk, TD CEO
First Pitch: 6:42 pm by CU's Ty Blach (4/19/11)
First Hit: NU's Cody Asche (4/19/11)
First Double: NU's Tanner Krietemeier (4/19/11)
First Run: Creighton's Trever Adams (4/19/11)
First RBI: Creighton's Mike Gerber (4/19/11)
First Home run: Creighton's Mike Gerber (4/22/11)
First Strikeout:: NU's Bryan Peters by Blach (4/19/11)
First Double play: CU (Swift-Staehely-Judkins) (4/19/11)
First Win: NU's Logan Ehlers (4/19/11)
First Loss: CU's Mark Winkelman (4/19/11)
First Telecast: NET Sports/CBS Sports Netwprl (4/19/11)
First CWS: 2011
First CWS Champions: South Carolina
