Baseball Travels to California for Spring Break Trip

2012 Creighton Baseball
Spring Break Trip • California
Creighton (3-2)* at UC Davis (5-3) • March 2-4
at California (5-2) • March 6
at Sacramento State (4-4) • March 7
at Pacific (1-8) • March 9-11

UC Davis Aggies
www.ucdavisaggies.com
Record: 5-3 • Location: Davis, Calif. • Enrollment: 32,153
Head Coach: Matt Vaughn
Career Record: 5-3 • School Record: Same
Assistant Coaches: Tony Schifano, Jason Armstrong
2011 Record: 18-36 • Starters returning/lost: 6/3

California Golden Bears
www.calbears.com
Record: 5-2 • Location: Berkeley, Calif. • Enrollment: 35,409
Head Coach: David Esquer
Career Record: 359-315-2 • School Record: Same
Assistant Coaches: Tony Arnerich, Mike Neu, Brad Sanfilippo
2011 Record: 38-23 • Starters returning/lost: 7/2

Sacramento State Hornets
www.hornetsports.com
Record: 4-4 • Location: Sacramento, Calif. • Enrollment: 27,033
Head Coach: Reggie Christiansen
Career Record: 130-184 • School Record: 23-43
Assistant Coaches: Tommy Nicholson, Thad Johnson, Jake McKinley
2011 Record: 19-39 • Starters returning/lost: 5/3

Pacific Tigers
www.pacifictigers.com
Record: 1-8 • Location: Stockton, Calif. • Enrollment: 6,235
Head Coach: Ed Sprague
Career Record: 190-271 • School Record: Same
Assistant Coaches: Don Barbara, Mike McCormick, Keith Komeji
2011 Record: 17-37 • Starters returning/lost: 5/4

Follow the Bluejays
    The Creighton baseball team will play eight games in an 11 day span as part of a spring break trip to California. The Jays start with a three-game series at UC Davis, followed by midweek games at California and at Sacramento State, before closing out the trip with another three-game series at Pacific. Live stats, as well as live Twitter updates (@gocreighton and @CU_baseball) will be available through the Creighton website.

Meet Creighton
    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.
    In 2012, the Jays are led offensively by freshman Jake Peter, who has started the last three games and is hitting .444 with a pair of doubles. Erik Mattingly (.429), Scott Thornburg (.333) and Nick Judkins (.300) are all hitting above .300 early in the season.
    On the mound, Ty Blach has remained as good as promised, holding a 0.69 ERA in 13.0 innings of work and fanning eight batters. The bullpen has surrendered 13 of the 15 runs on the season, but the staff is led by Kurt Spomer and Mark Winkelman who made their claims as the closer and set-up man a season ago.

Meet UC Davis
    The UC Davis Aggies finished the 2011 season with an 18-36 overall record, finishing 7th in the Big West Conference with a 10-14 record. Six starters returned for the 2012 season with 21 letterwinners returning.
    In 2012, the Aggies sit at 5-3 overall, winning three-of-four vs. Utah to open the season, but dropping their last two games (at Cal State Bakersfield and at No. 1 Stanford).
    UC Davis is hitting .268 as a team, led by David Popkins who is hitting .414, with a team leading three doubles and six walks. Popkins is also 2-2 in stolen bases. Paul Politi and Brett Morgan have also gotten off to impressive offensive starts, hitting .361 and .303, respectively. Politi leads the team with 13 hits while Morgan has successfully stolen four bases (4-5).
    On the hill, Harry Stanwyck holds a 1-0 record, with a save in his four appearances. He leads the staff with a 1.12 earned run average. Dayne Quist, Tom Briner, Anthony Kupbens and Ben Burke have each made a pair of starts for the Aggies, who hold a combined 3.92 earned run average. Quist leads the team with 17 strikeouts, nearly a third of the team's total.

Meet California
    The California Golden Bears are coming off one of their most successful seasons in school history, making it to the Division I Men's College World Series just months after the school made plans to drop the baseball program.
    Cal returns 7 starters and 14 letterwinners from the team last year, which finished with a 38-23 overall record and 7-3 postseason record.
    In 2012, the No. 25 Golden Bears are off to a 5-2 start, including a perfect 3-0 mark while playing at home. Cal defeated San Francisco 5-3 in their last game, and host Lehigh this weekend before the midweek game against Creighton.
    Eight different players have started all seven games for the Golden Bears, who hold a .265 batting average. Tony Renda leads the charge, hitting nearly .400 with 11 hits and a team high five walks.
    The pitching staff holds a 2.47 earned run average, with a pair of saves on the season. Justin Jones, Michael Theofanopo and Matt Flemer have each made two starts on the season, with Trevor Hildenberge and Logan Scott each recording a save.

Meet Sacramento State
    Sacramento State finished the 2011 season with a 19-39 overall record, 6-18 in the Western Athletic Conference for a 7th place finish. Head Coach Reggie Christiansen is in his second year at the helm of the Hornets, who return five starters and 15 letterwinners from last year's team.
    The Hornets are off to a 4-4 start in 2012, including winning three straight before a 13-10 loss at Pacific in their game on Tuesday, Feb. 28. They will play a three-game series at No. 24 UCLA this weekend prior to playing Creighton.
    Twelve different players have made starts for the Hornets, with Andrew Ayers (.323), Derrick Chung (.313) and Trevor Paine (.207) the only three with all eight games started. Freshman Rhys Hoskins exploded offensively against Pacific, hitting a grand slam and solo home run and now leads the team with a pair of round trippers. The Hornes are hitting .302 overall, and 19 of their 44 hits have been for extra bases (12 doubles, three triples, four home runs).
    Tanner Mendonca leads the pitching staff, making two starts and holding a 2-0 record and a 0.56 ERA. He also has the lone complete game on the staff this season. R.J. Davis has both saves on the season, leading the team with five appearances and is yet to surrender a run.

Meet Pacific
    The Pacific Tigers are coming off an eighth place finish in the Big West Conference, an overall 17-37 record. Head Coach Ed Sprague is in his ninth year, and returns five position starters and 16 letterwinners from his 2011 team.
    After opening the season with eight straight losses, the Tigers picked up their first win when they defeated Sacramento State, blasting a season high 18 hits in the process. The Tigers square off against Kansas State this weekend and San Francisco before hosting the Bluejays next weekend.
    Offensively the Tigers are led by Dustin Torchio and Allen Riley, who are hitting .324 and .281, respectively. Torchio has a team high six runs batted in, while Riley has picked up six free passes, which also leads the team. Overall, UP is hitting .284 with a .339 on-base percentage.
    Three different Tiger pitchers have made a pair of starts, with Travis Lumby leading the charge with a 1-1 record in his pair of starts. John Haberman and Kyle Crawford have also made a pair of starts.

Against the Aggies
    Creighton and UC Davis will be meeting for the first time ever this weekend. The Bluejays are 3-4 all-time against the Big West Conference, with the most recent game coming against Pacific (3/14/96, a 14-5 CU win). Pacific is also a member of the Big West Conference.

Against the Golden Bears
    Creighton and California will be meeting for the first time ever next week. The Bluejays are 6-21 all-time against members of the new Pac-12 Conference. Creighton took on Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament last season, the most recent Pac-12 opponent.   Cal is the only team from the Pac-12 the Bluejays will face in the 2012 regular season.

Against the Hornets
    Creighton and Sacramento State will be meeting for the first time ever next week. Creighton is 17-11 all-time against the Western Athletic Conference, with the most recent meeting comeing against Fresno State on 3/11/00, a 5-1 loss at the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic at Fresno State. Creighton will also meet up with Louisiana Tech this season, hosting the Bulldogs at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha on March 14.

Against the Tigers
    Creighton and Pacific have met up one time previously, a 14-5 Bluejay win on March 14, 1996. The Bluejays defeated the Tigers as part of the Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic at Fresno State. The Bluejays are 3-4 all-time against the Big West Conference, with the most recent game coming against Pacific.

Meet the Coaches
Creighton: Ed Servais (8th Season): Ed Servais enters his ninth season leading the Creighton baseball program in 2012. He is the winningest coach in program history, surpassing Jack Dahm (283) and Jim Hendry (289) in 2011, when he led his team to a 45-16 overall record, Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Servais was named the MVC Coach of the Year following the 2011 season, the fourth time he has earned the award in his eight years at Creighton.
    Servais currently holds a .644 winning percentage at the helm of the Jays, the top number in school history. He has taken the Bluejys to three NCAA Tournaments, including 2011. He has also led the Bluejays to an average of 37 wins in each of the last eight seasons.
    Servais' tenure has ranked among the best as a Creighton head coach, as he has guided the team to a 302-167 record, placing him second in the Missouri Valley Conference, fifth in the Midwest, and in the top 20 in the nation in winning percentage during that time. The Bluejays are one of just 10 schools in the Midwest to earn five or more NCAA Regional berths in the last 13 years, and one of two in the MVC along with Wichita State. Servais also has led the Jays to the MVC Tournament title in 2007 and regular-season crown in 2005, and both in the 2011 season.
    His teams have finished among the nation's best in fielding percentage and sacrifice bunts every season, including 2011, when the Bluejays finished fourth in fielding percentage (.980) and fourth in sacrifice bunts, with 84.   Since coming to Creighton, Servais' teams have committed the fewest errors in the nation, while holding a .977 fielding percentage in the last eight seasons, which also leads the country.

UC Davis: Matt Vaughn (1st Season): Vaughn is in his first year at the helm of the UC Davis Aggies, but has been around the game and a part of the coaching staff for more than 20 years. He helped lead the Aggies to a pair of Division II College World Series (1995 and 2003), focusing mostly on the pitching staff.
    He has coached 36 players who have signed professional contracts and 10 players who have earned All-America honors. As the pitching coach, five of his pitchers have been selected as the conference Pitcher of the Year.
    Vaughn also has experience on the international level, as he coached with the UCA Baseblal support staff and worked for the Major League Baseball Internaional in Europe.
    As a player, Vaughn pitched for the Aggies from 1989-1992, named honorable mention All-NCAC his senior year.

California: David Esquer (13th Season): The reigning National Coach of the Year, Esquer is in his 13th season at the helm of Golden Bear Baseball. He has compiled a 354-313-2 career record with the Bears, making four NCAA regional appearances and earning a spot in the 2011 Men's College World Series.
    Esquer has coached 10 All-Americans and 59 of his players have signed Major League contracts, led by four first-round draft picks.
    Prior to his time at Cal, Esquer was the top assistant at Pepperdine from 1996-99 and worked as the No. 2 assistant at Stanford from 1991-96.
    Esquer was a starter on the 1987 Stanford College World Series championship team, earning all-tournament honors and All-Pac-10 Southern Division honors. He played four seasons in professional baseball with Baltimore, California and Milwaukee.

Sacramento State: Reggie Christiansen (2nd Season): After spending two seasons as the associate head coach at Sacramento State, Christiansen led the 2011 squad to a 19-39 record in his first season at the helm of Hornet baseball. In total, seven different players have been drafted, including one who has made it to the Majors.
    Prior to coming to Sacramento State, Christiansen spend 2005-08 as the head coach at South Dakota State, leading the team's hitters, recruiting coordinator and third base coach. He was the coach when the Jackrabbits made the switch from Division II to Division I.
    Christiansen also coached as an assistant coach at Kansas, breaking several hitting records including setting a school record with 697 hits, as well as at Menlo College.
    Christiansen may be best known for the three-game series he coaches at SDSU against Kansas overnight in the Metrodome, playing a doubleheader at 1:30 a.m. due to scheduling changes, and a 3:30 p.m. game the next day.

Pacific: Ed Sprague (9th Season): After an 11-year Major League baseball career, Sprague enters his ninth season as the coach of the Pacific baseball team. He has a combined 179-263 record in his first eight seasons, coaching 13 players that have been drafted into professional baseball. His 179 career victories have him in third place in Tiger history for most coaching victories.
    Sprague was the leader in the campaign to build an on-campus home field, as Klein Family Field became the home of Tigers baseball on April 18, 2006.
    Sprague was the starting third baseman on the 1987 and 1988 NCAA Championship teams at Stanford, finishing his career among the all-time leaders in home runs and RBI. He was named All-American in 1988, inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. He helped the USA Baseball team win a Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics in 1988, and won back-to-back MLB World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993 with Toronto.
    Sprague is the only player ever to win a College World Series, Olympic Gold Medal and a Major League Baseball World Series.

Commonalities
    Creighton's opponents on the spring break trip have quite a few common opponents on the 2012 season. While UC Davis and Pacific are in the same conference and will face eachother in conference play, the other opponents are just common foes. UC Davis and Creighton share Sacramento State and Pacific on their schedules, Cal and Creighton share Pacific and a series with Nebraska. Sacramento State and the Bluejays each will square off against Pacific, UC Davis and Louisiana Tech in 2012, while Creighton and Pacific each play California, Sacramento State, UC Davis and Kansas State out of the Big 12.

A True Bounce
    Creighton will play at four different stadiums in their week-long trip to California, described in detail below:
    Dobbins Baseball Stadium (UC Davis): Named for former player Jim Dobbins, Dobbins field was built in 1985 and can hold 3,500 fans. It features a grass and natural dirt surface, with the fences sitting at 310 to left and right and 410 to straight away center.
    Evans Diamond (California): The home of the Golden Bears baseball team since 1933, Evans Diamond was named after Coach Evans, who led the Bears to their first ever CWS title in 1947. The outfield measurements at Evans are 320 feet down the lines, 365 to the power alleys and 395 to center field. The seating capacity is 2,500.
    John Smith Field (Sacramento State): Also named after a former skipper, John Smith Field has seen numerous renovations and additions since its initial building in 1953. It features a newly sodded infield and a new outfield fence.
    Klein Family Field (Pacific): The first on-campus baseball field for the Pacific Tigers since 1951, Klein Field opened in 2006 with a seating capacity of 2,500. The all natural field features bull-pens just beyond the outfield fences. Field measurements are 317 feet down left field, 380 feet at the left field power alley, 395 feet to center field, 367 feet at the right field power alley and 325 feet down the right field line.

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. They then played on all grass in the lone game played at Portland, but made the switch back to a combination field when playing at Lower Columbia College for the final game against the Pilots (switched due to rain). TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, the home of the Bluejays, is a completely natural field.

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.

Free Baseball
    The Bluejays have already been a part of a pair of extra inning games this season, defeating Central Arkansas 7-3 but falling 3-2 at Portland. The Bluejays have played at least four extra inning games the last five years, with six extra frame games in each of the last three years.

It's Good to be Back
    A Creighton baseball team hasn't made a trip to California since 2000, when the Bluejays took part in the Pspsi/ohnny Quik Classic held at Fresno State. In the final year of participation, the Bluejays went 5-1, with wins over Bowling Green (4-1), Temple (15-0), Fresno State (12-3), Gonzaga (11-2), and UNC-Asheville (5-3), before dropping the final game to host Fresno State 5-1.

Flocks of Jays
    Creighton stranded 18 runners on base on the weekend at Portland, nine in each game. Creighton dropped the first game 3-2 in 10 innings before falling 5-3 in the final game of the series. Overall on the season, the Bluejays have left 45 players on base, with opponents stranding 39.

Peg Leg
    The Bluejays had a hard time picking up the pick off motion by the Portland staff, getting pegged off first base four times in the two games with the Pilots. In total, Creighton had 12 players picked off last season.

Playing With Swagger
    Freshman Jake Peter led the Bluejays offensively in the pair of games at Portland on the weekend, starting both games at second base and posting a .429 (3-for-7) average from the plate. Two of Peter's hits were doubles, giving him a slugging percentage of .714 through the two games.   Peter also played flawless defense, not committing an error in 16 chances.
    On the season, Peter has a .444 batting average and a .667 slugging percentage, as two of his four hits are doubles.

Blach on Top
    The reigning MVC Pitcher of the Week, Ty Blach put together one of his best pitching performances at Creighton in the series opener against Portland. Blach tossed 8.0 complete innings of work, tying his career high for innings pitched, and allowing just a pair of hits and one earned run while also striking out a pair of batters. Blach kept the Pilots baffled from the plate through the first eight innings, facing a single batter in the ninth before the Bluejays went to the bullpen.

Eight is Great
    Ty Blach threw 8.0 complete innings of work in the game on Friday at Portland, allowing just one earned run and two hits. It marks the fifth time in his career the junior has gone for 8.0 innings, although he did it just once last season. The five outings, including hits surrendered and strikeouts, are listed below:
    Date    Opponent    K    Hits
    2/24/12    @ Portland    2    2
    2/20/11    vs. Missouri State    8    4
    4/4/10    vs. Indiana State    4    5
    4/18/10    at Bradley    6    6
    4/25/10    at Missouri State    6    6

Domination Nation
    Ty Blach has started as the most dominant pitcher in the Bluejay rotation early this season. As the Friday night starter, Blach has a pair of starts on the mound for the Jays, holding a 0.69 earned run average in 13.0 innings of work. He has struck out eight batters and only allowed one earned run on the season.

Not Getting Overtime
    The opening game between the Bluejays and Pilots last Friday was on pace to be one of the quickest games in the last three seasons for the Bluejays, as Ty Blach and Kyle Kraus were at the seventh inning stretch just 1:17 into the game. It helped that Blach threw a first-pitch strike to 21 of the 28 batters he faced. Below are the five fastest recorded games in the last three seasons for the Jays:
Date    Opponent    Pitcher of Record    Time
3/19/11    vs Valparaiso    Jonas Dufek    1:25
5/6/11    at Wichita State    Ty Blach    1:36
6/3/11    vs Georgia    Jonas Dufek    1:50
4/27/10    Air Force    Jack VanLeur    1:54
4/25/10    at Missouri State    Ty Blach    1:57

Clearing the Bullpen
    Creighton used seven pitchers in the two games at Portland, tossing five different Jays in the rain-delayed second game. On the opening weekend, the Jays used 10 different pitchers in the three games, none tossing more than 5.0 innings. Below shows the innings pitched per player over the last weekend.
Ty Blach    8.0    1.12
Brandon Koenigstein    3.1    8.10
Chase Webb    2.1    0.00
Reese McGraw    1.2    5.40
Kurt Spomer     1.0    9.00
Nick Musec    0.2    0.00
Mark Winkelman    0.2    27.00

Walk This Way
    Chance Ross has been the leadoff batter for the Bluejays in the first five games, and has done a good job at getting himself on base. The senior third baseman leads the team with six walks on the season and reached with a hit by pitch once. He holds a .462 on-base percentage, second on the team to Jake Peter. Ross had 13 total walks last season.

Dou-ble-vou
    Senior Scott Thornburg has seven hits in his 21 at bats this season, but three of the seven are doubles. He leads the Bluejays in the category.

Two For One
    After a down year in terms of turning double plays in 2010 (Creighton led the nation in double plays/game for three years straight) the Bluejay infield has turned six double plays already in the first five games. That is three times the two they have hit into. The Jays turned 45 double plays last season.

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 (302-167 after the first two weekends). The skipper needs just 16 wins to get his 500th of his career (484-249-1).

Big Dog
    Ed Servais became the winningest coach in program history last season, surpassing both Jim Hendry and Jack Dahm to post a 302-167 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.

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.

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

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 held 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. The Bluejays now sit at a 2.78 after five games. 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. 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    3-2

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

Baseball Travels to California for Spring Break Trip

Players Mentioned

Trever Adams

Anthony Bemboom

Ty Blach

Joey Bowens

Jonas Dufek

Mike Gerber

Greg Hellhake

Nick Judkins

Brandon Koenigstein

Jordan Makovicka

Erik Mattingly

Reese McGraw

Brad McKewon

Brennan Murphy

Nick Musec

Michael Mutcheson

Jake Peter

Chance Ross

Kurt Spomer

Alex Staehely

Jimmy Swift

Scott Thornburg

Jack VanLeur

Chase Webb

Mark Winkelman

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