Baseball Closes Out Homestand This Weekend
4/12/2012 7:09:00 PM | Baseball
2012 Creighton Baseball
Creighton Bluejays (14-16)
vs. South Dakota State • April 13 @ 6:00 pm • April 15 @ 1:00 pm
vs. Iowa • April 14 @ 2:00 pm
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha • www.gocreighton.com
The Creighton baseball team returns to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this weekend for a trio of non-conference games. The Bluejays host South Dakota State on Friday night at 6:00 pm and Sunday afternoon, first pitch set for 1:00 pm. Sandwiched in the middle is a single game with Iowa on Saturday, which will also be Jimmy Buffett Day. Fans will receive leis upon entering the ballpark and are encouraged to dress in their best “Parrot Head” attire for the 2:00 pm game prior to the Buffett concert at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Saturday night.
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
www.gojacks.com
Record: 10-17-1 • Location: Brookings, S.D. • Enrollment: 12,725
Head Coach: Dave Schrage (1st Year)
Career Record: 606-679-2 • School Record: 10-17-1
Assistant Coaches: Brian Grunzke, Tyler Oakes and Scott Hood
2011 Record: 37-20 • Starters returning/lost: 6/3
Iowa Hawkeyes
www.hawkeyesports.com
Record: 14-16 • Location: Iowa City, Iowa • Enrollment: 30,893
Head Coach: Jack Dahm (9th Year)
Career Record: 487-540-2 • School Record: 204-264
Assistant Coaches: Chris Maliszweski, Ryan Brownlee, Brian Miller and Dusty Napoleon
2011 Record: 20-32 • Starters returning/lost: 5/5
What's Next?
Creighton takes a break, with no mid-week game next weekend. The Bluejays then hit the road for the first time in nearly a month, traveling to Carbondale, Ill., for a three-game, Missouri Valley Conference series at Southern Illinois. The Salukis currently sit at 5-4 in The Valley, 18-15 overall, and were picked to finish sixth in the league this year.
Following next weekend, the Bluejays will play just one more series on the road, traveling to Bradley the first weekend of May, but then host the final nine home games of the regular season. The MVC Tournament, taking place May 22-26, will be held in Springfield, Mo., by Missouri State.
Quick Hits
• The Creighton pitching staff again put up good numbers last weekend, holding a 2.08 ERA in the third weekend of conference play. Five different pitchers finished the weekend with flawless marks, highlighted by Erik Mattingly's 9.0 inning, no-hit effort in the Saturday afternoon game.
• The Creighton offense had a little extra pop in the bats last week, hitting a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record seven doubles against Kansas and totalling 14 on the week.
• Creighton's bullpen has allowed just 13-of-56 inherited runners to score this year, and stranded all 12 inherited runners in the past eight games, including one in the loss at Nebraska midweek.
• Shane Liska threw a Creighton career-high seven strikeouts last Sunday, besting his previous best of five, which he did in both of his last two starts
• In his three appearances in MVC play, Liska has thrown 12.1 inning, allowing just one run (a home run against Evansville) and striking out 17 batters
• The Bluejays scored more runs (6) in the first four innings of the game against Indiana State on Sunday than they have in any full Valley game this season
• Creighton has now posted two shutouts this season, a 2-0 win over BYU and the 8-0 win over Indiana State. On the flipside, the Bluejays have been shut out four times this season, the same number as the last five years combined.
• Creighton set a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record on Tuesday, April 3, by hitting seven doubles in a single game. The previous best at the park was six, hit by Creighton in a 16-6 win over Bradley on May 1 of last season.
• Defense has always been one of the strong suits of any Ed Servais team, and nothing is different this season. Creighton is first in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .979 fielding percentage, which also puts them third in the nation this week.
• Creighton finished March with a 9-10 record, the first time the Jays have finished the month with a sub-.500 record in Ed Servais' tenure (finished 7-10 in 2003).
• Nick Judkins led the Bluejays in the month of March, hitting .351 with 17 runs driven in.
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.
The Bluejays are led offensively on the season by Nick Judkins. The senior holds a .333 batting average, starting all 30 games at first base. Judkins leads the team with 21 RBI and 51 total bases. He hit .474 over the week in California to lead the Bluejays to four wins. While Alex Staehely started off the season in a bit of a slump, the everyday shortstop has put together a four-game hit streak, and has safely reached base in the last 11 games.
At The Plate
• Creighton has struggled offensivley this season, with just one starter hitting over .300 (Nick Judkins .333).
• The Bluejays are hitting better at home this season, with a .242 average. 22 of the 53 doubles have come inside TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and the Jays hold a .369 (nearly 30 points better) slugging percentage at home.
• Nick Judkins and Chance Ross led the Bluejay offense last weekend, finishing the weekend a combined .438 (14-32) from the plate, with six doubles, one triple and six runs driven in.
• Nick Judkins has not struck out in the last nine games, and has a team low nine strikeouts on the season (nine strikeouts in 117 at-bats this season).
• Scott Thornburg reached base safely four times in the last game against North Dakota. The senior, who has made starts as both the DH and catcher, walked a season-high two times, was hit by a pitch and had a single.
• Alex Staehely hit his first home run of the 2012 season against Evansville, also marking the first hit at TD Amertirade Park Omaha in 2012.
• Alex Staehely finished the first homestand with a .250 average, the best five-game series for the junior to that point.
• In the games last week against UNO and Evansville, Staehely led the team with a .340 average, marking his best weekend of the season.
• Alex Staehely has improved his batting average nearly 40 points since starting conference play. The shortstop has three multi-hit games in that span, not picking up a hit in just two games.
• Mike Gerber became the first Bluejay since Darin Ruf in 2008 to hit a grand slam. Gerber drove ont out in the first inning of the 12-3 win over North Dakota.
• Gabriel Thibodeaux drove out a pair of home runs in game two against North Dakota. The senior, who has seen most of his time as the designated hitter, is now tied for the team lead with a pair of bombs.
• Petr Zyma's number was called for the first time this season, but the junior from the Czech Republic wouldn't get an at-bat. Zyma was plunked in the side, one of nine batters to be hit by a pitch on the weekend at Pacific. Zyma now has three at-bats, with one hit (a home run against North Dakota) and a pair of runs scored.
• Brennan Murphy was a perfect 3-3 in stolen bases while in California last week and now sits 5-5 on the season. Chance Ross leads the Bluejays at 6-6 on the season. The school record for stolen bases in a season is 52, but a player hasn't stolen more than 27 bases since 2002.
On the pitcher's mound, six different Bluejay pitchers have made starts this season. Erik Mattingly and Shane Liska have turned in impressive performances as of late on the mound, earning spots in the starting rotation. Mattingly put together a 9.0 inning, no-hit effort in his last outing, while Liska picked up his first win as a Bluejay in the 8-0 shutout last Sunday. Mark Winkelman leads the staff with 21 appearances on the season, holding a 1-0 record in relief on the mound.
• Creighton surrendered five runs in the loss at Nebraska, but just two of the runs were earned, as the Jays committed an uncharacteristic three errors in the loss.
• The last time the Creighton bullpen allowed an inherited runner to score was March 25 at Missouri State. The bullpen has surrendered 10 runs in that time span, but none which were inherited.
• The Creighton pitching staff finished the MVC opening weekend with a 5.25 ERA, the highest in a single weekend this season.
• Four different Bluejays put up scoreless innings last week, with Nick Musec leading the way with 8.1 innings of scoreless work.
• Chase Webb has threw 12.0 consecutive innings without allowing a run to cross the plate, spanning eight appearances from March 6 to April 6. 10.1
• The Bluejay pitching staff have a 1.93 ERA at home this season, with four different pitchers holding scoreless outings at home.
• The Creighton pitching staff had a combined 0.50 ERA in the first two games at home this season, allowing just one earned run in the two games combined.
• Shane Liska earned his first win as a Bluejay last Sunday, throwing a Creighton single-game high 6.0 innings, allowing three hits but not surrendering a run.
• Chase Webb has turned into one of the strongest bullpen arms, holding a 2.49 ERA in 14 appearances. The senior is holding opponents to just a .164 average against and went 12.0 consecutive innings withouth allowing a run to score.
• Ty Blach and Reese McGraw have each been named MVC Pitchers of the Week already this season.
• Freshman Mark Lukowski made his first appearances on the mound in California; Lukowski tossed a pair of innings at Sacramento State and Pacific.
Meet this Weekend's Starters
Erik Mattingly • Ty Blach • Shane Liska
Erik Mattingly
• Made first appearance of the season out of the bullpen (2/18).
• Went 1-for-2 with an RBI at Central Arkansas (2/19).
• Tossed 1.2 innings in relief at UC Davis, surrendering just one hit (3/3).
• Also went 2-3 at the plate, moving from the designated hitter to the pitcher midway through the game (3/3).
• Tossed 3.0 scoreless innings against BYU, allowing just one hit while striking out five (3/13).
• Made his first start at Missouri State, throwing 4.0 innings and allowing just one run (3/24).
• Threw 9.0 innings of no-hit baseball against Indiana State; did not pick up a decision in the 12-inning, 2-0 loss (4/8)
Ty Blach
• Ty Blach has made two appearances against Nebraska, striking out five batters in 3.0 innings of work.
• Ty Blach was named MVC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 21 after throwing 5.0 innings of scoreless baseball in the season opener at UCA (2/17). Struck out six.
• Struck out six batters in 8.0 scoreless innings at Portland (2/24).
• Picked up his second win in 6.2 innings of work at Pacific (3/19).
• He allowed seven hits and one earned run while striking out six batters at Pacific (3/9).
• Tied his career-high with nine strikeouts against North Dakota (3/16).
• Made his first MVC start of the season at Missouri State, throwing 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits (3/23).
• In Blach's last four starts (since MVC play started), Blach has earned three no-decisions and one loss, his roughest stretch in his career. He has allowed 12 runs, all earned, on 17 hits and struck out 14 batters vs. 9 walks in the same span.
Shane Liska
• Made first Bluejay appearance on Feb. 19, throwing 0.2 innings at Central Arkansas.
• Struck out a pair of batters UC Davis in 1.2 innings (3/3).
• Tossed a career long 3.0 innings at Sacramento State (3/7).
• Made his first MVC appearance at Missouri State (3/24).
• Threw 2.0 innings of scoreless, hitless relief at Missouri State, striking out a Creighton career-high five batters (3/25) (struck out 11 while at Xavier).
• Tied his then career-best with five strike outs against Evansville in 4.1 innings of work (4/1).
• Tossed a career-high 6.0 innings, allowing three hits and no runs, while striking out seven in the 8-0 win (his first at Creighton) over Indiana State (4/8).
A Look at South Dakota State (10-17-1)
South Dakota State enters the weekend series with a 10-17-1 overall record, winners of both mid-week games (3-1 over Mount Marty and 3-1 over Minnesota). The Jackrabbits returned six players from the team that finished 2011 37-20, seocond in The Summit League with a 20-8 record in conference play.
SDSU is hitting .275 as a team, with six players hitting over .300. Phil Paquette leads the charge with a .344 average, with Eric Cain (.312) the most powerful hitter in the lineup. Cain has a team leading five triples to add to his four doubles nad solo home run, posting a .495 slugging percentage. He is also a perfect 4-4 in stolen bases.
On the mound, SDSU holds a combined 6.19 ERA, the highest of any Bluejay opponent this season. Stephen Bougher, the proected starter, has started six games this season, holding opponents to a .250 average against. He has a 4-2 mark, tossing a pair of complete games to lead the staff.
A Look at Iowa (14-16)
The 14-16 Iowa Hawkeyes come into the weekend with a combined .276 team batting average. Three players, Phil Keppler (.391), Mike McQuillan (.352) and Jacob Yacinich (.314) are all holding averages above the .300 mark this season, highlighted by McQuillan's .407 slugging percentage in his 30 starts. McQuillan has a team-high 25 walks and eight stolen bases on the season.
On the mound, the Hawkeyes have a 4.37 ERA, holding opponents to a .274 batting average against. The projected starter on Saturday afternoon, senior Jarred Hippen, leads the staff with 41 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work. He is 3-3 in eight starts this season.
The Hawkeyes returned five starters from the team that finished 2011 with a 20-32 record. Iowa was ninth in the Big Ten, holding a 9-15 record in conference play last season.
Meet the Coaches
Creighton: Ed Servais (9th 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 312-178 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.
South Dakota State: Dave Schrage (1st Season): In 23 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has averaged more than 25 victories per season, including five campaigns with 32 or more wins. He has coached players who have earned all-conference honors 58 times and 38 of his former student-athletes have gone on to play professionally.
Most recently, Schrage was head coach at Notre Dame for four seasons, leading the Fighting Irish to a 119-104-1 record from 2007-10. After posting a .500 record (28-28) his first season in South Bend, Schrage put Notre Dame back in contention for postseason play with a 33-21-1 record in 2008 and a 36-23 mark in 2009. The Fighting Irish led the BIG EAST Conference in fielding in both 2008 and 2009, while consistently ranking at or near the top in batting, on-base percentage and earned run average.
As a collegiate player, Schrage was an all-conference outfielder at Creighton, batting .400 as a junior and .433 his senior season. He also was an Academic All-America honoree during his senior campaign in 1983, and graduated that spring with a bachelor of science degree in finance. Schrage was honored on the MVC's Centennial Celebration baseball team and is the only person in league history to earn all-conference honors and be named MVC Coach of the Year in baseball.
Iowa: Jack Dahm (9th Season): In eight years as Iowa's head baseball coach, Jack Dahm has established the Hawkeyes as Big Ten contenders and is ready to lead the Iowa baseball program to new heights with his commitment to excellence.
Since taking over the Iowa baseball team in July of 2003, Dahm has sparked resurgence in the Hawkeye program, having success Hawkeye fans hadn't seen in years. Dahm has guided the Black and Gold to 30 or more wins two of the last five seasons.
In Dahm's 18 years as a head coach, he has produced 24 first team all-conference performers, eight freshmen All-Americans and two All-Americans.
Before coming to Iowa City, Dahm spent 18 years as a member of the Creighton Bluejays baseball program. Dahm arrived at Creighton in 1986 to play under Jim Hendry and spent four years as a student-athlete (1986-89). In 1990, Dahm accepted a position as a graduate assistant under Hendry and spent four years helping build Creighton into a Missouri Valley Conference power.
In 1991, Dahm was promoted to a full-time assistant as he helped the Bluejays reach the College World Series. That Creighton squad ended the season as the second-highest hitting club in the nation, batting .355. The team's 60 triples, in 1991, led the nation and remain a school record.
In October of 1993, Dahm was hired as Creighton's head coach, becoming the youngest head coach in Division I at the age of 25. For the next ten years, five of Dahm's teams finished in the top three of the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Series
Creighton holds a 14-4 edge over South Dakota State, winning the last five straight. That includes a three-game sweep last season, in which the Bluejays outscored the Jackrabbits 25-3. Creighton has lost in Omaha just twice to SDSU, once in 2009 and also in 2007.
The Bluejays trail in the series with Iowa, as the Hawkeyes hold a 12-9 edge in the series. Creighton won the game last season 5-3 in Iowa City, the win that put Ed Servais atop the Creighton all-time coaching charts. The Bluejays have won the last four straight games between the two teams.
Five Centuries
Bluejay head coach Ed Servais is quickly approaching his 500th career win. The skipper elipsed his 300th win at Creighton in the 2012 season opener, but is now just five wins away (495-263-1) from his 500th overall win as a college head coach.
Family Reunion!
All three coaches playing at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha are very familiar with Creighton baseball. Obviously, Ed Servais is the current head coach at Creighton, in his ninth year at the helm and 14th year overall with the program. From 1998-2003, Servais was the assitant under Jack Dahm, who is now the head coach at Iowa. Dahm left Creighton with 283 wins, which currently sits in third the history. Dahm was recruited to play at Creighton, playing four years under Jim Hendry from 1986-89.
The third wheel, Dave Schrage is one of seven players in Bluejay history to be named an Academic All-America. Schrage was an all-conference outfielder, leading the team in hitting (.433) his senior season. He was an assistant coach under Jim Hendry at Creighton before moving on to coach at Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois, Evansville, Notre Dame and currently at SDSU.
The Best of the Best
In the greatest pitching performance of his career, Bluejay pitcher Erik Mattingly went 9.0 innings without surrendering a hit and striking out three in his Saturday, April 7 start against Indiana State. The right hander hit one batter in the first inning and another reached by error, but Mattingly retired the rest of the Sycamore lineup in order in the 2-0, 12-inning loss for the Bluejays. Mattingly's outing would have been the firstnine-inning no-hitter in Creighton baseball history.
On the season, Mattingly has a team-low 1.42 ERA in eight appearances and three starts. He has struck out 13 batters and is holding opponents to a .167 batting average against.
Mattingly was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, as well as picking up MVC Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.
In the Ninth
The Bluejays put up a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday against Nebraska, doubling their ninth inning output of the whole season in one game. Although the Bluejay rally fell short, the ninth inning remains the hardest to score in, as the team has scored just three runs in the frame, while has put up double-digit numbers in each of the other frames.
Streaking
Bluejay shortstop Alex Staehely had his roughest start to a season in 2012, not picking up a hit until his third game and still hitting .171 in game 9 of the year. Since then, Staehely has been on the upslide, improving his overall average to .215. He has reached base safely the last 11 games straight, the longest current streak by any Bluejay.
Chance Ross owns the top streak this season, as the senior started off the season reaching base safely in 19 straight games.
Doubling Up
Creighton set a new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record with seven doubles in the win against Kansas on Tuesday, April 3. The Bluejays have twice hit five doubles this season (at Portland and at Pacific), but hadn't hit more than one in a game since March 17 against North Dakota.
It also marked the biggest doubles output in a single game since they also hit seven doubles against Wichita State on May 8, 2004.
As a team, Creighton hit 14 doubles last week, led by Nick Judkins' four. Chance Ross, Alex Staehely, Jake Peter and Scott Thornburg each had two doubles on the week.
Freshman Jake Peter led the team with two doubles on the night. Peter had four doubles in his first five games, but just one in the next 18 before Tuesday night.
It marks the third time this season a single player has hit a pair of doubles in a game, as Scott Thornburg hit two against Portland and Judkins had a pair against Indiana State.
The Homestand
Creighton returns home for a three-game series this weekend after the midweek game at Nebraska. The Jays finished the last homestand with a 3-5 record, winning single games against Evansville, Indiana State and Kansas. Creighton nearly hit better than the overall average this season in the eight games, hitting .215 as a team, led by Nick Judkins' .333.
An even better mark, the Creighton pitching staff held opponents to a 2.37 ERA, with three pitchers (Nick Musec, Mark Winlkelman and Chase Webb) all holding flawless 0.00 ERA's and Shane Liska with a 0.87 ERA.
Tough at the Top
The first four batters in the Bluejay lineup combined for six of Creighton's 10 hits in the 7-3 win over Kansas on Tuesday, April 3. The four batters (Brad McKewon, Chance Ross, Nick Judkins and Anthony Bemboom) are Creighton's top everyday starting players this season.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
The Creighton baseball program carries a great deal of tradition, including players that are still playing in the Big Leagues. Seven former Bluejays are still active, with one playing AA ball, a pair in AA and the rest in A ball.
Pat Venditte AAA Yankees
Darin Ruf AA Phillies
Elliott Soto AA Cubs
Kirk Clark A+ Astros
Jimmy Swift A+ Angels
Jonas Dufek A Astros
Trever Adams A Rangers
D-D-D-D Fence
The Creighton baseball team has always been known for their defense, sitting in the top-10 since head coach Ed Servais took over the Bluejay program. Currently, the Jays are third in the nation with a .981 fielding percentage, which also puts them first in the conference.
Year Fielding % Place
2012 .981 3rd
2011 .981 5th
2010 .980 4th
2009 .980 2nd
2008 .976 3rd
2007 .974 8th
2006 .965 87th
2005 .972 17th
2004 .982 1st
2003 .962 103rd
You Just Stay There
One way to keep a spot in the Creighton bullpen is to limit the runs you allow to cross the plate. The staff has come into the game with 56 runners on base this season, allowing just 13 of them to score. In the game against Kansas, Brandon Koenigstein (making just his third relief appearance) inherited runners on second and third base, but got all three outs to strand the runners on the bases.
The Creighton bullpen has not allowed an inherited run to score since the Missouri State finale (3/25), and are a perfect 15-0 on inherited runners-scoring at home.
Player Inherited Scored
Brandon Koenigstein 2 0
Shane Liska 7 1
Erik Mattingly 2 0
Reese McGraw 4 0
Nick Musec 5 0
Kurt Spomer 8 4
Chase Webb 14 2
Mark Winkelman 13 5
#2
• Andrew Urban became the first Bluejay newcomer since Ty Blach's freshman year to make it into the starting rotation in his first year on campus. The JUCO transfer is the first since Jeremy Hauer to make it into the starting rotation since 2008-09.
• Urban has made seven appearances this season, six of which were starts.
• Urban's longest outing this season was 5.2 innings, allowing a pair of unearned runs on three hits against North Dakota (3/17).
• Urban holds a 7:3 walk to strikeout ratio this season, giving up three extra base hits.
Welcome Back!
Michael Mutcheson made his first appearance in 23 games Tuesday, April 3 against Kansas, finishing 1-3 from the plate with a walk and a double. He missed the middle of the season with a back injury after starting the first two games of the season at second base.
Tag Team
Mark Winkelman (2.0), Kurt Spomer (1.0) and Reese McGraw (1.0) combined for the final four innings of the game in the midweek game against Kansas (4/3), not allowing a single Kansas runner to reach base safely. The three combined for five strikeouts in the four innings.
Give Me a Ground Ball
Part of the reason the Creighton defense is so good is that they have ample opportunities to put their practice into the games. The Creighton pitching staff has forced batters to hit into 30 double-plays this season (with opponents turning 19 against the Jays), thanks to 341 ground ball outs this year. On the flip side, 228 outs have come from fly balls.
Make them Earn It
While the Creighton pitching staff has shown its depth and power both at times this season, the one thing it has been best at is limiting the amount of walks issued. Creighton leads the league with just 86 walks issued theis season. The Bluejays sit in the middle of the Valley in hit-batters, plunking 32.
The pitching staff did not allow a single walk in the 5-2 loss at Nebraska on April 10.
Back in Business
In his most explosive offensive week of the season, Alex Staehely led the team with a .308 average, picking up four hits including his first home run of the 2012 season from March 25-April 1. His solo shot in the Saturday win over Evansville also marked the first home run hit out of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season. Staheley led the team with a .538 slugging percentage, driving in one run and adding on on his own. The junior also picked up a pair of walks on the week, helping his on-base percentage to a team-high .400.
Spider Webb
Chase Webb picked up his first win of the season on Saturday, March 31 against Evansville, extending his scoreless inning streak to 10.1 innings in the process. Webb has made four appearances in MVC play, tossing 5.0 scoreless innings and surrendering just one hit. He has six strikeouts in the last four game
Leading Off
For the first time this season, the Bluejays sent a different batter to the plate to start off the game on Saturday, March 31, against Evansville. Chance Ross had been the first batter in the Bluejay lineup for the first 23 games of the season, when hot-hitting Brad McKewon earned the spot. McKewon finished the day 3-5 from the plate and has been first in the lineup ever since.
Run, Run, Run as Fast as You Can
Junior outfielder Jordan Makovicka has made 14 appearances this season, earning eight pinch-hit spots. But Makovicka has been the lone pinch-runner for the team this season, making six appearances to run the bases, scoring two runs in the process.
Date Opponent Runs
03/04 at UC Davis -
03/06 at California -
03/27 vs. UNO 1
03/31 vs. Evansville -
04/01 vs. Evansville -
04/03 vs. Kansas 1
Free Baseball
The Bluejays have already been a part of fourf extra inning games this season, defeating Central Arkansas 7-3, falling 3-2 at Portland, winning 3-2 against Evansville and falling 2-0 in 12-innings against Indiana State. 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.
Been Here Before
2012 doesn't mark the first time the Bluejays have started with an 11-11 mark. In fact, Creighton has had worse starts in the Ed Servais tenure. Below are the first 11 games, along with the complete record at the end of the season in the last 10 years:
2012 11-11 ??
2011 17-5 45-16 overall
2010 14-8 27-25 overall
2009 8-14 31-25 overall
2008 15-7 37-21 overall
2007 13-9 45-16 overall
2006 17-5 31-21 overall
2005 17-5 48-17 overall
2004 12-10 35-24 overall
2003 7-15 20-37 overall
2002 11-11 30-24 overall
This and That
• The 4,224 fans on Tuesday, March 27 vs. Nebraska Omaha were the most at a home Creighton baseball game this season. The Bluejays traveled to Lincoln on April 10, playing in front of 4,736 fans.
• The last time a Creighton team dropped five straight games was May 8 - May 15, 2009
• The Bluejays loss against Nebraska Omaha on March 27 was the first loss in 10 games against the Mavs.
• The last time Creighton scored just five runs in four consecutive game combined was to close out the 2003 season, when the Jays beat Bradley 2-0 in a pair of game, lost to Missouri State 5-1 and to Indiana State 2-0 in the MVC Tournament. Creighton scored just five runs from March 23-27, 2012.
Stellar Stats
Brad McKewon was the bright spot in the Bluejays offense over the opening MVC weekend at Missouri State, leading the Jays with a 5-for-11 (.455) performance from the plate in the conference opening weekend. The sophomore outfielder was the lone player to record three hits in a game on the weekend, putting up a three-spot in the Friday night game. McKewon had a .455 slugging percentage, and used a walk to aid his on-base percentage, safely reaching .500 percent of the time. McKewon put down one sacrifice bunt and was 1-1 in stolen bases on the weekend.
In the Conference Opener
Creighton holds an 11-16 overall record in Missouri Valley Conference openers since 1984. The Bluejays are now 4-5 in the opening game under head coach Ed Servais.
2012 L 0-3 Missouri State
2011 L 4-5 Illinois State
2010 W 4-2 Southern Illinois
2009 W 7-3 Indiana State
2008 L 8-9 Missouri State
2007 L 0-6 Evansville
2006 L 0-4 Bradley
2005 W 8-2 Illinois State
2004 W 2-0 Missouri State
In the Conference Series Opener
Head coach Ed Servais is 6-3 in the MVC series opener in his first eight years, with the lone series losses coming at Missouri State this season, in 2008 and at Bradley in 2006. The Bluejays have swept just once in the series opener under Servais, a three-game sweep of Illinois State in 2005, while 2012 marked the first time the Jays have been swept on opening weekend under Ed Servais. Overall, Creighton holds a 13-12-3 record in MVC Opening series.
Conference Series Openers Under Servais
2012 0-3 @ Missouri State
2011 2-1 @ Illinois State
2010 2-1 @ Southern Illinois
2009 2-1 @ Indiana State
2008 1-2 @ Missouri State
2007 2-1 @ Evansville
2006 1-2 @ Bradley
2005 3-0 @ Illinois State
2004 2-1 @ Missouri State
Life on the Road
Creighton has opened the Missouri Valley Conference portion of their schedule on the road each of the last eight years under Ed Servais. The Bluejays haven't hosted the opening MVC weekend since 2003, when they hosted Missouri State in a four game series. The Jays split with the Bears, Creighton winning the first two games (3-2 and 4-3) and MSU taking the final two (11-1, 4-2). The Bluejays have also hosted MVC opening weekends in 1993, 1992, 1991 and 1989
Fore or Four
Creighton and Missouri State have met up in the conference opening weekend three different times, with the Bears holding a 6-3 edge in games won. The two teams opened the MVC schedule in 1996, with an MSU sweep (11-10, 14-9, 5-4), played again in 2004, with Creighton taking two of three (2-0 Jays, 5-0 Bears and 3-2 Jays). The two teams played most recently on the opening weekend in 2008, when Missouri State won the first two games (9-8 and 3-1) and Creighton broke up the sweep with the 8-4 win in game three.
All three series have been played in Springfield, Mo.
Putting up a Donut
Erik Mattingly has made eight appearances on the mound in different games this season, holding a team-low 1.42 earned run average. The senior, who also sees playing time in the outfield and as the designated hitter, has made scoreless appearances five of the eight outings this season, allowing just four earned runs on 14 hits this season.
* Mattingly went a season-high 9.0 innings against Indiana State on April 7. He struck out three batters and didn't allow a hit in his near no-hit bid.
* Mattingly is holding his opponents to a .123 batting average against when at home this season, allowing just seven hits in 18.0 innings of work.
Happy on the Home Mound
The Bluejay pitching staff has had its struggles early this season, but turned things around immenselyin the first five games at home March 13-17), holding a combined 1.20 earned run average and posting a 4-1 record. Nine different Bluejays posted flawless outings on the mound, with seven of the nine pitching at least 2.2 innings. Andrew Urban made a pair of starts, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings with a 1-0 record, while Mark Winkelman, Reese McGraw and Kurt Spomer combined out of the bullpen to make nine appearances and surrender seven hits total in 10.1 innings of work. The trio did not surrender a run through the week.
On the season, the Creighton pitching staff holds a 1.93 ERA at home, holding opponents to a .203 batting average.
Valley's Best
Creighton baseball senior Anthony Bemboom was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday. It marks the first time the senior from Sauk Rapids, Minn., has earned the award.
Bemboom led the Bluejays offensively last week, picking up a team-high eight hits and scoring five runs to lead the Jays to a 4-1 week. In the five-game homestand, Bemboom hit .471, starting all five games. He had a .824 slugging percentage, picking up 14 total bases on the week thanks to three doubles and a home run. Bemboom went a perfect 4-4 from the plate with a pair of singles, a double and a solo home run in the 16-3 win over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon. The senior did not strike out on the week, the only Bluejay in the starting lineup to accomplish the feat last week. He led the Bluejays with a .550 on-base percentage with three walks.
Offensive Explosion
The Bluejays put up a combined 28 runs on 27 hits in the doubleheader wins over North Dakota on Saturday, March 17. It is the largest output of runs in two consecutive games since 2006, when the Jays scored 30 runs in wins over Belmont and Tennessee Tech.
The game marked the lone return of the season to the CU Sports Complex, the former home of the Creighton baseball team.
Ain't Life Grand
Sophomore Mike Gerber hit Creighton's first grand slam since 2008 (Darin Ruf) in the win over North Dakota on Saturday, March 17. The Bluejay centerfielder had seven home runs last season in his rookie campaign and already has two this season.
Well-Rounded
Creighton's pitching staff highlighted the middle of the week in the opening home games, while their bats took over in the final two games of the home opener in 2012 (vs. BYU and La Tech). The Jays pitching staff had a combined 0.50 ERA in the first two games at home, allowing just one run in the two games combined, with eight different pitchers posting flawless marks in the two games.
The Bluejay offense tripled its home run total in one day on Saturday, hitting six home runs in the two wins over North Dakota. Coming into the day, the Jays had just three round-trippers on the season.
This and That
* Creighton has now won the opening home series in nine of the last 10 seasons. The Bluejays have now hit at least one triple in four straight games, one in four of the five home games this homestand.
* Brad McKewon, Gabriel Thibodeaux and Petr Zyma each hit their first career home run as a Bluejay in game two on Saturday, March 17 vs. North Dakota.
* Anthony Bemboom had four hits in game two on Saturday, March 17 against North Dakota, coming just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. The last player to do that was Ryan Fitzgerald in 2003
* Anthony Bemboom tied his single-game high with eight bases in the second game against North Dakota.
* Creighton hit six home runs total in the afternoon series against UND (March 17), doubling their total on the season (3) in one afternoon.
* Nick Musec improved to 3-0 following the win against North Dakota on Saturday, March 17, joining Ty Blach as the first two Jays with three wins on the season.
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.
Opening Day at Home
In the past 10 years, Creighton has a 9-1 record on opening day. This marks the first season that opening day will be played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, even though the team will make a return appearance at the CU Sports Complex at the end of the week. Under head coach Ed Servais, the Jays are 8-1 on opening day. The only blemish on Servais' opening day mark came in 2010, in an 8-5 loss to Indiana State. Below are the opening day scores from the past 10 seasons.
3/13/12 BYU W 2-0
3/11/11 South Dakota State W 6-0
4/2/10 Indiana State L 5-8
3/14/09 South Dakota State W 8-2
3/15/08 Chicago State W(7) 11-0
3/9/07 Saint Louis W 6-1
3/14/06 North Dakota State W 13-4
2/25/05 Saint Louis W 13-12
3/19/04 North Dakota State W 14-2
3/25/03 Kansas State W 11-6
3/5/02 Dana College W 16-7
Home Series
The Jays have also had good success in the opening series in the last 10 years. Creighton is 26-7 in the first home series of the season. In 2002, 2003 and 2004 the Jays opened with a single game at home followed by a conference home series in each season. Below are the opening series opponents and results
2012 North Dakota 2-1
2011 South Dakota State 3-0
2010 Indiana State 1-2
2009 South Dakota State 2-1
2008 Chicago State 4-0
2007 Saint Louis 3-0
2006 North Dakota State 2-0
2005 Saint Louis 2-0
2004 Evansville 3-0
2003 Missouri State 2-2
2002 Illinois State 2-1
Keeping Our Bags Packed
Even though the weather in Omaha has been unseasonably warm, with temperatures making it into the 60's on some days and the snow off the field, Creighton opened up the 2012 season with 13 straight road games. The Bluejays spent time in Arkansas, Oregon, and a week in California, traveling 8,629 miles.
Omaha to Conway, Ark. and back 1160 mi.
Omaha to Portland Ore. and back 2732 mi.
Portland, Ore. to Longmont, Wash. and back 96 mi.
Omaha to Sacramento, Calif. 2688 mi.
Sacramento, Calif. to Berkely, Calif. and back 156 mi.
Sacramento, Calif. to Stockton, Calif. 48 mi.
Stockton, Calif. to San Francisco, Calif. 83 mi.
San Francisco, Calif. to Omaha 1666 mi.
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.
Give Us Another
Reese McGraw was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 28, after the second weekend of play. McGraw made a pair of appearances on the weekend at UC Davis, each one a scoreless affair on the mound. The right-hander picked up his first save of the season in the 7-6 win on Friday, tossing 2.0 scoreless, hitless innings in relief. He struck out a pair of batters and faced just the minumum in his two innings. In the win on Sunday, McGraw threw another 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball, surrendering just two hits and striking out one to pick up his second win of the season (2-1).
It's Was 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.
The Bluejays finished the Spring Break Trip to California 4-4, taking two-of-three in bothweekend series, but falling in the two midweek games at California and Sacramento State.
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.
Blach on Top
The Feb. 20 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
Not Getting Overtime
The opening game between the Bluejays and Pilots on Friday, February 24, 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 (Feb. 24-26), 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 25 games, and has done a good job at getting himself on base. The senior third baseman is second on the team with 17 walks on the season and reached with a hit by pitch 10 times. He holds a .429 on-base percentage, which also leads the team.
In comparison, Ross had 13 total walks 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 (314-280) with the first win of the season, a 4-3 victory over Central Arkansas. The skipper needs just five wins to get his 500th of his career (495-263-1).
Big Dog
Ed Servais became the winningest coach in program history last season, surpassing both Jim Hendry and Jack Dahm to post a 314-280 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.
