Baseball Hosts Dallas Baptist in Three-Game Weekend Series
5/10/2012 6:32:00 PM | Baseball
2012 Creighton Baseball
Creighton Bluejays (20-23)
vs. Dallas Baptist (34-15) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
May 11 @ 7 pm • May 12 @ 7 pm • May 13 @ 1 pm
Creighton Bluejays (20-23)
vs. Dallas Baptist (34-15) • TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
May 11 @ 7 pm • May 12 @ 7 pm • May 13 @ 1 pm
Non-Conference
Creighton continues play outside the Missouri Valley Conference this weekend, hosting Dallas Baptist in a three-game series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. It marks the fifth meeting between the two schools in program history, although they haven't met on the ball field since a 14-8 Bluejay win on March 10, 1983. Each team has won two games in the series.
Creighton baseball can be heard on the radio all weekend, with John Bishop and David Gustafson returning to the booth for the three game series, all which can be heard on 1620 the Zone, with a link on the www.gocreighton.com website. Also follow live stats at www.gocreighton.com and updates via Twitter @gocreighton and @cu_baseball.
Last Time Out
The Bluejay offense has come alive in the four-game win-streak. Creighton has a pair of wins over Bradley, an 8-1 win Tuesday night and a 6-1 win on Wednesday against Nebraska Omaha. It marks the longest win streak of the season for Creighton, who previously had a pair of three-game streaks.
What's Next?
Dallas Baptist, who has played nearly every team in The Valley this season, comes to Omaha May this weekend, followed by a return from Iowa (May 15).
The Bluejays wrap up the regular-season hosting Wichita State May 17-19. The MVC Tournament will be played May 22-26 in Springfield, Mo., hosted by Missouri State.
Creighton continues play outside the Missouri Valley Conference this weekend, hosting Dallas Baptist in a three-game series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. It marks the fifth meeting between the two schools in program history, although they haven't met on the ball field since a 14-8 Bluejay win on March 10, 1983. Each team has won two games in the series.
Creighton baseball can be heard on the radio all weekend, with John Bishop and David Gustafson returning to the booth for the three game series, all which can be heard on 1620 the Zone, with a link on the www.gocreighton.com website. Also follow live stats at www.gocreighton.com and updates via Twitter @gocreighton and @cu_baseball.
Last Time Out
The Bluejay offense has come alive in the four-game win-streak. Creighton has a pair of wins over Bradley, an 8-1 win Tuesday night and a 6-1 win on Wednesday against Nebraska Omaha. It marks the longest win streak of the season for Creighton, who previously had a pair of three-game streaks.
What's Next?
Dallas Baptist, who has played nearly every team in The Valley this season, comes to Omaha May this weekend, followed by a return from Iowa (May 15).
The Bluejays wrap up the regular-season hosting Wichita State May 17-19. The MVC Tournament will be played May 22-26 in Springfield, Mo., hosted by Missouri State.
Quick Hits
• Creighton is 11-9 at home this season, hitting .242 in games played in Omaha (including both TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and the three-game series against North Dakota at the CU Sports Complex).
• The Jays are 9-4 at home against non-conference opponents.
• Head coach Ed Servais, the winningest coach in Creighton baseball history, picked up his 500th career win in the 8-1 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night. In his 18th year of coaching, Servais is 500-270-1.
• Creighton won its first Missouri Valley Conference series last weekend, winning the final two games in Peoria, Ill., against Bradley.
• The Jays have five conference wins this season, four of which have been won in Creighton's final at-bat.
• Rain not only canceled the third game of the series between Creighton and Illinois State, it also forced the teams to play a doubleheader on Saturday. Rain has canceled four games already this season and forced the Jays to play doubleheaders in back-to-back conference series (Southern Illinois and Illinois State).
• Creighton's bullpen has allowed just 24-of-83 inherited runners to score this year, allowing just six of 26 runners to score when at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
• The Bluejay pitching staff holds a 2.32 ERA at home this season, led by reliever Chase Webb who has yet to allow an earned run in 17.0 innings at home this season.
• Creighton has posted two shutouts this season, both which came at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. They include a 2-0 win over BYU and the 8-0 win over Indiana State. On the flip side, the Bluejays have been shut out five times this season, more than the last five years combined.
• The Jays became a ninth-inning rally machine at Bradley, pushing across seven ninth-inning runs in the three-game series. In total on the year, Creighton has pushed across just 11 runs in the ninth inning.
• The 15-innings it took to win the game against Illinois State (4/28) marked a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record for innings in a single game. It also marks Creighton's longest game since 1989, when the Jays defeated Kansas 7-5 in a 16-inning game.
• 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.
• 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). They finished April 4-10 and are off to a 2-1 start in May.
• The Jays finished the month of April with a combined .213 batting average and a .308 on base percentage.
Coming into 2012
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 regular-season and tournament titles in 2011, marking the first time in program history the Jays have claimed both in a single season.
Creighton returned seven starting position players from the squad last season, led by center fielder Mike Gerber and senior catcher Anthony Bemboom, both which were tabbed preseason All-MVC. 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.
At The Plate
• Creighton has struggled offensively this season, coming into the weekend series with Dallas Baptist without a starter hitting over .300. Nick Judkins was over the .300 mark for much of the season, but now sits at .294, the highest mark for a starter.
• In 18 games at home this season, Creighton sits at 11-9 and is hitting .242 as a team, with Nick Judkins and Chance Ross leading the charge with .304 and .274 averages, respectively.
• The Bluejays have seven home runs at home this season, but just one of those came at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton had six home runs in a doubleheader played at the CU Sports Complex against North Dakota on March 17.
• The lone Bluejay home run at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha was hit by Alex Staehely on March 31 against Evansville.
• Chance Ross drove in four runs last weekend at Bradley, driving in two runs in two separate games. He leads the team with eight multi-RBI games this season.
• Chance Ross hit in the winning run in the 15-inning win over Illinois State on April 28. Ross has 17 RBI this season, while Anthony Bemboom leads the team with 25 RBI.
• Jordan Makovicka took advantage of a pair of starts in left field against Southern Illinois (4/21), hitting .333 with a team-high three walks.
• The Bluejays picked up just 19 hits in the three games last week, but struck out 25 times. They also picked up four walks, led by Jake Peter's four walks.
• Anthony Bemboom hit .400 last weekend, including a perfect 3-3 day in the rubber match on Sunday at Bradley. Bemboom dropped a sacrifice bunt in the game as well.
• Mike Gerber became the first Bluejay since Darin Ruf in 2008 to hit a grand slam. Gerber drove one 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.
• Brennan Murphy was a perfect 3-3 in stolen bases while in California last week and now sits 6-6 on the season. Chance Ross leads the Bluejays at 9-11 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 to earn spots in the starting rotation. Mattingly put together a 9.0 inning, no-hit effort in the Saturday, April 7 12-inning loss to Indiana State, while Liska picked up his first win as a Bluejay in the 8-0 shutout of Indiana State, April 8. Mark Winkelman leads the staff with 28 appearances on the season, holding a 1-0 record in relief on the mound.
• The Creighton pitching staff finished the MVC opening weekend with a 5.25 ERA, the highest in a single weekend this season.
• Creighton's pitching staff holds a 2.32 ERA at home this season, led by Chase Webb's flawless 0.00 ERA at home.
• The Bluejay bullpen holds a 1.97 ERA at home this season, with two different players holding flawless relief outings (Chase Webb and Erik Mattingly).
• Chase Webb has thrown 17.0 consecutive innings at home without allowing a single earned run to score. He is 1-0 in 11 appearances at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season.
• Bluejay reliever Mark Winkelman has come into the game five different times at home with runners on base, but has yet to let an inherited runner to score at home (6/0).
• Chase Webb leads the Creighton pitching staff on the season, holding a team-low 1.83 earned run average in 23 appearances, but has just one win this year.
• Ty Blach leads all starters with eight starts on the mound at home this season, but holds a 3.93 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs in his team-high 34.1 innings at home.
• On the season Blach leads the NCAA with 16 games started, seven more starts than any other Bluejay pitcher this season.
• Ty Blach threw his sixth career 8.0 inning game at Bradley, marking the first complete game for the Bluejays this season.
• Kurt Spomer had struggled in the early portions of the season, but has been nearly flawless at home this season. The reliever holds a 0.61 ERA at home, allowing just one earned run in 14.2 innings of work.
• Ty Blach has yet to record a win in Missouri Valley Conference play this season, as does Saturday starter Erik Mattingly.
• 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.
• 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.
A Look at Dallas Baptist (34-15)
One of the top hitting teams in baseball, Dallas Baptist sits at 34-15 on the season, winners of six of their last seven games. The team ranks in the top 20 in many offensive categories including 20th in batting average (.308), 17th in scoring (averaging 7.0 runs per game), 8th in home runs (50) and 5th in slugging percentage (.477)
The Patriots are led offensively by Austin Elkins and Boomer Collins, who are hitting .375 and .374, respectively, helping the team to its overall average. Collins leads the team with 19 doubles and 12 home runs, while Joel Hutter (.342) has driven in 54 runs this season.
On the mound, the Patriots are led by three starting pitchers that average a 3.44 ERA, but the staff is highlighted by a pair of closers. Michael Smith has a 2.84 ERA in 50.2 innings, with a 2-1 record and six saves while Stuart Pudenz is 5-1 with five saves and a team-low 1.50 ERA in 30.0 innings of work.
Dallas Baptist's defense also ranks among the top in the country, sitting 10th in the country with 50 double plays and holds a .970 fielding percentage.
Meet the Coaches
Creighton: Ed Servais (9th Season): Ed Servais is in 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 Bluejays 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 317-188 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.
Head Coach Dan Heefner (8th Season): Heefner is entering his eighth season with the Dallas Baptist Baseball Team and fifth season as the Patriots' Head Coach. In 2008, the Patriots earned their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance by receiving a #2 seed in the College Station Regional after finishing the regular season with the 29th best RPI in the nation. Heefner earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Midwest Region Coach of the Year Award and was also named the Independent Coach of the Year in 2008. He also received the Independent Coach of the Year in 2009
In 2011, Heefner guided the Patriots to even more national recognition as they won the NCAA Fort Worth Regional after again qualifying as an Independent. Heefner was again named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as his team competed in the Santa Clara Super Regional against the University of California-Berkley.
Prior to coming to Dallas Baptist, Heefner was an assistant coach at Creighton University and the University of Northern Iowa. While at Creighton, as part of Ed Servais' first coaching staff, Heefner was the hitting and catching coach. Under his guidance in 2004, the Bluejay hitters saw an improvement in nearly every statistical category from the 2003 season, including a 24-point increase in batting average. Defensively, the Bluejay catchers contributed to Creighton's nation leading .982 fielding percentage, which at the time was the second best in NCAA history.
While working with the hitters at University of Northern Iowa, his 2003 team led the Missouri Valley Conference in 10 offensive categories in conference play. His 2002 squad also had the highest batting average of any team in conference play.
As a player, Heefner was named an All-American in his junior and senior seasons at Olivet Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Kankakee, Illinois. He led the nation in both homeruns (22) and RBIs (102) in 2000. Prior to transferring to Olivet Nazarene University, Heefner played two years at the University of Northern Iowa.
The Series vs. The Patriots
Creighton and Dallas Baptist are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with each team holding a pair of wins for a 2-2 series. The last meeting between the two teams was a 14-8 Bluejay win in 1983.
Year Winner Score
1979 Dallas Baptist 9-6 (8)
1979 Creighton 13-7
1983 Dallas Baptist 6-5
1983 Creighton 14-8
Common opponents
Creighton and Dallas Baptist have seven common opponents on their schedules this season, six of which are Missouri Valley Conference foes. While Creighton sits 5-12 in conference play, Dallas Baptist is 10-5 against the Valley opponents this season. Below are the common opponents and three-game scores:
La Tech (L, 1-2; W, 7-3; W, 11-3)
Missouri State (W, 6-5; L, 4-8; W, 10-6)
Southern Illinois (W, 11-8; W, 12-8; W, 11-6)
Indiana State (W, 15-2; L, 3-6; L, 5-7)
Wichita State (L, 3-13; L, 7-8; W, 4-1)
Evansville (W, 10-4; W, 14-1; W, 5-2)
Will still play Bradley May 16-18
We Could See Them Again
The Valley and Dallas Baptist made a baseball-only agreement this season, allowing Dallas Baptist to play a series at seven of the eight MVC schools (not ILS). Depending on how things went, the MVC planned to vote on adding DBU as an affiliate member. Prior to the vote, however, the Patriots joined the WAC.
Since that time, four schools have left the WAC, leaving DBU with a decision coming up. Creighton could face the Patriots in a three-game series every season.
At Home this Season
• Jays are 16-1 all-time a TDAPO when scoring 4 runs or more, and 13-0 at TDAPO when scoring 5 runs or more.
• Creighton has won 22 straight home games when scoring 5 runs or more.
• Creighton is 11-1 all-time at TDAPO when scoring in the 1st inning.
• Creighton is 7-0 all-time at TDAPO when it owns 11 or more hits.
• Creighton has won 35 straight home games when scoring 8 or more runs.
• Chase Webb has not allowed an earned run at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in his last 13 appearances, allowing just 11 hits in those 20.2 innings.
Its Coming Together
Creighton has put together its longest win streak of the 2012 season, string together a pair of wins to close otu the series at Bradley last week and winning the midweek games over Nebraska (8-1) and Nebraska Omaha (6-1). The Jays previously had two three-game win streaks, one the opening weekend of the season at Central Arkansas and then March 11-14 in wins over Pacific, BYU and La. Tech.
On This Win-Streak…
• Creighton is 4-0, marking the longest win streak of the season for the Jays.
• Five different Bluejay pitchers have a 0.00 ERA, with Shane Liska (6.0 innings), Chase Webb (5.0 innings), Brandon Koenigstein (2.0 innings), Ty Blach (1.0 innings) and Andrew Urban (1.0 innings) all helping the team to a 1.75 overall ERA.
• Reese McGraw has a 2-0 record, striking out four in 5.2 innings of work.
• The Jays are hitting .292 collectively, led by Scott Thornburg, Mike Gerber and Anthony Bemboom who are hitting .500, .462, and .412, respectively.
• Eight different Bluejays have started and played in all four games, with Brennan Murphy and Jordan Makovicka splitting time in the final position.
• Creighton is outscoring opponents 25-8 in the last four wins, outhitting opponents by nearly 100 points (.292 to .197).
Five Centuries
Bluejay head coach Ed Servais surpassed another coaching milestone this season, picking up his 500th career win in the 8-1 win over Nebraska on May 8. The skipper eclipsed his 300th win at Creighton in the 2012 season opener, and is the winningest head coach in Creighton baseball history.
Pretty Good Ball
Creighton dropped a 12-3 loss at Wichita State last year going into the mid-week May game with Nebraska, marking just the first time since 2001 they lost going into the May game, when they lost 10-4 against Missouri State. Creighton has won every other game under Ed Servais leading into the May game, and are 3-4 against the Huskers in May under Servais (the 2009 game got rained out).
Offensive leader
Senior catcher Anthony Bemboom led the Bluejays offensively last week at Bradley, helping propel the Jays to their first Valley series win of the 2012 season. Bemboom hit .400 on the week, leading the team with four hits, including a 3-3 day in the 4-2 win on Sunday. Bemboom had a team high .455 on base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage in the three games last week.
Weekend Warrior
Reese McGraw pitched flawless innings on the mound last week, picking up a pair of wins in his two appearances at Bradley. McGraw finished the weekend with 3.2 innings of no-hit baseball, striking out two batters and not issuing a free pass all weekend (no walks or hit batters). He lowered his ERA to 2.80 over the weekend, and now is the team-leader in wins (4) and saves (4).
Dodged that Bullet
Creighton won the final two games of the series at Bradley, giving the Jays their first MVC series win of the season. It also gave Creighton a pair of Valley wins on the road, their first two of the season. You have to go back to 1984 to find the last time the Jays failed to win a single Valley game on the road.
Until the Fat Lady Sings
Creighton has five conference wins this season, four of which have come in the final at-bat for the Bluejays. Creighton defeated Evansville 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning at home, while also winning 6-5 over Illinois State in the bottom of the 15th inning. The Jays put up four runs in the ninth on Saturday for a 7-4 win and two in the ninth on Sunday for a 4-2 win, both against Bradley.
Runs, Runs, Runs
The Jays outscored Bradley 12-9 on the weekend, putting up a series-high seven runs in the Saturday win. It marks the most runs in a three-game series by the Bluejays since March 17, when Creighton took two-of-three from North Dakota and scored a combined 29 runs.
McGroovy
Bluejay reliever Reese McGraw picked up a pair of wins last weekend against Bradley and now has a team-leading four wins and four saves. He hadn't allowed an earned run in the 10.0 innings he pitched between the April 24 and May 8 games, both against Nebraska.
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Creighton finished the month of April 4-10, holding a combined .213 batting average. The lone Bluejay hitting better than .300 during the month of April was Chance Ross, (.302).
In comparison, the Bluejays went 13-5 in April of 2011, hitting .272 as a team. Trever Adams (.452), Alex Staehely (.323) and Mike Gerber (.320) led the Bluejays through the month. Creighton went on to hit .255 and finish May 14-4 with both an MVC regular season and tournament title.
Spider Webb
Chase Webb has continued his scoreless streak on the mound, using a pair of midweek appearances to improve to 8.1 innings. Webb has made 14 appearances in non-conference play, tossing 20.2 innings and surrendering just six earned runs for a 2.61 ERA. He has 21 strikeouts in his appearances.
He had put together 17.0 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball from March 6 - April 15 before surrendering a single earned run at Southern Illinois (4/21).
Webb is the lone Bluejay pitcher who has not allowed a single earned run at home this season. In 17.0 innings of work at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season, Webb is holding batters to .155 average.
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 83 runners on base this season, allowing just 24 of them to score. The Bluejays allowed just one of nine inherited runners to score last weekend, led by Chance Ross' flawless 0-5 in inherited runners scoring over the weekend at Bradley.
Below is the list of bullpen pitchers and their inherited runners scored.
Player Inherited Scored
Brandon Koenigstein 3 1
Shane Liska 7 1
Erik Mattingly 2 0
Reese McGraw 8 2
Nick Musec 5 0
Kurt Spomer 12 4
Chase Webb 24 5
Mark Winkelman 19 8
Not Just Another Number
The Bluejays came from behind against Illinois State to win 6-5 in 15-innings last weekend. It marked the first time this season Creighton has won a game when trailing after the eighth inning, with Creighton accomplishing the same feat at Bradley (5/5). In fact, the last time Creighton did that was on April 3, 2011, when the Jays were down 3-2 to Portland and put up a pair of runs in the ninth to win.
Under Ed Servais, Creighton is just 8-130 when trailing after the eighth inning, and hold a 239-10 mark when leading after the eighth inning.
He Does it All
Erik Mattingly made his first start as a position player against Illinois State (4/28) since starting in the outfield on March 27 against Nebraska-Omaha. He has made five starts on the mound and one as designated hitter during the last month.
In the First
Creighton scored three runs in the first inning of game one against Illinois State (April 28), marking the seventh time at home this season they have put up at least a single run in the first. The three runs are the second most, however, as they scored five runs in the first against North Dakota on March 17.
Chance Ross' solo home run against Bradley gave Creighton the lead after the first in the 7-4 Saturday win (5/5/12).
The Bluejays also put up runs in the first inning against Nebraska and Nebraska Omaha, pushing across three in the May 8 game vs. the Huskers and one against Nebraska Omaha on May 9.
One for the Nice Guy
Ty Blach remains without a win in conference play this season, as he picked up the loss in his 8.0 innings of work last weekend against Bradley, marking the first complete game for the Bluejays this season.
Blach finished the 2011 season with a 4-1 mark in The Valley.
An Unlikely Hero
Michael Blatchford was called upon in the bottom of the 15th inning against Illinois State last weekend, picking up a one-out single that started the rally to win the game 6-5 for Creighton. It marked Blatchford's first appearance since March 4, when he injured his knee sliding into second at UC Davis.
Creighton skipper Ed Servais then turned to Sunday starter Shane Liska as a pinch runner, and the Xavier transfer crossed the plate with the game-winning run on Chance Ross' single to center.
Using the Staff Well
All three of Creighton's weekend starters made appearances in game one against Illinois State on April 28. Ty Blach started on the mound, Eric Mattingly started in right field, and Shane Liska made a pinch-running appearance in the 15th inning.
The Bluejays used 21 different players in game one: five pitchers, five pinch hitters, a pinch runner all in addition to the starting lineup.
Double Duty
Creighton has now played in three doubleheaders this season, and has swept one (vs. North Dakota), been swept in one (Southern Illinois) and split the two games against Illinois State.
Hits, Hits, Hits
Creighton has struggled offensively this season, holding a combined .235 average with not one single player hitting over .300 heading into the weekend.
Eight is Great
Ty Blach threw 8.0 complete innings of work in the game on Friday at Bradley, allowing three runs, but not walking a single batter. It marks the sixth time in his career the junior has gone for 8.0 innings, although he did it just once last season. The six outings, including hits surrendered and strikeouts, are listed below:
Date Opponent K Hits
5/4/12 at Bradley 3 6
2/24/12 at 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
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 134 walks issued this season. The Bluejays sit in the middle of the Valley in hit-batters, plunking 40.
The pitching staff combined to allow just two walks in the wins over Nebraska (5/8) and Nebraska Omaha (5/9).
Creighton's combined season high for walks in a single game came against Illinois State, 4/28, when they walked eight batters.
What a Relief
Bluejay relievers Reese McGraw, Chase Webb and Kurt Spomer each put up scoreless innings to close out the 15-inning win over Illinois State last weekend. McGraw started things off with 2.2 innings on the mound, allowing just two hits while striking out two. Webb followed with 2.0 innings, also surrendering a pair of hits but not allowing any of the 11 batters faced to score.
Spomer picked up his first Valley win of the season, closing out the game with 3.0 flawless innings on the mound. The senior struck out one batter and did not surrender a single hit in his 22nd outing of the season.
The trio combined to throw 7.2 innings of three-hit baseball at Bradley.
A Different Sort of Record
Creighton's struggling offense this season marks the lowest combined batting average under head coach Ed Servais. The team, which is hitting .235 this season, is nearly 40 points under the previous low, set in 2011 when the Jays hit .267, but finished 45-16 overall on the season.
The all-time lowest team batting average came in 1971 when the team collectively hit .229.
Inning by Inning
• The Bluejays are 17-0 when leading after five innings, but are 3-19 when trailing after the fifth inning.
• Creighton is 2-6 on the season when scoring three runs, but flips that around and is 6-4 when allowing opponents to score exactly three runs.
• The Bluejays have scored their most runs in the first inning, pushing across 33 in the frame. The Jays have now scored 11 runs in the ninth inning, thanks to two the first time they played Nebraska (4/10) and four in the comeback win at Bradley (5/5).
• On the contrary, Creighton is surrendering the most runs in the fifth inning, allowing 29 in the frame. They are not surrendering single-digits to opponents in any frame.
If You Build It...
Creighton hosted Nebraska on Tuesday, playing in front of the largest home crowd this season of 12,184 fans. That marked the second largest crowd of the season in the NCAA, and third in Creighton history at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The number was bigger than four Major League Baseball attendances from May 8, ousting Chicago (AL) at Cleveland (11,304), Texas at Baltimore (11,263), Toronto at Oakland (10,784) and Washington at Pittsburgh (10,323).
The Bluejays are averaging 3,611 fans at home this season, which sits 12th in the nation this week. Wichita State is the only other team in the Valley in the top-25, averaging 2,968 fans to Eck Stadium in each contest, which is good for 19th in the nation.
Double Dingers
Jake Peter's first career home run against SIU on Sunday was the second of the game for the Bluejays, who have now hit at least two home runs in two different games this season.
In a Pinch
While Creighton has struggled overall in pinch hit situations, Brad McKewon's two-RBI single in the sixth inning on Sunday, April 22 helped keep Creighton in the series finale game at Southern Illinois.
Michael Blatchford then became the hero in the win on April 28 over Illinois State, ripping a single to left field and hobbling down the first base line.
The Jays are just 4-of-36 in pinch hit situations this season, a .111 average. Blatchford and McKewon join Gabriel Thibodeaux and Petr Zyma on that list.
No 6-4-3
The Creighton defense has been among the nations leaders in double plays per game in the past, and had turned 33 double plays going into the weekend at Southern Illinois. It marked the first weekend this season that Creighton did not turn a single double play against their opponent, while the Jays hit into just one.
Smallish Ball
The Bluejays hit a pair of home runs at Southern Illinois on Sunday (a two run shot from Mike Gerber and a career-first from Jake Peter), marking just the second time this season the Jays have hit multiple home runs in a single game (also against North Dakota on March 17 - hit five).
Creighton has 13 home runs all season, although six came in the doubleheader vs. North Dakota on March 17.
The Bluejays have just one home run in the 12 games played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Alex Staehely, March 31 vs. Evansville)
Top and Bottom
The Creighton pitching staff has continued to get stronger as the season has progressed. After putting up a season high 5.19 ERA over the weekend at UC Davis (March 2-4), the Bluejay staff has significantly improved, sitting third in the MVC with a 3.38 overall earned run average. Creighton's best weekend series came against Indiana State, when the Bluejays held the high-powered Sycamore offense to just six earned runs on the weekend, and a 1.80 ERA.
Ger-Bashing
Bluejay center fielder Mike Gerber started off the season slow, but has turned things up in the last couple of weeks. Since the start of the Indiana State series (April 6), Gerber is leading the team with a .300 average, .467 slugging percentage and .386 on-base percentage. He has three doubles, two triples and a home run, while sitting second with eight walks in that time frame.
Gerber hit a two-run home run in the second inning of game three at Southern Illinois over the weekend, finishing the day 1-2 with two runs scored and two runs driven in. He also walked a pair of times on the afternoon.
Uncharacteristic Errors
The Bluejay defense had an uncharacteristic week in the infield, committing six combined errors in their three games from April 9-15 (including three the last game against Nebraska). That accounted for over 20-percent of the Bluejays 28 total errors this season.
A Little Run Support
Senior Erik Mattingly has been moved into the starting rotation on the mound, sitting second among Bluejay starters with a 3.05 ERA in 13 appearances, eight starts. But the right hander sits at 1-3 overall this season, partially because of a lack of run support by the Bluejay offense. In his 45.2 innings of work this season, Creighton has scored just nine runs while he is on the mound.
That number includes his 12.0 consecutive no-hit innings, without a single run from the Bluejay offense.
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 first nine-inning no-hitter in Creighton baseball history.
Mattingly was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, as well as picking up MVC Pitcher of the Week honors.
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 up slide, improving his overall average to .230. He had reached base safely in 13 straight games, the second longest streak in 2012.
Chance Ross owns the top streak this season, as the senior started off the season reaching base safely in 19 straight games.
Snapped
Bluejay junior shortstop Alex Staehely has played in every game since stepping on campus at Creighton, and until Sunday, April 15, had started every game (144) straight. Staehely was not allowed to start due to coaches decisions following an ejection from the game on Friday night against SDSU.
Petr Zyma was put in the starting lineup for the first time, starting at second base while Jake Peter moved over to shortstop.
Staehely came into the game in the third inning, first as a pinch-hitter and then returning to his position at short.
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 that 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 against Kansas. Peter had four doubles in his first five games, but just one in the next 18 before the April 3 game.
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.
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 Minor Leagues. Seven former Bluejays are still active, with one playing AAA 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 eighth in the nation with a .979 fielding percentage, which is good for the lead in the conference.
Year Fielding % Place
2012 .979 8th
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
Check Him Out
• 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 11 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 9:3 walk to strikeout ratio this season, giving up six 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.
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.
Three different players have now seen time in the leadoff spot, with Jordan Makovicka joining both Ross and McKewon in the order.
Free Baseball
The Bluejays have already been a part of five 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 22 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 last time a Creighton team dropped five straight games prior to 2012 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
Putting up a Donut
Erik Mattingly has made 13 appearances on the mound in different games this season, holding a 2.76 earned run average. The senior, who also sees playing time in the outfield and as the designated hitter, has made scoreless appearances six of the 13 outings this season, allowing 17 earned runs on 35 hits this season.
* Mattingly went a career-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.
* He then extended that streak at the opening of the South Dakota State game, finishing with 12.0 consecutive no-hit innings.
* Mattingly is holding his opponents to a .200 batting average against when at home this season, allowing just six earned runs in 29.2 innings of work.
Happy on the Home Mound
The Bluejay pitching staff has had its struggles early this season, but turned things around immensely 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 2.32 ERA at home, holding opponents to a .227 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 home stand, 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 center fielder had seven home runs last season in his rookie campaign and already has two this 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 home stand.
* 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) at that point 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.
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 Berkeley, 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 Pepsi/Johnny 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 both weekend series, but falling in the two midweek games at California and Sacramento State.
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 first 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 37 games, and has done a good job at getting himself on base. The senior third baseman is second on the team with 22 walks on the season and reached with a hit by pitch 11 times. He holds a .395 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.
Big Dog
Ed Servais became the winningest coach in program history last season, surpassing both Jim Hendry and Jack Dahm to post a 319-188 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 continued his success at the start of this season.
Judkins finished the opening 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 first 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 base hit 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.
• Creighton is 11-9 at home this season, hitting .242 in games played in Omaha (including both TD Ameritrade Park Omaha and the three-game series against North Dakota at the CU Sports Complex).
• The Jays are 9-4 at home against non-conference opponents.
• Head coach Ed Servais, the winningest coach in Creighton baseball history, picked up his 500th career win in the 8-1 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night. In his 18th year of coaching, Servais is 500-270-1.
• Creighton won its first Missouri Valley Conference series last weekend, winning the final two games in Peoria, Ill., against Bradley.
• The Jays have five conference wins this season, four of which have been won in Creighton's final at-bat.
• Rain not only canceled the third game of the series between Creighton and Illinois State, it also forced the teams to play a doubleheader on Saturday. Rain has canceled four games already this season and forced the Jays to play doubleheaders in back-to-back conference series (Southern Illinois and Illinois State).
• Creighton's bullpen has allowed just 24-of-83 inherited runners to score this year, allowing just six of 26 runners to score when at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
• The Bluejay pitching staff holds a 2.32 ERA at home this season, led by reliever Chase Webb who has yet to allow an earned run in 17.0 innings at home this season.
• Creighton has posted two shutouts this season, both which came at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. They include a 2-0 win over BYU and the 8-0 win over Indiana State. On the flip side, the Bluejays have been shut out five times this season, more than the last five years combined.
• The Jays became a ninth-inning rally machine at Bradley, pushing across seven ninth-inning runs in the three-game series. In total on the year, Creighton has pushed across just 11 runs in the ninth inning.
• The 15-innings it took to win the game against Illinois State (4/28) marked a TD Ameritrade Park Omaha record for innings in a single game. It also marks Creighton's longest game since 1989, when the Jays defeated Kansas 7-5 in a 16-inning game.
• 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.
• 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). They finished April 4-10 and are off to a 2-1 start in May.
• The Jays finished the month of April with a combined .213 batting average and a .308 on base percentage.
Coming into 2012
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 regular-season and tournament titles in 2011, marking the first time in program history the Jays have claimed both in a single season.
Creighton returned seven starting position players from the squad last season, led by center fielder Mike Gerber and senior catcher Anthony Bemboom, both which were tabbed preseason All-MVC. 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.
At The Plate
• Creighton has struggled offensively this season, coming into the weekend series with Dallas Baptist without a starter hitting over .300. Nick Judkins was over the .300 mark for much of the season, but now sits at .294, the highest mark for a starter.
• In 18 games at home this season, Creighton sits at 11-9 and is hitting .242 as a team, with Nick Judkins and Chance Ross leading the charge with .304 and .274 averages, respectively.
• The Bluejays have seven home runs at home this season, but just one of those came at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Creighton had six home runs in a doubleheader played at the CU Sports Complex against North Dakota on March 17.
• The lone Bluejay home run at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha was hit by Alex Staehely on March 31 against Evansville.
• Chance Ross drove in four runs last weekend at Bradley, driving in two runs in two separate games. He leads the team with eight multi-RBI games this season.
• Chance Ross hit in the winning run in the 15-inning win over Illinois State on April 28. Ross has 17 RBI this season, while Anthony Bemboom leads the team with 25 RBI.
• Jordan Makovicka took advantage of a pair of starts in left field against Southern Illinois (4/21), hitting .333 with a team-high three walks.
• The Bluejays picked up just 19 hits in the three games last week, but struck out 25 times. They also picked up four walks, led by Jake Peter's four walks.
• Anthony Bemboom hit .400 last weekend, including a perfect 3-3 day in the rubber match on Sunday at Bradley. Bemboom dropped a sacrifice bunt in the game as well.
• Mike Gerber became the first Bluejay since Darin Ruf in 2008 to hit a grand slam. Gerber drove one 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.
• Brennan Murphy was a perfect 3-3 in stolen bases while in California last week and now sits 6-6 on the season. Chance Ross leads the Bluejays at 9-11 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 to earn spots in the starting rotation. Mattingly put together a 9.0 inning, no-hit effort in the Saturday, April 7 12-inning loss to Indiana State, while Liska picked up his first win as a Bluejay in the 8-0 shutout of Indiana State, April 8. Mark Winkelman leads the staff with 28 appearances on the season, holding a 1-0 record in relief on the mound.
• The Creighton pitching staff finished the MVC opening weekend with a 5.25 ERA, the highest in a single weekend this season.
• Creighton's pitching staff holds a 2.32 ERA at home this season, led by Chase Webb's flawless 0.00 ERA at home.
• The Bluejay bullpen holds a 1.97 ERA at home this season, with two different players holding flawless relief outings (Chase Webb and Erik Mattingly).
• Chase Webb has thrown 17.0 consecutive innings at home without allowing a single earned run to score. He is 1-0 in 11 appearances at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season.
• Bluejay reliever Mark Winkelman has come into the game five different times at home with runners on base, but has yet to let an inherited runner to score at home (6/0).
• Chase Webb leads the Creighton pitching staff on the season, holding a team-low 1.83 earned run average in 23 appearances, but has just one win this year.
• Ty Blach leads all starters with eight starts on the mound at home this season, but holds a 3.93 ERA, allowing 15 earned runs in his team-high 34.1 innings at home.
• On the season Blach leads the NCAA with 16 games started, seven more starts than any other Bluejay pitcher this season.
• Ty Blach threw his sixth career 8.0 inning game at Bradley, marking the first complete game for the Bluejays this season.
• Kurt Spomer had struggled in the early portions of the season, but has been nearly flawless at home this season. The reliever holds a 0.61 ERA at home, allowing just one earned run in 14.2 innings of work.
• Ty Blach has yet to record a win in Missouri Valley Conference play this season, as does Saturday starter Erik Mattingly.
• 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.
• 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.
A Look at Dallas Baptist (34-15)
One of the top hitting teams in baseball, Dallas Baptist sits at 34-15 on the season, winners of six of their last seven games. The team ranks in the top 20 in many offensive categories including 20th in batting average (.308), 17th in scoring (averaging 7.0 runs per game), 8th in home runs (50) and 5th in slugging percentage (.477)
The Patriots are led offensively by Austin Elkins and Boomer Collins, who are hitting .375 and .374, respectively, helping the team to its overall average. Collins leads the team with 19 doubles and 12 home runs, while Joel Hutter (.342) has driven in 54 runs this season.
On the mound, the Patriots are led by three starting pitchers that average a 3.44 ERA, but the staff is highlighted by a pair of closers. Michael Smith has a 2.84 ERA in 50.2 innings, with a 2-1 record and six saves while Stuart Pudenz is 5-1 with five saves and a team-low 1.50 ERA in 30.0 innings of work.
Dallas Baptist's defense also ranks among the top in the country, sitting 10th in the country with 50 double plays and holds a .970 fielding percentage.
Meet the Coaches
Creighton: Ed Servais (9th Season): Ed Servais is in 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 Bluejays 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 317-188 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.
Head Coach Dan Heefner (8th Season): Heefner is entering his eighth season with the Dallas Baptist Baseball Team and fifth season as the Patriots' Head Coach. In 2008, the Patriots earned their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance by receiving a #2 seed in the College Station Regional after finishing the regular season with the 29th best RPI in the nation. Heefner earned the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Midwest Region Coach of the Year Award and was also named the Independent Coach of the Year in 2008. He also received the Independent Coach of the Year in 2009
In 2011, Heefner guided the Patriots to even more national recognition as they won the NCAA Fort Worth Regional after again qualifying as an Independent. Heefner was again named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as his team competed in the Santa Clara Super Regional against the University of California-Berkley.
Prior to coming to Dallas Baptist, Heefner was an assistant coach at Creighton University and the University of Northern Iowa. While at Creighton, as part of Ed Servais' first coaching staff, Heefner was the hitting and catching coach. Under his guidance in 2004, the Bluejay hitters saw an improvement in nearly every statistical category from the 2003 season, including a 24-point increase in batting average. Defensively, the Bluejay catchers contributed to Creighton's nation leading .982 fielding percentage, which at the time was the second best in NCAA history.
While working with the hitters at University of Northern Iowa, his 2003 team led the Missouri Valley Conference in 10 offensive categories in conference play. His 2002 squad also had the highest batting average of any team in conference play.
As a player, Heefner was named an All-American in his junior and senior seasons at Olivet Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Kankakee, Illinois. He led the nation in both homeruns (22) and RBIs (102) in 2000. Prior to transferring to Olivet Nazarene University, Heefner played two years at the University of Northern Iowa.
The Series vs. The Patriots
Creighton and Dallas Baptist are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with each team holding a pair of wins for a 2-2 series. The last meeting between the two teams was a 14-8 Bluejay win in 1983.
Year Winner Score
1979 Dallas Baptist 9-6 (8)
1979 Creighton 13-7
1983 Dallas Baptist 6-5
1983 Creighton 14-8
Common opponents
Creighton and Dallas Baptist have seven common opponents on their schedules this season, six of which are Missouri Valley Conference foes. While Creighton sits 5-12 in conference play, Dallas Baptist is 10-5 against the Valley opponents this season. Below are the common opponents and three-game scores:
La Tech (L, 1-2; W, 7-3; W, 11-3)
Missouri State (W, 6-5; L, 4-8; W, 10-6)
Southern Illinois (W, 11-8; W, 12-8; W, 11-6)
Indiana State (W, 15-2; L, 3-6; L, 5-7)
Wichita State (L, 3-13; L, 7-8; W, 4-1)
Evansville (W, 10-4; W, 14-1; W, 5-2)
Will still play Bradley May 16-18
We Could See Them Again
The Valley and Dallas Baptist made a baseball-only agreement this season, allowing Dallas Baptist to play a series at seven of the eight MVC schools (not ILS). Depending on how things went, the MVC planned to vote on adding DBU as an affiliate member. Prior to the vote, however, the Patriots joined the WAC.
Since that time, four schools have left the WAC, leaving DBU with a decision coming up. Creighton could face the Patriots in a three-game series every season.
At Home this Season
• Jays are 16-1 all-time a TDAPO when scoring 4 runs or more, and 13-0 at TDAPO when scoring 5 runs or more.
• Creighton has won 22 straight home games when scoring 5 runs or more.
• Creighton is 11-1 all-time at TDAPO when scoring in the 1st inning.
• Creighton is 7-0 all-time at TDAPO when it owns 11 or more hits.
• Creighton has won 35 straight home games when scoring 8 or more runs.
• Chase Webb has not allowed an earned run at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in his last 13 appearances, allowing just 11 hits in those 20.2 innings.
Its Coming Together
Creighton has put together its longest win streak of the 2012 season, string together a pair of wins to close otu the series at Bradley last week and winning the midweek games over Nebraska (8-1) and Nebraska Omaha (6-1). The Jays previously had two three-game win streaks, one the opening weekend of the season at Central Arkansas and then March 11-14 in wins over Pacific, BYU and La. Tech.
On This Win-Streak…
• Creighton is 4-0, marking the longest win streak of the season for the Jays.
• Five different Bluejay pitchers have a 0.00 ERA, with Shane Liska (6.0 innings), Chase Webb (5.0 innings), Brandon Koenigstein (2.0 innings), Ty Blach (1.0 innings) and Andrew Urban (1.0 innings) all helping the team to a 1.75 overall ERA.
• Reese McGraw has a 2-0 record, striking out four in 5.2 innings of work.
• The Jays are hitting .292 collectively, led by Scott Thornburg, Mike Gerber and Anthony Bemboom who are hitting .500, .462, and .412, respectively.
• Eight different Bluejays have started and played in all four games, with Brennan Murphy and Jordan Makovicka splitting time in the final position.
• Creighton is outscoring opponents 25-8 in the last four wins, outhitting opponents by nearly 100 points (.292 to .197).
Five Centuries
Bluejay head coach Ed Servais surpassed another coaching milestone this season, picking up his 500th career win in the 8-1 win over Nebraska on May 8. The skipper eclipsed his 300th win at Creighton in the 2012 season opener, and is the winningest head coach in Creighton baseball history.
Pretty Good Ball
Creighton dropped a 12-3 loss at Wichita State last year going into the mid-week May game with Nebraska, marking just the first time since 2001 they lost going into the May game, when they lost 10-4 against Missouri State. Creighton has won every other game under Ed Servais leading into the May game, and are 3-4 against the Huskers in May under Servais (the 2009 game got rained out).
Offensive leader
Senior catcher Anthony Bemboom led the Bluejays offensively last week at Bradley, helping propel the Jays to their first Valley series win of the 2012 season. Bemboom hit .400 on the week, leading the team with four hits, including a 3-3 day in the 4-2 win on Sunday. Bemboom had a team high .455 on base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage in the three games last week.
Weekend Warrior
Reese McGraw pitched flawless innings on the mound last week, picking up a pair of wins in his two appearances at Bradley. McGraw finished the weekend with 3.2 innings of no-hit baseball, striking out two batters and not issuing a free pass all weekend (no walks or hit batters). He lowered his ERA to 2.80 over the weekend, and now is the team-leader in wins (4) and saves (4).
Dodged that Bullet
Creighton won the final two games of the series at Bradley, giving the Jays their first MVC series win of the season. It also gave Creighton a pair of Valley wins on the road, their first two of the season. You have to go back to 1984 to find the last time the Jays failed to win a single Valley game on the road.
Until the Fat Lady Sings
Creighton has five conference wins this season, four of which have come in the final at-bat for the Bluejays. Creighton defeated Evansville 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning at home, while also winning 6-5 over Illinois State in the bottom of the 15th inning. The Jays put up four runs in the ninth on Saturday for a 7-4 win and two in the ninth on Sunday for a 4-2 win, both against Bradley.
Runs, Runs, Runs
The Jays outscored Bradley 12-9 on the weekend, putting up a series-high seven runs in the Saturday win. It marks the most runs in a three-game series by the Bluejays since March 17, when Creighton took two-of-three from North Dakota and scored a combined 29 runs.
McGroovy
Bluejay reliever Reese McGraw picked up a pair of wins last weekend against Bradley and now has a team-leading four wins and four saves. He hadn't allowed an earned run in the 10.0 innings he pitched between the April 24 and May 8 games, both against Nebraska.
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Creighton finished the month of April 4-10, holding a combined .213 batting average. The lone Bluejay hitting better than .300 during the month of April was Chance Ross, (.302).
In comparison, the Bluejays went 13-5 in April of 2011, hitting .272 as a team. Trever Adams (.452), Alex Staehely (.323) and Mike Gerber (.320) led the Bluejays through the month. Creighton went on to hit .255 and finish May 14-4 with both an MVC regular season and tournament title.
Spider Webb
Chase Webb has continued his scoreless streak on the mound, using a pair of midweek appearances to improve to 8.1 innings. Webb has made 14 appearances in non-conference play, tossing 20.2 innings and surrendering just six earned runs for a 2.61 ERA. He has 21 strikeouts in his appearances.
He had put together 17.0 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball from March 6 - April 15 before surrendering a single earned run at Southern Illinois (4/21).
Webb is the lone Bluejay pitcher who has not allowed a single earned run at home this season. In 17.0 innings of work at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha this season, Webb is holding batters to .155 average.
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 83 runners on base this season, allowing just 24 of them to score. The Bluejays allowed just one of nine inherited runners to score last weekend, led by Chance Ross' flawless 0-5 in inherited runners scoring over the weekend at Bradley.
Below is the list of bullpen pitchers and their inherited runners scored.
Player Inherited Scored
Brandon Koenigstein 3 1
Shane Liska 7 1
Erik Mattingly 2 0
Reese McGraw 8 2
Nick Musec 5 0
Kurt Spomer 12 4
Chase Webb 24 5
Mark Winkelman 19 8
Not Just Another Number
The Bluejays came from behind against Illinois State to win 6-5 in 15-innings last weekend. It marked the first time this season Creighton has won a game when trailing after the eighth inning, with Creighton accomplishing the same feat at Bradley (5/5). In fact, the last time Creighton did that was on April 3, 2011, when the Jays were down 3-2 to Portland and put up a pair of runs in the ninth to win.
Under Ed Servais, Creighton is just 8-130 when trailing after the eighth inning, and hold a 239-10 mark when leading after the eighth inning.
He Does it All
Erik Mattingly made his first start as a position player against Illinois State (4/28) since starting in the outfield on March 27 against Nebraska-Omaha. He has made five starts on the mound and one as designated hitter during the last month.
In the First
Creighton scored three runs in the first inning of game one against Illinois State (April 28), marking the seventh time at home this season they have put up at least a single run in the first. The three runs are the second most, however, as they scored five runs in the first against North Dakota on March 17.
Chance Ross' solo home run against Bradley gave Creighton the lead after the first in the 7-4 Saturday win (5/5/12).
The Bluejays also put up runs in the first inning against Nebraska and Nebraska Omaha, pushing across three in the May 8 game vs. the Huskers and one against Nebraska Omaha on May 9.
One for the Nice Guy
Ty Blach remains without a win in conference play this season, as he picked up the loss in his 8.0 innings of work last weekend against Bradley, marking the first complete game for the Bluejays this season.
Blach finished the 2011 season with a 4-1 mark in The Valley.
An Unlikely Hero
Michael Blatchford was called upon in the bottom of the 15th inning against Illinois State last weekend, picking up a one-out single that started the rally to win the game 6-5 for Creighton. It marked Blatchford's first appearance since March 4, when he injured his knee sliding into second at UC Davis.
Creighton skipper Ed Servais then turned to Sunday starter Shane Liska as a pinch runner, and the Xavier transfer crossed the plate with the game-winning run on Chance Ross' single to center.
Using the Staff Well
All three of Creighton's weekend starters made appearances in game one against Illinois State on April 28. Ty Blach started on the mound, Eric Mattingly started in right field, and Shane Liska made a pinch-running appearance in the 15th inning.
The Bluejays used 21 different players in game one: five pitchers, five pinch hitters, a pinch runner all in addition to the starting lineup.
Double Duty
Creighton has now played in three doubleheaders this season, and has swept one (vs. North Dakota), been swept in one (Southern Illinois) and split the two games against Illinois State.
Hits, Hits, Hits
Creighton has struggled offensively this season, holding a combined .235 average with not one single player hitting over .300 heading into the weekend.
Eight is Great
Ty Blach threw 8.0 complete innings of work in the game on Friday at Bradley, allowing three runs, but not walking a single batter. It marks the sixth time in his career the junior has gone for 8.0 innings, although he did it just once last season. The six outings, including hits surrendered and strikeouts, are listed below:
Date Opponent K Hits
5/4/12 at Bradley 3 6
2/24/12 at 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
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 134 walks issued this season. The Bluejays sit in the middle of the Valley in hit-batters, plunking 40.
The pitching staff combined to allow just two walks in the wins over Nebraska (5/8) and Nebraska Omaha (5/9).
Creighton's combined season high for walks in a single game came against Illinois State, 4/28, when they walked eight batters.
What a Relief
Bluejay relievers Reese McGraw, Chase Webb and Kurt Spomer each put up scoreless innings to close out the 15-inning win over Illinois State last weekend. McGraw started things off with 2.2 innings on the mound, allowing just two hits while striking out two. Webb followed with 2.0 innings, also surrendering a pair of hits but not allowing any of the 11 batters faced to score.
Spomer picked up his first Valley win of the season, closing out the game with 3.0 flawless innings on the mound. The senior struck out one batter and did not surrender a single hit in his 22nd outing of the season.
The trio combined to throw 7.2 innings of three-hit baseball at Bradley.
A Different Sort of Record
Creighton's struggling offense this season marks the lowest combined batting average under head coach Ed Servais. The team, which is hitting .235 this season, is nearly 40 points under the previous low, set in 2011 when the Jays hit .267, but finished 45-16 overall on the season.
The all-time lowest team batting average came in 1971 when the team collectively hit .229.
Inning by Inning
• The Bluejays are 17-0 when leading after five innings, but are 3-19 when trailing after the fifth inning.
• Creighton is 2-6 on the season when scoring three runs, but flips that around and is 6-4 when allowing opponents to score exactly three runs.
• The Bluejays have scored their most runs in the first inning, pushing across 33 in the frame. The Jays have now scored 11 runs in the ninth inning, thanks to two the first time they played Nebraska (4/10) and four in the comeback win at Bradley (5/5).
• On the contrary, Creighton is surrendering the most runs in the fifth inning, allowing 29 in the frame. They are not surrendering single-digits to opponents in any frame.
If You Build It...
Creighton hosted Nebraska on Tuesday, playing in front of the largest home crowd this season of 12,184 fans. That marked the second largest crowd of the season in the NCAA, and third in Creighton history at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
The number was bigger than four Major League Baseball attendances from May 8, ousting Chicago (AL) at Cleveland (11,304), Texas at Baltimore (11,263), Toronto at Oakland (10,784) and Washington at Pittsburgh (10,323).
The Bluejays are averaging 3,611 fans at home this season, which sits 12th in the nation this week. Wichita State is the only other team in the Valley in the top-25, averaging 2,968 fans to Eck Stadium in each contest, which is good for 19th in the nation.
Double Dingers
Jake Peter's first career home run against SIU on Sunday was the second of the game for the Bluejays, who have now hit at least two home runs in two different games this season.
In a Pinch
While Creighton has struggled overall in pinch hit situations, Brad McKewon's two-RBI single in the sixth inning on Sunday, April 22 helped keep Creighton in the series finale game at Southern Illinois.
Michael Blatchford then became the hero in the win on April 28 over Illinois State, ripping a single to left field and hobbling down the first base line.
The Jays are just 4-of-36 in pinch hit situations this season, a .111 average. Blatchford and McKewon join Gabriel Thibodeaux and Petr Zyma on that list.
No 6-4-3
The Creighton defense has been among the nations leaders in double plays per game in the past, and had turned 33 double plays going into the weekend at Southern Illinois. It marked the first weekend this season that Creighton did not turn a single double play against their opponent, while the Jays hit into just one.
Smallish Ball
The Bluejays hit a pair of home runs at Southern Illinois on Sunday (a two run shot from Mike Gerber and a career-first from Jake Peter), marking just the second time this season the Jays have hit multiple home runs in a single game (also against North Dakota on March 17 - hit five).
Creighton has 13 home runs all season, although six came in the doubleheader vs. North Dakota on March 17.
The Bluejays have just one home run in the 12 games played at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Alex Staehely, March 31 vs. Evansville)
Top and Bottom
The Creighton pitching staff has continued to get stronger as the season has progressed. After putting up a season high 5.19 ERA over the weekend at UC Davis (March 2-4), the Bluejay staff has significantly improved, sitting third in the MVC with a 3.38 overall earned run average. Creighton's best weekend series came against Indiana State, when the Bluejays held the high-powered Sycamore offense to just six earned runs on the weekend, and a 1.80 ERA.
Ger-Bashing
Bluejay center fielder Mike Gerber started off the season slow, but has turned things up in the last couple of weeks. Since the start of the Indiana State series (April 6), Gerber is leading the team with a .300 average, .467 slugging percentage and .386 on-base percentage. He has three doubles, two triples and a home run, while sitting second with eight walks in that time frame.
Gerber hit a two-run home run in the second inning of game three at Southern Illinois over the weekend, finishing the day 1-2 with two runs scored and two runs driven in. He also walked a pair of times on the afternoon.
Uncharacteristic Errors
The Bluejay defense had an uncharacteristic week in the infield, committing six combined errors in their three games from April 9-15 (including three the last game against Nebraska). That accounted for over 20-percent of the Bluejays 28 total errors this season.
A Little Run Support
Senior Erik Mattingly has been moved into the starting rotation on the mound, sitting second among Bluejay starters with a 3.05 ERA in 13 appearances, eight starts. But the right hander sits at 1-3 overall this season, partially because of a lack of run support by the Bluejay offense. In his 45.2 innings of work this season, Creighton has scored just nine runs while he is on the mound.
That number includes his 12.0 consecutive no-hit innings, without a single run from the Bluejay offense.
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 first nine-inning no-hitter in Creighton baseball history.
Mattingly was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, as well as picking up MVC Pitcher of the Week honors.
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 up slide, improving his overall average to .230. He had reached base safely in 13 straight games, the second longest streak in 2012.
Chance Ross owns the top streak this season, as the senior started off the season reaching base safely in 19 straight games.
Snapped
Bluejay junior shortstop Alex Staehely has played in every game since stepping on campus at Creighton, and until Sunday, April 15, had started every game (144) straight. Staehely was not allowed to start due to coaches decisions following an ejection from the game on Friday night against SDSU.
Petr Zyma was put in the starting lineup for the first time, starting at second base while Jake Peter moved over to shortstop.
Staehely came into the game in the third inning, first as a pinch-hitter and then returning to his position at short.
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 that 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 against Kansas. Peter had four doubles in his first five games, but just one in the next 18 before the April 3 game.
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.
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 Minor Leagues. Seven former Bluejays are still active, with one playing AAA 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 eighth in the nation with a .979 fielding percentage, which is good for the lead in the conference.
Year Fielding % Place
2012 .979 8th
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
Check Him Out
• 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 11 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 9:3 walk to strikeout ratio this season, giving up six 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.
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.
Three different players have now seen time in the leadoff spot, with Jordan Makovicka joining both Ross and McKewon in the order.
Free Baseball
The Bluejays have already been a part of five 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 22 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 last time a Creighton team dropped five straight games prior to 2012 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
Putting up a Donut
Erik Mattingly has made 13 appearances on the mound in different games this season, holding a 2.76 earned run average. The senior, who also sees playing time in the outfield and as the designated hitter, has made scoreless appearances six of the 13 outings this season, allowing 17 earned runs on 35 hits this season.
* Mattingly went a career-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.
* He then extended that streak at the opening of the South Dakota State game, finishing with 12.0 consecutive no-hit innings.
* Mattingly is holding his opponents to a .200 batting average against when at home this season, allowing just six earned runs in 29.2 innings of work.
Happy on the Home Mound
The Bluejay pitching staff has had its struggles early this season, but turned things around immensely 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 2.32 ERA at home, holding opponents to a .227 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 home stand, 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 center fielder had seven home runs last season in his rookie campaign and already has two this 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 home stand.
* 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) at that point 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.
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 Berkeley, 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 Pepsi/Johnny 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 both weekend series, but falling in the two midweek games at California and Sacramento State.
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 first 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 37 games, and has done a good job at getting himself on base. The senior third baseman is second on the team with 22 walks on the season and reached with a hit by pitch 11 times. He holds a .395 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.
Big Dog
Ed Servais became the winningest coach in program history last season, surpassing both Jim Hendry and Jack Dahm to post a 319-188 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 continued his success at the start of this season.
Judkins finished the opening 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 first 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 base hit 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.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
Friday, October 30
Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
Friday, October 30
CREIGHTON BASEBALL
Thursday, October 15
Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
