Creighton Battles #18 Nebraska on NET
3/30/2015 4:01:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - The Creighton Baseball team will face its biggest test of the 2015 season when the Bluejays head to Lincoln to face #18 Nebraska on Tuesday, March 31. The game will be broadcast on NET at 6:30 pm.
Creighton at #18 Nebraska
March 31 @ 6:30 pm
Live Stats: http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
TV: NET-2
Webstream ($): http://www.btn2go.com
Nebraska vs. Creighton Series
Less than an hour apart, Creighton and Nebraska are fmiliar foes on the baseball field.
Nebraska holds an 84-42-2 series edge on the Bluejays. The Huskers have already secured the 2014 series by taking the first two meetings.
When playing in Omaha, the Huskers hold a 48-15-1 edge over the Bluejays. While in Lincoln Nebraska's edge is 36-27-1. Coach Servais is 12-21 versus Nebraska in his career.
Nebraska took both meetings between the two squads last season, 5-4 in ten innings on March 18 and also claimed a 4-2 decision on April 8 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha.
About Nebraska
- Located in Lincoln, Nebraska
- Nebraska has an enrollment of 24,610.
- Known as the Huskers or Cornhuskers.
- Nebraska finished 2014 with an
- 41-21 record and an 18-6 mark in the Big Ten.
- The Huskers reached the NCAA Regionals last season.
- Nebraska was picked to finish second in the Big Ten preseason poll, behind only Maryland.
Nebraska Head Coach: Darin Erstad
- Played professsional baseball from 1995-2009.
- A two-time Major League All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Erstad spent the 2011 season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Husker program.
- No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
- Played both baseball and football for Nebraska.
Scouting #18 Nebraska (2015: 21-7, 3-0 Big Ten)
Nebraska is more than just a little hot entering Tuesday's contest with the Bluejays. The Huskers are coming off a three-game sweep of #16 Texas and have won 14 of their last 15.
Nebraska's hot stretch began when its current 16 game home streak.
The Huskers only home loss of 2015 came on Wednesday, March 25 to Cal State Fullerton, 4-3.
Pitching has been the key to the Huskers success, Nebraska boasts a team ERA of 2.36 on the season. Tuesday's starter, Garrett King, draws his fourth start of 2015. King has a 2.37 ERA and a 2-0 record in 19.0 innings.
Offensively the Huskers have a .278 team average, led by four players (Ben Miller, Ryan Boldt, Blake Headley and Jake Schleppenbach) over .300
Look for Nebraska to put pressure on Creighton with its team speed. Although the Huskers have just 22 stolen bases in 35 attempts, Nebraska will try to take the extra base at every opportunity.
Scouting the Bluejays (2015: 15-7, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Creighton also comes into Tuesday's contest riding high as the Bluejays have won seven straight and and ten of its last 11.
During Creighton's hot stretch, the pitching staff has taken control with a team ERA of 2.42. The opposition also has been held to a batting average of just .204 during the last 11 contests.
Offensively the Bluejays have also picked things up, hitting .317 over the last 11 and .269 on the season.
Junior Reagan Fowler leads the Bluejays with a .370 average (.459 over the last 11), but four other Bluejays (Harrison Crawford, Brett Murray, Daniel Woodrow and Ryan Fitzgerald) have pushed their season mark over .300.
The Road Ahead
While the midweek battles with Nebraska are always a highlight for the Bluejays, Creighton must remember that BIG EAST conference play begins on Thursday. Following the game with the Huskers, Creighton will fly to the nation's capital for a three-game set with Georgetown.
A Look Back
The Bluejays swept the weekend series from Stetson in convincing fashion on Sunday with a 15-5 win. Creighton collected a season-high 19 hits. The 15 runs scored was equally a season-high.
Seventh Heaven
Creighton's current seven-game winning streak is the Bluejays longest win streak since Creighton won seven straight in 2011 (February 25 - March 6).
The last time Creighton won eight straight was in 2007 as the Bluejays posted a 10-game as well as an 11-game win streak that season.
Last Win at Ranked Opponent
Creighton's battle with Nebraska on Tuesday gives the Bluejays a chance to post a win over a ranked opponent as the Huskers enter the game at #18 in D1baseball.com poll.
Creighton's last win over a ranked opponent also came on the road, a 7-4 victory at #25 Kansas State on March 16, 2010.
Since that win the Bluejays have dropped one game at #13 Oregon State in 2011, two at #2 UCLA in 2012 and one to #25 UNLV last
season.
Servais vs. Ranked Opponents
Since taking over the helm for the Bluejays in 2004, head coach Ed Servais has a 17-29 record against ranked teams. He has played Nebraska 13 times when the Huskers have been ranked, posting a 3-10 mark. Creighton's last win over a ranked Nebraska team came on May 10, 2005 as the Bluejays defeated #3 Nebraska, 5-3.
Fowler Claims BIG EAST Player of the Week
Junior Reagan Fowler was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday, March 30 as he led the Creighton Baseball team to a 4-0 mark last week.
Fowler had seven RBI on seven hits as the junior returned to the full time line up after suffering back spasms earlier in the week. Fowler aided Creighton to an undefeated week against Air Force and Stetson, outscoring opponents 28-15.
