Baseball Opens BIG EAST Baseball Championship Against Seton Hall
5/19/2015 10:47:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - The Creighton Baseball team opens the BIG EAST Baseball Championships on Thursday, May 21 as the No. 2 seed against No. 3 Seton Hall at 7:00 pm.
Media Coverage
Webstream: (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)
BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN)
http://foxsportsgo.com
Audio:
Thursday: 1620 AM - http://v6.player.abacast.net/2758
Stats: http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Thursday ERA W-L App GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO
SHU - Shane McCarthy (RHP) 1.96 2-2 11 9 2 2 59.2 49 18 13 7 27
CU - Matt Warren (RHP) 2.98 5-2 12 12 0 0 54.1 47 23 18 9 31
About Seton Hall
Seton Hall Head Coach: Rob Sheppard
Creighton vs. Seton Hall Series:
The Bluejays and Pirates met for the first time last season, but the rivaly is certainly a budding one. Creighton leads the series, 5-2, taking the final three matchups in 2014 and two of three this season.
After dropping an 8-2 game in the first game of three game set last year, the Bluejays topped the Pirates in back-to-back 10-inning contests in Omaha. Creighton also posted a one-run decision, 2-1, in the lone meeting of the two squads in the BIG EAST Baseball Championships.
The pattern of 2014 continued this season as Creighton dropped the first matchup in New Jersey only to take the final two. The two squads will open the BIG EAST Baseball Championships against one another on Thursday.
2014:
May 2 vs. Seton Hall L, 2-8
May 3 vs. Seton Hall W, 4-3 (10)
May 4 vs. Seton Hall W, 8-7 (10)
^May 23 vs. Seton Hall W, 2-1
2015:
May 1 at Seton Hall L, 4-5
May 2 vs. Seton Hall W, 10-7
May 3 vs. Seton Hall W, 4-2
About Georgetown
Georgetown Head Coach: Pete Wilk
Creighton vs. Georgetown Series:
The Hoyas and Bluejays have met nine times previously, including three times earlier this year. Creighton owns an 8-1 series edge, but Georgetown earned its victory in the first meeting this season.
1987
March 11 $ vs. Georgetown W 8-3
March 13 $ vs. Georgetown W 14-5
1989
$ vs. Georgetown W 7-5
2014
April 11 vs. Georgetown W 2-0
April 12 vs. Georgetown W 13-4
April 12 vs. Georgetown W 16-5
2015
April 2 at Georgetown L 3-4
April 4 at Georgetown W 4-2 (7)
April 4 at Georgetown W 4-3
$ = Played in Miami, Florida
About St. John's
St. John's Head Coach: Ed Blankmeyer
Creighton vs. St. John's Series:
The top two teams in the BIG EAST conference settled little in their series this season as the two teams split the first two games and saw the rubber contest washed out by rain.
The Bluejays hold a 4-2 series advantage, including taking two from the Red Storm in New York last season.
Prior to last season the two teams met in 1991, a 15-8 win for Creighton in a neutral site meeting on March 14 in Fresno, California.
1991
March 14 $ vs. St. John's W 15-8
2014
May 10 at St. John's L 5-6
May 12 at St. John's W 13-11
May 12 at St. John's W 15-5
2015
April 17 vs. St. John's W 6-0
April 18 vs. St. John's L 1-4
$ = Played in Fresno, Calif.
Scouting Seton Hall (24-23, 9-9 BIG EAST)
The Pirates are banking on the famous phrase uttered by Captain Jack Sparrow as Seton Hall waited for the opportune moment to win its first BIG EAST series of the season. The Pirates first series win, last weekend against Georgetown secured a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Seton Hall is more than capable of using the
series win over the Hoyas as a catapult to a deep run in the BIG EAST Tournament or even to the NCAA Tournament.
Like the Bluejays, Seton Hall has started to get healthy at the right time. D.J. Ruhlman returned from an appendectomy in under two weeks to help the Pirates take two last weekend and Shane McCarthy also returned to the rotation to lead his squad to a win on Thursday.
The Pirates are a team built to win at spacious TD Ameritrade Park Omaha as Seton Hall is loaded with speed. The Pirates have 86 stolen bases as a unit, including 25 by Derek Jenkins.
On the mound McCarthy is the projected starter on Thursday. The freshman leads Seton Hall wiht a 1.96 ERA in nine starts. He has given up just seven walks in 59.2 innings, but also has just 27 strikeouts.
Scouting St. John's (36-14, 14-3 BIG EAST)
The Red Storm are without question the hottest team coming to Omaha, riding a 12-game wining streak. St. John's, however, also comes into the BIG EAST Baseball Championships with a bit of pressure.
Despite the nice record, St. John's has yet to find a consistent third starter. The Red Storm, however, have a very dependable bullpen. As a team St. John's has a 3.89 ERA, led by Thomas Hackimer with 15 saves and a 1.38 ERA at the back end.
At the dish, St. John's is hitting .289 as a team.
Scouting Georgetown (25-26, 8-10 BIG EAST)
Making its first appearance in the BIG EAST Baseball Championships since 1986, Georgetown is certainly happy to be in Omaha. However, don't make the mistake that the Hoyas are an easy mark.
Georgetown rolls into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with the 2015 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Nick Collins (.369 average and 22 extra-base hits). Supporting Collins, A.C. Carter leads the Hoyas with 17 doubles this season and is just a step behind Collins at .322 for the season.
Georgetown is equally dangerous on the mound as closer David Ellingson sports a 0.77 ERA with nine saves in 24 appearances.
Scouting Creighton (30-17, 13-4 BIG EAST)
Like St. John's, the host Bluejays enter the weekend with a little pressure as Creighton has the home field advantage at the BIG EAST Baseball Championships.
Creighton enters the BIG EAST Baseball Championships on a roll, sweeping Villanova to end the Wildcats chances to stay in Omaha for the tournament this weekend.
The Bluejays have started to get a few bats going, including junior Ryan Fitzgerald. The Illinois native reached new highs, hitting for a the first cycle in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history on Thursday.
Creighton's pitching staff is also rounding into shape as Max Ising, Mark Lukowski and Jack Rogalla all enter the weekend healthy.
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Knows How to Settle Things
In addition to being the home of the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha is hosting its third different conference championship in five years.
Creighton hosted (and won) the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, fighting through the losers bracket by winning four straight elimination games en route to a 3-1 title game win over Wichita State in front of 6,939 fans.
Last season, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosted the Big Ten Tournament at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Cornhuskers won their first three games before falling 8-4 to Indiana in the title game in front of 19,965 fans, the largest conference tournament title game crowd in NCAA history.
Servais in Conference Tournaments
Creighton is 9-2 under Ed Servais in the opening game of conference tournament play, and 27-16 overall in tourney action under Servais. That includes six trips to the championship game in 11 appearances.
How Important is Thursday?
In the last 19 years, the only team to lose the first game of the BIG EAST Baseball Championship and end up winning the tournament was last year's Xavier club.
It was also been done in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995.
Fitzgerald Liked the Cycle So Much He Started Again
Not only did junior Ryan Fitzgerald become the first player in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (TDAPO)
history to hit for the cycle on Thursday, May 14, he did it with some style.
Fitzgerald completed the cycle in his first four at-bats, collecting the triple in the first, smacked a double in the third, looped a single to left in the fifth and homered to left-center in the sixth. Ryan didn't stop there, collecting another double in his at-bat in the eighth inning.
Fitzgerald also set the TDAPO record for total bases with 12.
A Cycle by Any Other Name
One of the more ironic things about the cycle from Ryan Fitzgerald on May 14, 2015 is the last Bluejay to hit for the cyle was also by a player named Ryan Fitzgerald, coming on April 1, 2003 at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Servais Reaches Another Milestone with Win Number 600
Head coach Ed Servais reached his second personal milestone of 2015 on Friday, May 15, collecting his 600th career win. Earliers this season, Servais posted his 400th win as the leader of the Bluejays on Sunday, March 22.
No. 3 Seton Hall at No. 2 Creighton
May 21 @ 7:00 pm
Creighton Leads Series 5-2
Media Coverage
Webstream: (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)
BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN)
http://foxsportsgo.com
Audio:
Thursday: 1620 AM - http://v6.player.abacast.net/2758
Stats: http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Thursday ERA W-L App GS CG SHO IP H R ER BB SO
SHU - Shane McCarthy (RHP) 1.96 2-2 11 9 2 2 59.2 49 18 13 7 27
CU - Matt Warren (RHP) 2.98 5-2 12 12 0 0 54.1 47 23 18 9 31
About Seton Hall
- Located in South Orange, N.J.
- Seton Hall has an enrollment of 9,700.
- Known as the Pirates.
- Seton Hall finished 2014 with an 39-15 record and an 11-7 mark in the BIG EAST.
- Seton Hall was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, behind St. John's and Creighton.
Seton Hall Head Coach: Rob Sheppard
- A Seton Hall graduate in 1992, Sheppard was named Seton Hall's 17th head coach in 2004.
- He took over the Pirates from his father, Mike Sheppard, who remains a head coach emeritus.
- Rob was an assistant coach for the Pirates for seven seasons as well as the associate head coach for two years.
- He led the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
- Sheppard also led Seton Hall to the NCAA Tournament as the Pirates interim head coach in 2001 as his father recovered from triple bypass heart surgery.
Creighton vs. Seton Hall Series:
The Bluejays and Pirates met for the first time last season, but the rivaly is certainly a budding one. Creighton leads the series, 5-2, taking the final three matchups in 2014 and two of three this season.
After dropping an 8-2 game in the first game of three game set last year, the Bluejays topped the Pirates in back-to-back 10-inning contests in Omaha. Creighton also posted a one-run decision, 2-1, in the lone meeting of the two squads in the BIG EAST Baseball Championships.
The pattern of 2014 continued this season as Creighton dropped the first matchup in New Jersey only to take the final two. The two squads will open the BIG EAST Baseball Championships against one another on Thursday.
2014:
May 2 vs. Seton Hall L, 2-8
May 3 vs. Seton Hall W, 4-3 (10)
May 4 vs. Seton Hall W, 8-7 (10)
^May 23 vs. Seton Hall W, 2-1
2015:
May 1 at Seton Hall L, 4-5
May 2 vs. Seton Hall W, 10-7
May 3 vs. Seton Hall W, 4-2
About Georgetown
- Located in Washington, D.C.
- Georgetown has an enrollment of 7,636.
- Known as the Hoyas.
- Georgetown finished 2014 with an 19-29 record and an 5-13 mark in the BIG EAST.
- The Hoyas were picked to finish seventh in the preseason BIG EAST poll.
Georgetown Head Coach: Pete Wilk
- In his 16th season at the helm for the Hoyas, Wilk has Georgetown back into the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 1986.
Creighton vs. Georgetown Series:
The Hoyas and Bluejays have met nine times previously, including three times earlier this year. Creighton owns an 8-1 series edge, but Georgetown earned its victory in the first meeting this season.
1987
March 11 $ vs. Georgetown W 8-3
March 13 $ vs. Georgetown W 14-5
1989
$ vs. Georgetown W 7-5
2014
April 11 vs. Georgetown W 2-0
April 12 vs. Georgetown W 13-4
April 12 vs. Georgetown W 16-5
2015
April 2 at Georgetown L 3-4
April 4 at Georgetown W 4-2 (7)
April 4 at Georgetown W 4-3
$ = Played in Miami, Florida
About St. John's
- Located in Queens, New York
- St. John's has an enrollment of 21,067.
- Known as the Red Storm.
- St. John's finished 2014 with an 35-20 record and an 13-5 mark in the BIG EAST.
- The Red Storm were picked to win the BIG EAST this season.
St. John's Head Coach: Ed Blankmeyer
- In his 20th season at the helm for the Red Storm, Blankmeyer surpassed 650 wins this season.
- A five-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Blankmeyer Blankmeyer has guided the Red Storm to three BIG EAST Tournament crowns and four BIG EAST regular season titles.
- He has guided St. John's to the NCAA Tournament eight times, including one NCAA Super Regional appearance.
Creighton vs. St. John's Series:
The top two teams in the BIG EAST conference settled little in their series this season as the two teams split the first two games and saw the rubber contest washed out by rain.
The Bluejays hold a 4-2 series advantage, including taking two from the Red Storm in New York last season.
Prior to last season the two teams met in 1991, a 15-8 win for Creighton in a neutral site meeting on March 14 in Fresno, California.
1991
March 14 $ vs. St. John's W 15-8
2014
May 10 at St. John's L 5-6
May 12 at St. John's W 13-11
May 12 at St. John's W 15-5
2015
April 17 vs. St. John's W 6-0
April 18 vs. St. John's L 1-4
$ = Played in Fresno, Calif.
Scouting Seton Hall (24-23, 9-9 BIG EAST)
The Pirates are banking on the famous phrase uttered by Captain Jack Sparrow as Seton Hall waited for the opportune moment to win its first BIG EAST series of the season. The Pirates first series win, last weekend against Georgetown secured a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Seton Hall is more than capable of using the
series win over the Hoyas as a catapult to a deep run in the BIG EAST Tournament or even to the NCAA Tournament.
Like the Bluejays, Seton Hall has started to get healthy at the right time. D.J. Ruhlman returned from an appendectomy in under two weeks to help the Pirates take two last weekend and Shane McCarthy also returned to the rotation to lead his squad to a win on Thursday.
The Pirates are a team built to win at spacious TD Ameritrade Park Omaha as Seton Hall is loaded with speed. The Pirates have 86 stolen bases as a unit, including 25 by Derek Jenkins.
On the mound McCarthy is the projected starter on Thursday. The freshman leads Seton Hall wiht a 1.96 ERA in nine starts. He has given up just seven walks in 59.2 innings, but also has just 27 strikeouts.
Scouting St. John's (36-14, 14-3 BIG EAST)
The Red Storm are without question the hottest team coming to Omaha, riding a 12-game wining streak. St. John's, however, also comes into the BIG EAST Baseball Championships with a bit of pressure.
Despite the nice record, St. John's has yet to find a consistent third starter. The Red Storm, however, have a very dependable bullpen. As a team St. John's has a 3.89 ERA, led by Thomas Hackimer with 15 saves and a 1.38 ERA at the back end.
At the dish, St. John's is hitting .289 as a team.
Scouting Georgetown (25-26, 8-10 BIG EAST)
Making its first appearance in the BIG EAST Baseball Championships since 1986, Georgetown is certainly happy to be in Omaha. However, don't make the mistake that the Hoyas are an easy mark.
Georgetown rolls into TD Ameritrade Park Omaha with the 2015 BIG EAST Player of the Year, Nick Collins (.369 average and 22 extra-base hits). Supporting Collins, A.C. Carter leads the Hoyas with 17 doubles this season and is just a step behind Collins at .322 for the season.
Georgetown is equally dangerous on the mound as closer David Ellingson sports a 0.77 ERA with nine saves in 24 appearances.
Scouting Creighton (30-17, 13-4 BIG EAST)
Like St. John's, the host Bluejays enter the weekend with a little pressure as Creighton has the home field advantage at the BIG EAST Baseball Championships.
Creighton enters the BIG EAST Baseball Championships on a roll, sweeping Villanova to end the Wildcats chances to stay in Omaha for the tournament this weekend.
The Bluejays have started to get a few bats going, including junior Ryan Fitzgerald. The Illinois native reached new highs, hitting for a the first cycle in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha history on Thursday.
Creighton's pitching staff is also rounding into shape as Max Ising, Mark Lukowski and Jack Rogalla all enter the weekend healthy.
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha Knows How to Settle Things
In addition to being the home of the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha is hosting its third different conference championship in five years.
Creighton hosted (and won) the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, fighting through the losers bracket by winning four straight elimination games en route to a 3-1 title game win over Wichita State in front of 6,939 fans.
Last season, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosted the Big Ten Tournament at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The Cornhuskers won their first three games before falling 8-4 to Indiana in the title game in front of 19,965 fans, the largest conference tournament title game crowd in NCAA history.
Servais in Conference Tournaments
Creighton is 9-2 under Ed Servais in the opening game of conference tournament play, and 27-16 overall in tourney action under Servais. That includes six trips to the championship game in 11 appearances.
How Important is Thursday?
In the last 19 years, the only team to lose the first game of the BIG EAST Baseball Championship and end up winning the tournament was last year's Xavier club.
It was also been done in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995.
Fitzgerald Liked the Cycle So Much He Started Again
Not only did junior Ryan Fitzgerald become the first player in TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (TDAPO)
history to hit for the cycle on Thursday, May 14, he did it with some style.
Fitzgerald completed the cycle in his first four at-bats, collecting the triple in the first, smacked a double in the third, looped a single to left in the fifth and homered to left-center in the sixth. Ryan didn't stop there, collecting another double in his at-bat in the eighth inning.
Fitzgerald also set the TDAPO record for total bases with 12.
A Cycle by Any Other Name
One of the more ironic things about the cycle from Ryan Fitzgerald on May 14, 2015 is the last Bluejay to hit for the cyle was also by a player named Ryan Fitzgerald, coming on April 1, 2003 at Rosenblatt Stadium.
Servais Reaches Another Milestone with Win Number 600
Head coach Ed Servais reached his second personal milestone of 2015 on Friday, May 15, collecting his 600th career win. Earliers this season, Servais posted his 400th win as the leader of the Bluejays on Sunday, March 22.
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
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RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
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Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
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Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
