Friday, May 7
Indianapolis, Ind.
3:00 PM
Creighton University
at
Butler
Photo by: Catherine Grosdidier
Baseball Begins Consecutive Road Trips at Butler This Weekend
5/6/2021 12:10:00 PM | Baseball
Omaha, Neb. -- The Creighton Baseball team begins a pivotal two-week stretch of road games in BIG EAST play this weekend as the Bluejays take on a couple of familiar faces on the Butler squad in Indianapolis.
Butler head coach Dave Schrage graduated from Creighton, while Bulldog outfielder Nic Ortega began his career as a Bluejay.
Download the complete preview (PDF).
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game #1   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Dylan Tebrake (So.-RHP)Â Â Â 2.61Â Â Â 6-0Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 48.1Â Â Â 37Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 49
BU - Nick Eaton (Jr.-LHP)Â Â Â 3.00Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 24.0Â Â Â 21Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 33
Game #2 (7-innings)   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Jonah Smith (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 4.03Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44.2Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 21Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 54
BU - Connor Schultz (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 6.02Â Â Â 2-4Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 43.1Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 51
Game #3 (Game 2 of DH)   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Cade Lommel (Fr.-LHP)Â Â Â 3.58Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 27.2Â Â Â 30Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 28
BU -Jack Myers (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 4.53Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 47.2Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 24Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 39
Game #4   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - TBA
BU - John MacCauley (Jr.-RHP)Â Â Â 6.11Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 28.0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 30
Series with Bulldogs:Â Creighton leads Butler, 12-4
Creighton holds a significant series edge on the Bulldogs since the two teams became BIG EAST foes prior to the 2014 season. One interesting fact of the series is Creighton has not faced Butler at home since 2016. The 2018 series was moved to a neutral site due to weather. Then the 2020 season was washed out by COVID.
Overall the Bluejays are 5-3 against the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, 6-0 at home and 1-1 on a neutral field.
Â
Butler (12-4)
4/25/14   * Butler   W   8-1
4/26/14   * Butler   W   2-1
4/26/14   * Butler   W   4-2
4/24/15   * at Butler    W   5-1
4/26/15   * at Butler   L   1-2
4/26/15   * at Butler   W   1-0
4/15/16   * Butler   W   2-1
4/16/16   * Butler   W   6-4
4/17/16   * Butler   W (10)   4-3
5/18/17   * at Butler   W   3-1
5/19/17   * at Butler   L   1-7
4/7/18   & * vs. Butler   L   4-6
4/8/18   & * vs. Butler   W    3-2
4/12/19   * at Butler   W (10)   8-7
4/13/19   * at Butler   W   7-5
4/13/19   * at Butler   L   0-5
& - Played in Edwardsville, Ill.
* - BIG EAST Regular Season Game
Scouting the Bulldogs (2021: 10-17, 4-7 BIG EAST)
Entering their matchup with Creighton at 4-7 in BIG EAST play, the Bulldogs are struggling. Last weekend their series with Connecticut was canceled, instead facing Northern Kentucky. Butler split the doubleheader, winning the second game.
The Bulldogs are hitting .243 as a team led at the plate by Dan Harwood (.369), AJ Poynter (.323) and Freddie Matos (.295).
The Bulldogs best pitching efforts are led by left-handed junior Nick Eaton, throwing for an ERA of 3.00. Eaton, however, will be making just his second start of the season in the opener with the Bluejays. The surprise of the season may be Connor Schultz, the preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year has a 6.02 ERA over 43.1 innings.
Scouting the Bluejays (2021: 17-9, 9-2 BIG EAST)
Despite battling through some injuries, the Bluejays remained hot by taking three of four from St. John's this weekend. Since opening the season 4-7, Creighton has won 13 of 15 games.
On the mound Creighton has a 3.68 ERA as a team, dropping more than 2.2 since it was 5.81 on March 21.
Dueling aces Dylan Tebrake and Jonah Smith have guided the pitching staff's improvement.
Tebrake and Smith are a combined 8-0 with a pair of complete games over their last 10 starts. The duo have tossed 64.0 of 85.0 innings in those 10 games, notching 70 strikeouts and walking just 16.
At the plate the Bluejays are hitting .278 as a team, led by six regulars over .298. Pacing Creighton are freshman Alan Roden (.354), sophomore Andrew Meggs (.345), freshman Nolan Clifford (.333), senior Ryan Mantle (.318), sophomore Sterling Hayes (.299) and senior Parker Upton (.298).
Upton Earns BIG EAST Player of the Week, Tebrake on Honor Roll
Creighton senior Parker Upton collected his first career Player of the Week honor on Monday, May 3. Upton led Creighton to a 3-1 series win over St. John's last weekend with team-highs in RBI (8), average (.400), stolen bases (2), slugging percentage (.667) and delivered a pivotal outfield assist in the Bluejays' 11-4 win on Sunday. Upton set the tone for the series in his first at-bat, launching a grand slam in the bottom of the first Friday night, helping the Bluejays post a 6-1 win.
Creighton's ace Dylan Tebrake followed up his Pitcher of the Week nod on April 27 with a spot on the Honor Roll. The sophomore right hander moved to 5-0 on the season with 8.1 innings of one-run ball on Friday night. Tebrake finished with a season-high nine strikeouts, walking just one in the victory.
Series Finale with St. John's Contained Fireworks
The finale between the Red Storm and the Bluejays on May 2 brought some unusual excitement. Sparked by three-run third inning to take the lead, Creighton claimed an 11-4 win. A drawn out contest (3:29) added some spice in the eighth inning as St. John's head coach Mike Hampton was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Then two pitches into the top of the ninth the game was ended due to time constraints.
Bluejays Lead Nation in Fielding Percentage
The Bluejays' defensive efforts are garnering national attention, as they lead the NCAA in fielding percentage. Creighton has a mark of .987, holding the 0.002 advantage over second place Notre Dame. The first place standing is even more impressive in conference play, with the closest BIG EAST team clocking in at 89th place.
Since taking over as Creighton's head coach in 2004, Ed Servais' teams continually rank among in the top portion of the NCAA. The Bluejays were the overall top team in 2004, 2009 and 2014 and have been a top-10 team 10 times.
Year   NCAA Rank   Fielding %
2004Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .982
2005Â Â Â 17Â Â Â .972
2006Â Â Â 87Â Â Â .965
2007Â Â Â 8Â Â Â .974
2008Â Â Â 3Â Â Â .976
2009Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .984
2010Â Â Â 2Â Â Â .980
2011Â Â Â 4Â Â Â .980
2012Â Â Â 8Â Â Â .978
2013Â Â Â 12Â Â Â .979
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .984
2015Â Â Â 25Â Â Â .976
2016Â Â Â 4Â Â Â .981
2017Â Â Â 110Â Â Â .971
2018Â Â Â 28Â Â Â .977
2019Â Â Â 5Â Â Â .982
2020Â Â Â 123Â Â Â .969
2021Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .987
Bergstrom Paving the Way on the Mound
Paul Bergstrom is turning heads at the mound. The sophomore has gone 20.2 innings without an earned run to his name, only allowing 13 hits over the same 12 appearances.
The left-handed pitcher was instrumental in securing Creighton's most recent victory over St. John's, pitching four innings and earning the win.
Bergstrom is the first pitcher in the Servais Era to have a 0.00 ERA through 26 games since John Oltman took the scoreless streak into the 29th game in 2016.
Tebrake and Smith, a Dynamic Duo
Dylan Tebrake and Jonah Smith are on a hot streak as of late, each with a perfect 4-0 record to combine for a mark of 8-0. The two have thrown a pair of complete games over their last 10 starts at the mound, eight of those coming
on Creighton's home turf. The duo have 70 strikeouts to their name over the last 10 games and have only walked 16
batters.
Butler head coach Dave Schrage graduated from Creighton, while Bulldog outfielder Nic Ortega began his career as a Bluejay.
Download the complete preview (PDF).
Creighton at Butler
May 7-9 (Four Games)
Live Stats: http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Video Stream: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB3T1bvKMHAbX8GBpo2ZAdQ
May 7-9 (Four Games)
Live Stats: http://creighton.statbroadcast.com
Video Stream: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB3T1bvKMHAbX8GBpo2ZAdQ
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game #1   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Dylan Tebrake (So.-RHP)Â Â Â 2.61Â Â Â 6-0Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 48.1Â Â Â 37Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 49
BU - Nick Eaton (Jr.-LHP)Â Â Â 3.00Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 24.0Â Â Â 21Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 33
Game #2 (7-innings)   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Jonah Smith (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 4.03Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44.2Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 21Â Â Â 20Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 54
BU - Connor Schultz (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 6.02Â Â Â 2-4Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 43.1Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 29Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 51
Game #3 (Game 2 of DH)   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - Cade Lommel (Fr.-LHP)Â Â Â 3.58Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 27.2Â Â Â 30Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 28
BU -Jack Myers (Sr.-RHP)Â Â Â 4.53Â Â Â 3-3Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 47.2Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 28Â Â Â 24Â Â Â 15Â Â Â 39
Game #4   ERA   W-L   App   GS   CG   SHO   IP   H   R   ER   BB   SO
CU - TBA
BU - John MacCauley (Jr.-RHP)Â Â Â 6.11Â Â Â 3-2Â Â Â 9Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 28.0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 22Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 30
Series with Bulldogs:Â Creighton leads Butler, 12-4
Creighton holds a significant series edge on the Bulldogs since the two teams became BIG EAST foes prior to the 2014 season. One interesting fact of the series is Creighton has not faced Butler at home since 2016. The 2018 series was moved to a neutral site due to weather. Then the 2020 season was washed out by COVID.
Overall the Bluejays are 5-3 against the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, 6-0 at home and 1-1 on a neutral field.
Â
Butler (12-4)
4/25/14   * Butler   W   8-1
4/26/14   * Butler   W   2-1
4/26/14   * Butler   W   4-2
4/24/15   * at Butler    W   5-1
4/26/15   * at Butler   L   1-2
4/26/15   * at Butler   W   1-0
4/15/16   * Butler   W   2-1
4/16/16   * Butler   W   6-4
4/17/16   * Butler   W (10)   4-3
5/18/17   * at Butler   W   3-1
5/19/17   * at Butler   L   1-7
4/7/18   & * vs. Butler   L   4-6
4/8/18   & * vs. Butler   W    3-2
4/12/19   * at Butler   W (10)   8-7
4/13/19   * at Butler   W   7-5
4/13/19   * at Butler   L   0-5
& - Played in Edwardsville, Ill.
* - BIG EAST Regular Season Game
Scouting the Bulldogs (2021: 10-17, 4-7 BIG EAST)
Entering their matchup with Creighton at 4-7 in BIG EAST play, the Bulldogs are struggling. Last weekend their series with Connecticut was canceled, instead facing Northern Kentucky. Butler split the doubleheader, winning the second game.
The Bulldogs are hitting .243 as a team led at the plate by Dan Harwood (.369), AJ Poynter (.323) and Freddie Matos (.295).
The Bulldogs best pitching efforts are led by left-handed junior Nick Eaton, throwing for an ERA of 3.00. Eaton, however, will be making just his second start of the season in the opener with the Bluejays. The surprise of the season may be Connor Schultz, the preseason BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year has a 6.02 ERA over 43.1 innings.
Scouting the Bluejays (2021: 17-9, 9-2 BIG EAST)
Despite battling through some injuries, the Bluejays remained hot by taking three of four from St. John's this weekend. Since opening the season 4-7, Creighton has won 13 of 15 games.
On the mound Creighton has a 3.68 ERA as a team, dropping more than 2.2 since it was 5.81 on March 21.
Dueling aces Dylan Tebrake and Jonah Smith have guided the pitching staff's improvement.
Tebrake and Smith are a combined 8-0 with a pair of complete games over their last 10 starts. The duo have tossed 64.0 of 85.0 innings in those 10 games, notching 70 strikeouts and walking just 16.
At the plate the Bluejays are hitting .278 as a team, led by six regulars over .298. Pacing Creighton are freshman Alan Roden (.354), sophomore Andrew Meggs (.345), freshman Nolan Clifford (.333), senior Ryan Mantle (.318), sophomore Sterling Hayes (.299) and senior Parker Upton (.298).
Upton Earns BIG EAST Player of the Week, Tebrake on Honor Roll
Creighton senior Parker Upton collected his first career Player of the Week honor on Monday, May 3. Upton led Creighton to a 3-1 series win over St. John's last weekend with team-highs in RBI (8), average (.400), stolen bases (2), slugging percentage (.667) and delivered a pivotal outfield assist in the Bluejays' 11-4 win on Sunday. Upton set the tone for the series in his first at-bat, launching a grand slam in the bottom of the first Friday night, helping the Bluejays post a 6-1 win.
Creighton's ace Dylan Tebrake followed up his Pitcher of the Week nod on April 27 with a spot on the Honor Roll. The sophomore right hander moved to 5-0 on the season with 8.1 innings of one-run ball on Friday night. Tebrake finished with a season-high nine strikeouts, walking just one in the victory.
Series Finale with St. John's Contained Fireworks
The finale between the Red Storm and the Bluejays on May 2 brought some unusual excitement. Sparked by three-run third inning to take the lead, Creighton claimed an 11-4 win. A drawn out contest (3:29) added some spice in the eighth inning as St. John's head coach Mike Hampton was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. Then two pitches into the top of the ninth the game was ended due to time constraints.
Bluejays Lead Nation in Fielding Percentage
The Bluejays' defensive efforts are garnering national attention, as they lead the NCAA in fielding percentage. Creighton has a mark of .987, holding the 0.002 advantage over second place Notre Dame. The first place standing is even more impressive in conference play, with the closest BIG EAST team clocking in at 89th place.
Since taking over as Creighton's head coach in 2004, Ed Servais' teams continually rank among in the top portion of the NCAA. The Bluejays were the overall top team in 2004, 2009 and 2014 and have been a top-10 team 10 times.
Year   NCAA Rank   Fielding %
2004Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .982
2005Â Â Â 17Â Â Â .972
2006Â Â Â 87Â Â Â .965
2007Â Â Â 8Â Â Â .974
2008Â Â Â 3Â Â Â .976
2009Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .984
2010Â Â Â 2Â Â Â .980
2011Â Â Â 4Â Â Â .980
2012Â Â Â 8Â Â Â .978
2013Â Â Â 12Â Â Â .979
2014Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .984
2015Â Â Â 25Â Â Â .976
2016Â Â Â 4Â Â Â .981
2017Â Â Â 110Â Â Â .971
2018Â Â Â 28Â Â Â .977
2019Â Â Â 5Â Â Â .982
2020Â Â Â 123Â Â Â .969
2021Â Â Â 1Â Â Â .987
Bergstrom Paving the Way on the Mound
Paul Bergstrom is turning heads at the mound. The sophomore has gone 20.2 innings without an earned run to his name, only allowing 13 hits over the same 12 appearances.
The left-handed pitcher was instrumental in securing Creighton's most recent victory over St. John's, pitching four innings and earning the win.
Bergstrom is the first pitcher in the Servais Era to have a 0.00 ERA through 26 games since John Oltman took the scoreless streak into the 29th game in 2016.
Tebrake and Smith, a Dynamic Duo
Dylan Tebrake and Jonah Smith are on a hot streak as of late, each with a perfect 4-0 record to combine for a mark of 8-0. The two have thrown a pair of complete games over their last 10 starts at the mound, eight of those coming
on Creighton's home turf. The duo have 70 strikeouts to their name over the last 10 games and have only walked 16
batters.
Players Mentioned
LHP
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RHP
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OF/INF
/ 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
