Creighton Bluejays (16-22, 3-11 MVC) at Bradley Braves (24-17-1, 7-8 MVC)
- Friday: 6:00 p.m., O’Brien Field, Peoria, Illinois
- Saturday: 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 1:00 p.m.
Ed Servais and the Creighton Bluejays baseball team conclude the road portion of their Missouri Valley Conference schedule this weekend. The Jays travel to Peoria to square off against the Bradley Braves, coached by former Bluejay Elvis Dominguez. The series marks the third of three MVC road tilts for CU in 2012. Creighton has yet to win a road conference game, suffering sweeps at Missouri State and at Southern Illinois.
After this weekend’s three-game stint at O’Brien Field, CU will have just one more opportunity — the season-ending home series against Wichita State — to improve their conference-worst record ahead of the Valley tournament in Springfield in three weeks.
Media Menu
John Bishop and David Gustafson will broadcast the entire weekend series on KOZN AM 1620. You can also track live stats here, and/or get in-game updates via Twitter updates at @gocreighton and @CU_baseball.
Last Week
Ed Servais hoists his arms as the Jays win an extra-inning affair against Illinois State (Mike Spomer/WBR)
Stormy weather in Omaha wreaked havoc on Creighton’s series against Illinois State. The Jays and Redbirds played a doubleheader Saturday after Friday’s opener was pushed back, and Sunday’s rubber match was cancelled. The two teams split the twin bill, with the Jays outlasting ISU in fifteen innings in game one. CU needed a ninth inning run to send the game to extras, where neither team plated a run until Michael Blatchford singled as a pinch hitter. Shane Liska replaced his as a pinch runner, and the Sunday starter later scored on a two-out single by Chance Ross. Illinois State captured the night cap, though, as the Bluejays were unable to carry the energy from the afternoon’s exciting victory into game two.
Meanwhile, Bradley travelled to Braun Stadium in Evansville and took two of three from the Purple Aces. The Braves spotted UE two runs in the first inning of Friday’s opener but scored seven unanswered while Joe Bircher cruised to a complete game victory. Game two saw Evansville turn a 2-0 Bradley lead in the eighth inning into a 4-2 Aces victory, with all four UE runs coming in the bottom of the eighth. Evansville tried a late-inning comeback on Sunday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but the Braves withstood the rally and left town with a 6-5 win.
Historically
Creighton’s four wins against Bradley in 2011 gave CU a 70-45 edge in the all-time series between the two teams. The Jays are riding a six-game winning streak against the Braves.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Ty Blach (3-4, 3.11 ERA) vs. BU’s Joe Bircher (6-1, 2.34)
- Saturday: CU’s Erik Mattingly (0-3, 2.43) vs. BU’s Justin Ziegler (3-4, 5.47)
- Sunday: CU’s Shane Liska (1-2, 3.62) vs. BU’s Tory Doerr (4-2, 4.10)
Friday’s opener matches CU ace Ty Blach against Bradley’s Joe Bircher, a senior from Omaha (Roncalli). Bircher and Blach both litter the Valley’s statistical leader lists. Bircher is fifth in the league in ERA (2.34), third in opposing batting average (.218), second in innings pitched (80.2), first in strikeouts (90), and tied for fourth with six wins. Blach is seventh in opposing average (.236), fourth in innings (75.1), and tied for ninth in strikeouts (58). Unfortunately for Blach, he’s also among the Valley leaders in losses (4).
Speaking of starters, Erik Mattingly doesn’t have a victory to show for it but he’s among the league leaders in ERA (sixth, 2.43) and opponent average (second, .207).
Overall, the Bluejays outperform the Braves on the mound. CU posts a better team ERA (3.61 vs. 4.67) and opponent average (.254 vs. .274).
Of note when considering Ed Servais’ small-ball style of manufacturing runs: BU leads the league with 11 pick-offs, and five Bradley pitchers have at least two pick-offs in 2012, including Bircher (league-leading 4).
At the Plate
The Bluejays were able to hold a talented Illinois State offensive relatively in check last weekend. CU has another challenge this weekend, as Bradley features a lineup of solid offensive performers. Chris Godinez (.376 batting average, second in the MVC) and Rob Elliot (.346, sixth) lead the way for BU, with Max Murphy (.576 slugging percentage, third in the MVC) and Greg Partyka (.523 slugging, eighth) rounding out a lineup that ranks in the middle of MVC offenses.
Unfortunately, Jays fans know all too well where Creighton’s offense fits among its conference brethren. The Jays remain dead last in runs scored, average, slugging and on base percentages, hits, walks, and steals. Nick Judkins continues to lead the team in average (.299), even though is average in MVC games is only .254. In MVC games only, Ross leads the team with a .283 average. The Jays are hitting .204 in Valley contests.
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
Before this season, the worst team batting average for an Ed Servais-coached CU team was … last season, when Creighton won the MVC regular season and tournament championship. But how drastic has the decline been with the bats? The Jays hit .267 last year, scoring 316 runs. CU’s at .232 now, with 163 runs. In league play the numbers are almost unbelievable: a .204 average and just 40 runs in 14 games. Creighton’s never fallen short of 100-plus runs in league play during Servais’ tenure; the 2011 team posted a low of 104 runs in MVC games.
Weather Forecast
Rain looks to be in play for the weekend. Shocker.