- Friday, 6:00 p.m. vs. South Dakota State (10-17-1)
- Saturday, 2:00 p.m. vs. Iowa (14-16)
- Sunday, 1:00 p.m. vs. South Dakota State
TD Ameritrade Park Omaha will host an interesting weekend of non-conference baseball games, featuring a twin bill Saturday. South Dakota State and Creighton (14-16) will square off Friday night and Sunday afternoon, and the Iowa Hawkeyes will come to town Saturday morning to play the Jackrabbits at 10 a.m. Then Jack Dahm, former Creighton skipper, and his Hawkeyes will stick around for a 2 p.m. game Saturday afternoon against the Jays.
Creighton takes a break from Missouri Valley Conference play. It is a needed respite; the Bluejays are in the bottom of the Valley standings at 2-7.
Media Menu
Creighton’s games against the Jackrabbits and Hawkeyes will be broadcast on KOZN 1620 AM. Stream the broadcast on the web here. John Bishop and David Gustafson will have the call.
You can also track live stats here, and/or get in-game updates via Twitter updates at @gocreighton and @CU_baseball.
Last Week
The Bluejays’ struggles continued during Easter weekend. Creighton dropped the first two games of their conference series against MVC leader Indiana State, and then salvaged a win in Sunday’s afternoon tilt. CU couldn’t muster a winning streak, though, dropping a Tuesday night road game against Nebraska in Lincoln.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits started their weekend with a 3-0 win Friday against IPFW and a 13-3 victory against IPFW in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader. But the Jackrabbits dropped the last two games of the series, coming up on the wrong end of 3-2 scores Saturday and Sunday. SDSU took care of business in midweek home games against Mount Marty and Minnesota, though, and will bring a winning streak to Omaha Friday night.
Iowa was in Nebraska last weekend to face the Huskers in a Big Ten series. The Hawkeyes dropped the series after winning the first game 4-3 Friday night. Nebraska bounced back for 9-4 and 9-8 wins Saturday and Sunday. The Hawks got back on track with a midweek win against Western Illinois in Iowa City.
Historically
Creighton’s 14-4 against SDSU all time, winning the last five meetings. The Jays swept the Jackrabbits in Omaha last season and outscored SDSU 25-3.
CU trails Iowa in the all time series, though. The Hawkeyes have won 12 of 17 against CU, but the Jays are on a roll having won the last four meetings between the two programs.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Erik Mattingly (0-1, 1.42 ERA) vs. SDSU’s Stephen Bougher (4-2, 3.18)
- Saturday: CU’s Ty Blach (3-3, 2.89) vs. Iowa’s Jarred Hippen (3-3, 4.17)
- Sunday: CU’s Shane Liska (1-1, 1.64) vs. SDSU’s Layne Somsen (0-3, 3.94)
Erik Mattingly threw nine innings of no-hit, no-walk baseball last Saturday but got no decision in Creighton’s extra innings loss to Indiana State. This weekend he’ll take the mound as CU’s Friday night starter. Ty Blach will pitch Saturday against Iowa, looking to bounce back from a tough outing against the Sycamores last Friday. Shane Liska, who was dominant on Easter Sunday against the Trees, will wrap things up for the CU starters this Sunday against the Jackrabbits.
Shane Liska earned his first win at CU Sunday against Indiana State (Mike Spomer/WBR)
The Bluejays have received solid starting pitching for most of the season. Six different pitchers have made starts in 2012, and the rotation of Mattingly-Blach-Liska is the latest in Ed Servais’ attempts to find a weekend look that results in a series victory.
The Jays post a better team ERA (3.41) and opponent batting average (.248) than both weekend opponents. South Dakota State sports a combined 6.19 ERA and .309 average against. Stephen Bougher, Friday night’s projected starter, has two complete games for the Jackrabbits this season. Iowa’s staff posts a 4.37 ERA and .274 average against, and will rely on senior Jarred Hippen to keep the Creighton bats at bay Saturday afternoon.
At the Plate
Comparing the three teams entering the weekend’s games at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, the Bluejays have the worst offensive production by far. Creighton comes into the weekend hitting .238 as a team, almost 40 points lower than the Jackrabbits (.275) and Hawkeyes (.276). The Jays have scored 135 runs, fewer than both SDSU (152) and Iowa (165).
Phil Paquette leads the Jackrabbits with a .344 average, one of six SDSU regulars who hit .300 or better. He’s one shy of the team lead for runs batted in; Zach Rhodes leads SDSU with 20 RBI.
Mike McQuillan is the only Hawkeye to start all 30 games, and he is second among the Hawkeyes with a .352 average. McQuillan leads Iowa with 30 runs scored, 38 hits, and 25 walks. He’s also tops with 8 stolen bases in 10 attempts.
Creighton’s offense continues to struggle, with only Nick Judkins (.333) hitting better than .300. They post the league’s lowest team average and have scored the fewest runs in the MVC.
Creighton is second in the MVC in sac bunts (Mike Spomer/WBR)
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
SDSU coach Dave Schrage is a former Academic All-American outfield for Creighton. He led the Jays in hitting his senior season and later coached at CU under Jim Hendry… Dahm also played at CU before becoming the school’s manager — the nation’s youngest at age 25 — in 1993… Creighton’s roster features two players from the state of Iowa, and none from South Dakota… Blach is 1-0 against SDSU. Brad McKewon leads CU regulars with a .667 average (in three ABs) against the Jackrabbits… Chance Ross posts a similar .667 average in three ABs against Iowa, leading all CU regulars in past games against the Hawkeyes.
Weather Forecast
It could be a wet weekend in Omaha. The AccuWeather hourly forecast paints a rather clear picture for Friday’s opener, calling for partly sunny skies and 72 degrees. Saturday morning could see some scattered storms, but the early afternoon hours look dry if not clear with highs in the mid-70s. Temps might drop a bit into Sunday, due to overnight storms, but some sun could shine through Sunday afternoon for the 1 p.m. first pitch, with temps in the mid-60s.