Creighton Bluejays (20-23) vs. Dallas Baptist (34-15)
- Friday: 7:00 p.m., TD Ameritrade Park Omaha
- Saturday: 7:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 1:00 p.m.
Someone break up the Bluejays! For the first time in 2012, Ed Servais’ team has strung together four consecutive wins. A consistently solid pitching staff gained a valuable ally in this week’s wins against Nebraska and Nebraska-Omaha: namely, an offensive explosion. Creighton clobbered the Huskers 8-1, recording a season-high 16 hits in the process. The Jays turned around the next night and put a 6-1 win on the Mavericks, thanks to nine hits. The 25 hits Tuesday and Wednesday were three more than CU collected in their previous four games combined.
Creighton's offense is starting to show signs of life (Adam Streur/WBR)
Creighton could be warming at the right time. The Bluejays won’t leave Omaha for a game until they head south to Springfield for the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament. Until then, CU hosts Dallas Baptist, Iowa, and Wichita State at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. The possibility exists for the Bluejays to cash in on any home field advantage they have at TDAPO and improve ahead of the Valley tourney; winning the league championship is Creighton’s only chance of advancing to a second straight NCAA Tournament.
Alex Staehely slides into third base (Adam Streur/WBR)
The problem? Dallas Baptist might be the best team Creighton plays all season. The Patriots, a top 25 team in the college baseball RPI rankings, are certainly the best offensive club Creighton will meet in what has been a frustrating season for CU. Can the Jays score enough runs to keep up with the Patriots?
Media Menu
The venerable broadcast team of John Bishop and David Gustafson will be on KOZN 1620 AM all weekend. Click here to listen online. You can also follow every game via Twitter @gocreighton and @cu_baseball. And as always, live stats are available.
Last Week
The Bluejays started their four-game winning streak last Saturday, coming from behind to beat Bradley 7-4 one day after losing 3-1 to the Braves in the series opener. CU took the weekend series by storming back in the late innings again on Sunday, beating BU 4-2. Two nights later, the Jays beat up on in-state rival Nebraska, 8-1. And Wednesday Creighton kept the bats warm against UNO, posting a 6-1 win.
Dallas Baptist comes to Omaha after seeing its six-game winning streak snapped Tuesday night against Texas Tech. Before the Red Raiders got to the Patriots in Dallas, DBU had swept Creighton’s MVC brethren Evansville last weekend. The Patriots posted 10-4 and 14-1 wins in the first two games against the Aces, and then finished UE of with a 5-2 victory in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader.
Historically
This weekend’s three-game series between Creighton and Dallas Baptist will help the schools settle what is currently a 2-2 deadlock in the all-time series. The programs haven’t played since 1983, when the Jays and Patriots split two games just as they had a few years previous, in 1979 .
Interestingly, the series might ramp up in future seasons. Dallas Baptist played all MVC schools but Illinois State this season, one year ahead of joining the Western Athletic Conference. But four schools have left the WAC since DBU signed to join the embattled conference, perhaps leaving the door open for the Patriots to join the Valley for baseball in coming years.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Ty Blach (4-5, 3.09 ERA) vs. DBU’s Taylor Massey (7-3, 3.55)
- Saturday: CU’s Erik Mattingly (1-3, 2.76) vs. DBU’s Cy Sneed (7-3, 3.44)
- Sunday: CU’s Shane Liska (1-2, 2.97) vs. DBU’s Andrew Elkins (4-1, 3.34)
Creighton continues to get solid efforts from its pitching staff. The Bluejays rank third in the MVC with a 3.43 team ERA and third in opponent batting average (.248). Dallas Baptist, meanwhile, boasts a 3.63 team ERA while holding opponents to a paltry .254 average.
The Bluejays usually have an advantage in their bullpen, but the Patriots’ Michael Smith (2-1, 6 saves, 2.84 ERA in 50.2 innings) and Stuart Pudenz (5-1, 5 saves, 1.50 ERA in 30.0 innings) shorten the game quite effectively for DBU.
At the Plate
Creighton’s hovered around the low .200s in batting average this season, and the Jays sit at or near the bottom of the league in nearly every offensive category. Conversely, Dallas Baptist features a potent offense paced by stars Austin Elkins (.375, 8 HR, 39 RBI) and Boomer Collins (.374, 12 HR, 46 RBI). The Patriots hit .306 as a team, have outscored opponents 336-204, and have doubled opponents’ home run totals (50 vs. 24).
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
Dallas Baptist head coach Dan Heefner knows the Valley well, having spent time at Creighton as an assistant under Ed Servais after also assisting the now-defunct Northern Iowa baseball program… Boomer Collins has one fewer home run (12) than the entire Creighton roster (13)… Alex Staehely had his first three-hit game of the season this week. Nick Judkins (5) leads the team with games of three or more hits, Brad McKewon (3) is second, and Anthony Bemboom, Mike Gerber, and Chance Ross each have two games of three hits or more… Reese McGraw leads Creighton with four saves, and is tied with Ty Blach for the team lead with four wins.
Weather Forecast
Accuweather says Friday’s high temperature at first pitch will be in the low 60s, with a storm possible around 9 p.m. Saturday evening looks good, too, with a forecast for temps in the low 60s at first pitch, and Sunday afternoon’s finale will see partly sunny skies and a high in the upper 60s.