Creighton Bluejays vs. Georgia Bulldogs
- Friday: 3:00 p.m. CT, Goss Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
Creighton’s run through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament had it all. Great pitching performances. Little-used players making the most out of getting an opportunity to shine. Timely hitting (and wild pitches).
But Ed Servais and his players are hoping this weekend eclipses what occured in Omaha at the Valley tournament. If their ultimate goal is to come back to TD Ameritrade Park to play games in June, they will need to upend Georgia, Oregon State, and Arkansas-Little Rock in the Corvallis regional of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
WBR has you covered all weekend as the Creighton baseball attempts to win the Corvallis regional. Max broke down the entire field at the Corvallis regional earlier this week (here). Below, we take a look at Friday’s matchup between CU and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Media Menu
Click here to see Patrick’s rundown of all your options for tracking Creighton’s weekend at the NCAA Tournament. Two highlights:
- ESPN picked up the rights to broadcast the video of all Corvallis regional games. Thus, Creighton’s 3:00 p.m. first pitch can be seen on ESPN3.com.
- John Bishop and David Gustafson, Creighton’s radio team, will have the live radio broadcast of the Bluejays’ game Friday (1180 KOIL AM) and the rest of the weekend (games TBD, on 1620 KOZN AM). Pregame starts at 2:45 p.m. Read our “Behind the Mic” segment with Bishop here.
Last weekend…
All the Bluejays did was fight back to win two elimination games Thursday, one Friday, and then beat Wichita State for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship.
The Georgia Bulldogs entered the SEC Tournament a few wins shy of even qualifying for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It didn’t look like the Dawgs would earn one after their first game of the championship, losing 10-0 to Vanderbilt. But UGA battled back to eliminate Auburn, upset #2 South Carolina and #3 Florida, before losing to the Gators and bowing out of the tournament.
The Bulldogs played the nation’s toughest schedule and finished above .500 in one of the country’s best baseball conferences. They secured a #3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, pitting them against the Bluejays, the Corvallis region’s #2 seed.
Historically…
The Bulldogs and Bluejays have never met on the diamond. Ed Servias has never managed against UGA, and David Perno likewise with CU.
Creighton’s advanced to one College World Series, in 1991. The year before, Georgia won the national championship, beating Oklahoma State in the ’90 CWS championship game.
On the Mound
- Friday: Jonas Dufek (11-1 / 2.17) vs. Michael Palazzone (10-4 / 3.20)
Jonas Dufek didn’t win the Valley’s Pitcher of the Year award, but when it meant the most he took home the only trophies that mattered last weekend: the Valley tournament championship, and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.
Dufek, a third-team All-American pick by Louisville Slugger, will get the start for CU in what has been a stellar senior season for the right-hander out of Omaha. His 2.17 ERA puts him in the top 50 nationwide in that category, and his 118 strikeouts are ninth-best in the country. Against Wichita State Saturday on short rest, Dufek’s breaking pitches absolutely baffled Shockers batters.
Palazzone is the Bulldogs’ ace. He earned SEC All-Tournament team honors last week, after failing to land on any of the All-SEC teams following the regular season. For the season, Palazzone leads UGA in starts (15), innings (112.1), strikeouts (73), and complete games (3). Opposing batters hit just .259 against Palazzone, thanks to good location of his fastball and a knee-buckling curveball and changeup. The Atlanta Braves drafted Palazzone, a Marietta, Georgia, native, out of high school in the 18th round. He opted for UGA, and the Cleveland Indians selected him in the 32nd round of last year’s MLB June Draft.
If either of these starters struggle, or if the games turn over to the bullpens, both squads can hand the ball to guys who can perform well in pressure-packed situations. Tyler Maloof has 18 saves for Georgia, leading the nation in that category. Kurt Spomer has 13 saves for CU, 18th best in the country. Both closers have pitched with their teams’ seasons on the line as of late: Maloof picked up saves 17 and 18 in elimination games at the SEC tournament, while Spomer picked up save 12 in an elimination game against Missouri State and save 13 in the Valley tournament championship game.
After last week, Creighton fans are used to the familiar faces of Spomer, Mark Winkelman, Jack VanLeur, Reese McGraw, and Chase Webb, the Bluejays’ usual bullpen contributors. Servais will likely have to rely heavily on these guys if CU has a realistic shot of leaving Corvallis as regional champs.
At the Plate
Georgia Offensive Stats
| BA | SLG % | OPS | Runs/Game | HR | SB/Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .277 | .384 | .724 | 4.8 | 36 | 45-59 |
The Bulldogs get a lot of offensive production from their double play duo of Levi Hyams and Kyle Farmer. Hyams leads UGA with a .318 average, 77 hits, 15 doubles, 2 triples, and a .400 on base percentage. Farmer leads the Dawgs with 7 home runs and is second with a .304 average. Those are the only two Georgia batters hitting better than .300, although Curt Powell (.298) and Conor Welton (.291) are close.
Creighton Offensive Stats
| BA | SLG % | OPS | Runs/Game | HR | SB/Att |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .269 | .405 | .763 | 5.3 | 37 | 66-90 |
The Bluejays have relied on small ball all season, although third-team All-American Trever Adams represents arguably the most dangerous all-around hitter in the Corvallis regional. Adams is in the top 30 nationally in average, hits, home runs, slugging percentage, and total bases. He’s hitting .392 with 14 homers, 14 doubles, 44 runs scored, and 57 runs batted in.
The batters around him can handle the bat, but his main protection in the lineup, Alex Staehely, has struggled a bit lately. Staehely started the final weekend of Creighton’s regular season with a .321 batting average, hitting in the 5-spot behind Adams. But with just 3 hits in 33 at bats in his last 9 games, Creighton’s second baseman has seen his average dip to a season-low .286. Servais alternated Staehely and Scott Thornburg in the 5-spot behind Adams during the Valley Tournament, but that spot in the lineup needs to produce in Corvallis regardless of who his there.
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
Creighton’s RPI is 29 entering the NCAA Tournament, while the Bulldogs bring a 16 RPI to Corvallis… Creighton has never won an NCAA Tournament regional following the expansion of the field from 48 to 64 teams in 1999… The Bluejays are just one of five schools nationally to make it to the NCAA Tournament in men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and baseball in 2010-2011. They join Cal, New Mexico, North Carolina, and UCLA… The Jays have the seventh-best road record in the country… CU’s 14-win improvement from last season to this season is third best among NCAA Tournament teams… Georgia’s Perno played on the 1990 UGA team that won the national championship in Omaha.
Weather Forecast
It looks like the Baseball Gods will shine brilliant weather on the Bluejays this weekend.