Creighton Bluejays (13-13, 1-5 MVC) vs. Indiana State Sycamores (24-6, 4-2 MVC)
- Friday: 6:00 p.m., Omaha
- Saturday: 2:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 3:00 p.m.
Easter weekend offers Creighton baseball fans plenty to do while watching Ed Servais and the Bluejays host his good friend Rick Heller and the Indiana State Sycamores. The Union Pizzeria and Sports Bar will host the CU athletic department’s Good Friday Fish Fry at 3:00 p.m., ahead of the 6:00 p.m. first pitch at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha across the street. Sunday, Creighton has an Easter Egg Hunt planned for little CU fans before the series finale. The hunt begins at 2:00 p.m., with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m.
The Jays start the vital weekend series against the Trees coming off a record-setting win against Kansas Tuesday. Creighton collected seven doubles, the best single-game performance in TDAPO history. The Jays jumped on the Jayhawks early, scoring in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, and then broke a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning en route to a 7-3 win (pictures, courtesy of Mike Spomer, below).
The Sycamores also start the series on a winning note. After taking the last two games of their weekend series against Illinois State, Indiana State traveled to Illinois-Chicago and beat the Flames 8-7 in 12 innings Tuesday.
Media Menu
This weekend marks the return of ESPN cameras to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. Sunday’s 3:00 p.m. game will appear on ESPNU, with Mark Amento, Clay Matvick, and Omaha native Kyle Peterson on the call.
The Bluejays will be on KOZN 1620 AM all weekend, with John Bishop and David Gustafson broadcasting each game. You can also track live stats here, and/or get in-game updates via Twitter updates at @gocreighton and @CU_baseball.
Last Weekend
Creighton dropped a home series against Evansville. Ty Blach got roughed up in his Friday start, but the Bluejays managed to tie the game at 4-4 before the bullpen gave up 4 unanswered runs in the top of the ninth inning. The Jays won in exciting fashion Saturday, plating the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning thanks to an RBI single by Nick Judkins. But Sunday saw CU collect just a handful of hits and lose 1-0 on a solo home run.
The Sycamores started a home series against Illinois State on the wrong end of a 3-2 score. But the Trees bounced back for a 7-3 win Saturday and took the series Sunday with an 11-3 victory. Indiana State sits at 4-2 in Valley play, behind only Missouri State in the conference standings.
Historically
The Bluejays swept the Sycamores in Terre Haute last season, pushing Creighton’s edge in the all-time series to 71-50. Servais’ teams have historically had success against the Trees; the Jays are 23-6 against ISU since Servais took over as head coach in 2004, including an 11-2 record in Omaha.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Ty Blach (3-2, 2.47 ERA) vs. ISU’s Dakota Bacus (4-2, 1.93)
- Saturday: CU’s Erik Mattingly (0-1, 2.20) vs. ISU’s Sean Manaea (3-1, 3.94)
- Sunday: CU’s Shane Liska (0-1, 2.25) vs. ISU’s Ryan Torgerson (5-0, 2.16)
Indiana State posts a 2.85 ERA as a team, second to only Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference. Friday starter Dakota Bacus leads the way, with a sub-2.00 ERA in 56 innings. Bacus and teammates Ryan Torgerson (2.16) and weekday starter Kyle Rupe (2.20) are third, fifth, and sixth, respectively, in the Valley in ERA.
Creighton’s 3.66 ERA leaves the Jays squarely in the middle among MVC pitching staffs. Blach’s 2.47 ERA is seventh best in the league, but he’s been the only constant in a weekend rotation that’s shifted since the season started. Last weekend Erik Mattingly (Saturday) and Shane Liska (Sunday) started after Blach against the Purple Aces. They join Andrew Urban, Nick Musec, and Brandon Koenigstein as Jays who have toed the rubber to begin a weekend game in 2012.
In the bullpen Mark Winkelman (3.04 ERA in 18 appearances) and Chase Webb (3.12 in 12 appearances) have been stout. Reese McGraw had a setback out of the pen last Friday against UE, but otherwise has been solid this season (3.74 in 16 games).
The Jays lead the MVC in issuing just 76 walks this season.
At the Plate
Creighton’s struggles offensively have been well documented two months into the season. The Jays are dead last in the league in batting average (.241), runs (121), and hits (205). They will need to put some runs on the board this weekend to keep up with Indiana State, arguably the best offense in the Valley. The Sycamores lead the league in almost every offensive category, including average (.328), runs (245), hits (362), home runs (25), and fewest strike outs (162).
Jeremy Lucas (.398), Robby Ort (.383), and Landon Curry (.372) are first, second, and fourth in the MVC in average. Lucas and Ort are second and third in the league in hits. Lucas, Curry, and Ort are the top three run scorers, too. Lucas leads the league in RBI.
Meanwhile the Bluejays boast just two regulars with averages of .300 or better. Judkins leads the CU offense with a .333 average, 34 hits, and 20 RBI. Brad McKewon posts a .302 average.
Facts, Figures, Fodder
Michael Mutcheson, a regular in the CU lineup last season, returned to the starting nine Tuesday after missing 23 games with a back injury. He went 1-3 against KU… Creighton is 7-3 in games when they score in the first inning, as they did against KU Tuesday… Judkins has struck out just nine times in 2012… Heller’s Indiana State team returns all 8 regulars from last year’s starting lineup… After dropping their first three games of the season, the Sycamores are 24-3 in their last 27 games. They won 13 straight before losing last Friday’s game against Illinois State… Six different ISU pitchers have at least one save in 2012.
Weather Forecast
After a balmy start to home games in April, temperatures will settle into more seasonable levels this weekend. Accuweather.com calls for temps in the mid-to-upper 60s in Omaha, with a potential thunderstorm Saturday morning.