No. 3 Creighton Bluejays (30-16, 13-8 MVC) vs. No. 6 Indiana State (24-23, 9-11 MVC)
Tournament Bracket/Schedule
- Game 1 (9:00 a.m. Thursday) — No. 6 Indiana State vs. No. 3 Creighton
- Game 2 (12:30 p.m. Thursday) — No. 7 Southern Illinois vs. No. 2 Wichita State
- Game 3 (4:00 p.m. Thursday) — No. 5 Evansville vs. No. 4 Missouri State
- Game 4 (7:30 p.m. Thursday) — No. 8 Bradley vs. No. 1 Illinois State
Overview
Creighton, the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions, plays its final games as a member of the MVC this week in Normal, Illinois. The No. 3 Bluejays begin the 2013 MVC tournament against No. 6 Indiana State, a team that beat CU three times in the regular season.
College baseball prognosticators project Creighton as a bubble team entering the conference tournament week, with an outside chance of landing an at-large spot in the field of 64. Should the Jays advance to the NCAA Tournament, it would be CU’s third straight appearance in baseball’s Big Dance.
Weather
The Bluejays and Sycamores couldn’t ask for better weather for Thursday’s tournament opener. Forecasts call for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.
Last Weekend
Creighton hosted Missouri State and took two of three from the Bears. The series win gave Ed Servais’ team the No. 3 seed in this week’s tournament, while Missouri State slipped to the No. 4 seed.
Indiana State took two of three from league cellar dweller Bradley.
Check out the photos from last weekend by WBR photographer Mike Spomer.
Series History
Creighton travelled to Terre Haute in mid-April with a newly earned top 30 ranking in tow. The Bluejays left town on the wrong end of a three-game sweep.
Tommy Strunc got roughed up in game one, giving up 4 earned runs on 4 hits and 5 walks. Devin Moore slid into Sean Manaea’s Friday night starter role and limited the Jays to just 1 unearned run in 7 innings.
Manaea, a top prospect in this year’s MLB draft, started the Saturday game and picked up the win. But it wasn’t without some doubt, as Creighton mounted a late rally only to see the tying run negated by a runners interference call that led to a game-ending double play with the bases loaded.
The Bluejays took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning in Sunday’s series finale, but Mark Winkelman and Bryan Sova couldn’t keep the door shut on the Sycamores as ISU rallied for a 5-3 win and the sweep.
The last time these two teams played in the MVC tournament, No. 8 Creighton upset top-seeded Indiana State last season en route to an improbable tournament championship.
Overall, Creighton leads the all-time series against the Sycamores 73-55.
On the Mound
As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Indiana State ace left-hander Sean Manaea (5-4, 1.47 ERA, 93 SO in 73.1 IP) was still scheduled to start against the Bluejays in the tournament opener. Manaea, considered one of the top pitching prospects in the 2013 MLB draft, has battled injury all season. He will toe the rubber looking to duplicate his win against Creighton in the regular season.
Meanwhile, Tommy Strunc (7-2, 4.11 ERA, 55 SO in 70 IP) will take the mound for his first action in the MVC tournament. The freshman right-hander struggled against the Sycamores in Terre Haute in a regular season loss to ISU.
At the Plate
The Bluejays finished the season fourth in the league in batting average (.283), with a month-long slump coming during Mike Gerber’s extended absence due to an appendectomy. CU is last in the MVC in home runs (9). CU scores 5.6 runs per game.
Indiana State hits a paltry .255, worst in the Missouri Valley Conference. They score 5 runs a game.
Gerber is back in the lineup for the Jays Tuesday, batting cleanup in his first appearance since April 21. Even though he’s missed a month, Gerber still leads Creighton in home runs (4), triples (6), and slugging percentage (.560).