Series Preview
- Friday: 6:00 p.m., O’Brien Field
- Saturday: 6:00 p.m., O’Brien Field
- Sunday: 12:00 p.m., O’Brien Field
The Bluejays had chances in back-to-back weekends to take care of home series against the Valley’s two ISUs — the Sycamores and the Redbirds — but instead now head for road series against Bradley and Missouri State on consecutive weekends sitting near the bottom of the conference standings. Joining them in the cellar? The Braves and the Bears.
Ed Servais and his guys can take solace knowing they play 16 of their final 18 games of the season in Omaha. But the Bluejays need to capture some positive momentum ahead of the season’s homestretch. It starts this weekend in central Illinois. At 3-6 in the MVC (tied with Bradley in the conference standings) and chasing the frontrunning Redbirds (5-1) and Shockers (7-2), this weekend is critical for Creighton’s chances to climb up the win column.
The series will pit former Bluejay Elvis Dominguez against his former team. Dominguez graduated from Creighton in 1986, where he was a four-year starter at shortstop. He spent five seasons as an assistant coach in the 1990s.
Weather Forecast
Creighton couldn’t take advantage of the nice climate at the CU Sports Complex last weekend. It looks like temperatures in the 60s all weekend, with sun shining Saturday and Sunday.
Last weekend… the Bluejays suffered a home sweep at the hands of the Illinois State Redbirds. You can read all the gory details here. And if you want visual proof, click here. Caught up? Good … let’s forget those games ever happened.
Creighton comes to Peoria having lost 4 straight and 7 of its past 9 games. The only things sandwiched between separate 3- and 4-game Bluejays losing streaks is salvaging the last game of a series against Indiana State and pummeling in-state rival Nebraska.
Conversely, the Braves enter the weekend series on the heels of their longest winning streak this season. Last Friday Bradley snapped a 10-game losing skid with a 7-0 win against Missouri State. The Braves turned that series opener into a weekend sweep of the Bears, and then added a 10-9 win on Wednesday against Western Illinois. Thus, a 4-game winning streak was born.
Last year… the Bluejays and Braves played just two games, with the Sunday series finale suffering cancellation due to weather. Creighton took both games in Omaha, posting 7-2 and 5-0 wins. The victories would set CU on a 7-game winning streak to close out April and start May.
Historically… Creighton has owned the Braves, to the tune of a 66-29 all-time record. The last time Bradley took a series from CU was 2006, in Peoria.
The teams are frequent combatants in the Valley postseason tournament; CU and BU have met in the postseason in four of the past five years.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Jonas Dufek vs. BU’s Joe Bircher
- Saturday: CU’s Brandon Koenigstein vs. BU’s Jacob Booden
- Sunday: CU’s Ty Blach vs. BU’s Brad Altbach
As usual, the top spot in the rotation for CU belongs to Dufek. The junior right-hander is tied with seven other pitchers in the MVC for the second-most wins on the season (4), and he is 7th on the strikeouts list among Valley pitchers (38 Ks). Still, Dufek actually has the worst ERA among Creighton’s weekend starters: Sunday starter Blach posts a 2.91 ERA overall, while Koenigstein’s ERA sits at 3.33.
As for the bullpen, Creighton fans are probably rather familiar with the trio of Jack VanLeur, Matt Patterson, and Bobby Lackovic. All three relievers are currently among the top 10 MVC pitchers in appearances and games in relief. VanLeur is 3rd in the Valley in saves (4).
As a team, Creighton outpaces Bradley in most pitching categories, including team ERA and opposing batting average.
At the Plate
The Bluejays have put up better power numbers than the Braves (more doubles, more home runs, and a better slugging percentage) but BU outpaces CU in batting average and on-base percentage. The only team with fewer hits than Bradley this season is Creighton, and BU is one of only two teams in the Valley (Missouri State’s the other) with fewer RBI than the Jays this year. The two teams are the least patient schools in the Valley, currently 7th and 8th in the conference in walks procured.
Brian Martin leads Bradley with a .388 average, but Matt Fritz is close behind with a .382 average — both players are in the top 10 among Valley hitters. Plus, Fritz is also among the league leaders in slugging and on-base percentages.
In the Field
A rough week defensively brought the Bluejays closer to the pack in terms of fielding percentage, but CU still leads the conference in defensive efficiency. The Jays have committed just 24 errors this season; Bradley has 35 miscues, while Wichita State leads the conference with 59.
The Jays have turned a league-low 17 double plays, a startling number considering Servais’ past teams’ ability to get the timely twin killing.
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
Bradley’s pulling out all the stops to pack the stands for this game, including promoting Friday’s opener as “Basketball Night at the Ballpark”. The Braves men’s and women’s hoops teams will be in attendance, signing autographs and taking part in other activities throughout the night. No word on whether there will be a dugout-roof rendition of the Bradley Braves Shuffle… Dufek threw a complete-game shutout against Bradley last season, giving up just 3 hits and striking out 7 to earn the win… Creighton hit .167 with runners in scoring position against Illinois State… Creighton recorded just 4 hits Saturday and 3 on Sunday, the two lowest totals of the season… Koenigstein’s loss against Illinois State was his first as a Bluejay, after going 22 straight appearances without a blemish to start his Creighton career.
Media Menu
John Bishop and Dave Gustafson once again will bring all the Creighton baseball action back to Omaha via local radio. All three games will broadcast live on Omaha’s 1620 AM station, with live streaming available for free at www.gocreighton.com. Live stats are also available at the Creighton site.