Series Preview
This weekend’s series between Creighton and Indiana State brings former Northern Iowa head coach Rick Heller back to Omaha. For awhile last summer, it looked as though Heller would join close friend Ed Servais at Creighton and serve as the Bluejays’ hitting coach. But when Lindsay Meggs left ISU to helm the University of Washington Huskies baseball program, Heller found another managing position in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Bluejays will offer Heller and his players plenty of pomp and circumstance when the Trees arrive for the weekend tilt. Rosenblatt Stadium and its always-festive atmosphere will play host to the Jays’ home opener, which includes a select-your-seat night for potential season ticket customers and a Lenten fish fry (details here). It is the first time the Bluejays will open the home portion of their season at Rosenblatt.
Weather Forecast
Servais is a great baseball coach, but he’s also probably a better meteorologist than some of the folks on the local news broadcasts. In honor of Servais’ forecasting skills, let’s take a look at what the weather might hold for this weekend’s series.
Last weekend … The Bluejays continued their travels to start the Valley season, opening the conference slate in Carbondale against Southern Illinois. The Jays took two of three from the Salukis, losing the last game of the weekend in a 5-4, 11-inning heartbreaker. In the two CU wins, Jonas Dufek (6IP, 2ER, 5K) and Brandon Koenigstein (7IP, 0ER, 0K) led the way on the mound and collected victories.
The Sycamores salvaged one game from their MVC-opening series against Illinois State last weekend. After dropping the conference opener 6-1 and the first game of a Saturday twin bill 8-7, the Trees took the third game against the Redbirds 9-3.
Last year… Creighton captured the series in Terre Haute, winning the first two of the teams’ three meetings. The Bluejays scored 7 and 9 runs in the two wins, while putting just 3 on the board in the loss and stranding 11 runners in the process.
Historically … CU leads the all-time series 68-44, dating back to 1978. The Bluejays have controlled the matchups lately, and Indiana State hasn’t had much success in Omaha at all. The Sycamores own just two series wins on the road versus Creighton, in 1986 and 1992. CU is unbeaten in the two teams’ last 10 meetings in Omaha.
On the Mound
- Friday: CU’s Jonas Dufek vs. ISU’s Jake Petricka
- Saturday: CU’s Brandon Koenigstein vs. ISU’s Joe Rodriguez
- Sunday: CU’s Ty Blach vs. ISU’s Jason Van Skike
Dufek is 4-0 in 6 starts, with a 5.40 ERA, and he picked up the victory in his start last Friday against Southern Illinois. Koenigstein still hasn’t recorded a loss in his Creighton career; he is 3-0 this season and 8-0 since last spring. Blach has entered the weekend rotation as a freshman and has allowed only 5 earned runs in 19.1 innings.
The Sycamores will put two All-MVC pitchers on the mound this weekend in Petricka and Rodriguez. Petricka was second-team All MVC as a sophomore last season, while Rodriguez earned first-team honors. Van Skike hasn’t suffered a loss this season while posting the team’s best ERA.
Creighton posts better statistics as a team than Indiana State in ERA (CU 4.53; ISU 4.91) and walks allowed (CU 80; ISU 96). But the Sycamores strike out more batters (ISU 160; CU 104) and hold hitters to a lesser batting average (ISU .251; CU .277).
League-wide, Creighton claims the second best team ERA, the third-lowest opponent batting average against, the second best saves total, and the fewest hits and runs allowed. Jays pitchers have also issued the fewest free passes in the Valley, while throwing the fewest wild pitches.
At the Plate
Six Bluejays have started every one of the team’s 18 games, including Trever Adams. The junior college transfer leads Creighton with a .395 batting average in a team-high 81 at-bats. Adams’ .395 average ranks third in the Valley as of March 31, and he is tied for team-high honors in runs batted in (21) and slugging percentage (.616) with TJ Roemmich. He is also second on the team in strikeouts, but leads CU with a .432 on-base percentage.
As a team, the Bluejays currently rank fourth among Valley schools in batting average (.300) and first in slugging percentage (.478). And while CU comes up short in many statistical categories compared to the other conference schools, it should be noted the Jays have played the fewest number of games in the league (18). Only one other school has played less than 20 games (Bradley, 19).
The Sycamores, however, enter the weekend leading the league in hitting (.326 batting average). They’ve recorded the second most hits in the league (255), the most triples (12), and the most sacrifice flies (21). ISU is dead last in home runs (8), but they don’t strike out (league-low 116 Ks). The Sycamores are paced by Luke Fieser (.393 average) and Robby Ort (.372), both of whom are among the league’s top 10 hitters. Plus, the Trees return first-team All MVC performer Ryan Strausborger, who is in the top 10 of 11 different statistical categories.
Strausborger has 9 career games under his belt against the Bluejays. He comes into the weekend with a career .306 average against Creighton, with 5 extra-base hits. As for the Bluejays, Roemmich will be happy to see the bus pull in from Terre Haute. He has a career .500 average against the Sycamores, including going 7-11 with four doubles in the teams’ games last season. In fact, 7 of his 10 hits lifetime against ISU are two-baggers. Robbie Knight also brings solid previous efforts against the Sycamores to this weekend’s series, having gone 12-32 with 5 RBI and 3 stolen bases against the Trees in 9 career games.
In the Field
Creighton tops the Valley in fielding percentage (.976); Indiana State is third (.970). The Bluejays have committed just 18 errors, the fewest in the league (comparatively, Wichita State leads all MVC teams with 51 mistakes). Indiana State is slightly more error prone than CU, having committed 26 errors.
The men behind the masks have also been stout for Servais’ team. Valley teams have stolen a league-worst 14 bases against the Bluejays. Indiana State has allowed 28 stolen bags; Evansville has the dubious honor of leading the conference in opponent steals (58).
Facts, Figures, and Fodder
Creighton does not have any players from Indiana on its roster … One of the best defensive teams in the nation each season, the Bluejays suffered a 3-error game against Southern Illinois. In that game, Robbie Knight committed his first error in 183 chances, dating back to April 2008 … Creighton is 3-1 in extra inning games this season … Carson Vitale and Trever Adams are hitting .500 and .457, respectively, with two outs … The Bluejays have travelled 8008.42 miles without playing a home game this season … Since Rob Smith arrived on campus to serve as Creighton’s pitching coach, CU has combined for a 3.82 ERA over three seasons. That’s the seventh best ERA nationally during that span … Indiana State is hitting .344 during the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings this season, outscoring opponents 60-27 during those late frames.
Media Menu
Creighton’s games Friday and Sunday will grace the airwaves of 1620 AM the Zone, Omaha’s ESPN Radio affiliate. But because of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament Final Four action, the Bluejays get the bump to 1180 AM KOIL. Fans can stream each of these games live via the Internet.
