Creighton Bluejays Final '07 Rank: 32 45-16

Last spring the Creighton Bluejays captured their first Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship in a roller coaster twelve inning affair over rival Wichita State. Even without the MVC crown Creighton likely would have advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in school history as the Jays were ranked in the top twenty nationally for a significant portion of the season. In the Fayetteville Regional Creighton eliminated Albany in a game where the Jays tallied 18 runs in the final four innings, but couldn’t outscore a potent Oklahoma State offense or score against first round draft selection Arkansas’ Nick Schmidt and finished their season at 45-16 (19-5 MVC), the fourth-highest win total in school history. Creighton has both the reigning Missouri Valley Player and Pitcher of the Year returning to campus in ‘08 and should once again continue to distinguish themselves as one of the premier baseball programs in the Midwest.

First baseman Darrin Ruf was the MVC Player of the Year after batting .374 with eight homeruns and 57 RBI. His 19 doubles and three triples contributed to a phenomenal .587 slugging percentage for the season. Ruf, also a skilled glovesman, earned a national Rawlings Gold Glove Award after he only made a pair of errors all season. The rest of the infield is also savvy with both the bat and glove – a trademark of an Ed Servais coached team. Michael Lam traded a Hawaiian lei for a Nebraska scarf and will once again be back at second base. The Honolulu native batted .320 in his first season of significant action for the Jays. Steve Winkelmann hit .277 with five homeruns and 45 RBI his first season manning the hot corner for Creighton. The Omaha native returned home after playing two seasons for the Neosho County Community College Panthers where he was named the JUCO National Player of the Year as a sophomore. Incoming shortstop Elliot Soto was a 13th-round selection of the Minnesota Twins, but deferred a pro career to attend CU. At first glance centerfielder Robbie Knight’s stats don’t appear to be the kind of numbers you’d expect from one of the top teams in the nation. Knight batted only .270 from the top spot; however when you factor in his NCAA-record 35 hit-by-pitches his on base percentage jumps to a more than adequate .417. Knight was plunked eleven times to lead off a game and was hit multiple times in a game seven times. Catcher Brett Mieras (.261, 1, 13) appears ready to step up and break out after receiving a starting nod in the Coastal Plain League All-Star Game. He finished the summer season hitting a credible .273 with nine stolen bases.

The strength of Creighton lies in a deep and talent pitching staff that accumulated a number of national accolades in 2007. Senior lefty Ben Mancuso was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and earned All-American honors after he finished his season with a 10-3 record and a 2.34 ERA (30th nationally). Reliever Pat Venditte finished the season with an 8-2 record and four saves. His 95.2 innings and 99 strikeouts lead the Jays and his 1.88 ERA ranked him 12th nationally. Part of the reason Venditte was able to accumulate so many appearances (38) and innings was due to his uncanny ability to pitch effectively with either arm. He was named an All-American by number of publications (including second team All-Ping!), first-team all-MVC, and was InsidePitching.com’s Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year. Right hander Zak Moore went 5-1 in 17 starts. His 3.63 ERA will also be back in 2007 to further solidify the staff. Headed into fall practice Creighton knew that bullpen ace and Stopper of the Year finalist, Andy Masten (2.02, 16 SVs) would be gone, but didn’t count on the absence of Freshman All-American Casey Schmidt. Schmidt went 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA, but tore an elbow ligament over the summer and may not pitch next season.