Baseball is known as a game of superstitions. But if you ask Creighton sophomore catcher Michael Emodi if he has any that he breaks out before a ballgame, the answer is pretty simple.
"If we're on a win streak, I'll try to do everything the same," Emodi said. "We get laundry done every day so I'll wear the same socks, they get washed so nothing too weird."
But if you ask his teammate, right-handed pitcher Ryan Tapani, Emodi may not have a superstition, but a new tradition at least, before each game.
"Recently, it's been smelling salts," Tapani said. "[Emodi] has kind of gotten into a phase with that of getting himself psyched up and locked in."
Well, the smelling salts seem to be working for Creighton, as the Bluejays are on a seven-game winning streak. And after starting the season just 1-11 in its first 12 games, CU has gone 14-5 over its past 19 contests.
"We're just going out there, making sure we're prepared," Emodi said. "We bring effort and energy every day and it's just clicking right now."
Emodi, a Creighton Prep graduate, leads the Bluejays this season in home runs (6), runs batted in (27), and slugging percentage (.491).
And outside of his performance on the diamond, Emodi's leadership in the clubhouse may be a big contributing factor for the Jays' recent success. Although only a sophomore, Creighton looks to Emodi as a steady force through the season.
"He's controlling the locker room," said Ed Servais, Creighton's head coach. "He's getting on them a little bit when they're a little bit too loose and on the other hand, he's loosening them up a little bit when they're too tight."
And Emodi has been a workhorse for Creighton in 2017. The Omaha native has played in 30 of CU's 31 games and has started in 28 of them.
Emodi is likely to get start number 29 on Friday night, when Creighton hosts Villanova at TD Ameritrade Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
