Creighton baseball will try to remain undefeated at home against an Atlantic Sun opponent this weekend before it begins Big East play next week. The Bluejays (16-5) take on the Jacksonville Dolphins (16-8) at TD Ameritrade in a three game series.
Creighton is hoping to rebound from an 8-2 loss to its in state-rival Nebraska on Tuesday. The loss to the Huskers ended Creighton’s 10-game winning streak. Before the loss to the Huskers, the Bluejays swept Alabama-Birmingham, North Dakota, and Stony Brook in three game series. Creighton also came away with a win against Kansas State.
Jacksonville heads into the series with the Bluejays having won five of its last seven games. As a team the Dolphins hold a .289 batting average with 19 home runs in their first 24 games of the season.
Creighton’s pitching staff looks to continue its success on the mound, posting a combined 2.45 ERA. The Bluejays will likely look to sophomore right handed pitcher Rollie Lacy to start the series. Lacy owns an impressive 2.20 ERA with a 4-1 record in his first six appearances.
Sophomore right handed pitcher Michael Baumann will likely start the series on the hill for the Dolphins. Baumann has a 4.68 ERA with a 3-1 record through five appearances. The pitcher to watch for Jacksonville is freshman closer Mike Cassala. Cassala has six saves in his 11 appearances.
So far this season, junior center fielder Daniel Woodrow and senior second baseman Ryan Fitzgerald have led the way for the Bluejays offensively. Woodrow leads the team with a .360 batting average, including 32 hits and eight RBIs.
Fitzgerald earned Big East Player of the Week honors after going 7-16 at the plate and posting a .438 batting average in the last four games against Stony Brook and Kansas State. Three of Fitzgerald’s seven hits were for extra bases.
Although conference play has yet to start, Creighton currently holds the best record in a wide-open Big East conference. The Bluejays cracked the rankings in the Collegiate Baseball poll, ranked 28th in the nation. This is the first time Creighton has been in the national polls since 2014.
Creighton’s series against Jacksonville starts at 6:30 Friday at TD Ameritrade Park. The series continues Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and wraps up Sunday at noon.
