April 8, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. - It didn’t take long for Creighton to leave its mark on the new stadium at Duffy Bass Field. A day after beating Illinois State during the official dedication of the Redbirds’ new facility, a foul ball off a Creighton bat shattered the glass of one of the press box windows – unintentional, but an example of the way things have gone between these two clubs in recent years.
Illinois State looks to turn the page and snap a nine-game skid to Creighton when the two teams open a three-game, Missouri Valley Conference series at CU Sports Complex in Omaha Friday. The Redbirds (12-14) enter the contest with a 2-1 mark in Valley play after defeating Indiana State two weekends ago. Creighton (14-9) is 3-3 in Valley play with a series victory over Southern Illinois, 2-1, and a series loss to Indiana State last weekend in Omaha, 1-2.
“This weekend offers another great challenge,” Illinois State head coach Mark Kingston said. “Creighton is a very good team and it will take our best baseball to compete. I know we will play extremely hard, and we are continuing our work to get better every week.”
Kevin Tokarski (.462) and Matt Mirabal (.408) continue to lead Illinois State offensively, with two of the top three batting averages in the conference. Tokarski was the nation’s leaders in doubles per game in Monday’s national statistics rankings and is also in the top-10 in the country in batting average and on-base percentage. Mirabal enters the weekend with a nine-game hitting streak, the second-longest streak by an ISU player this season.
Illinois State has dropped four consecutive games, all to non-conference opponents, but will send 2010 staff ace Corey Maines (3-2, 2.59 ERA) to the hill Friday at 4 p.m. against Creighton’s Jonas Dufek (4-1, 5.31). Illinois State freshman Brad Sorkin (2-1, 3.52) will face off with Creighton’s Brandon Koenigstein (2-0, 2.70) at 2 p.m. Saturday, and the Bluejays’ Ty Blach will start against a pitcher to be determined for ISU in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
Last Time Out
Matt Mirabal drove in two runs for Illinois State and extended his hitting streak to nine games but the Redbirds were bested by a 15-hit performance from Northern Illinois and limited to six hits of their own in a 11-4 loss at Duffy Bass Field Tuesday. Mirabal hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning to plate Illinois State’s first run and knocked an RBI double in the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough to help the Redbirds avoid their fourth consecutive loss. Northern Illinois’ Dave Reynolds and Troy White both had three hits to lead the Huskies, and each drove in two runs. White had three doubles for NIU.
The Opponent: Creighton Bluejays
• Creighton University is located in Omaha, Neb., and has an enrollment of 7,385. The Bluejays are members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• CU was 31-25 last season and went 14-9 in Valley play. The Bluejays enter the weekend series 14-9 overall and 3-3 in the Valley.
• The Bluejays are coached by Ed Servais, who is in his seventh season as CU’s head coach. He is 241-133 as the leader of the Jays and has 400 career wins as a college head coach, previously spending seven seasons as the leader of St. Mary’s (Minn.). Servais was an assistant at Iowa State before becoming the Bluejays’ skipper.
• Creighton leads the all-time series with Illinois State 66-33, including all three contests against the Redbirds at Duffy Bass Field last season. The Blujays have won nine in a row against the Redbirds and 11 of the last 12 meetings. Illinois State’s last win over Creighton was a 14-13 decision in Omaha April 9, 2006. The Bluejays were the No. 23 team in the country in that game.
Another Fantastic Weekend for Mirabal
Mirabal had a hit in all four games Illinois State played last week. The sophomore from Chicago led Illinois State with eight hits, including three doubles, and drove in a team-best five RBI. Mirabal drove in two runs in the Redbirds’ 13-8 win over Illinois at Duffy Bass Field (March 30)and drove in three more, including the potential go-ahead run, in Saturday’s extra-inning loss at Lipscomb. The Redbird catcher had one of his best all-around games in the series opener at Lipscomb, batting 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while also throwing out two attempted base stealers and picking off another at first base.
Sorkin Tackles the Big Ten
Sorkin, a freshman from Buffalo Grove, Ill., earned his second-consecutive, mid-week win over a Big Ten opponent as he limited Illinois to four hits over six innings (March 30). Sorkin notched his second straight quality start after limiting Purdue to just one hit (March 24). Sorkin didn’t allow a base hit until the fourth inning of the game against the Fighting Illini, and didn’t allow the runs until the sixth. The right-handed pitcher is 2-1 in seven games for Illinois State and has the third-lowest ERA on the team at 3.52.
Mirabal Sizzling During 9-Game Hit Streak
Nobody’s hotter in Illinois State’s lineup than sophomore catcher Matt Mirabal. The Chicago, Ill., native has a hit in each of the last nine games and during that stretch has a team-best 14 RBI. During the streak, Mirabal has batted .447 with a team-best 17 hits. He’s also scored eight runs and knocked five doubles. Defensively during the streak, Mirabal has thrown out five base runners and picked another off first.
Long Relief
Redbird reliever Kenny Long was the hard luck loser in extra innings last Saturday at Lipscomb after allowing an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning. It was the only run he’s given up in the last 13 innings. That last time Long was charged with an earned run was March 14 against James Madison. The redshirt sophomore from Fox River Grove, Ill., hasn’t allowed an earned run in seven appearances and has limited opponents to five hits in 13 innings during that span – a .109 batting average. During the stretch, Long notched the first three saves of his career and struck out 16 batters. Long had the fifth-lowest ERA in the nation in Monday’s NCAA statistics rankings (1.05) and was fourth in the country with 4.55 hits allowed per nine innings.
Return of the Mac
Illinois State outfielder Tyler McNeely returned to the Redbird lineup against Lipscomb as designated hitter, his first starting assignment since Feb. 28. On Tuesday against Northern Illinois, McNeely started his first game in the field when he played right and batted sixth in the order. The junior from Normal, Ill., almost had a story book return to the lineup as he hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the Huskies’ lead to 10-7, but it was called foul by the home plate umpire. McNeely was out nursing a sprained shoulder after he collided with the right field wall against Duquesne in Winter Haven, Fla.
