Creighton downs Kansas to set up Saturday clash with Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE – The Creighton Bluejays continued their hot streak against the Kansas Jayhawks Friday night, shredding their pitching staff for 11 runs on 15 hits.

They are 14-1 in their last 15 games and face Arkansas in the winner’s bracket on Saturday night. They have to face a Razorback pitching staff that pitches well all day Friday. 

Arkansas pitching will have to be in the zone against the BlueJays lineup that is about as hot as you can get at this point in the season.

Boy, Hog fans have surely watched this movie scene one too many times recently. The good news is that the Razorback pitching was up to their usual ways, allowing hits that didn’t hurt them on the scoreboard. Kansas continually got behind in the count and left a ton of pitches up in the zone.

Good-hitting teams, regardless of the seed, will make you pay if they saw the pitches Creighton saw tonight. 

Pitchers Parker Coil and Landon Beidelschies almost invited a little pressure, allowing base runners in each inning except the 6th.

Head Coach Dave Van Horn has a stable of arms ready to go Saturday and Sunday, and they might need it after what fans saw from the Bluejays Friday night. More than likely, Hogs ace Zach Root will take the bump Saturday night, and Creighton will have their hands full with the All-SEC First Team pitcher. 

The score didn’t feel as close as the scoreboard indicated; Arkansas played loose and didn’t commit an error in the field, while Kansas had a few blunders in the field. Third base was not covered on a shift with a runner on first, and the first baseman had to run the length of the infield with the ball so the runner couldn’t advance on an infield hit.

Or, center field tracking a ball and trying to catch it off the bounce and booting it to the wall, or shortstop booting another ball into left field. The Kansas defense was hard to watch at times.

Location, Location, Location

This is where the tough games start; this is no time for the offense to disappear or the pitching to make mistakes that cost them valuable runs. This Bluejay lineup is hot right now, but Arkansas has the arms to extinguish the fire; they need to locate it, which is easier said than done. 

First, can Razorback pitching locate their pitches on the corners and live on the edge?

Creighton lives on pitches in the fat part of the plate all night. That is the one place Pitching Coach Matt Hobbs probably noticed in the nightcap. That is a sentiment that will be emphasized over the next 24 hours, focusing on the corners and keeping it in the lower third of the plate. 

Second – hits , location in the count, how many outs, and can they jump on pitches in favorable counts. Arkansas will need a couple of runs to come in with two outs, which depletes a team’s confidence in being unable to get off the field with runners in scoring position.

Arkansas has driven in runs with two outs against the best teams this year; they have to recognize that Creighton is that team this time of year and not take them for granted. 

Turn this song off repeat.

Fans heard this song last year; a good team comes in here, gets hot, and turns the region upside down. The key factor that folks can hang their hat on is that the hitters in this Hog lineup, who produced all year when it counted, came through on Friday.

We saw the Cam Kozeal from the Vandy series take control at the plate. Ryder Helfrick called a hell of a game, stole second, and took away second base twice. 

Batters 1-6 of the lineup produced at an efficient clip with five of the six runs, and all nine hits.

Now, if the Caboose gang can get it going, Creighton will have a hard time keeping pace with the Razorbacks, regardless of how hot this team may be. Unlike the last two years, this team is deeper and can pause the Bluejay’s effectiveness at the plate, unlike Kansas. 

What to look for Saturday night

Creighton’s Ed Servais and Dave Van Horn didn’t have to burn too many arms in their wins Friday, and that might be a different story if this game is tight in the latter innings or if things go haywire early. We could be in for a real chess match with these two coaches, and if that happens, the advantage will go to DVH.

Photo by John D. James