2010 Bl u e j a y Ba s e b a l l 2010 Season Preview was solid, posting a .994 fielding percentage and throwing out 37 percent of base runners. Bowens is back for his second season in the white and blue. He appeared in 15 games last season, 10 of which were as a pinch runner. He had just two at-bats, but scored a run and stole a base. Rounding out the catchers is Bruns. The transfer from Sauk Valley CC did not see any game action for the Jays last season. Jimmy Swift clubbed three home runs last season while starting at third base. INFIELD The 2010 infield is a tale of two sides. The Jays return both starters on the left side in Jimmy Swift and Elliot Soto, but have question marks on the right side after second baseman Vicente Cafaro (signed by Texas Rangers) and first baseman Darin Ruf (drafted by Philadelphia Phillies) departed after winning gold gloves. The four infield spots were a mark of consistency in 2009 as the four aforementioned players started every game for <strong>Creighton</strong>. Soto, a junior, returns as the team’s second-leading hitter. He also led the squad in sacrifices and stolen bases to go along with his strong defensive play at short (.968 fielding percentage). Overall, Soto posted seven doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs en route to a first team all-MVC selection. Also returning with Soto is Swift. The junior had a breakout campaign in 2009 after seeing limited action in his redshirt freshman season. Swift was one of five <strong>Bluejays</strong> to start every game and hit over .300, as he posted a .301 average as the starter at third. Senior Ian Dike and junior Trever Adams are neck-and-neck for the starting job at first base. Dike played in 49 games for <strong>Creighton</strong> last season, logging most of his at-bats at designated hitter while also seeing some time in the outfield. Dike posted a .266 mark with two home runs and 11 RBI, while also adding four doubles. Adams, who could also see time in the outfield, had a monster season at Hutchinson CC in 2009. He hit .451 wth eight home runs, 63 RBIs and 13 stolen base, while setting a school record for doubles in a season with 23. Included in his big year was NJCAA National Player of the Week honors on March 25. The other two returning infielders are sophomore Zane Hinkel and redshirt freshman Bobby Lewis. Hinkel played in 11 games last season, starting one game against North Dakota on March 25, while Lewis did not see any action and is expected to provide depth at first base. Second base is a three-way battle between two newcomers and a redshirt from last season. The three front-runners for the job look to be juniors Michael Mutcheson and Vince Bellino, and freshman Alex Staehely. Mutcheson comes to <strong>Creighton</strong> after two years at New Mexico Junior College. Mutcheson put up big numbers over his two seasons at NMJC, hitting .353 with 11 home runs, 58 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. Bellino redshirted in 2009 after transferring in from Skyline CC. An Omaha native, Bellino will battle Mutcheson and Staehely for the starting job. Staehely comes in as a true freshman after a successful career at Benet Academy. He was a two-time, first team all-conference pick and enjoyed even more success in the summer with the Downers Grove Longshots travel team. <strong>Creighton</strong>’s only other newcomer to the infield is freshman Joey Long. Long earned all-conference honors his senior season for Rockford Boylan High School. Robbie Knight will look to move up on the NCAA’s career hit by pitch list. OUTFIELD The Jays return two-thirds of their starting outfield. T.J. Roemmich is slated to reclaim right field, while senior Robbie Knight will look to wrap up a strong career when he takes his starting spot in center field. Knight enters the season eighth on the NCAA’s (Division I) career hit by pitch list with 72, despite having a career low of 13 last season. The Kansas State transfer proved to be much more than a walking target, however, as he led the team in hits (77), batting (.344), doubles (18), walks (36) and on-base percentage (.460) in 2009. His 2009 accolades included a second team all-MVC pick, MVC All-Tournament Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team. Roemmich was an honorable mention to both the MVC all-conference and scholar-athlete squads. He was also named MVC Player of the Week twice (3/9 and 5/4) as he led the team in home runs (9), slugging (.526) and total bases (113). The lone departure from the Jays’ starting outfield leaves the left field spot up for grabs. Transfer Clay Cuno and Adams appear to be the leading candidates for the spot. Cuno comes with Adams to Omaha from Hutchinson CC. The junior is at his fourth school in four years, and will look to carry over his success from a year ago. He was a Jayhawk West All- Conference pick for hitting .370 with nine home runs, 48 RBIs, 49 runs and seven stolen bases. His career started at Fort Scott CC where he was Jayhawk Conference Freshman of the Year in 2007. He then redshirted the 2008 season at Nebraska before transferring to Hutchinson last season. Two newcomers will make up the rest of the <strong>Creighton</strong> outfield. Michael Blatchford comes from Columbus High School in Columbus, Neb. He earned a second team all-state mention his senior year and holds school records for home runs (11) and RBIs in a season with (48). Jordan Makovicka rounds out the roster, and will redshirt this season after playing football at Nebraska last season. SCHEDULE The Jays open their 54 game schedule on Feb. 20 with a doubleheader in Conway, Ark. The season starts with a 21-game road trip, while the Jays will play five NCAA Tournament teams from last year while also playing their final regular season games at Rosenblatt Stadium. [10] 2010 Cr e i g h t o n Ba s e b a l l
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