Illinois State coach Mark Kingston had a simple answer Wednesday for the surge that has carried last-seeded Creighton to within one win of a return to the Missouri Valley tournament championship game. “That's baseball,'' Kingston said after watching the Bluejays maul his team for 16 hits in an 11-5 victory. “That's why they have these tournaments. If everything was done on paper, it would be very predictable.

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Creighton came into the Missouri Valley tournament with offensive numbers that would make a hitting coach cringe. The Bluejays ranked 283rd out of 291 Division I teams in batting average (.239), 276th in hits (331), 267th in runs scored (213), 269th in slugging percentage (.331) and 244th in homers (13).

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Tuesday's Missouri Valley Conference tournament game provided Creighton with some long-awaited redemption. The Bluejays dusted aside the frustration of finishing last in the regular season by dusting off top-seeded against Indiana State 5-0 at Hammons Field. Creighton (23-28) got a dominating performance from Ty Blach, gold-glove defense from its fielders and 10 hits from its lightweight offense in moving into Wednesday's Bracket A winners game against Illinois State.

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• » Box Score: Creighton 5, Indiana St. 0

Ty Blach will put on a Creighton baseball uniform Tuesday and try to pitch the Bluejays to an upset of Indiana State in the Missouri Valley tournament.

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Former Creighton pitcher Pat Venditte, professional baseball’s only ambidextrous pitcher, has a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

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Ed Servais welcomed the opportunity last season for Creighton to host the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Omaha’s new downtown ballpark. This season, Servais can’t wait to get his Bluejays out of town.

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It's easy for Gregory Echenique to find his motivation. In the weight room, he's more intense. On the gym floor, he's focused. His desire to polish his body and game is almost palpable. “He's finally gotten to the point where he knows how hard he has to work,” said Steve Merfeld, the assistant who works with Creighton's big men. “He's approached every workout in a more intense, urgent manner.''

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Creighton's lack of timely hitting produced an all-too-familiar result in Saturday's game against Wichita State. The Bluejays collected 11 hits against the Shockers but scored just once in a 5-1 loss before 2,866 fans at TD Ameritrade Park. The outcome provided an imperfect ending to a regular season of missed opportunities for Creighton.

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The difference in Friday’s Creighton-Wichita State game boiled down to the Shockers’ late-game ability to get ‘em on, get ‘em over and get ‘em in. Wichita State backed the strong pitching of Kris Gardner and Cale Elam by manufacturing a run in the seventh inning and another in the eighth to record a 2-0 victory before 15,184 on Military Appreciation Night at TD Ameritrade Park. The turnout was Creighton’s largest of the season and second largest in the...

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Replay the "Bluejay Talk Live"" chat with World-Herald staff writer Steven Pivovar as he discusses the latest Creighton athletics news.

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Anthony Bemboom's triple highlighted a five-run eighth-inning rally Thursday night that carried Creighton to a 7-3 Missouri Valley victory over Wichita State.

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