Creighton Sports Complex Kitty Gaughan Pavilion
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Creighton Sports Complex Quick Facts Built: 1988 LF: 330 Renovated: 2000 CF: 400 Surface: SafePlay RF: 330 Capacity: 1,000 Gap: 390 The Creighton Sports Complex has served as the home of the CU baseball team since it opened in 1988 and was renovated in 2000. The on-campus facility features SafePlay playing surface on both the baseball and neighboring softball fields. Kitty Gaughan Pavilion Kitty Gaughan Pavilion houses spacious locker rooms and indoor batting cages for Bluejay players. The two-story structure is also home to the baseball and softball offices. On game days, concession stands and restrooms are available for fans as well as indoor viewing areas for both the baseball and softball fields. 42 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball Rosenblatt Stadium Top Regular Season Attendance Dates in College Baseball History The annual home of college base- Att. Team vs. Team Date Location ball’s pinnacle has served as the 40,106 San Diego St. vs. Houston 3/11/04 PETCO Park “home away from home” for the 28,836 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech 5/11/04 Turner Field Creighton baseball program. T h e 27,673 LSU vs. Tulane 4/10/02 Louisiana Superdome Bluejays annually play Nebraska at 25,175 Long Beach St. vs. San Diego St. 3/13/04 PETCO Park Rosenblatt Stadium, a game that is 21,995 Houston vs. Texas 2/12/05 Minute Maid Park televised statewide. 21,724 Texas vs. Rice 2/14/04 Minute Maid Park Creighton has been the host of 21,343 LSU vs. Tulane 4/27/04 Louisiana Superdome 21,043 TCU vs. Texas 5/04/96 Ameriquest Field three of the top 16 and four of the top 20,737 Nebraska vs. San Diego St. 3/14/04 PETCO Park 23 home attendance dates in regular 20,011 NEBRASKA vs. CREIGHTON 5/10/05 ROSENBLATT STADIUM season college baseball history. All 19,482 Nebraska vs. San Diego 3/12/04 PETCO Park four were matchups with Nebraska at 18,758 NEBRASKA vs. CREIGHTON 5/15/02 ROSENBLATT STADIUM Rosenblatt. 18.348 Hawaii vs. UNLV 5/19/79 Aloha Stadium Creighton annually serves as the 18,319 Tulane vs. LSU 4/29/03 Louisiana Superdome host of the College World Series 15,649 Texas vs. TCU 4/08/97 Ameriquest Field because of its proximity to 15,436 NEBRASKA vs. CREIGHTON 5/10/00 ROSENBLATT STADIUM 15,428 Texas vs. Houston 2/09/02 Minute Maid Park Rosenblatt. Creighton baseball play- 14,991 Mississippi St. vs. Florida 4/16/88 Duby Noble Stadium ers are able to experience on a year- 14,978 Houston vs. Texas 2/04/01 Minute Maid Park ly basis the aura and thrill of playing 14,378 Mississippi St. vs. LSU 4/16/88 Duby Noble Stadium in a facility that houses so much his- 14,367 Texas vs. TCU 4/20/99 Ameriquest Field tory and has been the site of many 14,079 TCU vs. Texas 4/28/98 Ameriquest Field moments of glory. 13,862 NEBRASKA vs. CREIGHTON 5/09/01 ROSENBLATT STADIUM This year, the Bluejays and Cornhuskers will meet twice at Rosenblatt Stadium on Tu e s d a y, April 4 and Tuesday, May 16. The Jays will also play Wichita State on March 31 and Indiana State twice, on May 12 and 13. 2006 Creighton Bluejays Baseball 43 Attendance honored as a first-team All-American by the members, including former baseball players Creighton has consistently been in the American Baseball Coaches A s s o c i a t i o n Gibson, Oneri Fleita, Gil Passarella, Dennis top 50 in home attendance for all Division I (ABCA) and Baseball America magazine in Rasmussen, Randy Schwartz, Jim Hendry, schools. As recently as 2004, the Bluejays 1990 after leading Creighton to the 1990 Scott Servais and 2005 inductee Scott ranked 49th in average home attendance, NCAA Central Regional with a 14-3 record Stahoviak. drawing 1,083 fans per home contest. and a school-best 1.96 ERA. Creighton was also the third-highest ranked Third baseman Stahoviak was named Fight Song school in the Missouri Valley Conference the National Player of the Year by the The Creighton University Fight Song is and the third Northern-most school to be in A B C A and also earned first-team A l l - “The White and the Blue,” with words and the top 50 that year, with only Notre Dame America honors from both the ABCA and music by Gordon Richmond. (31st) and Oregon State (45th) being locat- Baseball America after leading the Bluejays ed farther north. In 2005, the Jays played to the 1991 College World Series by batting “The White and the Blue! Nebraska in front of 20,011 fans at .449 (120-267) with 74 RBI. Colors two, it is you we defend. Rosenblatt Stadium, the 10th-largest regu- Outfielder McConnell was a consensus Fearless for you, lar season crowd in college baseball history. first-team All-American in 1992 after leading our might to the fight we will lend. Creighton to the 1992 NCAA C e n t r a l So: wave, colors, wave College World Series Regional. He hit .400 (88-220) during the We will fight on for your glory. The NCAA Division I College Wo r l d 1992 season with 14 home runs and 73 White and Blue! Series has called Omaha home every year RBI. We will fight till the fight is won.” since 1950 and Creighton University serves Third baseman Gripp was named a first- as the host institution for the event. team ABCA All-American in 1999. He led Annually drawing more than 225,000 fans to the Bluejays to the South Bend (Ind.) Jaybackers the 11-day event, the College World Series Regional, CU’s first NCAA To u r n a m e n t The booster group for Creighton is one of the nation’s premier sporting berth since 1992. Gripp hit .395 with a Athletics, the Jaybackers, contributed over events, matching college baseball’s top school-record 24 home runs and 84 RBI. $2 million to the athletic department last eight teams in a double-elimination tourna- Gripp also earned second-team recognition year, primarily through membership dona- ment for the national championship. from Baseball America. tions and the annual Jaybacker Jamboree. The 2006 CWS will be the 57th in Joining Gripp on the 1999 squad was Omaha and is scheduled for June 16-26 at do-it-all utility man Peyton Lewis, who Missouri Valley Conference Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. earned second-team accolades from both The Creighton baseball team has been a Collegiate Baseball and the National member of the Missouri Valley Conference Dr. Lee C. Bevilacqua Collegiate Baseball Writers A s s o c i a t i o n since the 1977 season. Prior to joining the Inducted into the Creighton University ( N C B WA). Lewis was the 1999 MVC Valley, the Bluejays played as an indepen- Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, Bevilacqua Pitcher of the Year after going 10-1 with a dent. became the first 3.30 ERA. He also spent time as designat- person associat- ed hitter, batting .339 with 19 home runs ed with Creighton and 76 RBI. Athletics to be Scott Servais was the first Bluejay to honored by the earn All-America honors when he was a Missouri Va l l e y third-team selection by both B a s e b a l l Conference Hall America and Collegiate Baseball in 1988. of Fame when he Despite not having eye-popping offensive was presented numbers, Servais was considered one of the MVC Aw a r d the top defensive catchers in the college of Merit at the game. Hall of Fame Three future All-Americans dotted the The oldest conference headquartered induction cere- roster in 2004: Steve Grasley, Tony Roth west of the Mississippi River, The Valley is monies Sept. 1, and Scott Reese. Grasley earned third-team in its 99th year of existence and began 1998, in St. NCBWA honors that season, finishing 12-4 sponsoring baseball in 1947. Louis. with a 3.00 ERA and 117 innings pitched. D r. Lee C. Bevilacqua was Creighton’s vol- He would go on to sign with the Seattle Major Leaguers unteer team physician for 32 years (1962-82, Mariners in June. The Creighton program has seen its 1986-98) until his passing in October of 1998, Tony Roth was a third-team selection share of athletes move on to the profes- while on a road trip with the Bluejay men’s that year by the ABCA. Roth batted .356 sional ranks. The Jays have had 67 players soccer team. and his .995 fielding percentage helped the drafted by Major League Baseball teams During his years of service, Bevilacqua Jays lead the country in that category. since 1955 with 15 of them making it to a never received monetary compensation and Reese would go on to be the second 40-man roster. This includes 28 signees in always paid his own way when he traveled consecutive NCBWA third-team selection the 1990s and 11 since 2000. with teams. for the Jays in 2005 after going 12-0 out of Some of the more notable names from the bullpen and setting school records for Creighton’s history are Bob Gibson, Dave All-Americans winning percentage and appearances (37). McKay, Dennis Rasmussen, Scott Servais, The Creighton baseball program has Kimera Bartee, Scott Stahoviak and Alan produced nine All-Americans in its history, Hall of Fame Benes.