Missouri Valley Conference baseball teams opened the 2012 season last weekend, combining for a 10-15 record.  Creighton was the lone league team to finish the weekend with an unscathed record, as the Bluejays swept Central Arkansas in a three-game road series.

This week's Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Player/Pitcher of the Week are Southern Illinois' Austin Montgomery and Creighton's Ty Blach, respectively.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Montgomery, Jr., OF/DH, Southern Illinois
Austin Montgomery powered the Saluki offense in the opening weekend series at North Florida. He went 8-for-13 with six RBIs and recorded multiple hits in each game. His 11 total bases and .846 slugging percentage lead the Missouri Valley Conference. In Saturday’s game, his home run to lead off the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game winner in a 4-2 victory. He matched a career high twice in the series by recording three hits on Friday and then again on Sunday. In Sunday’s game, he set the tone for SIU’s 16-run outburst by driving in a pair of runs in the first inning. He finished the day with a career high five RBIs in the game.

MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ty Blach, Jr., LHP, Creighton
Ty Blach opened the 2012 season where he finished last year, tossing 5.0 innings in the Friday night 4-3 win over Central Arkansas.  Blach struck out six batters, allowing just two hits and one unearned run in the opening game of the season.  The junior held opponents to just a .143 batting average, becoming the first Bluejay to earn a win in 2012.

Noteworthy - In addition to the league's player and pitcher of the week selections, several conference players had notable performances, and they include: 

Nick Judkins (CU) - Judkins led the Bluejays offensively on the opening weekend, propelling Creighton to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2000.  Judkins finished the weekend 4-for-12 (.333) from the plate, scoring three runs and driving in three.  His two-run homerun put the Bluejays on the board first in the final game of the series, the first round-tripper of the season for the Jays.  Judkins added a double and finished with a .667 slugging percentage to add to his .429 on-base percentage.  Judkins was one of three Bluejays with a stolen base on the opening weekend. The senior also played flawless defense, error-free in 31 chances at first base.

Eric Stamets (UE) - Stamets finished opening weekend with a .400 batting average and team-high .667 on-base percentage. He was also successful in all three stolen base attempts. Against Belmont, Stamets led the Aces’ offense, going 1-1 with three walks. At Lipscomb, Stamets served as UE’s offensive spark, putting the Aces on the board for the first time this season with an RBI single up the middle. He also started the three-run seventh inning rally that led to UE’s first win of the season, leading off with a walk and scored the first run of the frame.

Kyle Stanton (ILS) - Stanton hit .636 in a 7-for-11 performance during Illinois State’s season-opening series at Austin Peay. The junior college transfer collected two RBI, scored one run, doubled and walked four times. He slugged .727 and amassed a .750 on-base percentage. Stanton was 4-for-5 with one RBI and one run to help the Redbirds win their first game of the season, Feb. 19 at Austin Peay. Stanton also recorded a team-best 21 putouts at first base.

Robby Ort (INS) - Ort hit .400 (4-for-10) in Indiana State’s opening weekend of action, totaling one double and two runs scored. The Preseason All-MVC selection ranked second on the team last season with a .320 batting average while leading the team in home runs (10), RBIs (53) and triples (seven).

Spiker Helms (MSU) - Helms led the Bears in hits (5), runs (4) and total bases (10), hitting .313 with 4 RBIs to earn a spot on the all-tournament team at the Red Raider Classic this past weekend. Helms recorded hits in three of the four games to help MSU finish 2-2 against Tennessee Tech and Texas Tech. The senior went 2-for-4 with a lead-off home run, scored the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning and delivered a two-out, RBI double in the ninth to seal MSU’s 4-2 victory over host Texas Tech Sunday. Additionally, Helms boosted the Bears’ attack in a 10-8 win over Tennessee Tech Saturday, doubling home a run, scoring twice and drawing a pair of walks. Helms also enjoyed a 2-for-5 day at the plate in the Bears’ season opener Friday, a 3-2 loss to Tennessee Tech.

John Nasshan (BU) - Nasshan earned the victory in Friday’s 4-3 win at Kennesaw State by pitching the first 6.2 innings. The 6-foot-6 righthander allowed three runs by scattering six hits, walking two and striking out four.

Cole Isom (UE) - Isom tossed six strong innings, allowing just one run on one hit, but suffered the loss as Belmont shutout Evansville, 2-0, in the Aces season-opener. Isom held the Bruins hitless through the first five innings, allowing just two base runners – a walk in the first and hit batter in the third – with three perfect frames. The Hopkinsville, Ky. native finished with four strikeouts and limited the opposition to a .056 batting average in his first outing of the season.

Matt Schmitt (ILS) - Schmitt earned Illinois State’s first win of the season Feb. 19 during the Redbirds’ season-opening series at Austin Peay. The junior college transfer pitched (a predetermined) four shutout innings with four strikeouts with just three hits and three walks allowed. Schmitt won his first Division I game in his first attempt.

Ryan Torgerson (INS) - Torgerson did not allow an earned run in his six innings of work on Sunday, leading the Sycamores to a 5-3 advantage heading into the ninth inning. Torgerson allowed five hits in his six innings on the hill, striking out three batters.

Tyler Burgess (MSU) - Burgess was instrumental in the Bears’ two victories at the Red Raider Classic in Lubbock this past weekend, posting wins in his first two collegiate appearances to earn all-tournament recognition. In Missouri State’s 10-8 decision over Tennessee Tech Saturday, the left-hander gave up one hit and one walk in one inning of relief work to notch the victory in his MSU debut. He followed that performance with three perfect innings in Sunday’s 4-2 win over host Texas Tech, coming on with no outs in the seventh inning to work the Bears out of a bases-loaded jam. In all he would retire the final eight batters of the contest--recording nine outs in the process--to earn his second straight win.

Cameron Maldonado (SIU) - Maldonado began his 2012 season by throwing five scoreless innings at North Florida. The only damage against him was a sixth inning two-run homer by the last batter he faced. He made big pitches to get out of jams, stranding six runners in his five-plus innings of work.