Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
Fun fact: Did you know that five former Bluejays were on Major League Baseball rosters this summer?
It's notable, because only twice have there been more (six Creighton players were on MLB teams during the 2019 and 2020 seasons).
So, as the MLB playoffs unfold, we’re looking back at our five favorite regular-season moments for the Jays alumni:
Isaac Collins’ walk-offs
In a two-week span, Isaac Collins, BA'20, came through in the clutch for the Milwaukee Brewers.
First, On Aug. 10, it was a walk-off home run off veteran New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz to cap a comeback win after the Brewers faced a 5-0 deficit. Collins ripped a two-strike slider to right field.
Just before his teammates dumped a full Gatorade bucket over his head, Collins was almost at a loss for words during a post-game interview.
“It’s amazing,” he said.
Then on Aug. 26, Collins delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to score the winning run against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The heroics were highlights in a breakout season for Collins.
In July Collins was named the NL Rookie of the Month after batting .321, recording a .411 on-base percentage and tallying 11 runs scored and 11 RBI. Collins played so well defensively in the outfield that he vaulted into consideration for a Gold Glove award.
Collins’ individual stats dipped a bit after that, but he’s remained a valuable contributor for the National League’s top team. Collins is on the Brewers’ National League Championship Series playoff roster.
Alan Roden’s first MLB home run
On April 15, the left-handed swinging outfielder connected on a 1-1 pitch for a two-run home run that broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning. Alan Roden, BSPHY'22, hit a blast that ended up propelling his Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-3 over the Atlanta Braves.
It was no-doubt line drive that traveled 397 feet as it cleared the right-field wall.
Roden was too focused on sprinting down the first-base line — or maybe just too excited — to track the ball’s trajectory.
“I’m not even sure where it landed,” Roden said in a post-game interview after the game.
The home run came off Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach, who played collegiately at Nebraska.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s MLB debut
It’s one of those feel-good moments in sports that only baseball can produce.
On May 16, Ryan Fitzgerald, BSBA'16, made his Major League Baseball debut with the Minnesota Twins.
As a 30-year-old. As a player who went undrafted after he finished his last year at Creighton in 2016. As an underrated journeyman who played independent ball and in the Dominican Republic. As a long-time minor leaguer who spent multiple years trying to prove himself (he played for the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2024).
It’s not the traditional path to the majors.
Plus, the day before his MLB debut, Fitzgerald's flight got canceled. He had to complete a late-night drive from Des Moines, Iowa, to Target Field in Minneapolis so he could suit up and play.
Fitzgerald initially appeared in just two games before getting sent back down to the minors. But the infielder finished the year on the Twins roster, picking up nine hits in 24 games.
Two Bluejays suiting up as Blue Jays
Will Robertson, BSBA'20, joined Roden on the Toronto Blue Jays’ MLB roster for a few days in June. Robertson actually made his MLB debut on Father’s Day.
Robertson and Roden were Creighton teammates in 2019 (although Roden was redshirting that season).
They got to play together this time, though. Two former Bluejays playing for the Blue Jays.
And actually, on June 15, they were slotted right next to each other in the lineup. Roden, playing left field, batted seventh. And Robertson, in right field, batted eighth. They singled on back-to-back plate appearances during the seventh inning of an 11-4 defeat.
Their reunion didn’t last long. Robertson eventually got traded to the Chicago White Sox and Roden was shipped off to the Minnesota Twins. Roden joined up with Fitzgerald in Minnesota, but Roden’s season was unfortunately cut short by a thumb injury. Robertson logged eight hits and eight RBI in 24 games.
Nicky Lopez plays his seventh season in the majors
See if you can stump your Bluejay friends with this trivia question: What team did Nicky Lopez, BSBA'19, play for at the beginning of the 2025 season?
Lopez, who made his breakthrough as a Kansas City Royal in 2019, spent this year’s spring training with the Chicago Cubs. He was released but later returned to Wrigley Field for a Major League stint with those same Cubs in April and May.
By the way, Lopez told MLB.com in the spring that it had always been “a dream of mine to be in this clubhouse” as a member of the Cubs. Lopez, who played for the White Sox in 2024, is from Naperville, Ill., just outside of Chicago.
In May, Lopez ended up getting released by the Cubs, again. Then he signed minor league deals with the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks before AGAIN signing a new minor league deal with the Cubs in August.
And if you looked closely at the Cubs’ dugout during the National League Division Series, you might have spotted Lopez on the bench. He was apparently part of the team’s playoff travel squad.
Anyway, back to our trivia question: What MLB team did Lopez play for to start the 2025 season?
The Los Angeles Angels.
He saw action in four games with the Angels before making his way back to Chicagoland.
