COURTESY CREIGHTON SPORTS INFORMATION Michael Lam said he might not have stayed home if Hawaii had recruited him. "My parents wanted me to get away and grow up a little bit and get that time away from home."

Flyin’ high

Michael Lam has the Creighton Bluejays baseball on right track

The way Michael Lam describes himself, you wouldn't think he'd be anything special as a senior at Creighton University.

The only problem is Lam's four years at Creighton have been anything but uneventful.

In addition to being a pre-med student after being accepted into one of the country's upper-echelon medical schools, Lam is also a dependable baseball player for the Bluejays.

After back-to-back seasons hitting more than .300 while playing predominantly at second base, Lam has spent his senior season appearing at an assortment of positions, including shortstop, second and all three outfield spots.

"Coach is confident putting me anywhere he needs to defensively," Lam said. "Every day changes and I just come to the park ready to play and whatever happens, happens."

The change from being the primary guy at a single position to becoming more of a utility player has hurt Lam at the plate.

Normally a .300 hitter, Lam is down to .256 this season, the worst mark in his four-year career.

"It's a little different, but you have to deal with everything that's coming your way," Lam said. "It's been a challenge, but it's been a good learning experience for me."

The Bluejays have lost two in a row heading into this weekend's series against Indiana State beginning today.

Creighton is 30-17 overall and 13-8 in Missouri Valley Conference play. For a lot of teams, that'd be considered a good season, but not at Creighton.

"It could be a lot better, Lam said. "That's just the way the program is. Our coach just told us that there's maybe 40 teams in the nation that have that, but we think we should be a lot better."

The Bluejays have advanced to the NCAA regional tournament in two of the last three years and won the MWC conference tournament last year, which was the most thrilling moment in Lam's career.

"We won it on a walk-off double, and the guy coming in just got mobbed by everyone at the plate," Lam said. "That's the easy one to remember, but I also take away the work ethic I've gained from the grind of college athletics and academics."

Lam has started more than 65 games for the Bluejays, but that's been secondary to his performance off the field.

His father, Patrick, is a practitioner who specializes in medicine, which is where Lam's drive to do the same comes from.

Life as a pre-med student isn't easy in itself and to do it while playing baseball is even tougher. However, Lam also credits playing sports with helping him excel in the classroom.

"Academics is the most important thing for me and is the main reason why I came here," Lam said. "It's pretty tough, but you just have to manage. Baseball has actually helped in the long run because it keeps everything real structured and helps to manage your time well."

Lam has been the only local baseball player on the team all four years and says it was a challenge getting used to the different atmosphere.

"I've always been the odd man out," Lam said. "It's quite a big shock coming in here and seeing all these 6-foot-6 guys."

Creighton was an easy choice for Lam due to its academic programs, which were his primary criteria in choosing what college to attend.

Hawaii would have been an option had he been recruited, but after not getting any looks from the hometown team, he briefly checked out San Diego before settling on Creighton as his home for the next four-plus years of his life.

"It's a tough situation where if (Hawaii) had recruited me, I don't know if I would have stayed," Lam said. "My parents wanted me to get away and grow up a little bit and get that time away from home."

The Bluejays have seven games remaining in the regular season before the MWC tournament begins May 21.

Unless the Bluejays win the tournament for the second year in a row, it'll be the end of a stellar career for a non-scholarship player who will have appeared in more than 100 games.

"It's slowly coming to an end, but I'm not depressed or anything," Lam said. "It's been a great experience and I have nothing to complain about. I couldn't have asked for much more."