Softball Set for 11th NCAA Tournament Appearance
5/14/2008 10:45:00 AM | Softball
NCAA Tournament ? Iowa City, Iowa ? Bob Pearl Field ? May 16-18
Creighton makes its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in the last six years when it travels to Iowa City for regional play this weekend. The Bluejays will take on 18th-ranked Long Beach State, the No. 14 national seed Friday at 5 p.m. to open regional play. The winner of that contest will face the winner of the Iowa-Missouri game at noon on Saturday, with the losers of each Friday contest playing in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The Iowa City Regional winner will move on to face the winner of the Alabama Regional in Super Regional play next weekend with the chance to advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City May 29 through June 4.
CU at the Tournament
The Bluejays are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six years and the sixth under head coach Brent Vigness. CU has also made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Jays advanced to the College World Series in their first two seasons in the tournament, 1982 and 1986. Creighton is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA tourney, including 2-2 in Iowa City. CU's 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 tourney wins are the most of any Missouri Valley Conference program.
MVC Tournament Summary
As regular-season champion and top seed, the Bluejays earned a double-bye in the single-elimination MVC Tournament. The Jays made three errors which led directly to three unearned runs in a 3-2 defeat to eventual champion Drake last Friday in the semifinals. Tara Oltman allowed just one hit in the loss, but could not overcome three infield errors. CU did not score until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Michelle Koch led off with a home run and the Jays scratched across another tally before suffering defeat.
Scouting Creighton (43-15, 21-3 MVC)
The Bluejays captured their second straight MVC regular-season title, fifth overall, with a school record 21 conference wins ... They have won 16 of their last 18 games and are 31-6 since March 8 ... The Bluejay offense leads the MVC in batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.364), runs (257), hits (407), home runs (47), RBI (234), total bases (625) and sacrifice bunts (97) ... Creighton's .974 fielding percentage ranks 14th in the NCAA ... The Bluejay pitching staff tops the MVC with a 2.24 team ERA and .204 batting average against ... Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, sophomore Tara Oltman has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 wins this year ... Oltman has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings pitched for a 0.16 ERA in her last eight appearances ... Four other Jays joined Oltman as All-MVC First-Team selections; catcher TJ Eadus, center fielder Jessica Wakasugi, shortstop Bailey Dawson and first baseman Renae Sinkler ... Eadus leads the team with 11 home runs and tops the MVC with 34 walks ... Wakasugi, who has started 163 straight games in center field, leads CU with a .362 average and eight stolen bases and she is hitting .462 (18-39) in her last 18 games ... Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI and leads the team with 37 runs scored and a .574 slugging percentage ... Sinkler, the National Player of the Week on April 15, leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases.
Head Coach
Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 15th season at Creighton, owning a record of 481-334-2 with the Bluejays. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 20 years as a head coach is 629-405-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007), five regular-season MVC crowns (1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008), six NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008. The Jays are 5-10 under Vigness in five previous NCAA Tournament appearances.
Put it in Neutral
After losing in the MVC Tournament semifinals to Drake last Friday, Creighton is 13-5 in neutral site games this spring. The Bluejays are now 67-18 (.788) at neutral sites since 2004. CU was 20-3 in 2004, 16-3 in 2005, 10-5 in 2006 and 8-2 in 2007 on neutral playing fields.
Scouting the 49ers (39-15, 15-6 Big West)
Long Beach State is appearing in its 18th NCAA Tournament, earning the automatic bid as the Big West regular-season champion ... LBSU handed No. 1 ranked Florida, one of its two losses this year, and also owns wins over national seeds Texas A&M and Northwestern ... The 49ers have lost three of five entering the postseason, but posted consecutive shutouts to end the regular-season ... Brooke Turner is 26-4 with a 0.67 ERA and school record 17 shutouts, 226 Ks in 210 innings ... LBSU hits .252 as a team, led by Jennifer Griffin's .333 mark and 16 doubles ... Jessica Beaver leads the team six homers and 42 RBI ... LBSU has 59 doubles, 12 triples and just 18 homers as a team ... Danielle Linke tops the team with eight triples.
Scouting the Tigers (44-15, 11-6 Big 12)
Missouri is appearing in its 12th NCAA Tournament and its fourth in the last five years, earning an at-large bid after finishing third in the Big 12 ... The top-hitting team at this regional, MU hits .291 as a team, averaging 5.8 runs per game with 63 homers this year ... The Tigers rank among NCAA leaders with 129 stolen bases ... Rhea Taylor leads MU with a .405 average, 60 runs and 53 stolen bases ... Sluggers Amanda Renth (19 HR, 55 RBI), Jen Bruck (14 HR, 43 RBI) and Lindsey Ubrun (15 HR, 57 RBI) all hit at least .300 as well ... Stacy Delaney (18-3, 1.74 ERA, 165 K) and Bruck (16-9, 2.75 ERA, 99 K) split most of MU's duties in the circle, while Jana Hainey (10-3, 2.31 ERA, 80 K) also sees time.
Scouting the Hawkeyes (40-18, 14-6 Big Ten)
Iowa is appearing in its 15th NCAA Tournament, while serving as host for the second time in three years and eighth time overall ... The Hawkeyes finished third in the Big Ten this spring, behind national seeds Northwestern and Michigan ... Iowa has the strongest pitching staff in the region, ranking in the NCAA top 10 with a 1.17 team ERA ... The duo of Brittany Weil (26-13, 1.14 ERA, 281 K) and Amanda Zust (14-5, 1.24 ERA, 120 K) have combined to let opponents bat just .170 this year ... Iowa hits .270 as a team with 32 home runs, led by Colleen McGlaughlin's (.339) nine homers, 10 doubles and 33 RBI ... Katie Brown adds eight homers and 27 RBI ... Iowa has 88 stolen bases, led by Rachel West and Lindsey Digmann's 17 each.
CU Against the Field
The Bluejays are 6-7 against teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament this year, including a win over seventh-seeded Arizona and three wins over MVC Tournament champion Drake:
Drake (3-1) Arizona (1-2)
Tulsa (1-0) Arizona State (0-1)
BYU (1-1) Arkansas (0-2)
CU Against the Regional
? Creighton and Long Beach State last played in 2003 and LBSU owns the series edge 4-2 in six meetings. CU and Long Beach split the Jays' 2003 season-opening doubleheader in Norman, Okla., the last time these teams met. CU's other win over LBSU came March 15, 1984. Head coach Brent Vigness is 1-2 vs. Long Beach.
? Creighton is 10-11 all-time against Missouri, with Mizzou taking a 5-4 decision on April 18, 2001 in Kansas City the last time these two teams met. MU has won the last three meetings between the teams, with CU's last win over the Tigers coming in 1990, a 5-0 win. Head coach Brent Vigness is 0-2 against the Tigers.
? Creighton and Iowa have met in the NCAA Tournament three times, including twice this decade. Iowa ended CU's 2005 season with a 2-1 eight-inning decision in Lincoln, Neb., while CU defeated Iowa 8-4 in a 10-inning affair in Lincoln in 2004. CU handed Iowa a 6-1 defeat in Iowa City in 1989, the only time the two teams have met in the postseason in Iowa. Overall, CU is 20-7 against Iowa. CU has not played in Iowa City since a 4-3 loss to then No. 22 Iowa on May 1, 2002. Head coach Brent Vigness is 1-6 against the Hawkeyes.
Nonsense Numbers
? The Bluejays are 5-1 against the Big 12 this year, while they did not face a team from the Big Ten or Big West. Both Missouri and Iowa went 5-1 against MVC teams this year.
? CU is 2-0 in the state of Iowa this year (a doubleheader sweep at Drake on April 15).
? CU is 8-1 against teams from Iowa this year
(3-0 vs. UNI, 2-0 vs. Iowa State, 3-1 vs. Drake).
? CU is 6-0 against teams from Missouri. (1-0 vs. SLU, 2-0 vs. UMKC, 3-0 vs. Missouri St.)
? CU is 4-0 against teams from California (2-0 vs. LMU, 1-0 vs. USD, 1-0 vs. San Jose State).
? CU and LBSU have just one similar foe, Iowa State, the 49ers topped ISU on March 14, while CU swept a doubleheader from ISU, March 18.
? CU and MU played 10 of the same opponents this year, with MU posting an 18-3 mark against those foes and CU going 17-6.
? CU and Iowa played seven of the same foes, with Iowa posting a 6-4 mark against those opponents and CU logging a 10-5 mark.
Multiple Bids for MVC ... Again
For the sixth straight season, the Missouri Valley Conference has received at least two bids into the NCAA Tournament. In the previous three seasons, three Valley teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The MVC has secured at least one win in each NCAA Tournament since 2003, including a 5-8 record by the Bluejays in that span.
The Big Dance
The Bluejays are appearing in their fifth NCAA Tournament in the last six years, while this is CU's first at-large bid since 1989. CU's last six appearances were each a result of winning its league tournament, including the High Country Athletic Conference automatic bid in 1990 and the MVC's bid in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. CU has now appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments; 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. CU played in the College World Series in 1982 and 1986. CU is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA postseason, including 5-10 under Brent Vigness.
Homecoming
While the Bluejays boast no player on the roster from the Hawkeye State, 15th-year head coach Brent Vigness is an Iowa native. Vigness attended Nesco High School in Zearing, Iowa (125 miles northwest of Iowa City).
Battling the Best
Long Beach State will be Creighton's fifth top-25 opponent this year, as the Jays played four games against the top-10 on their Spring Break trip to Arizona back in March. The Jays are 1-3 against nationally-ranked opponents this year, defeating two-time defending NCAA champion and then seventh-ranked Arizona 2-1 in Tucson on March 8. CU also dropped two games to the Wildcats, while the Jays took then No. 1 Arizona State 10 innings, before suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Sun Devils on March 4.
Missouri Valley Conference Honors
Five Bluejays earned first-team all-MVC accolades when the honors were announced last week and for the second straight season, Bluejay coaches were tabbed the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman repeated as the MVC Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-MVC, just the third pitcher in league history to repeat and the first CU hurler to win the honor more than once. Senior catcher TJ Eadus was named first-team all-MVC for the second straight year as well. Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson, junior outfielder Jessica Wakasugi and sophomore first baseman Renae Sinkler all earned first-team all-MVC honors for the first time.
MVC Tournament Recognition
Despite having her 13-game winning streak snapped, sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman allowed just one hit and surrendered no earned runs in a 3-2 loss to Drake in the MVC Tournament semifinals. For her efforts she was named to the MVC All-Tournament Team for the second straight year. Sophomore second baseman Michelle Koch, who hit a solo home run in the seventh, was also tabbed to the all-tournament team for the Jays.
We're No Bird Brains
Jessica Wakasugi and Tara Oltman have both been honored on the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First-Team for their performances on and off the field. Wakasugi owns a 3.60 GPA in business entrepreneurship and leads the team with a .362 batting average and eight stolen bases. Oltman (31-7, 0.94 ERA) has perhaps proven more dominant in the classroom than in the circle thus far in her career, notching a 4.0 GPA in English / secondary education.
May Day
Creighton is 3-1 this May, continuing its recent winning ways in this month, as it has secured its 11th straight May without a losing record. Not since 1997 (1-2) have the Jays finished the month of May under .500. CU's record in May since 1998 is 57-27 (.679). The Jays were 10-3 in May in 2004, 6-4 in 2005, 3-3 in 2006 and had a 5-3 mark last year in May.
Poll Position
The Bluejays continue receiving votes and stay just on the outside of the top 25 in both the major softball polls this week - the USA Today/NFCA Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. The Bluejays did crack the latest Ultimate College Softball Top 25, ranking 23rd in the May 5 poll. UCS is a site followed intently by the nationwide softball community. See the poll and visit the site at www.ultimatecollegesoftball.com.
Forty Times Four
For the fourth time in the last five years, Creighton has reached the 40-win plateau. The Jays have now made it to 40 wins four times in Brent Vigness' 15 years at the helm, equalling the four 40-win seasons CU Hall of Famer Mary Higgins totalled in her 17 years as the Bluejay leader. The 2004 and 2005 teams each had 44 wins, the most under Vigness. Should CU win at least two games in the NCAA Tournament, it would have the most by a Bluejay team since the 1989 team won 49. The school record for wins is 51, set by the 1981 AIAW World Series team.
Before and After
Creighton stumbled out of the gates to a 12-9 start, dropping its ninth game in a 15-1 Arizona romp on March 7. Since that loss, CU's worst since 1999, the Bluejays have posted a 31-6 record, starting on March 8 with a 9-0 win over La Salle and 2-1 win over No. 7 Arizona. While the hitting has improved, perhaps the most telling stat is through 21 games CU had allowed 73 runs and in its last 36 games it has allowed 66 runs. The chart below shows CU's statistics before and after March 8.
Statistic Before 3 / 8 Since 3 / 8
Record 12-9 31-6
BA .237 .300
Runs 81 176
Runs/gm 3.9 4.8
2B 14 47
HR 9 38
SLG% .330 .481
OB% .336 .381
ERA 3.18 1.71
Runs Allowed 73 66
BA Against .242 .182
Home Run Droughts and Streaks
Creighton has homered in its last six games, just one game shy of its longest home run streak of the season (April 21-29). Not included in that streak are home runs by two of CU's top three home run hitters, TJ Eadus and Michelle Graner. Eadus has homered just once in her last 24 games and has not homered in her last 11 games after going 12 straight without a home run before her last long ball on April 19. Graner has also not homered since April 19 and has only one round tripper in her last 21 games.
Rare Errors
Creighton entered the MVC Tournament ranked 10th in the NCAA in fielding percentage, but committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs in its tournament loss to Drake (May 9). Prior to that game, CU had allowed just 10 unearned runs all season, including just one unearned run in its previous 38 games. CU's three errors marked the fourth time this year it had committed at least three errors in a game, falling short of a season-high five (at #7 Arizona on March 6). The Bluejays had committed only two errors combined in their previous nine games, before the three miscues last Friday.
Time for a T.O.
Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman (T.O.) continues to rocket up the Creighton record books at a rapid pace. The two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 victories this season. She is just the second pitcher in MVC history to have a 30-win season and the third pitcher in league history to repeat as Pitcher of the Year.
She has hurled 261.2 innings this year and will establish the school record for innings pitched in a season if she hurls two innings at the NCAA Tournament. Oltman's 497 career strikeouts already rank second in school history, while her 285 Ks this year rank third. Her 57 career victories are tied for third in school history, while her 31 complete games rank second and her 34 starts rank third. Oltman's seven saves this year are the second-most in CU history and her 10 career saves are tied for second.
Oltman went 16-2 with four saves and a 0.76 ERA in 22 MVC appearances. She completed all of her 15 conference starts and over half (8) of her MVC starts were shutouts.
Holding the Lead
Creighton has posted an impressive statistic 58 games into the season. When the Bluejays have the lead at the end of any inning this year, they are undefeated. So if a team finds itself trailing the Bluejays at the completion of any inning this year, it also finds itself trailing at the end of the game. The Bluejays have lost just one game this year when it held the lead at some point during the game (but not at the conclusion of an inning). The Jays are 33-0 when scoring first this year and 14-0 when scoring in the first inning. On the flip side of holding leads, the Jays have come from behind in 13 of their 43 wins.
The Kitchen Sinkler
Renae Sinkler has emerged this year as one of the top offensive threats in the Bluejay lineup. She enters play this weekend atop the league with 15 doubles and 102 total bases. She also leads the team with 14 multiple-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games, while her separate 17-game and eight-game hitting streaks are the two longest by a Bluejay this year. Sinkler has started all 58 games this year, 35 at first base, nine at third base, eight in right field and six at shortstop.
We're Going Streaking!
Renae Sinkler had her career-best hitting streak snapped at 17 games on April 26, as she tied Jamie Reiss for the longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this decade. She was the ninth different Bluejay to log at least a 10-game hitting streak since 2000, hitting .474 (27-57) with five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI during the streak. The sophomore actually has the two longest hitting streaks by a Bluejay this season, as just one game separated an eight-game hitting streak from her 17-game streak, as she reached base in 26 straight games in that span.
Longest CU Hitting Streaks Since 2000
Player Streak Year
Renae Sinkler 17 2008
Jamie Reiss 17 2007
Marie Gieron 14 2001
Melanie Dorsey 11 2005
Jessica Wakasugi 10 2006
Bailey Dawson 10 2006
Abby Johnson 10 2005
Christine Fukumoto 10 2005
Stacey Rybar 10 2004
Melanie Dorsey 10 2004
Home Field Advantage
Creighton went 19-2 at home this spring, including an unblemished 12-0 at home in MVC play. The 12 Valley home wins were a school record and the 19 home wins are the most under Brent Vigness and were the most since the 1989 team won 24 in Omaha. CU is 34-8-1 (.802) at home in the last two seasons. At 12-0 in Valley play, the Jays secured just their second undefeated home MVC season in school history, alongside the 6-0 in 1997 team. Below is the list of overall and MVC home records under Vigness.
Bluejay Home Records since 1994
Year Overall W-L% MVC W-L%
2008 19-2 .905 12-0 1.000
2007 15-6-1 .705 11-2-1 .821
2006 8-8 .500 5-5 .500
2005 13-5 .722 9-5 .643
2004 12-5 .706 8-4 .667
2003 5-9 .357 5-8 .385
2002 9-4 .692 9-2 .818
2001 10-8 .556 7-6 .538
2000 9-5 .643 5-3 .625
1999 9-5 .643 7-3 .700
1998 11-3 .786 7-1 .875
1997 10-6 .625 6-0 1.000
1996 6-8 .429 5-5 .500
1995 13-7 .650 7-3 .700
1994 3-7 .300 3-3 .500
Center of Attention
Jessica Wakasugi has started each of Creighton's last 163 games in center field - every game of her career. She is hitting a career-best and team-leading .362 this year, while her career average of .331 ranks fourth in school history. She is hitting .462 in her last 18 games, going 18-for-39 in that span. She is second on the team with 13 multiple-hit games, while she has 15 bunt singles this year.
League Leaders
? Tara Oltman leads the MVC with a 0.94 ERA, 31 wins, 261.2 innings pitched, 34 starts, 31 complete games, 13 shutouts, seven saves (tied) and .167 batting average against.
? Renae Sinkler leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases, ranks second with 63 hits.
? Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, while her 19 RBI in MVC play led the league.
? TJ Eadus leads the league with 34 walks and ranks second with 11 home runs.
? Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 18 sacrifice bunts ? including a league-high 13 in MVC play.
? Jessica Wakasugi led the Valley with six stolen bases in conference play, while she ranks second in the MVC with 16 sacs. Both McKewon and Wakasugi rank in the NCAA top 25 in sacrifice bunts per game.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Tara Oltman won back-to-back MVC Pitcher of the Week honors (April 14 & 21), but was snubbed on the 28th despite pitching 25 straight scoreless innings to end the week (which extended to 30 inn. before being snapped). She again claimed her fifth MVC Pitcher of the Week accolade of the season and seventh of her career on May 5. Since dropping consecutive decisions at Wichita State (April 5-6), Oltman had won 13 straight decisions before being handed the tough-luck loss against Drake in the MVC Tournament (May 9). Since April 9, Oltman is 13-1 with two saves and a 0.59 ERA. She has allowed just eight earned runs and struck out 110 in her last 94.2 innings pitched. The Bluejay ace has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings pitched for a 0.16 ERA.
Bailey is Grand
Bailey Dawson connected for her second grand slam of the season against Missouri State (May 3). Both grand slams have broken up scoreless games, as her first slam was a walk-off blast in the season-opener against Texas State (Feb. 9.)
1-0 Wins
Creighton ended the regular-season with a 1-0 win over Missouri State, its fourth 1-0 win this year. CU has lost two 1-0 games on the year, as both losses (BYU, #1 Arizona State) were settled with solo home runs, while two of the four 1-0 wins were due to solo homers. In two of the 1-0 wins, CU was held to just one hit, including the regular-season finale.
Sacrificial Birds
Creighton leads the MVC with 97 sacrifice bunts this year, 32 more than the second-place team. The 97 sac hits are the most by a Bluejay team since the 1989 team set a record with 112 sacs in 68 games. Five Bluejays have at least 10 sac bunts this year, led by MVC leader Liz McKewon's 18. Jessica Wakasugi has 16, followed by Bailey Dawson's 13, Michelle Graner's 11 and Michelle Koch at 10.
Why So Low With Waka?
Jessica Wakasugi is CU's leading hitter with a .362 average this year, while her .331 career average is fourth in school history. Softball sense says bat the better hitter higher, but Wakasugi's statistics this year dispute that theory. Wakasugi is 5-for-33 (.151) from the top two spots of the order this year, while she is 42-for-97 (.433) from the bottom three spots in the lineup, including .432 from the eighth spot, where the majority of her at bats have come this year.
TJ and HR
TJ Eadus smashed her league-leading 11th home run of the season on April 19th, snapping a streak of 12 games in which she had not homered - the longest such streak of her CU career. Eadus has joined Stacey Rybar and Lauren Cisneros as the only two players in CU history to record two seasons with at least 10 home runs hit.
Gunned Down
Bluejay pitchers have not only been helped by TJ Eadus' bat this year, but also her arm behind the plate. Eadus has gunned down 13 of 33 would-be base stealers this year, including nailing the last five opponents who have tried to steal against the senior catcher. Eadus also picked off two runners from first base against Missouri State (May 3-4) and has three pick offs on the year.
Cookie Monster
Michelle Koch went 6-for-8 against Indiana State on April 26-27, collecting a hit in her final six at bats of the series. She is batting .500 (8-16) with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in her last seven games entering the tournament. She has bumped her average up from .292 to .321 over the last seven games. Koch hit six of her career-high seven home runs this year against MVC foes.
Home Run Happy
The Bluejays enter the tournament with 47 home runs, the second highest total in school history, trailing only last year's 57 blasts. CU has homered in six straight games entering the tournament. The Jays crushed 25 home runs in 24 MVC games, with four Bluejays tying for the team-lead with five round-trippers in Valley play. Renae Sinkler, Bailey Dawson, TJ Eadus and Michelle Koch all homered five times in conference action.
More Home Run Information
Creighton has homered in 32 of its 58 games this year, going 28-4 when hitting a home run this year and posting a 15-11 mark when not hitting a ball over the fence. The Jays have hit at least two home runs in 13 games, going 12-1 in such games. CU hit a season-high four home runs against UNI on March 29, hitting six home runs in the doubleheader - three each by TJ Eadus and Michelle Graner.
Pitchers Can Hit
Brent Vigness has made good use of not only his pitchers' arms this year, but also their bats. Amanda Hess has recently been CU's starting DP, as she 4-for-12 (.333) in her last seven games, hitting .290 (9-31) on the season, .400 (6-15) in Valley play and .571 (4-7) with four RBI as a pinch hitter. Cassidy Nee is hitting .283 (13-46) this year, with a home run and 13 RBI after having just two hits and 11 at bats as a freshman and none last year. Nee leads the team with five pinch hits and nine RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Only Oltman
Tara Oltman began the week ranked in the top nine nationally in both wins (31) and saves (7). She is the only pitcher in the country to rank in the top nine in both categories. The right-hander also ranks 12th in the NCAA with a 0.94 ERA and 23rd with 4.04 hits allowed per seven innings.
Double Trouble
Sophomore Renae Sinkler leads the team and the MVC lead with 15 doubles this season. Her 15 two-baggers are the most by a Bluejay since Frenchy Nix crushed an MVC record 23 and Temple Windhorst added 17 for the 1999 club. The 15 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in CU single-season history.
Best From Hess
Senior Amanda Hess picked up her first MVC win of the season and her first victory in over a month when she hurled a complete game at Southern Illinois (April 19). Hess allowed six hits and two runs, while she struck out seven to pick up her fifth win of the season. Hess also picked up MVC wins over Indiana State (April 26) and Missouri State (May 3). Her bat has also come alive of late, as she has earned starts as a DP and finished 6-for-15 (.400) at the plate in MVC play.
Pinch Me
Creighton pinch-hitters are batting .288 (19-66) on the year, with hits in four of their last seven at bats entering the tournament. Not included in the 64 at bats, are 10 walks and three hit by pitches from the pinch-hitters. CU reserves have also driven in 23 runs and connected for two home runs and three doubles in the pinch this year. Cassidy Nee leads the team with five pinch-hits, hitting .333 (5-15). Amanda Hess is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, while Jessi Jadlowski went 3-for-5 in the role before earning a starting spot. Laura Kratochvil is hitting .364 (4-11) in the role. CU has used a pinch-runner 53 times this year, with Jess Stigge making 39 appearances as a pinch-runner.
No Pain, No Gain
Creighton batters have been hit by a pitch 39 times this year. In 10 games this year, the Jays have been hit by pitches at least twice. On April 15 at Drake, Bulldog pitchers combined to hit the Bluejays five times in the opening game of a doubleheader, including four times by DU ace Brynne Dordel. The Jays were then plunked four times by Missouri State hurler Lauren McGinley on May 3.
Take Your Base
Not only were the Bluejays drilled by five Drake pitches in an 8-0 win on April 15, the Bluejays also drew five walks in the win. The Bluejays worked three walks with the bases-loaded and advanced bases because of three Drake wild pitches in the game.
Left-Right-Left
Sophomore Jess Stigge and freshman Liz McKewon have turned into switch hitters this season. Stigge batted exclusively from the left side last year in 26 at bats, but has batted right-handed in her six at bats this season ? collecting the first right-handed hit of her career against UMKC (March 25). McKewon had batted right-handed through her first 37 games and 75 at bats before switching to the left side at Wichita State. She got a hit in her first left-handed at bat and is now 7-for-35 from the left side this season. The third baseman is hitting .133 from the right side compared to .200 from the left side. McKewon leads the MVC and ranks 15th in the NCAA with 18 sacrifice bunts.
Needing Nee
While Cassidy Nee is listed as a pitcher on the CU roster, she has yet to make an appearance in the circle this year. That hasn't stopped the junior from making contributions to the squad this year as a pinch-hitter and designated player. Prior to this year, Nee was 2-for-11 with two RBI in her career. This season Nee is hitting .283 (13-46) with 13 RBI. The junior is 5-for-15 as a pinch-hitter, with a home run, two doubles and nine RBI in the pinch.
Tara Sees 20-20
Sophomore Tara Oltman has joined an elite group, becoming just the third pitcher in school history to log at least two 20-win seasons. Creighton Hall of Famer Kelly Brookhart recorded two 20-win campaigns, while All-American Tammy Nielsen was a 20-game winner in each of her three years with the Bluejays.
Sinkler is National Player of the Week
Renae Sinkler went 7-for-10 with nine RBI in just three games (April 7-13), good enough to earn her both MVC Player of the Week and USA Softball Collegiate Softball Player of the Week honors as awarded by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). The sophomore first baseman had three RBI in each of CU's games last week to become the first Creighton player ever honored as the National Player of the Week.
Run Support
Tara Oltman had won 11 straight decisions before logging back-to-back losses at Wichita State (April 5-6). In those two defeats, the Jays combined to score one run. Oltman has lost six starts this year and in those starts, the Jays have been shutout three times and scored a total of five runs.
Getting Over the Humpal
Freshman pitcher Emily Humpal made her first MVC start against Wichita State on April 5, picking up CU's only win over the Shockers. The rookie allowed no runs and just one hit through six innings, before finishing with one run and three hits allowed in 6.1 innings. The right-hander also tossed five solid innings of relief against Kansas (April 2), allowing just one run on three hits. She posted a 1.24 ERA with seven strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched against the two Kansas opponents.
Going Against the Graner
Michelle Graner's bloop single in the first inning at Nebraska (April 9) snapped a streak of eight straight extra-base hits for the Bluejay left fielder. Included in the streak was a span of five straight hits which cleared the fence for home runs.
Creighton-Nebraska Recap, Jays Win 13-1
The 800th game in Brent Vigness' tenure at Creighton was a memorable one, as the Bluejays crushed in-state rival Nebraska, 13-1 in Lincoln (April 9). The loss was NU's worst in the seven-year history of Bowlin Stadium and tied the worst home loss in NU history. The win was CU's largest over NU since 1993, making the 12-run romp the largest over NU under Vigness. CU's 13 runs were a season-high. Jessi Jadlowski went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, Michelle Koch was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Jessica Wakasugi went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Eight players scored at least one run and eight players had at least one RBI in the win. Tara Oltman allowed just two hits and one run, while striking out eight and walking none in the five-inning game.
Not Single Anymore
Junior Jessica Wakasugi had slapped and bunted her way to 102 singles to start her career before collecting her first extra-base hit this year. The speedy outfielder found a hole in the La Salle outfield and rounded the bases for an inside the park home run on March 9 for her first career extra-base hit and has since added a pair of doubles. Of her 134 career hits, 131 are singles.
We Beat the Champions
On March 8, Creighton defeated two-time defending NCAA Champion and then seventh-ranked Arizona, 2-1, in Tucson. Tara Oltman out-dueled Arizona All-American Taryne Mowatt in the circle, striking out nine and allowing just three hits and one run to the high-powered Wildcat offense. Renae Sinkler homered and Laura Kratochvil drove in Tucson native TJ Eadus with the game-winning run.
Vigness Wins No. 600
Creighton helped head coach Brent Vigness pick up his 600th career victory earlier this season, doing so in memorable fashion. The Jays topped two-time defending NCAA Champion and seventh-ranked Arizona 2-1 in Tucson on March 9 to notch the skipper's 600th career win.
Eadus Drafted by New England Riptide
Senior catcher TJ Eadus has been drafted by the New England Riptide of the National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) softball league as announced in early February. The CU backstop was taken in the third round as the 14th overall selection during the Feb. 18 draft, becoming the first Bluejay to be drafted into the league.
#1 Renae Sinkler ? First-Team All-MVC First-Baseman ... Utility player who has settled in to a starting position at first base ... Has started every game this year; 35 at 1B, nine at 3B, eight in RF and six at SS ... Leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases and ranks second with 63 hits ... Leads the team with 13 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games ... Tops the team with 22 two-out RBI ... Homered off of Arizona All-American hurler Taryne Mowatt (3/8) ... Named the MVC Player of the Week and the USA Softball National Player of the Week (4/14) following a 7-for-10 (.700) week with nine RBI in just three games, as she had three RBI in each game that week ... Went 4-for-4 with three RBI, including the game-winner in the ninth inning against Evansville (4/13) ... Tied the longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this decade with a 17-game streak from April 2-26, hitting .474 (27-57) with five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI during that span ... Also had the second-longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this year, an eight-gamer from March 18-29 ... Reached base in 26 straight games from March18-April 26, having her hitting streaks separated by just one game ... Was hitting .268 through the first 27 games of the year, but is hitting .414 over CU's last 31 games ... Batting .370 with 20 RBI from the clean up spot this year, the highest average of any Jay in the fourth spot ... Led the team with a .446 average, 29 hits, eight doubles and 18 RBI in home games this year ... Went 2-for-7 (.286) at the NCAA Tournament last year.
#2 Lau Emmsley-Chang ? Missed the first 12 games of the year while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year's MVC Tournament title game ... Started 13 games in right field from Feb. 29 through March 18 ... Been used as a pinch-runner in six games ... Has three hits on the year and none since March 25 ... Only has one at bat since March 25, her only at bat in MVC play vs. Indiana State (4/27) ... Appeared in six MVC games.
#3 Liz McKewon ? Has started all 58 games this season, 43 at third base and 15 at second base ... All 17 hits this year are singles ... Leads the team and MVC and ranks 15th in the NCAA with 18 sacrifice bunts (0.31 per game) ... Batted right-handed in her first 37 games, batting .133 (10-75) from the right side ... Has hit left-handed over CU's last 20 games, batting .200 (7-35) as a slap-hitter ... Collected a hit in her first left-handed at bat against Wichita State (4/5) ... Has fantastic range at third base and leads the team with 113 assists ... Went 3-for-3 vs. San Jose State (2/29) ... Was 2-for-2 in game one vs. Illinois State (4/21) and went 3-for-4 in the doubleheader at ISU.
#4 TJ Eadus ? Two-time First-Team All-MVC Catcher ... Appeared in every game, starting 57 of 58, with 53 starts coming behind the plate and the other four at DP ... Leads team ranks second in MVC with 11 home runs ... Tops MVC with 34 walks ... Has homered just once in her last 24 games, a blast at Southern Illinois (4/19) ... Her 11 homers rank fifth in CU single-season history, while her 27 career homers in just two seasons ranks fourth ... Tied for the team-lead with five HR in Valley play ... Has 12 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games ... Named MVC Player of the Week on March 31 after slugging three home runs in a doubleheader vs. UNI (3/29) ... Was 8-for-17 (.471) at the plate with four home runs, two doubles, six runs and seven RBI in six games that week ... Team-best .408 average with four home runs and 11 RBI in 18 neutral site games this year ... Went 5-for-6 with six RBI, 2B, 3B and HR when she dropped to the fifth spot in the order for two games against SIU (4/19-20) ... Has thrown out the last five runners attempting to steal against her and has cut down 13 of 33 would-be base stealers this year ... Is 7-for-10 when used as a DP ... 2007 MVC Tournament MVP after hitting .571 (4-7) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI in CU's two wins ... Drafted in the third round (14th overall) by the New England Riptide of National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) on Feb. 18 ... Went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in the 2007 NCAA Tournament ... Also played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a member of the Oregon Ducks.
#5 Emily Humpal ? Appeared in 16 games in the circle, posting a 5-2 record with a 5.60 ERA ... Went 2-0 with a 7.44 ERA in Valley play, getting wins over Wichita State and Northern Iowa ... Surrendered 15 home runs in just 60 innings pitched ... Is 7-for-30 (.233) at the plate, including 0-for-4 as a pinch-hitter ... Started 11 games as the designated player ... Has not pitched since April 21 ... Has allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs in her last 3.1 innings pitched.
#6 Jess Stigge ? Creighton's lead pinch-runner, appearing in 39 games and scoring 17 runs in the role this season ... 3-for-3 in stolen bases this year ... Batted exclusively from the left side last year, while her seven at bats this year have come from the right side ... Is 2-for-7 (.286) at the plate this season ... Made one start at shortstop this year, for an injured Bailey Dawson at Arizona (3/6).
#7 Michelle Koch ? MVC All-Tournament Team ... Started all 43 games she has played this season at second base ... Missed 15 games between Feb. 25 and March 20 due to a thumb injury ... Went 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, a triple, home run, four runs scored and five RBI in her first four games back following her injury ... Has hit a career-best seven home runs this season, including tying for the team-lead with five home runs in MVC play ... Went 6-for-8 against Indiana State (4/26-27) ... Is 8-for-16 (.500) with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in her last seven games ... CU's leading hitter over the last 10 games, batting .409 (9-22) in that span ... Batting a team-best .438 against left-handed pitching this year ... Homered against Drake in CU's only MVC Tournament game last Friday ... Second-team All-MVC as a freshman in 2007 ... Was 1-for-6 (.167) with a walk, hit by pitch, run scored and an RBI in the NCAA Tournament last year.
#8 Bailey Dawson ? First-Team All-MVC Shortstop ... Started all 51 games she's played in at shortstop this year ... Missed seven games (3/5-17) because of an arm injury ... Despite missing seven games, she still leads the team and is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, just four shy of the CU single-season record ... Her 19 RBI in MVC play led the league ... Also leads the team and ranks third in the MVC with 37 runs scored ... Tops the team with a .574 slugging percentage ... She has a career-best 10 home runs, which ranks as the eighth-best total in CU history, while her 23 career bombs ranks fifth in school history ... Tied for the team-lead with five home runs in MVC play ... Has hit the only two grand slams for the Bluejays this year, including one vs. Missouri State (5/3), in the same game she drove in a career-high five RBI ... Her other grand slam was a walk-off blast in the season-opener against Texas State on Feb. 9 ... Had a career-best four hits, going 4-for-5 with three RBI vs. Drake (4/15) ... Bats .338 with runners on base, .365 with runners in scoring position and .455 (5-11) with the bases loaded ... Went 2-for-9 (.222) at last year's MVC Tournament.
#9 Michelle Graner ? Has started all 58 games this year; 45 in LF, seven at 1B and six at 3B ... Tied for third on the team with eight home runs ... Her 15 career home runs rank ninth in school history ... Smashed four home runs in a three-game span (3/26-29) ... Hit three homers in a doubleheader vs. UNI (3/29), including two in the night cap ... Had a stretch of eight straight extra-base hits this year, including five straight hits which cleared the fence for home runs ... Has homered just once in her last 21 games - the game-winning blast at Southern Illinois on April 19 ... Has one extra-base hit in her last 12 games ... Tied for second on the team with nine multi-RBI games ... Did not play in last year's NCAA Tournament because of a broken arm which cut short her season after 33 games.
#11 Jessica Wakasugi ? First-Team All-MVC Outfielder ... CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team ... Started all 58 games in center field this year and has started Creighton's last 163 games in center field - every game of her career ... Leads the team and ranks fifth in the MVC with a .362 average ... Hit .412 in Valley play, third in the league ... Her career .331 average ranks fourth in CU history ... Tops the team with eight stolen bases, including a league-leading six without getting caught in MVC play ... Second on the team with 13 multi-hit games ... Of her 134 hits, 131 are singles ... Collected her first three career extra-base hits this year, snapping a streak of 102 straight singles to start her career ... First extra-base hit was an inside-the-park home run against La Salle on March 8 ... Also smacked doubles against Kansas (4/2) and Drake (5/9) ... Hit .395 in neutral site games this year ... Batted .402 in CU wins and .263 in losses ... Batting .462 (18-39) in CU's last 18 games ... Hit .421 against left-handers ... Hit .411 with runners on base ... No errors in 43 chances this year ... Went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in last year's NCAA Tournament.
#12 Tara Oltman ? As a sophomore, already a two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, two-time all-MVC First-Teamer and two-time MVC All-Tournament honoree ... Five-time MVC Pitcher of the Week this year, seven times in her career ... CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team ... Just third player in league history to earn back-to-back Pitcher of the Year nods and first in school history to do so ... Set school record and tied MVC record with 31 wins this year ... Leads league with 31 wins, 0.96 ERA, 13 shutouts, 34 starts, 31 complete games, .167 average against and tied for MVC-lead with seven saves ... Ranks in the top nine in the NCAA in wins (9th) and saves (2nd) ? the only player nationally to rank in the top nine in both ... Her ERA ranks 12th nationally and she is 23rd in the NCAA with 4.04 hits allowed per seven innings ... Her seven saves are the most by a Bluejay since Candi Letts set a school record with nine in 1982 ... Ranks in the top three in CU single-season history in wins (1st), complete games (2nd), saves (2nd), innings pitched (2nd), starts (3rd) and strikeouts (3rd) ... Is 57-15 with a 1.07 ERA and 497 strikeouts in 488.2 innings pitched in her career ... 16-2 with 0.76 ERA in MVC play ... Eight of her 15 Valley starts were shutouts ... 14-0 with four saves and 0.59 ERA at home ... 8-2 with 0.50 ERA in neutral site games ... Hurled 30 straight scoreless innings from April 21-May 3 ... Has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings for a 0.16 ERA and allowed only eight earned runs in her last 94.2 innings for a 0.59 ERA in that span ... Won her last 13 decisions (April 9-May 4), while she also won 11 straight decisions at one point this year ... Has four games with at least 10 strikeouts this year, including a season-high 12 at SIU on April 19 ... Has allowed more than two earned runs in a game just twice this year ... 2007 MVC Newcomer of the Year ... Is 1-2 with a 1.11 ERA, 19 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 9 BB, 6 R, 3 ER, and .197 opponent average against the top 25 this year ... Went 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA, 16 IP, 12 H, 12 K, 4 BB, 6 R, 5 ER and .203 opponent average in the NCAA Tournament last year.
#14 Cassidy Nee ? Once a pitcher, now a dangerous bat off the bench or as the DP ... Leads the team with five pinch hits ... Jays are 9-2 in her 11 starts as the designated player ... Has one home run, two doubles and nine RBI as a pinch-hitter, in which she is batting .333 (5-15) ... Crushed her first career home run at Bradley (3/21), a pinch-hit three run blast ... Hitting .323 (10-31) with runners on base and .308 (8-26) with runners in scoring position.
#15 Kristi Meneely ? All of her at bats this year have come as a pinch-hitter ... Is 2-for-15 (.133) on the year ... Has walked three times and been hit by a pitch twice as a pinch-hitter ... Collected two pinch-hit RBIs on the year ... Last hit came on March 13, last plate appearance was against Drake on April 23 ... CU's third-string catcher.
#16 Mary Egan ? Played in 28 games, including 15 starts, 14 at first base ... Is 0-for-4 as a pinch-hitter ... Went 1-for-3 with a run scored as the starting DP on Senior Day vs. Missouri State ... Had an RBI triple vs. UMKC (3/25) ... Had a pinch-hit RBI on a ground out against Drake (5/9) ... Is 0-for-10 in her NCAA Tournament career, including an 0-for-3 game against Iowa in 2005 ... Only player on the team to have appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament with Creighton.
#17 Amanda Hess ? Made 15 starts as pitcher, nine as designated player and two at first base ... Has won three of her last four starts in the circle to move to 7-6 on the year ... Went 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA in MVC play, earning wins over SIU, Indiana State and Missouri State ... Struck out a season-high 10 vs. Alcorn State (2/23) ... Is 4-for-12 (.333) at the plate in her last seven games ... Is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, with all four of her RBI this year coming in the pinch ... Batting .250 (4-16) as CU's starting DP.
#20 Jessi Jadlowski ? Played in all but one game this year, earning 50 starts ? 37 in right field and 13 in left field ... Batted in the leadoff spot 45 times this year ... Is 7-for-21 (.333) in her last seven games ... Hitting .359 (14-39), with seven RBI in 18 neutral site games this year ... Has eight doubles on the year, including two against Evansville on April 13 ... Batting .339 with runners on base ... Is 3-for-5 as a pinch-hitter ... Hit her only triple of the year against Indiana State (4/26) ... Has seven multi-hit games, including three three-hit games this year ... Played at Division II Missouri Western State University as a freshman last year.
#24 Laura Kratochvil ? Played in 46 games, earning 32 starts ? 27 as the designated player and five at catcher ... Batting .364 (4-11) as a pinch-hitter this year ... Hit .300 (15-50) in her first 22 games, but batting just .115 (6-52) in her last 24 games played ... Smacked a pinch-hit, two-run home run against Nebraska on March 26 ... Has a double, a home run and six RBI in her pinch-hit at bats ... CU's second-string catcher.
Friday, May 16
Game 1 - Creighton vs. #18 Long Beach State, 5 p.m.
Game 2 - Iowa vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Game 3 - Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two, 12 p.m.
Game 4 - Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 - Loser Game Three vs. Winner Game Four, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 18
Game 6 - Winner Game Three vs. Winner Game Five, 1 p.m.
Game 7 (if neccessary) - Winner Game Six vs. Loser Game Six, 3:30 p.m.
Creighton makes its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance and fifth in the last six years when it travels to Iowa City for regional play this weekend. The Bluejays will take on 18th-ranked Long Beach State, the No. 14 national seed Friday at 5 p.m. to open regional play. The winner of that contest will face the winner of the Iowa-Missouri game at noon on Saturday, with the losers of each Friday contest playing in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The Iowa City Regional winner will move on to face the winner of the Alabama Regional in Super Regional play next weekend with the chance to advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City May 29 through June 4.
CU at the Tournament
The Bluejays are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six years and the sixth under head coach Brent Vigness. CU has also made trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The Jays advanced to the College World Series in their first two seasons in the tournament, 1982 and 1986. Creighton is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA tourney, including 2-2 in Iowa City. CU's 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and 12 tourney wins are the most of any Missouri Valley Conference program.
MVC Tournament Summary
As regular-season champion and top seed, the Bluejays earned a double-bye in the single-elimination MVC Tournament. The Jays made three errors which led directly to three unearned runs in a 3-2 defeat to eventual champion Drake last Friday in the semifinals. Tara Oltman allowed just one hit in the loss, but could not overcome three infield errors. CU did not score until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Michelle Koch led off with a home run and the Jays scratched across another tally before suffering defeat.
Scouting Creighton (43-15, 21-3 MVC)
The Bluejays captured their second straight MVC regular-season title, fifth overall, with a school record 21 conference wins ... They have won 16 of their last 18 games and are 31-6 since March 8 ... The Bluejay offense leads the MVC in batting average (.277), on-base percentage (.364), runs (257), hits (407), home runs (47), RBI (234), total bases (625) and sacrifice bunts (97) ... Creighton's .974 fielding percentage ranks 14th in the NCAA ... The Bluejay pitching staff tops the MVC with a 2.24 team ERA and .204 batting average against ... Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, sophomore Tara Oltman has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 wins this year ... Oltman has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings pitched for a 0.16 ERA in her last eight appearances ... Four other Jays joined Oltman as All-MVC First-Team selections; catcher TJ Eadus, center fielder Jessica Wakasugi, shortstop Bailey Dawson and first baseman Renae Sinkler ... Eadus leads the team with 11 home runs and tops the MVC with 34 walks ... Wakasugi, who has started 163 straight games in center field, leads CU with a .362 average and eight stolen bases and she is hitting .462 (18-39) in her last 18 games ... Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI and leads the team with 37 runs scored and a .574 slugging percentage ... Sinkler, the National Player of the Week on April 15, leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases.
Head Coach
Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 15th season at Creighton, owning a record of 481-334-2 with the Bluejays. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 20 years as a head coach is 629-405-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007), five regular-season MVC crowns (1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008), six NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008. The Jays are 5-10 under Vigness in five previous NCAA Tournament appearances.
Put it in Neutral
After losing in the MVC Tournament semifinals to Drake last Friday, Creighton is 13-5 in neutral site games this spring. The Bluejays are now 67-18 (.788) at neutral sites since 2004. CU was 20-3 in 2004, 16-3 in 2005, 10-5 in 2006 and 8-2 in 2007 on neutral playing fields.
Scouting the 49ers (39-15, 15-6 Big West)
Long Beach State is appearing in its 18th NCAA Tournament, earning the automatic bid as the Big West regular-season champion ... LBSU handed No. 1 ranked Florida, one of its two losses this year, and also owns wins over national seeds Texas A&M and Northwestern ... The 49ers have lost three of five entering the postseason, but posted consecutive shutouts to end the regular-season ... Brooke Turner is 26-4 with a 0.67 ERA and school record 17 shutouts, 226 Ks in 210 innings ... LBSU hits .252 as a team, led by Jennifer Griffin's .333 mark and 16 doubles ... Jessica Beaver leads the team six homers and 42 RBI ... LBSU has 59 doubles, 12 triples and just 18 homers as a team ... Danielle Linke tops the team with eight triples.
Scouting the Tigers (44-15, 11-6 Big 12)
Missouri is appearing in its 12th NCAA Tournament and its fourth in the last five years, earning an at-large bid after finishing third in the Big 12 ... The top-hitting team at this regional, MU hits .291 as a team, averaging 5.8 runs per game with 63 homers this year ... The Tigers rank among NCAA leaders with 129 stolen bases ... Rhea Taylor leads MU with a .405 average, 60 runs and 53 stolen bases ... Sluggers Amanda Renth (19 HR, 55 RBI), Jen Bruck (14 HR, 43 RBI) and Lindsey Ubrun (15 HR, 57 RBI) all hit at least .300 as well ... Stacy Delaney (18-3, 1.74 ERA, 165 K) and Bruck (16-9, 2.75 ERA, 99 K) split most of MU's duties in the circle, while Jana Hainey (10-3, 2.31 ERA, 80 K) also sees time.
Scouting the Hawkeyes (40-18, 14-6 Big Ten)
Iowa is appearing in its 15th NCAA Tournament, while serving as host for the second time in three years and eighth time overall ... The Hawkeyes finished third in the Big Ten this spring, behind national seeds Northwestern and Michigan ... Iowa has the strongest pitching staff in the region, ranking in the NCAA top 10 with a 1.17 team ERA ... The duo of Brittany Weil (26-13, 1.14 ERA, 281 K) and Amanda Zust (14-5, 1.24 ERA, 120 K) have combined to let opponents bat just .170 this year ... Iowa hits .270 as a team with 32 home runs, led by Colleen McGlaughlin's (.339) nine homers, 10 doubles and 33 RBI ... Katie Brown adds eight homers and 27 RBI ... Iowa has 88 stolen bases, led by Rachel West and Lindsey Digmann's 17 each.
CU Against the Field
The Bluejays are 6-7 against teams which qualified for the NCAA Tournament this year, including a win over seventh-seeded Arizona and three wins over MVC Tournament champion Drake:
Drake (3-1) Arizona (1-2)
Tulsa (1-0) Arizona State (0-1)
BYU (1-1) Arkansas (0-2)
CU Against the Regional
? Creighton and Long Beach State last played in 2003 and LBSU owns the series edge 4-2 in six meetings. CU and Long Beach split the Jays' 2003 season-opening doubleheader in Norman, Okla., the last time these teams met. CU's other win over LBSU came March 15, 1984. Head coach Brent Vigness is 1-2 vs. Long Beach.
? Creighton is 10-11 all-time against Missouri, with Mizzou taking a 5-4 decision on April 18, 2001 in Kansas City the last time these two teams met. MU has won the last three meetings between the teams, with CU's last win over the Tigers coming in 1990, a 5-0 win. Head coach Brent Vigness is 0-2 against the Tigers.
? Creighton and Iowa have met in the NCAA Tournament three times, including twice this decade. Iowa ended CU's 2005 season with a 2-1 eight-inning decision in Lincoln, Neb., while CU defeated Iowa 8-4 in a 10-inning affair in Lincoln in 2004. CU handed Iowa a 6-1 defeat in Iowa City in 1989, the only time the two teams have met in the postseason in Iowa. Overall, CU is 20-7 against Iowa. CU has not played in Iowa City since a 4-3 loss to then No. 22 Iowa on May 1, 2002. Head coach Brent Vigness is 1-6 against the Hawkeyes.
Nonsense Numbers
? The Bluejays are 5-1 against the Big 12 this year, while they did not face a team from the Big Ten or Big West. Both Missouri and Iowa went 5-1 against MVC teams this year.
? CU is 2-0 in the state of Iowa this year (a doubleheader sweep at Drake on April 15).
? CU is 8-1 against teams from Iowa this year
(3-0 vs. UNI, 2-0 vs. Iowa State, 3-1 vs. Drake).
? CU is 6-0 against teams from Missouri. (1-0 vs. SLU, 2-0 vs. UMKC, 3-0 vs. Missouri St.)
? CU is 4-0 against teams from California (2-0 vs. LMU, 1-0 vs. USD, 1-0 vs. San Jose State).
? CU and LBSU have just one similar foe, Iowa State, the 49ers topped ISU on March 14, while CU swept a doubleheader from ISU, March 18.
? CU and MU played 10 of the same opponents this year, with MU posting an 18-3 mark against those foes and CU going 17-6.
? CU and Iowa played seven of the same foes, with Iowa posting a 6-4 mark against those opponents and CU logging a 10-5 mark.
Multiple Bids for MVC ... Again
For the sixth straight season, the Missouri Valley Conference has received at least two bids into the NCAA Tournament. In the previous three seasons, three Valley teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The MVC has secured at least one win in each NCAA Tournament since 2003, including a 5-8 record by the Bluejays in that span.
The Big Dance
The Bluejays are appearing in their fifth NCAA Tournament in the last six years, while this is CU's first at-large bid since 1989. CU's last six appearances were each a result of winning its league tournament, including the High Country Athletic Conference automatic bid in 1990 and the MVC's bid in 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. CU has now appeared in 11 NCAA Tournaments; 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. CU played in the College World Series in 1982 and 1986. CU is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA postseason, including 5-10 under Brent Vigness.
Homecoming
While the Bluejays boast no player on the roster from the Hawkeye State, 15th-year head coach Brent Vigness is an Iowa native. Vigness attended Nesco High School in Zearing, Iowa (125 miles northwest of Iowa City).
Battling the Best
Long Beach State will be Creighton's fifth top-25 opponent this year, as the Jays played four games against the top-10 on their Spring Break trip to Arizona back in March. The Jays are 1-3 against nationally-ranked opponents this year, defeating two-time defending NCAA champion and then seventh-ranked Arizona 2-1 in Tucson on March 8. CU also dropped two games to the Wildcats, while the Jays took then No. 1 Arizona State 10 innings, before suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Sun Devils on March 4.
Missouri Valley Conference Honors
Five Bluejays earned first-team all-MVC accolades when the honors were announced last week and for the second straight season, Bluejay coaches were tabbed the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman repeated as the MVC Pitcher of the Year and first-team all-MVC, just the third pitcher in league history to repeat and the first CU hurler to win the honor more than once. Senior catcher TJ Eadus was named first-team all-MVC for the second straight year as well. Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson, junior outfielder Jessica Wakasugi and sophomore first baseman Renae Sinkler all earned first-team all-MVC honors for the first time.
MVC Tournament Recognition
Despite having her 13-game winning streak snapped, sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman allowed just one hit and surrendered no earned runs in a 3-2 loss to Drake in the MVC Tournament semifinals. For her efforts she was named to the MVC All-Tournament Team for the second straight year. Sophomore second baseman Michelle Koch, who hit a solo home run in the seventh, was also tabbed to the all-tournament team for the Jays.
We're No Bird Brains
Jessica Wakasugi and Tara Oltman have both been honored on the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First-Team for their performances on and off the field. Wakasugi owns a 3.60 GPA in business entrepreneurship and leads the team with a .362 batting average and eight stolen bases. Oltman (31-7, 0.94 ERA) has perhaps proven more dominant in the classroom than in the circle thus far in her career, notching a 4.0 GPA in English / secondary education.
May Day
Creighton is 3-1 this May, continuing its recent winning ways in this month, as it has secured its 11th straight May without a losing record. Not since 1997 (1-2) have the Jays finished the month of May under .500. CU's record in May since 1998 is 57-27 (.679). The Jays were 10-3 in May in 2004, 6-4 in 2005, 3-3 in 2006 and had a 5-3 mark last year in May.
Poll Position
The Bluejays continue receiving votes and stay just on the outside of the top 25 in both the major softball polls this week - the USA Today/NFCA Poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. The Bluejays did crack the latest Ultimate College Softball Top 25, ranking 23rd in the May 5 poll. UCS is a site followed intently by the nationwide softball community. See the poll and visit the site at www.ultimatecollegesoftball.com.
Forty Times Four
For the fourth time in the last five years, Creighton has reached the 40-win plateau. The Jays have now made it to 40 wins four times in Brent Vigness' 15 years at the helm, equalling the four 40-win seasons CU Hall of Famer Mary Higgins totalled in her 17 years as the Bluejay leader. The 2004 and 2005 teams each had 44 wins, the most under Vigness. Should CU win at least two games in the NCAA Tournament, it would have the most by a Bluejay team since the 1989 team won 49. The school record for wins is 51, set by the 1981 AIAW World Series team.
Before and After
Creighton stumbled out of the gates to a 12-9 start, dropping its ninth game in a 15-1 Arizona romp on March 7. Since that loss, CU's worst since 1999, the Bluejays have posted a 31-6 record, starting on March 8 with a 9-0 win over La Salle and 2-1 win over No. 7 Arizona. While the hitting has improved, perhaps the most telling stat is through 21 games CU had allowed 73 runs and in its last 36 games it has allowed 66 runs. The chart below shows CU's statistics before and after March 8.
Statistic Before 3 / 8 Since 3 / 8
Record 12-9 31-6
BA .237 .300
Runs 81 176
Runs/gm 3.9 4.8
2B 14 47
HR 9 38
SLG% .330 .481
OB% .336 .381
ERA 3.18 1.71
Runs Allowed 73 66
BA Against .242 .182
Home Run Droughts and Streaks
Creighton has homered in its last six games, just one game shy of its longest home run streak of the season (April 21-29). Not included in that streak are home runs by two of CU's top three home run hitters, TJ Eadus and Michelle Graner. Eadus has homered just once in her last 24 games and has not homered in her last 11 games after going 12 straight without a home run before her last long ball on April 19. Graner has also not homered since April 19 and has only one round tripper in her last 21 games.
Rare Errors
Creighton entered the MVC Tournament ranked 10th in the NCAA in fielding percentage, but committed three errors and allowed three unearned runs in its tournament loss to Drake (May 9). Prior to that game, CU had allowed just 10 unearned runs all season, including just one unearned run in its previous 38 games. CU's three errors marked the fourth time this year it had committed at least three errors in a game, falling short of a season-high five (at #7 Arizona on March 6). The Bluejays had committed only two errors combined in their previous nine games, before the three miscues last Friday.
Time for a T.O.
Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman (T.O.) continues to rocket up the Creighton record books at a rapid pace. The two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 victories this season. She is just the second pitcher in MVC history to have a 30-win season and the third pitcher in league history to repeat as Pitcher of the Year.
She has hurled 261.2 innings this year and will establish the school record for innings pitched in a season if she hurls two innings at the NCAA Tournament. Oltman's 497 career strikeouts already rank second in school history, while her 285 Ks this year rank third. Her 57 career victories are tied for third in school history, while her 31 complete games rank second and her 34 starts rank third. Oltman's seven saves this year are the second-most in CU history and her 10 career saves are tied for second.
Oltman went 16-2 with four saves and a 0.76 ERA in 22 MVC appearances. She completed all of her 15 conference starts and over half (8) of her MVC starts were shutouts.
Holding the Lead
Creighton has posted an impressive statistic 58 games into the season. When the Bluejays have the lead at the end of any inning this year, they are undefeated. So if a team finds itself trailing the Bluejays at the completion of any inning this year, it also finds itself trailing at the end of the game. The Bluejays have lost just one game this year when it held the lead at some point during the game (but not at the conclusion of an inning). The Jays are 33-0 when scoring first this year and 14-0 when scoring in the first inning. On the flip side of holding leads, the Jays have come from behind in 13 of their 43 wins.
The Kitchen Sinkler
Renae Sinkler has emerged this year as one of the top offensive threats in the Bluejay lineup. She enters play this weekend atop the league with 15 doubles and 102 total bases. She also leads the team with 14 multiple-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games, while her separate 17-game and eight-game hitting streaks are the two longest by a Bluejay this year. Sinkler has started all 58 games this year, 35 at first base, nine at third base, eight in right field and six at shortstop.
We're Going Streaking!
Renae Sinkler had her career-best hitting streak snapped at 17 games on April 26, as she tied Jamie Reiss for the longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this decade. She was the ninth different Bluejay to log at least a 10-game hitting streak since 2000, hitting .474 (27-57) with five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI during the streak. The sophomore actually has the two longest hitting streaks by a Bluejay this season, as just one game separated an eight-game hitting streak from her 17-game streak, as she reached base in 26 straight games in that span.
Longest CU Hitting Streaks Since 2000
Player Streak Year
Renae Sinkler 17 2008
Jamie Reiss 17 2007
Marie Gieron 14 2001
Melanie Dorsey 11 2005
Jessica Wakasugi 10 2006
Bailey Dawson 10 2006
Abby Johnson 10 2005
Christine Fukumoto 10 2005
Stacey Rybar 10 2004
Melanie Dorsey 10 2004
Home Field Advantage
Creighton went 19-2 at home this spring, including an unblemished 12-0 at home in MVC play. The 12 Valley home wins were a school record and the 19 home wins are the most under Brent Vigness and were the most since the 1989 team won 24 in Omaha. CU is 34-8-1 (.802) at home in the last two seasons. At 12-0 in Valley play, the Jays secured just their second undefeated home MVC season in school history, alongside the 6-0 in 1997 team. Below is the list of overall and MVC home records under Vigness.
Bluejay Home Records since 1994
Year Overall W-L% MVC W-L%
2008 19-2 .905 12-0 1.000
2007 15-6-1 .705 11-2-1 .821
2006 8-8 .500 5-5 .500
2005 13-5 .722 9-5 .643
2004 12-5 .706 8-4 .667
2003 5-9 .357 5-8 .385
2002 9-4 .692 9-2 .818
2001 10-8 .556 7-6 .538
2000 9-5 .643 5-3 .625
1999 9-5 .643 7-3 .700
1998 11-3 .786 7-1 .875
1997 10-6 .625 6-0 1.000
1996 6-8 .429 5-5 .500
1995 13-7 .650 7-3 .700
1994 3-7 .300 3-3 .500
Center of Attention
Jessica Wakasugi has started each of Creighton's last 163 games in center field - every game of her career. She is hitting a career-best and team-leading .362 this year, while her career average of .331 ranks fourth in school history. She is hitting .462 in her last 18 games, going 18-for-39 in that span. She is second on the team with 13 multiple-hit games, while she has 15 bunt singles this year.
League Leaders
? Tara Oltman leads the MVC with a 0.94 ERA, 31 wins, 261.2 innings pitched, 34 starts, 31 complete games, 13 shutouts, seven saves (tied) and .167 batting average against.
? Renae Sinkler leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases, ranks second with 63 hits.
? Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, while her 19 RBI in MVC play led the league.
? TJ Eadus leads the league with 34 walks and ranks second with 11 home runs.
? Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 18 sacrifice bunts ? including a league-high 13 in MVC play.
? Jessica Wakasugi led the Valley with six stolen bases in conference play, while she ranks second in the MVC with 16 sacs. Both McKewon and Wakasugi rank in the NCAA top 25 in sacrifice bunts per game.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Tara Oltman won back-to-back MVC Pitcher of the Week honors (April 14 & 21), but was snubbed on the 28th despite pitching 25 straight scoreless innings to end the week (which extended to 30 inn. before being snapped). She again claimed her fifth MVC Pitcher of the Week accolade of the season and seventh of her career on May 5. Since dropping consecutive decisions at Wichita State (April 5-6), Oltman had won 13 straight decisions before being handed the tough-luck loss against Drake in the MVC Tournament (May 9). Since April 9, Oltman is 13-1 with two saves and a 0.59 ERA. She has allowed just eight earned runs and struck out 110 in her last 94.2 innings pitched. The Bluejay ace has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings pitched for a 0.16 ERA.
Bailey is Grand
Bailey Dawson connected for her second grand slam of the season against Missouri State (May 3). Both grand slams have broken up scoreless games, as her first slam was a walk-off blast in the season-opener against Texas State (Feb. 9.)
1-0 Wins
Creighton ended the regular-season with a 1-0 win over Missouri State, its fourth 1-0 win this year. CU has lost two 1-0 games on the year, as both losses (BYU, #1 Arizona State) were settled with solo home runs, while two of the four 1-0 wins were due to solo homers. In two of the 1-0 wins, CU was held to just one hit, including the regular-season finale.
Sacrificial Birds
Creighton leads the MVC with 97 sacrifice bunts this year, 32 more than the second-place team. The 97 sac hits are the most by a Bluejay team since the 1989 team set a record with 112 sacs in 68 games. Five Bluejays have at least 10 sac bunts this year, led by MVC leader Liz McKewon's 18. Jessica Wakasugi has 16, followed by Bailey Dawson's 13, Michelle Graner's 11 and Michelle Koch at 10.
Why So Low With Waka?
Jessica Wakasugi is CU's leading hitter with a .362 average this year, while her .331 career average is fourth in school history. Softball sense says bat the better hitter higher, but Wakasugi's statistics this year dispute that theory. Wakasugi is 5-for-33 (.151) from the top two spots of the order this year, while she is 42-for-97 (.433) from the bottom three spots in the lineup, including .432 from the eighth spot, where the majority of her at bats have come this year.
TJ and HR
TJ Eadus smashed her league-leading 11th home run of the season on April 19th, snapping a streak of 12 games in which she had not homered - the longest such streak of her CU career. Eadus has joined Stacey Rybar and Lauren Cisneros as the only two players in CU history to record two seasons with at least 10 home runs hit.
Gunned Down
Bluejay pitchers have not only been helped by TJ Eadus' bat this year, but also her arm behind the plate. Eadus has gunned down 13 of 33 would-be base stealers this year, including nailing the last five opponents who have tried to steal against the senior catcher. Eadus also picked off two runners from first base against Missouri State (May 3-4) and has three pick offs on the year.
Cookie Monster
Michelle Koch went 6-for-8 against Indiana State on April 26-27, collecting a hit in her final six at bats of the series. She is batting .500 (8-16) with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in her last seven games entering the tournament. She has bumped her average up from .292 to .321 over the last seven games. Koch hit six of her career-high seven home runs this year against MVC foes.
Home Run Happy
The Bluejays enter the tournament with 47 home runs, the second highest total in school history, trailing only last year's 57 blasts. CU has homered in six straight games entering the tournament. The Jays crushed 25 home runs in 24 MVC games, with four Bluejays tying for the team-lead with five round-trippers in Valley play. Renae Sinkler, Bailey Dawson, TJ Eadus and Michelle Koch all homered five times in conference action.
More Home Run Information
Creighton has homered in 32 of its 58 games this year, going 28-4 when hitting a home run this year and posting a 15-11 mark when not hitting a ball over the fence. The Jays have hit at least two home runs in 13 games, going 12-1 in such games. CU hit a season-high four home runs against UNI on March 29, hitting six home runs in the doubleheader - three each by TJ Eadus and Michelle Graner.
Pitchers Can Hit
Brent Vigness has made good use of not only his pitchers' arms this year, but also their bats. Amanda Hess has recently been CU's starting DP, as she 4-for-12 (.333) in her last seven games, hitting .290 (9-31) on the season, .400 (6-15) in Valley play and .571 (4-7) with four RBI as a pinch hitter. Cassidy Nee is hitting .283 (13-46) this year, with a home run and 13 RBI after having just two hits and 11 at bats as a freshman and none last year. Nee leads the team with five pinch hits and nine RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Only Oltman
Tara Oltman began the week ranked in the top nine nationally in both wins (31) and saves (7). She is the only pitcher in the country to rank in the top nine in both categories. The right-hander also ranks 12th in the NCAA with a 0.94 ERA and 23rd with 4.04 hits allowed per seven innings.
Double Trouble
Sophomore Renae Sinkler leads the team and the MVC lead with 15 doubles this season. Her 15 two-baggers are the most by a Bluejay since Frenchy Nix crushed an MVC record 23 and Temple Windhorst added 17 for the 1999 club. The 15 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in CU single-season history.
Best From Hess
Senior Amanda Hess picked up her first MVC win of the season and her first victory in over a month when she hurled a complete game at Southern Illinois (April 19). Hess allowed six hits and two runs, while she struck out seven to pick up her fifth win of the season. Hess also picked up MVC wins over Indiana State (April 26) and Missouri State (May 3). Her bat has also come alive of late, as she has earned starts as a DP and finished 6-for-15 (.400) at the plate in MVC play.
Pinch Me
Creighton pinch-hitters are batting .288 (19-66) on the year, with hits in four of their last seven at bats entering the tournament. Not included in the 64 at bats, are 10 walks and three hit by pitches from the pinch-hitters. CU reserves have also driven in 23 runs and connected for two home runs and three doubles in the pinch this year. Cassidy Nee leads the team with five pinch-hits, hitting .333 (5-15). Amanda Hess is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, while Jessi Jadlowski went 3-for-5 in the role before earning a starting spot. Laura Kratochvil is hitting .364 (4-11) in the role. CU has used a pinch-runner 53 times this year, with Jess Stigge making 39 appearances as a pinch-runner.
No Pain, No Gain
Creighton batters have been hit by a pitch 39 times this year. In 10 games this year, the Jays have been hit by pitches at least twice. On April 15 at Drake, Bulldog pitchers combined to hit the Bluejays five times in the opening game of a doubleheader, including four times by DU ace Brynne Dordel. The Jays were then plunked four times by Missouri State hurler Lauren McGinley on May 3.
Take Your Base
Not only were the Bluejays drilled by five Drake pitches in an 8-0 win on April 15, the Bluejays also drew five walks in the win. The Bluejays worked three walks with the bases-loaded and advanced bases because of three Drake wild pitches in the game.
Left-Right-Left
Sophomore Jess Stigge and freshman Liz McKewon have turned into switch hitters this season. Stigge batted exclusively from the left side last year in 26 at bats, but has batted right-handed in her six at bats this season ? collecting the first right-handed hit of her career against UMKC (March 25). McKewon had batted right-handed through her first 37 games and 75 at bats before switching to the left side at Wichita State. She got a hit in her first left-handed at bat and is now 7-for-35 from the left side this season. The third baseman is hitting .133 from the right side compared to .200 from the left side. McKewon leads the MVC and ranks 15th in the NCAA with 18 sacrifice bunts.
Needing Nee
While Cassidy Nee is listed as a pitcher on the CU roster, she has yet to make an appearance in the circle this year. That hasn't stopped the junior from making contributions to the squad this year as a pinch-hitter and designated player. Prior to this year, Nee was 2-for-11 with two RBI in her career. This season Nee is hitting .283 (13-46) with 13 RBI. The junior is 5-for-15 as a pinch-hitter, with a home run, two doubles and nine RBI in the pinch.
Tara Sees 20-20
Sophomore Tara Oltman has joined an elite group, becoming just the third pitcher in school history to log at least two 20-win seasons. Creighton Hall of Famer Kelly Brookhart recorded two 20-win campaigns, while All-American Tammy Nielsen was a 20-game winner in each of her three years with the Bluejays.
Sinkler is National Player of the Week
Renae Sinkler went 7-for-10 with nine RBI in just three games (April 7-13), good enough to earn her both MVC Player of the Week and USA Softball Collegiate Softball Player of the Week honors as awarded by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). The sophomore first baseman had three RBI in each of CU's games last week to become the first Creighton player ever honored as the National Player of the Week.
Run Support
Tara Oltman had won 11 straight decisions before logging back-to-back losses at Wichita State (April 5-6). In those two defeats, the Jays combined to score one run. Oltman has lost six starts this year and in those starts, the Jays have been shutout three times and scored a total of five runs.
Getting Over the Humpal
Freshman pitcher Emily Humpal made her first MVC start against Wichita State on April 5, picking up CU's only win over the Shockers. The rookie allowed no runs and just one hit through six innings, before finishing with one run and three hits allowed in 6.1 innings. The right-hander also tossed five solid innings of relief against Kansas (April 2), allowing just one run on three hits. She posted a 1.24 ERA with seven strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched against the two Kansas opponents.
Going Against the Graner
Michelle Graner's bloop single in the first inning at Nebraska (April 9) snapped a streak of eight straight extra-base hits for the Bluejay left fielder. Included in the streak was a span of five straight hits which cleared the fence for home runs.
Creighton-Nebraska Recap, Jays Win 13-1
The 800th game in Brent Vigness' tenure at Creighton was a memorable one, as the Bluejays crushed in-state rival Nebraska, 13-1 in Lincoln (April 9). The loss was NU's worst in the seven-year history of Bowlin Stadium and tied the worst home loss in NU history. The win was CU's largest over NU since 1993, making the 12-run romp the largest over NU under Vigness. CU's 13 runs were a season-high. Jessi Jadlowski went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, Michelle Koch was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Jessica Wakasugi went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Eight players scored at least one run and eight players had at least one RBI in the win. Tara Oltman allowed just two hits and one run, while striking out eight and walking none in the five-inning game.
Not Single Anymore
Junior Jessica Wakasugi had slapped and bunted her way to 102 singles to start her career before collecting her first extra-base hit this year. The speedy outfielder found a hole in the La Salle outfield and rounded the bases for an inside the park home run on March 9 for her first career extra-base hit and has since added a pair of doubles. Of her 134 career hits, 131 are singles.
We Beat the Champions
On March 8, Creighton defeated two-time defending NCAA Champion and then seventh-ranked Arizona, 2-1, in Tucson. Tara Oltman out-dueled Arizona All-American Taryne Mowatt in the circle, striking out nine and allowing just three hits and one run to the high-powered Wildcat offense. Renae Sinkler homered and Laura Kratochvil drove in Tucson native TJ Eadus with the game-winning run.
Vigness Wins No. 600
Creighton helped head coach Brent Vigness pick up his 600th career victory earlier this season, doing so in memorable fashion. The Jays topped two-time defending NCAA Champion and seventh-ranked Arizona 2-1 in Tucson on March 9 to notch the skipper's 600th career win.
Eadus Drafted by New England Riptide
Senior catcher TJ Eadus has been drafted by the New England Riptide of the National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) softball league as announced in early February. The CU backstop was taken in the third round as the 14th overall selection during the Feb. 18 draft, becoming the first Bluejay to be drafted into the league.
UPDATED PLAYER INFO
#1 Renae Sinkler ? First-Team All-MVC First-Baseman ... Utility player who has settled in to a starting position at first base ... Has started every game this year; 35 at 1B, nine at 3B, eight in RF and six at SS ... Leads the MVC with 15 doubles and 102 total bases and ranks second with 63 hits ... Leads the team with 13 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games ... Tops the team with 22 two-out RBI ... Homered off of Arizona All-American hurler Taryne Mowatt (3/8) ... Named the MVC Player of the Week and the USA Softball National Player of the Week (4/14) following a 7-for-10 (.700) week with nine RBI in just three games, as she had three RBI in each game that week ... Went 4-for-4 with three RBI, including the game-winner in the ninth inning against Evansville (4/13) ... Tied the longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this decade with a 17-game streak from April 2-26, hitting .474 (27-57) with five doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI during that span ... Also had the second-longest hitting streak by a Bluejay this year, an eight-gamer from March 18-29 ... Reached base in 26 straight games from March18-April 26, having her hitting streaks separated by just one game ... Was hitting .268 through the first 27 games of the year, but is hitting .414 over CU's last 31 games ... Batting .370 with 20 RBI from the clean up spot this year, the highest average of any Jay in the fourth spot ... Led the team with a .446 average, 29 hits, eight doubles and 18 RBI in home games this year ... Went 2-for-7 (.286) at the NCAA Tournament last year.
#2 Lau Emmsley-Chang ? Missed the first 12 games of the year while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year's MVC Tournament title game ... Started 13 games in right field from Feb. 29 through March 18 ... Been used as a pinch-runner in six games ... Has three hits on the year and none since March 25 ... Only has one at bat since March 25, her only at bat in MVC play vs. Indiana State (4/27) ... Appeared in six MVC games.
#3 Liz McKewon ? Has started all 58 games this season, 43 at third base and 15 at second base ... All 17 hits this year are singles ... Leads the team and MVC and ranks 15th in the NCAA with 18 sacrifice bunts (0.31 per game) ... Batted right-handed in her first 37 games, batting .133 (10-75) from the right side ... Has hit left-handed over CU's last 20 games, batting .200 (7-35) as a slap-hitter ... Collected a hit in her first left-handed at bat against Wichita State (4/5) ... Has fantastic range at third base and leads the team with 113 assists ... Went 3-for-3 vs. San Jose State (2/29) ... Was 2-for-2 in game one vs. Illinois State (4/21) and went 3-for-4 in the doubleheader at ISU.
#4 TJ Eadus ? Two-time First-Team All-MVC Catcher ... Appeared in every game, starting 57 of 58, with 53 starts coming behind the plate and the other four at DP ... Leads team ranks second in MVC with 11 home runs ... Tops MVC with 34 walks ... Has homered just once in her last 24 games, a blast at Southern Illinois (4/19) ... Her 11 homers rank fifth in CU single-season history, while her 27 career homers in just two seasons ranks fourth ... Tied for the team-lead with five HR in Valley play ... Has 12 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games ... Named MVC Player of the Week on March 31 after slugging three home runs in a doubleheader vs. UNI (3/29) ... Was 8-for-17 (.471) at the plate with four home runs, two doubles, six runs and seven RBI in six games that week ... Team-best .408 average with four home runs and 11 RBI in 18 neutral site games this year ... Went 5-for-6 with six RBI, 2B, 3B and HR when she dropped to the fifth spot in the order for two games against SIU (4/19-20) ... Has thrown out the last five runners attempting to steal against her and has cut down 13 of 33 would-be base stealers this year ... Is 7-for-10 when used as a DP ... 2007 MVC Tournament MVP after hitting .571 (4-7) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI in CU's two wins ... Drafted in the third round (14th overall) by the New England Riptide of National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) on Feb. 18 ... Went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in the 2007 NCAA Tournament ... Also played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament as a member of the Oregon Ducks.
#5 Emily Humpal ? Appeared in 16 games in the circle, posting a 5-2 record with a 5.60 ERA ... Went 2-0 with a 7.44 ERA in Valley play, getting wins over Wichita State and Northern Iowa ... Surrendered 15 home runs in just 60 innings pitched ... Is 7-for-30 (.233) at the plate, including 0-for-4 as a pinch-hitter ... Started 11 games as the designated player ... Has not pitched since April 21 ... Has allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs in her last 3.1 innings pitched.
#6 Jess Stigge ? Creighton's lead pinch-runner, appearing in 39 games and scoring 17 runs in the role this season ... 3-for-3 in stolen bases this year ... Batted exclusively from the left side last year, while her seven at bats this year have come from the right side ... Is 2-for-7 (.286) at the plate this season ... Made one start at shortstop this year, for an injured Bailey Dawson at Arizona (3/6).
#7 Michelle Koch ? MVC All-Tournament Team ... Started all 43 games she has played this season at second base ... Missed 15 games between Feb. 25 and March 20 due to a thumb injury ... Went 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, a triple, home run, four runs scored and five RBI in her first four games back following her injury ... Has hit a career-best seven home runs this season, including tying for the team-lead with five home runs in MVC play ... Went 6-for-8 against Indiana State (4/26-27) ... Is 8-for-16 (.500) with three home runs, five RBI and six runs scored in her last seven games ... CU's leading hitter over the last 10 games, batting .409 (9-22) in that span ... Batting a team-best .438 against left-handed pitching this year ... Homered against Drake in CU's only MVC Tournament game last Friday ... Second-team All-MVC as a freshman in 2007 ... Was 1-for-6 (.167) with a walk, hit by pitch, run scored and an RBI in the NCAA Tournament last year.
#8 Bailey Dawson ? First-Team All-MVC Shortstop ... Started all 51 games she's played in at shortstop this year ... Missed seven games (3/5-17) because of an arm injury ... Despite missing seven games, she still leads the team and is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, just four shy of the CU single-season record ... Her 19 RBI in MVC play led the league ... Also leads the team and ranks third in the MVC with 37 runs scored ... Tops the team with a .574 slugging percentage ... She has a career-best 10 home runs, which ranks as the eighth-best total in CU history, while her 23 career bombs ranks fifth in school history ... Tied for the team-lead with five home runs in MVC play ... Has hit the only two grand slams for the Bluejays this year, including one vs. Missouri State (5/3), in the same game she drove in a career-high five RBI ... Her other grand slam was a walk-off blast in the season-opener against Texas State on Feb. 9 ... Had a career-best four hits, going 4-for-5 with three RBI vs. Drake (4/15) ... Bats .338 with runners on base, .365 with runners in scoring position and .455 (5-11) with the bases loaded ... Went 2-for-9 (.222) at last year's MVC Tournament.
#9 Michelle Graner ? Has started all 58 games this year; 45 in LF, seven at 1B and six at 3B ... Tied for third on the team with eight home runs ... Her 15 career home runs rank ninth in school history ... Smashed four home runs in a three-game span (3/26-29) ... Hit three homers in a doubleheader vs. UNI (3/29), including two in the night cap ... Had a stretch of eight straight extra-base hits this year, including five straight hits which cleared the fence for home runs ... Has homered just once in her last 21 games - the game-winning blast at Southern Illinois on April 19 ... Has one extra-base hit in her last 12 games ... Tied for second on the team with nine multi-RBI games ... Did not play in last year's NCAA Tournament because of a broken arm which cut short her season after 33 games.
#11 Jessica Wakasugi ? First-Team All-MVC Outfielder ... CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team ... Started all 58 games in center field this year and has started Creighton's last 163 games in center field - every game of her career ... Leads the team and ranks fifth in the MVC with a .362 average ... Hit .412 in Valley play, third in the league ... Her career .331 average ranks fourth in CU history ... Tops the team with eight stolen bases, including a league-leading six without getting caught in MVC play ... Second on the team with 13 multi-hit games ... Of her 134 hits, 131 are singles ... Collected her first three career extra-base hits this year, snapping a streak of 102 straight singles to start her career ... First extra-base hit was an inside-the-park home run against La Salle on March 8 ... Also smacked doubles against Kansas (4/2) and Drake (5/9) ... Hit .395 in neutral site games this year ... Batted .402 in CU wins and .263 in losses ... Batting .462 (18-39) in CU's last 18 games ... Hit .421 against left-handers ... Hit .411 with runners on base ... No errors in 43 chances this year ... Went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts in last year's NCAA Tournament.
#12 Tara Oltman ? As a sophomore, already a two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, two-time all-MVC First-Teamer and two-time MVC All-Tournament honoree ... Five-time MVC Pitcher of the Week this year, seven times in her career ... CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First-Team ... Just third player in league history to earn back-to-back Pitcher of the Year nods and first in school history to do so ... Set school record and tied MVC record with 31 wins this year ... Leads league with 31 wins, 0.96 ERA, 13 shutouts, 34 starts, 31 complete games, .167 average against and tied for MVC-lead with seven saves ... Ranks in the top nine in the NCAA in wins (9th) and saves (2nd) ? the only player nationally to rank in the top nine in both ... Her ERA ranks 12th nationally and she is 23rd in the NCAA with 4.04 hits allowed per seven innings ... Her seven saves are the most by a Bluejay since Candi Letts set a school record with nine in 1982 ... Ranks in the top three in CU single-season history in wins (1st), complete games (2nd), saves (2nd), innings pitched (2nd), starts (3rd) and strikeouts (3rd) ... Is 57-15 with a 1.07 ERA and 497 strikeouts in 488.2 innings pitched in her career ... 16-2 with 0.76 ERA in MVC play ... Eight of her 15 Valley starts were shutouts ... 14-0 with four saves and 0.59 ERA at home ... 8-2 with 0.50 ERA in neutral site games ... Hurled 30 straight scoreless innings from April 21-May 3 ... Has allowed just one earned run in her last 44.2 innings for a 0.16 ERA and allowed only eight earned runs in her last 94.2 innings for a 0.59 ERA in that span ... Won her last 13 decisions (April 9-May 4), while she also won 11 straight decisions at one point this year ... Has four games with at least 10 strikeouts this year, including a season-high 12 at SIU on April 19 ... Has allowed more than two earned runs in a game just twice this year ... 2007 MVC Newcomer of the Year ... Is 1-2 with a 1.11 ERA, 19 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 9 BB, 6 R, 3 ER, and .197 opponent average against the top 25 this year ... Went 1-1 with a 2.19 ERA, 16 IP, 12 H, 12 K, 4 BB, 6 R, 5 ER and .203 opponent average in the NCAA Tournament last year.
#14 Cassidy Nee ? Once a pitcher, now a dangerous bat off the bench or as the DP ... Leads the team with five pinch hits ... Jays are 9-2 in her 11 starts as the designated player ... Has one home run, two doubles and nine RBI as a pinch-hitter, in which she is batting .333 (5-15) ... Crushed her first career home run at Bradley (3/21), a pinch-hit three run blast ... Hitting .323 (10-31) with runners on base and .308 (8-26) with runners in scoring position.
#15 Kristi Meneely ? All of her at bats this year have come as a pinch-hitter ... Is 2-for-15 (.133) on the year ... Has walked three times and been hit by a pitch twice as a pinch-hitter ... Collected two pinch-hit RBIs on the year ... Last hit came on March 13, last plate appearance was against Drake on April 23 ... CU's third-string catcher.
#16 Mary Egan ? Played in 28 games, including 15 starts, 14 at first base ... Is 0-for-4 as a pinch-hitter ... Went 1-for-3 with a run scored as the starting DP on Senior Day vs. Missouri State ... Had an RBI triple vs. UMKC (3/25) ... Had a pinch-hit RBI on a ground out against Drake (5/9) ... Is 0-for-10 in her NCAA Tournament career, including an 0-for-3 game against Iowa in 2005 ... Only player on the team to have appeared in the 2005 NCAA Tournament with Creighton.
#17 Amanda Hess ? Made 15 starts as pitcher, nine as designated player and two at first base ... Has won three of her last four starts in the circle to move to 7-6 on the year ... Went 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA in MVC play, earning wins over SIU, Indiana State and Missouri State ... Struck out a season-high 10 vs. Alcorn State (2/23) ... Is 4-for-12 (.333) at the plate in her last seven games ... Is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, with all four of her RBI this year coming in the pinch ... Batting .250 (4-16) as CU's starting DP.
#20 Jessi Jadlowski ? Played in all but one game this year, earning 50 starts ? 37 in right field and 13 in left field ... Batted in the leadoff spot 45 times this year ... Is 7-for-21 (.333) in her last seven games ... Hitting .359 (14-39), with seven RBI in 18 neutral site games this year ... Has eight doubles on the year, including two against Evansville on April 13 ... Batting .339 with runners on base ... Is 3-for-5 as a pinch-hitter ... Hit her only triple of the year against Indiana State (4/26) ... Has seven multi-hit games, including three three-hit games this year ... Played at Division II Missouri Western State University as a freshman last year.
#24 Laura Kratochvil ? Played in 46 games, earning 32 starts ? 27 as the designated player and five at catcher ... Batting .364 (4-11) as a pinch-hitter this year ... Hit .300 (15-50) in her first 22 games, but batting just .115 (6-52) in her last 24 games played ... Smacked a pinch-hit, two-run home run against Nebraska on March 26 ... Has a double, a home run and six RBI in her pinch-hit at bats ... CU's second-string catcher.
Creighton Softball Hit-A-Thon 2025
Thursday, August 21
Creighton Baseball & Softball Fields Groundbreaking - 6/11/25
Wednesday, June 11
Creighton BET Postgame vs. St John's, 5/8/25
Thursday, May 08
Creighton Softball Highlights vs. Seton Hall, 5/4/25
Sunday, May 04
