Softball Defends MVC Tournament Title This Week
5/6/2008 2:30:00 PM | Softball
Creighton at State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
Friday, May 9 ? Carbondale, Ill. ? 12:00 p.m. ? Semifinals vs. TBD
Saturday, May 10 ? Carbondale, Ill. ? 1:30 p.m. ? Championship vs. TBD
This Week: Creighton enters the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the top seed for the second straight season and as the defending tournament champions. The Bluejays will be looking for their fifth MVC Tournament title in the last six years when they begin play on Friday in the first semifinal at noon, after receiving a double-bye in the eight-team, single-elimination format. Creighton's side of the bracket begins with No. 5 Wichita State facing No. 8 Indiana State Thursday at 11 a.m., with the winner of that game facing No. 4 Drake at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of CU's semifinal game will play in the championship contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's title game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net (Midwest, Indiana, Kansas City), Fox College Sports, Metro Sports in Kansas City and DirecTV.
Scouting Creighton (43-14, 21-3 MVC): The Bluejays captured their second straight MVC regular-season title and their fifth overall this season with a school record 21 conference wins ... They have won 16 of their last 17 games and are 31-5 since March 8 ... The Bluejay offense leads the MVC in batting average (.279), on-base percentage (.366), runs (255), hits (402), RBI (232), home runs (46), total bases (615) and sacrifice bunts (97) ... CU's 46 home runs are the second-most in school history, while its 255 runs scored is fifth-best in program history ... The Bluejay pitching staff tops the MVC with a 2.28 team ERA and .206 batting average against ... Sophomore Tara Oltman has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 wins this year ... The Bluejay ace is the only player in the nation to rank in the top-five in the NCAA in both wins and saves (7) this season ... Oltman has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings pitched for a 0.19 ERA in her last seven appearances, while eight of her 15 MVC starts were shutouts ... Junior Jessica Wakasugi, who has started 162 straight games in center field, leads the team with a .362 average and ranked second in MVC play with a .412 mark, as she is batting .472 (17-36) in her last 17 games ... Sophomore first baseman Renae Sinkler, the National Player of the Week on April 15, is batting .346 this year and leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases, while ranking second in the Valley with 62 hits ... Senior catcher TJ Eadus, last year's MVC Tournament MVP, leads the Valley with 34 walks on the year, while her 11 home runs are tied for the league-lead, but she has homered just once in her last 22 games ... Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC-lead with 39 RBI and tops CU with 37 runs and a .589 slugging percentage despite missing seven games with an injury earlier this season ... Dawson, an all-MVC Tournament honoree last year, is just one RBI shy of becoming the seventh player in school history with 100 career RBI ... Sophomore Michelle Koch is 7-for-13 (.538) in her last six games, while five of her six home runs this year came in Valley play.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 15th season at Creighton, owning a record of 481-333-2 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 629-404-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007), five regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-08), five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2007 (Coaching Staff of the Year).
CU at the Tournament
Creighton has played in seven of the last nine MVC Tournament Championship games, including winning the event the last time it was held in Carbondale (2004). In 14 MVC tournament appearances, the Bluejays are 31-18 (.633) with four tournament titles, including 13-2 (.867) in their last 15 tourney games. The Bluejays have won four of the last five MVC tournament titles (2003-05, 2007) to go along with their 1999 championship for five Valley postseason titles. Creighton has won at least one MVC postseason game every year since since 1999.
Host With the Most
During Creighton's three-year championship run from 2003-05, the Bluejays had five wins over the host schools in that span. CU was 2-0 against both Evansville (2003) and Wichita State (2005), while they knocked off host SIU in the 2004 title game in Carbondale. CU also defeated UE and WSU in the title contests of their respective hosting campaigns. The Jays are 2-0 all-time in Carbondale at the MVC Tournament.
More Tournament Tips
? Creighton has won at least one MVC Tournament game every year since 1999, while it won at least two games from 1999 through 2005. Since 1999, the Bluejays are 25-8 (.758) in the MVC postseason and are 13-2 (.867) since 2003.
? CU has not lost its opening game of the tournament since 2000, when Southern Illinois topped CU 1-0 in Peoria. (The Jays then bounced back to advance all the way to the championship game).
? CU needs to go 2-0 to win the tournament, which is what it did in 2004, the last time the tourney was in Carbondale, as rain wiped out the double elimination format and CU topped Evansville and Southern Illinois in its only two games that year.
? No MVC team has ever won the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season in back-to-back years.
Planting the Seeds
Creighton is the top seed in the MVC tournament for the fourth time, also earning a No. 1 seed in 1998, 1999 and 2007. The Jays have won the tournament title in each of their two previous trips as the No. 1 seed. The 1999 Bluejays went 4-0 to pick up their first MVC tournament title and last year's squad won both games to win the fifth tourney title in school history. The 1998 squad went 0-2 at the event as the top seed.
The Big Dance
The Bluejays are competing for their fifth automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament in the last six years. CU has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments; 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. CU played in the College World Series in 1982 and 1986. CU is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA postseason.
Southern Hospitality
Creighton has enjoyed its trips to Carbondale since the opening of Charlotte West Stadium. The Bluejays won the first MVC Tournament hosted at the facility, defeating Evansville and SIU in 2004. CU split doubleheaders with SIU in the 2004 and 2006 regular-seasons and swept the Salukis in Carbondale this year. The Jays are 7-2 (.778) all-time at SIU's new park.
May Day
Creighton is 3-0 this May, continuing its recent winning ways in this month, as its aims for 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 57-26 (.687). 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 to be just on the outside of the top 25 in both the major softball polls this week - the USA Today/NFCA Poll (28th) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (27th). 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, while the 2007 team reached the 40-win mark on its last day of the season. Should CU win the tournament, it would have 45 wins, 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.
Career MVC Numbers
TJ Eadus was named the MVC Tournament MVP last year, going 4-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI in CU's two wins. Eadus went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBI in the championship game against Southern Illinois last year in Normal. Bailey Dawson was also named all-tournament last year after going 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored, while she is 5-for-17 (.294) in her career at the MVC tourney. Jessica Wakasugi is 5-for-13 (.385) in her MVC postseason career. Lau Emmsley-Chang collected her first MVC tourney hit last year, but tore her right ACL in the championship game to end her 2007 season. Tara Oltman was in the circle for both CU wins last year, also earning MVC All-Tournament honors as she went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, allowing three runs and 11 hits, while striking out 11 and walking three in 14 innings.
Bluejay Career Numbers at MVC Tournament
TJ Eadus ? 4-7 (.571), 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI
Jessica Wakasugi ? 5-13 (.385), 3 sacs, 2 runs
Bailey Dawson ? 5-17 (.294), HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs
Mary Egan ? 3-12 (.250), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Michelle Koch ? 1-5 (.200), 1 sac
Laura Kratochvil ? 1-7 (.143), 2 sacs
Lau Emmsley-Chang ? 1-12 (.083), 2 sacs
Renae Sinkler ? 0-6 (.000)
Jess Stigge ? 0-2 (.000)
Tara Oltman ? 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 14 IP, 11 H, 11 K
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 31-5 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 63 runs. The chart below shows CU's statistics before and after March 8.
Statistic Before 3 / 8 Since 3 / 8
Record 12-9 31-5
BA .237 .303
Runs 81 174
Runs/gm 3.9 4.8
2B 14 45
HR 9 37
SLG% .330 .484
OB% .336 .384
ERA 3.18 1.76
Runs Allowed 73 63
BA Against .242 .185
Time for a T.O.
Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman (T.O.) continues to rocket up the Creighton record books at a rapid pace. The sophomore 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 she enters the tournament with more wins individually than all but one of the MVC teams.
Oltman's 490 career strikeouts already rank third in school history, just five shy of second place, while her 278 Ks this year also ranks third. Her 57 career victories are tied for third in school history, while her 30 complete games rank second and her 33 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. She has hurled 254.2 innings this year, the third-most by a Bluejay hurler in history.
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.
Put it in Neutral
Creighton is 13-4 in neutral site games this spring. The Bluejays are now 67-17 (.798) 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.
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
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 has won 13 straight decisions. Following that weekend, Oltman is 13-0 with two saves and a 0.64 ERA. She has allowed just eight earned runs and struck out 103 in her last 87.2 innings pitched. The Bluejay ace has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings pitched for a lowly 0.19 ERA.
League Leaders (Entering the Tourney)
? Tara Oltman leads the MVC with a 0.96 ERA, 31 wins, 254.2 innings pitched, 33 starts, 30 complete games, 13 shutouts, seven saves (tied) and .170 batting average against.
? Renae Sinkler leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases and ranks second with 62 hits.
? Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, while her 19 RBI in Valley play topped the league.
? TJ Eadus is tied for the MVC lead with 11 home runs and leads the league with 34 walks.
? Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 18 sacrifice bunts ? including a league-high 13 in Valley 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.
Holding the Lead
Creighton has posted an impressive statistic 57 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 begins the MVC tourney atop the league with 14 doubles and 100 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 57 games this year, 34 at first base, nine at third base, eight in right field and six at shortstop.
Center of Attention
Jessica Wakasugi has started each of Creighton's last 162 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 .472 in her last 17 games, going 17-for-36 in that span. She is second on the team with 13 multiple-hit games, while she has 15 bunt singles this year.
1-0 Wins
Creighton ended the regular-season with a 1-0 win over Missouri State last Sunday in Omaha, its fourth 1-0 win of the season. The Jays have lost two 1-0 games on the year. Both 1-0 losses (to BYU and No. 1 Arizona State) were settled with solo home runs, while two of the four 1-0 wins were also due to solo homers. In two of CU's 1-0 wins, the Jays were 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.
Feeling Ill.
The Bluejays are 6-1 in the state of Illinois this year and 4-0 in their last four MVC Tournament games in the Land of Lincoln. CU won the Valley tourney title last year in Normal, while they also captured the crown the last time the event was held in Carbondale in 2004. In CU's seven games in Illinois this year, the Jays are hitting .268 with seven home runs and 25 runs scored. Michelle Graner leads the Jays with a .353 average in the state this year, while Bailey Dawson is hitting .350 with two home runs and five RBI. TJ Eadus is 7-for-21 (.333) with two home runs and eight RBI in Illinois this year.
Bailey is Grand
Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson connected for her second grand slam of the season against Missouri State on May 3. Both grand slams have broken up scoreless games, while her first slam was a walk-off blast in the 2008 season-opener against Texas State on Feb. 9.
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 41-for-94 (.436) from the bottom three spots in the lineup, including .436 from the seventh 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. That home run on April 19th is her only round tripper in her last 22 games.
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 last weekend 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 .538 (7-13) with two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored in her last six games entering the tournament. She has bumped her average up from .292 to .321 over the last six games. Koch hit five of her six home runs on the season in MVC play.
Home Run Happy
The Bluejays enter the tournament with 46 home runs, the second highest total in school history, trailing only last year's 57 blasts. CU has homered in five 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 31 of its 57 games this year, going 28-3 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. The Jays enter the tournament having homered in their last five games.
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-9 (.444) in her last sixt games, hitting .321 (9-28) on the season, hit .400 (6-15) in Valley play and .571 (4-7) with four RBI as a pinch hitter. Cassidy Nee is hitting .289 (13-45) 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, with nine RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Only Oltman
Tara Oltman began the week ranked in the top five nationally in both wins (31) and saves (7). She is the only pitcher in the country to rank in the top 10 in both categories. The right-hander also ranks among NCAA leaders with a 0.96 ERA and 4.1 hits allowed per seven innings pitched.
Double Trouble
Sophomore Renae Sinkler leads the team and the MVC lead with 14 doubles this season. Her 14 two-baggers are the most by a Bluejay since Stacey Rybar connected for 14 in 2004. The 14 doubles are tied for the sixth-most in CU single-season history.
The Other Kind of Double Trouble
Creighton's defense ranks second in the MVC and among NCAA leaders with a .976 fielding percentage. CU tops the league in double plays turned, flipping 19 double plays this year.
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 .297 (19-64) on the year, with hits in four of their last five 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 22 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 .357 (5-14). 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 52 times this year, with Jess Stigge making 38 appearances as a pinch-runner.
No Pain, No Gain
Creighton batters have been hit by a pitch 38 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-33 from the left side this season. The third baseman is hitting .133 from the right side compared to .212 from the left side. McKewon leads the MVC and ranks among NCAA leaders 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 .289 (13-45) with 13 RBI. The junior is 5-for-14 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 five starts this year and in those starts, the Jays have been shutout three times and scored a total of three 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. Wakasugi again upped her slugging percentage on April 2 by slapping her first career double against Kansas. Of her 133 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 ? Utility player who has settled in to a starting position at first base ... Has started every game this year; 34 at 1B, nine at 3B, eight in RF and six at SS ... Leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases and ranks second with 62 hits ... Leads the team with 13 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games ... Tops the team with 22 two-out RBI ... 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 .266 through the first 27 games of the year, but is hitting .412 over CU's last 30 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 ... Was 0-for-6 with four strikeouts at the MVC 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 57 games this season, 42 at third base and 15 at second base ... All 17 hits this year are singles ... Leads the team and MVC and ranks among NCAA leaders with 18 sacrifice bunts ... 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 .212 (7-33) 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 108 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 ? Appeared in every game, starting 56 of 57, with 52 starts coming behind the plate and the other four at DP ... Leads team and tied for MVC lead with 11 home runs ... Tops MVC with 34 walks ... Has homered just once in her last 22 games, a blast at SIU (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 .413 average with four home runs and 11 RBI in 17 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 ... One of four Bluejays to hit five home runs in MVC play ... 2007 MVC Tournament MVP after hitting .571 (4-7) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI in CU's two wins ... 2007 All-MVC First-Team catcher ... Drafted in the third round (14th overall) by the New England Riptide of National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) on Feb. 18.
#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.
#6 Jess Stigge ? Creighton's lead pinch-runner, appearing in 38 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 ? Started all 42 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 six 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) and is 7-for-13 (.538) in her last six games ... Batting .462 against left-handed pitching this year ... Second-team All-MVC as a freshman in 2007.
#8 Bailey Dawson ? Started all 50 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 enters the tourney 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 .589 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 last weekend 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) ... Hitting .450 against left-handers ... Bats .343 with runners on base, .365 with runners in scoring position and .455 (5-11) with the bases loaded ... MVC All-Tournament Team last year, hitting .500 (3-6) with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in two games.
#9 Michelle Graner ? Has started all 57 games this year; 44 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 homer 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 20 games - the game-winning blast at SIU on April 19 ... Has one extra-base hit in her last 11 games ... Tied for second on the team with nine multi-RBI games ... Did not play in last year's MVC Tournament because of a broken arm which cut short her season after 33 games.
#11 Jessica Wakasugi ? Started all 57 games in center field this year and has started Creighton's last 162 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 third 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 133 hits, 131 are singles ... Collected her first two 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 a double against Kansas (4/2) ... Hit .400 in neutral site games this year ... Batted .402 in CU wins and .257 in losses ... Batting .472 (17-36) in CU's last 17 games ... Hit .438 against left-handers ... Hit .418 with runners on base ... No errors in 41 chances this year.
#12 Tara Oltman ? Five-time MVC Pitcher of the Week this year, seven times in her career ... Set school record and tied MVC record with 31 wins this year ... Leads league with 31 wins, 0.96 ERA, 13 shutouts, 33 starts, 30 complete games, .170 average against and tied for MVC-lead with seven saves ... Ranks in the top five in the NCAA in wins and saves ? the only player nationally to rank in the top 10 in both ... 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 (3rd), starts (3rd) and strikeouts (3rd) ... Is 57-14 with a 1.09 ERA and 490 strikeouts in 481.2 innings pitched in her career ... 5-0 with a 0.89 ERA in Illinois this year ... 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 ... 8-1 with 0.56 ERA in neutral site games ... Hurled 30 straight scoreless innings from April 21-May 3 ... Has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings for a 0.19 ERA and allowed only eight earned runs in her last 87.2 innings for a 0.64 ERA in that span ... Has won her last 13 decisions, 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 and Pitcher of the Year ... MVC All-Tournament Team last year, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 11 hits, 11 Ks in 14 innings.
#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 .357 (5-14) ... Crushed her first career home run at Bradley (3/21), a pinch-hit three run blast ... Hitting .333 (10-30) with runners on base and .320 (8-25) 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 27 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 last weekend vs. Missouri State ... Had an RBI triple vs. UMKC (3/25) ... Drove in the game-winning run on a triple in the 2005 MVC Tournament championship game against Wichita State in Wichita.
#17 Amanda Hess ? Made 15 starts as pitcher, eight 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-9 (.444) at the plate in her last six games ... Is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, with all four of her RBI this year coming in the pinch ... Batting .308 (4-13) as CU's starting DP.
#20 Jessi Jadlowski ? Played in all but one game this year, earning 49 starts ? 36 in right field and 13 in left field ... Batted in the leadoff spot 44 times this year ... Is 6-for-18 (.333) in her last six games ... Hitting .361 (13-36), with seven RBI in 17 neutral site games this year ... Has eight doubles on the year, including two doubles 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.
Friday, May 9 ? Carbondale, Ill. ? 12:00 p.m. ? Semifinals vs. TBD
Saturday, May 10 ? Carbondale, Ill. ? 1:30 p.m. ? Championship vs. TBD
This Week: Creighton enters the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the top seed for the second straight season and as the defending tournament champions. The Bluejays will be looking for their fifth MVC Tournament title in the last six years when they begin play on Friday in the first semifinal at noon, after receiving a double-bye in the eight-team, single-elimination format. Creighton's side of the bracket begins with No. 5 Wichita State facing No. 8 Indiana State Thursday at 11 a.m., with the winner of that game facing No. 4 Drake at 4 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of CU's semifinal game will play in the championship contest on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Saturday's title game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net (Midwest, Indiana, Kansas City), Fox College Sports, Metro Sports in Kansas City and DirecTV.
Scouting Creighton (43-14, 21-3 MVC): The Bluejays captured their second straight MVC regular-season title and their fifth overall this season with a school record 21 conference wins ... They have won 16 of their last 17 games and are 31-5 since March 8 ... The Bluejay offense leads the MVC in batting average (.279), on-base percentage (.366), runs (255), hits (402), RBI (232), home runs (46), total bases (615) and sacrifice bunts (97) ... CU's 46 home runs are the second-most in school history, while its 255 runs scored is fifth-best in program history ... The Bluejay pitching staff tops the MVC with a 2.28 team ERA and .206 batting average against ... Sophomore Tara Oltman has established a school record and tied the MVC mark with 31 wins this year ... The Bluejay ace is the only player in the nation to rank in the top-five in the NCAA in both wins and saves (7) this season ... Oltman has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings pitched for a 0.19 ERA in her last seven appearances, while eight of her 15 MVC starts were shutouts ... Junior Jessica Wakasugi, who has started 162 straight games in center field, leads the team with a .362 average and ranked second in MVC play with a .412 mark, as she is batting .472 (17-36) in her last 17 games ... Sophomore first baseman Renae Sinkler, the National Player of the Week on April 15, is batting .346 this year and leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases, while ranking second in the Valley with 62 hits ... Senior catcher TJ Eadus, last year's MVC Tournament MVP, leads the Valley with 34 walks on the year, while her 11 home runs are tied for the league-lead, but she has homered just once in her last 22 games ... Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC-lead with 39 RBI and tops CU with 37 runs and a .589 slugging percentage despite missing seven games with an injury earlier this season ... Dawson, an all-MVC Tournament honoree last year, is just one RBI shy of becoming the seventh player in school history with 100 career RBI ... Sophomore Michelle Koch is 7-for-13 (.538) in her last six games, while five of her six home runs this year came in Valley play.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 15th season at Creighton, owning a record of 481-333-2 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 629-404-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007), five regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-08), five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2007 (Coaching Staff of the Year).
CU at the Tournament
Creighton has played in seven of the last nine MVC Tournament Championship games, including winning the event the last time it was held in Carbondale (2004). In 14 MVC tournament appearances, the Bluejays are 31-18 (.633) with four tournament titles, including 13-2 (.867) in their last 15 tourney games. The Bluejays have won four of the last five MVC tournament titles (2003-05, 2007) to go along with their 1999 championship for five Valley postseason titles. Creighton has won at least one MVC postseason game every year since since 1999.
Host With the Most
During Creighton's three-year championship run from 2003-05, the Bluejays had five wins over the host schools in that span. CU was 2-0 against both Evansville (2003) and Wichita State (2005), while they knocked off host SIU in the 2004 title game in Carbondale. CU also defeated UE and WSU in the title contests of their respective hosting campaigns. The Jays are 2-0 all-time in Carbondale at the MVC Tournament.
More Tournament Tips
? Creighton has won at least one MVC Tournament game every year since 1999, while it won at least two games from 1999 through 2005. Since 1999, the Bluejays are 25-8 (.758) in the MVC postseason and are 13-2 (.867) since 2003.
? CU has not lost its opening game of the tournament since 2000, when Southern Illinois topped CU 1-0 in Peoria. (The Jays then bounced back to advance all the way to the championship game).
? CU needs to go 2-0 to win the tournament, which is what it did in 2004, the last time the tourney was in Carbondale, as rain wiped out the double elimination format and CU topped Evansville and Southern Illinois in its only two games that year.
? No MVC team has ever won the regular-season and tournament titles in the same season in back-to-back years.
Planting the Seeds
Creighton is the top seed in the MVC tournament for the fourth time, also earning a No. 1 seed in 1998, 1999 and 2007. The Jays have won the tournament title in each of their two previous trips as the No. 1 seed. The 1999 Bluejays went 4-0 to pick up their first MVC tournament title and last year's squad won both games to win the fifth tourney title in school history. The 1998 squad went 0-2 at the event as the top seed.
The Big Dance
The Bluejays are competing for their fifth automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament in the last six years. CU has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments; 1982, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. CU played in the College World Series in 1982 and 1986. CU is 12-20 all-time in the NCAA postseason.
Southern Hospitality
Creighton has enjoyed its trips to Carbondale since the opening of Charlotte West Stadium. The Bluejays won the first MVC Tournament hosted at the facility, defeating Evansville and SIU in 2004. CU split doubleheaders with SIU in the 2004 and 2006 regular-seasons and swept the Salukis in Carbondale this year. The Jays are 7-2 (.778) all-time at SIU's new park.
May Day
Creighton is 3-0 this May, continuing its recent winning ways in this month, as its aims for 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 57-26 (.687). 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 to be just on the outside of the top 25 in both the major softball polls this week - the USA Today/NFCA Poll (28th) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll (27th). 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, while the 2007 team reached the 40-win mark on its last day of the season. Should CU win the tournament, it would have 45 wins, 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.
Career MVC Numbers
TJ Eadus was named the MVC Tournament MVP last year, going 4-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI in CU's two wins. Eadus went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and four RBI in the championship game against Southern Illinois last year in Normal. Bailey Dawson was also named all-tournament last year after going 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored, while she is 5-for-17 (.294) in her career at the MVC tourney. Jessica Wakasugi is 5-for-13 (.385) in her MVC postseason career. Lau Emmsley-Chang collected her first MVC tourney hit last year, but tore her right ACL in the championship game to end her 2007 season. Tara Oltman was in the circle for both CU wins last year, also earning MVC All-Tournament honors as she went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, allowing three runs and 11 hits, while striking out 11 and walking three in 14 innings.
Bluejay Career Numbers at MVC Tournament
TJ Eadus ? 4-7 (.571), 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI
Jessica Wakasugi ? 5-13 (.385), 3 sacs, 2 runs
Bailey Dawson ? 5-17 (.294), HR, 2 RBI, 3 runs
Mary Egan ? 3-12 (.250), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI
Michelle Koch ? 1-5 (.200), 1 sac
Laura Kratochvil ? 1-7 (.143), 2 sacs
Lau Emmsley-Chang ? 1-12 (.083), 2 sacs
Renae Sinkler ? 0-6 (.000)
Jess Stigge ? 0-2 (.000)
Tara Oltman ? 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 14 IP, 11 H, 11 K
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 31-5 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 63 runs. The chart below shows CU's statistics before and after March 8.
Statistic Before 3 / 8 Since 3 / 8
Record 12-9 31-5
BA .237 .303
Runs 81 174
Runs/gm 3.9 4.8
2B 14 45
HR 9 37
SLG% .330 .484
OB% .336 .384
ERA 3.18 1.76
Runs Allowed 73 63
BA Against .242 .185
Time for a T.O.
Sophomore pitcher Tara Oltman (T.O.) continues to rocket up the Creighton record books at a rapid pace. The sophomore 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 she enters the tournament with more wins individually than all but one of the MVC teams.
Oltman's 490 career strikeouts already rank third in school history, just five shy of second place, while her 278 Ks this year also ranks third. Her 57 career victories are tied for third in school history, while her 30 complete games rank second and her 33 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. She has hurled 254.2 innings this year, the third-most by a Bluejay hurler in history.
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.
Put it in Neutral
Creighton is 13-4 in neutral site games this spring. The Bluejays are now 67-17 (.798) 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.
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
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 has won 13 straight decisions. Following that weekend, Oltman is 13-0 with two saves and a 0.64 ERA. She has allowed just eight earned runs and struck out 103 in her last 87.2 innings pitched. The Bluejay ace has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings pitched for a lowly 0.19 ERA.
League Leaders (Entering the Tourney)
? Tara Oltman leads the MVC with a 0.96 ERA, 31 wins, 254.2 innings pitched, 33 starts, 30 complete games, 13 shutouts, seven saves (tied) and .170 batting average against.
? Renae Sinkler leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases and ranks second with 62 hits.
? Bailey Dawson is tied for the MVC lead with 39 RBI, while her 19 RBI in Valley play topped the league.
? TJ Eadus is tied for the MVC lead with 11 home runs and leads the league with 34 walks.
? Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 18 sacrifice bunts ? including a league-high 13 in Valley 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.
Holding the Lead
Creighton has posted an impressive statistic 57 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 begins the MVC tourney atop the league with 14 doubles and 100 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 57 games this year, 34 at first base, nine at third base, eight in right field and six at shortstop.
Center of Attention
Jessica Wakasugi has started each of Creighton's last 162 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 .472 in her last 17 games, going 17-for-36 in that span. She is second on the team with 13 multiple-hit games, while she has 15 bunt singles this year.
1-0 Wins
Creighton ended the regular-season with a 1-0 win over Missouri State last Sunday in Omaha, its fourth 1-0 win of the season. The Jays have lost two 1-0 games on the year. Both 1-0 losses (to BYU and No. 1 Arizona State) were settled with solo home runs, while two of the four 1-0 wins were also due to solo homers. In two of CU's 1-0 wins, the Jays were 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.
Feeling Ill.
The Bluejays are 6-1 in the state of Illinois this year and 4-0 in their last four MVC Tournament games in the Land of Lincoln. CU won the Valley tourney title last year in Normal, while they also captured the crown the last time the event was held in Carbondale in 2004. In CU's seven games in Illinois this year, the Jays are hitting .268 with seven home runs and 25 runs scored. Michelle Graner leads the Jays with a .353 average in the state this year, while Bailey Dawson is hitting .350 with two home runs and five RBI. TJ Eadus is 7-for-21 (.333) with two home runs and eight RBI in Illinois this year.
Bailey is Grand
Junior shortstop Bailey Dawson connected for her second grand slam of the season against Missouri State on May 3. Both grand slams have broken up scoreless games, while her first slam was a walk-off blast in the 2008 season-opener against Texas State on Feb. 9.
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 41-for-94 (.436) from the bottom three spots in the lineup, including .436 from the seventh 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. That home run on April 19th is her only round tripper in her last 22 games.
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 last weekend 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 .538 (7-13) with two home runs, four RBI and five runs scored in her last six games entering the tournament. She has bumped her average up from .292 to .321 over the last six games. Koch hit five of her six home runs on the season in MVC play.
Home Run Happy
The Bluejays enter the tournament with 46 home runs, the second highest total in school history, trailing only last year's 57 blasts. CU has homered in five 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 31 of its 57 games this year, going 28-3 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. The Jays enter the tournament having homered in their last five games.
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-9 (.444) in her last sixt games, hitting .321 (9-28) on the season, hit .400 (6-15) in Valley play and .571 (4-7) with four RBI as a pinch hitter. Cassidy Nee is hitting .289 (13-45) 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, with nine RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Only Oltman
Tara Oltman began the week ranked in the top five nationally in both wins (31) and saves (7). She is the only pitcher in the country to rank in the top 10 in both categories. The right-hander also ranks among NCAA leaders with a 0.96 ERA and 4.1 hits allowed per seven innings pitched.
Double Trouble
Sophomore Renae Sinkler leads the team and the MVC lead with 14 doubles this season. Her 14 two-baggers are the most by a Bluejay since Stacey Rybar connected for 14 in 2004. The 14 doubles are tied for the sixth-most in CU single-season history.
The Other Kind of Double Trouble
Creighton's defense ranks second in the MVC and among NCAA leaders with a .976 fielding percentage. CU tops the league in double plays turned, flipping 19 double plays this year.
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 .297 (19-64) on the year, with hits in four of their last five 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 22 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 .357 (5-14). 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 52 times this year, with Jess Stigge making 38 appearances as a pinch-runner.
No Pain, No Gain
Creighton batters have been hit by a pitch 38 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-33 from the left side this season. The third baseman is hitting .133 from the right side compared to .212 from the left side. McKewon leads the MVC and ranks among NCAA leaders 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 .289 (13-45) with 13 RBI. The junior is 5-for-14 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 five starts this year and in those starts, the Jays have been shutout three times and scored a total of three 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. Wakasugi again upped her slugging percentage on April 2 by slapping her first career double against Kansas. Of her 133 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 ? Utility player who has settled in to a starting position at first base ... Has started every game this year; 34 at 1B, nine at 3B, eight in RF and six at SS ... Leads the MVC with 14 doubles and 100 total bases and ranks second with 62 hits ... Leads the team with 13 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games ... Tops the team with 22 two-out RBI ... 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 .266 through the first 27 games of the year, but is hitting .412 over CU's last 30 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 ... Was 0-for-6 with four strikeouts at the MVC 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 57 games this season, 42 at third base and 15 at second base ... All 17 hits this year are singles ... Leads the team and MVC and ranks among NCAA leaders with 18 sacrifice bunts ... 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 .212 (7-33) 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 108 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 ? Appeared in every game, starting 56 of 57, with 52 starts coming behind the plate and the other four at DP ... Leads team and tied for MVC lead with 11 home runs ... Tops MVC with 34 walks ... Has homered just once in her last 22 games, a blast at SIU (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 .413 average with four home runs and 11 RBI in 17 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 ... One of four Bluejays to hit five home runs in MVC play ... 2007 MVC Tournament MVP after hitting .571 (4-7) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI in CU's two wins ... 2007 All-MVC First-Team catcher ... Drafted in the third round (14th overall) by the New England Riptide of National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) on Feb. 18.
#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.
#6 Jess Stigge ? Creighton's lead pinch-runner, appearing in 38 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 ? Started all 42 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 six 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) and is 7-for-13 (.538) in her last six games ... Batting .462 against left-handed pitching this year ... Second-team All-MVC as a freshman in 2007.
#8 Bailey Dawson ? Started all 50 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 enters the tourney 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 .589 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 last weekend 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) ... Hitting .450 against left-handers ... Bats .343 with runners on base, .365 with runners in scoring position and .455 (5-11) with the bases loaded ... MVC All-Tournament Team last year, hitting .500 (3-6) with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in two games.
#9 Michelle Graner ? Has started all 57 games this year; 44 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 homer 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 20 games - the game-winning blast at SIU on April 19 ... Has one extra-base hit in her last 11 games ... Tied for second on the team with nine multi-RBI games ... Did not play in last year's MVC Tournament because of a broken arm which cut short her season after 33 games.
#11 Jessica Wakasugi ? Started all 57 games in center field this year and has started Creighton's last 162 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 third 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 133 hits, 131 are singles ... Collected her first two 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 a double against Kansas (4/2) ... Hit .400 in neutral site games this year ... Batted .402 in CU wins and .257 in losses ... Batting .472 (17-36) in CU's last 17 games ... Hit .438 against left-handers ... Hit .418 with runners on base ... No errors in 41 chances this year.
#12 Tara Oltman ? Five-time MVC Pitcher of the Week this year, seven times in her career ... Set school record and tied MVC record with 31 wins this year ... Leads league with 31 wins, 0.96 ERA, 13 shutouts, 33 starts, 30 complete games, .170 average against and tied for MVC-lead with seven saves ... Ranks in the top five in the NCAA in wins and saves ? the only player nationally to rank in the top 10 in both ... 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 (3rd), starts (3rd) and strikeouts (3rd) ... Is 57-14 with a 1.09 ERA and 490 strikeouts in 481.2 innings pitched in her career ... 5-0 with a 0.89 ERA in Illinois this year ... 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 ... 8-1 with 0.56 ERA in neutral site games ... Hurled 30 straight scoreless innings from April 21-May 3 ... Has allowed just one earned run in her last 37.2 innings for a 0.19 ERA and allowed only eight earned runs in her last 87.2 innings for a 0.64 ERA in that span ... Has won her last 13 decisions, 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 and Pitcher of the Year ... MVC All-Tournament Team last year, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 11 hits, 11 Ks in 14 innings.
#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 .357 (5-14) ... Crushed her first career home run at Bradley (3/21), a pinch-hit three run blast ... Hitting .333 (10-30) with runners on base and .320 (8-25) 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 27 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 last weekend vs. Missouri State ... Had an RBI triple vs. UMKC (3/25) ... Drove in the game-winning run on a triple in the 2005 MVC Tournament championship game against Wichita State in Wichita.
#17 Amanda Hess ? Made 15 starts as pitcher, eight 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-9 (.444) at the plate in her last six games ... Is 4-for-7 (.571) as a pinch-hitter, with all four of her RBI this year coming in the pinch ... Batting .308 (4-13) as CU's starting DP.
#20 Jessi Jadlowski ? Played in all but one game this year, earning 49 starts ? 36 in right field and 13 in left field ... Batted in the leadoff spot 44 times this year ... Is 6-for-18 (.333) in her last six games ... Hitting .361 (13-36), with seven RBI in 17 neutral site games this year ... Has eight doubles on the year, including two doubles 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.
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
