Bluejays Host Illinois State in MVC Softball Series
3/20/2009 5:30:00 PM | Softball
Creighton hosts Illinois State
Saturday, March 21 ? Creighton Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? 12:00 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 22 ? Creighton Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? 12:00 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays opened their home schedule with a doubleheader split against North Dakota State on Wednesday. Tara Oltman carried a perfect game into the fifth and finished with a two-hit shutout in the Bluejay win, before the CU offense was no-hit in a 3-0 loss in the night cap. The Jays now turn their attention to their first home Missouri Valley Conference series, hosting Illinois State in a three-game set this weekend. CU and ISU play a pair on Saturday at noon and then have one game Sunday at noon.
Last Week: Creighton started MVC play with a 3-0 mark for the third straight season and the fourth time in the last five years, by sweeping a series at Evansville. The Jays edged the Purple Aces 1-0 in the opener, before a 10-1 pouncing in the second game of last Saturday's doubleheader. CU won 6-2 in Sunday's finale. Michelle Koch went 5-for-8 with four runs scored last weekend, while Renae Sinkler was 4-for-7 with a home runs, two RBI and two runs scored. Tara Oltman picked up two wins, allowing one earned run and 10 hits in 14 innings of work, during which she fanned 12 and walked none.
Scouting Creighton (12-8, 3-0 MVC): Creighton is the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion and is coming off of its fifth NCAA Tournament in six years ... The Jays return all but one every day starter from last year, along with two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, junior Tara Oltman ... CU has been picked to win the MVC title this year, aiming for its third straight regular-season crown ... The Bluejays are hitting .277 as a team this year, while opponents are hitting just .223 off of CU pitching ... Renae Sinkler leads four starters hitting better than .333 with her .386 average, while her four home runs and 19 RBI rank third in the MVC ... Bailey Dawson, who is hitting .333, leads the team and ranks third in the MVC with 20 runs scored ... Junior transfer Sara Loeffelholz, a two-year starter at New Mexico, leads the team with 10 extra-base hits, five doubles and two triples ... Michelle Koch is batting .365 on the year, including .625 in MVC play ... Laura Kratochvil is hitting a career-best .344 and tops the team with six multi-RBI and seven multi-hit games ... The Jays have out-scored opponents 96-59 this year, including a season-high 18 runs against Saint Louis ... Opponents are batting just .223 against CU, including .172 against Oltman ... Oltman has allowed one earned run in her last 47 innings of work and she is now 15-0 with a 0.56 ERA and four saves at home over the last two seasons.
Scouting Illinois State (13-11, 2-1 MVC): The Redbirds are 13-11 on the year, including a 2-1 mark in MVC play after taking their Valley opening series from Bradley last weekend ... ISU has scored at least 10 runs in a game three times this year and allowed more than 10 three times ... The Redbirds are hitting .248 as a team to rank eighth in the MVC ... Amber Smith leads the team with a .354 average and 28 hits, while she is 4-6 with a 3.83 ERA in a team-best 14 pitching appearances ... Freshman Jordan Birch is 7-4 with a 1.88 ERA and team-best 67 innings and 72 strikeouts ... Casey Gorrell and Abby Olson are tied for the team-lead with four home runs, while Olson's 18 RBI lead the team ... Niki Stansell (.321) leads the team with 19 runs and seven doubles ... ISU is 4-for-7 in stolen bases as a team this year ... The Redbirds have out-scored opponents 92-77 and have 16 home runs, while they have allowed 13 homers.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 16th season at Creighton, owning a record of 493-344-2 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 21 years as a head coach is 641-415-3. 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.
CU-ISU Series History: Creighton is 25-30-1 all-time against Illinois State ... CU and ISU split a doubleheader in Normal last year, one of three MVC losses and one of two teams in the MVC to defeat the Jays in the regular-season last year ... CU scored two unearned runs in the seventh inning to edge ISU 3-2 in game one last year, while ISU posted a 9-0 six-inning run-rule win in the night cap ... The Bluejays swept a doubleheader from ISU the last time the Redbirds came to Omaha in 2007, as CU knocked off then No. 18 ISU 5-3 and 8-6, before the teams tied 1-1 on Sunday ... That 1-1 tie was ended after five innings because of rain, while it was also a no-hitter by the Redbirds.
Career Against ISU: While Tara Oltman is 3-0 against the Redbirds in her career, her ERA against ISU (2.49) is over a run higher than her career average (1.12). She has pitched 19.2 innings in four appearances, two starts, against ISU, allowing 14 hits, .197 average, seven earned runs, three walks and 26 strikeouts. Oltman struck out a career-high 14 against ISU on April 21, 2007. Offensively, Jessica Wakasugi's six his in eight career games against ISU leads all active Bluejays., while she is hitting .286 in her career against the Redbirds. Renae Sinkler went 3-for-7 (.429) in last year's doubleheader at Normal, while she is 5-for-15 (.333) in her career against ISU. Liz McKewon was 3-for-4 in last year's doubleheader at ISU.
Last Losses: Creighton has won its last 10 MVC regular-season games, including a 3-0 start in Valley play this year. The last Bluejay loss in the MVC regular-season came to Illinois State on April 21 last year. Creighton has won its last 14 home MVC games, including a 12-0 home Valley mark in 2008. CU has not lost to an MVC foe in Omaha since Bradley topped the Jays 4-2 on May 5, 2007.
Here Last Year: At 12-8, Creighton has the exact same record as it had through 20 games last year. In fact, the Jays dropped to 12-9 on the year in 2008, before putting together a 31-5 stretch to end the regular-season.
Best for Last: Senior Laura Kratochvil is having her best offensive year as a Bluejay this season. The catcher already has a career-high 18 RBI through 20 games, after driving in 15 runs in 46 games in both 2006 and 2008. With her third home run of the year on Wednesday, she now has a career-high for round-trippers in a season. She leads the team with six multi-RBI games, seven multi-hit games and three three-hit contests.
Returning Home For First Time: Junior Sara Loeffelholz is a collegiate starter for the third straight season and an Omaha native, but made her CU Sports Complex debut this week. A transfer from New Mexico, where she started 84 of 94 games over the past two seasons, she homered in her first home at bat as a Bluejay on Wednesday. The outfielder has started all 20 games this year at CU and leads the team with 10 extra-base hits, five doubles and two triples.
Beating Arizona: For the second straight year, CU went to Arizona and defeated the nationally-ranked Wildcats earlier this month. This time CU crushed Arizona 6-0 on March 7, the first time the powerful UA offense had been shutout at home since UCLA did it in 2005. Tara Oltman scattered five singles to a line up which averaged 17 runs per game in its other five games during the Hillenbrand Invitational. Bailey Dawson and Laura Kratochvil both homered in the win over No. 13 Arizona.
High-Scoring Affair: Creighton blasted Saint Louis 18-5 on Feb. 20 at the Tulsa Select Festival. The 18 runs were the most scored by the Bluejays since setting the school record of 20 runs against the College of Saint Mary's on Feb. 9, 2000. The 18 runs are the second-most scored in a game in CU history and the most ever against a Division I opponent.
Leftovers: Creighton's 19 errors this year are the fewest in the MVC ... Jessi Jadlowski returned to the Bluejay lineup on Wednesday after missing 11 straight games with an arm injury ... Renae Sinkler had a 12-game hitting streak earlier this season, to give her the three longest hitting streaks by a Bluejay in the last two years. Last year she had a 17-game streak and eight-game streak ... CU is 9-3 this year when Sinkler starts as the designated player, 3-5 when she starts at first base ... Sinkler is 13-for-22 (.591) with runners in scoring position, as the team is hitting .328 with RISP ... Tara Oltman had a streak of 37.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run from March 1-15 ... Oltman has not lost at home since May 5, 2007.
Saturday, March 21 ? Creighton Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? 12:00 p.m. (DH)
Sunday, March 22 ? Creighton Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? 12:00 p.m.
This Week: The Bluejays opened their home schedule with a doubleheader split against North Dakota State on Wednesday. Tara Oltman carried a perfect game into the fifth and finished with a two-hit shutout in the Bluejay win, before the CU offense was no-hit in a 3-0 loss in the night cap. The Jays now turn their attention to their first home Missouri Valley Conference series, hosting Illinois State in a three-game set this weekend. CU and ISU play a pair on Saturday at noon and then have one game Sunday at noon.
Last Week: Creighton started MVC play with a 3-0 mark for the third straight season and the fourth time in the last five years, by sweeping a series at Evansville. The Jays edged the Purple Aces 1-0 in the opener, before a 10-1 pouncing in the second game of last Saturday's doubleheader. CU won 6-2 in Sunday's finale. Michelle Koch went 5-for-8 with four runs scored last weekend, while Renae Sinkler was 4-for-7 with a home runs, two RBI and two runs scored. Tara Oltman picked up two wins, allowing one earned run and 10 hits in 14 innings of work, during which she fanned 12 and walked none.
Scouting Creighton (12-8, 3-0 MVC): Creighton is the defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion and is coming off of its fifth NCAA Tournament in six years ... The Jays return all but one every day starter from last year, along with two-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, junior Tara Oltman ... CU has been picked to win the MVC title this year, aiming for its third straight regular-season crown ... The Bluejays are hitting .277 as a team this year, while opponents are hitting just .223 off of CU pitching ... Renae Sinkler leads four starters hitting better than .333 with her .386 average, while her four home runs and 19 RBI rank third in the MVC ... Bailey Dawson, who is hitting .333, leads the team and ranks third in the MVC with 20 runs scored ... Junior transfer Sara Loeffelholz, a two-year starter at New Mexico, leads the team with 10 extra-base hits, five doubles and two triples ... Michelle Koch is batting .365 on the year, including .625 in MVC play ... Laura Kratochvil is hitting a career-best .344 and tops the team with six multi-RBI and seven multi-hit games ... The Jays have out-scored opponents 96-59 this year, including a season-high 18 runs against Saint Louis ... Opponents are batting just .223 against CU, including .172 against Oltman ... Oltman has allowed one earned run in her last 47 innings of work and she is now 15-0 with a 0.56 ERA and four saves at home over the last two seasons.
Scouting Illinois State (13-11, 2-1 MVC): The Redbirds are 13-11 on the year, including a 2-1 mark in MVC play after taking their Valley opening series from Bradley last weekend ... ISU has scored at least 10 runs in a game three times this year and allowed more than 10 three times ... The Redbirds are hitting .248 as a team to rank eighth in the MVC ... Amber Smith leads the team with a .354 average and 28 hits, while she is 4-6 with a 3.83 ERA in a team-best 14 pitching appearances ... Freshman Jordan Birch is 7-4 with a 1.88 ERA and team-best 67 innings and 72 strikeouts ... Casey Gorrell and Abby Olson are tied for the team-lead with four home runs, while Olson's 18 RBI lead the team ... Niki Stansell (.321) leads the team with 19 runs and seven doubles ... ISU is 4-for-7 in stolen bases as a team this year ... The Redbirds have out-scored opponents 92-77 and have 16 home runs, while they have allowed 13 homers.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 16th season at Creighton, owning a record of 493-344-2 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 21 years as a head coach is 641-415-3. 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.
CU-ISU Series History: Creighton is 25-30-1 all-time against Illinois State ... CU and ISU split a doubleheader in Normal last year, one of three MVC losses and one of two teams in the MVC to defeat the Jays in the regular-season last year ... CU scored two unearned runs in the seventh inning to edge ISU 3-2 in game one last year, while ISU posted a 9-0 six-inning run-rule win in the night cap ... The Bluejays swept a doubleheader from ISU the last time the Redbirds came to Omaha in 2007, as CU knocked off then No. 18 ISU 5-3 and 8-6, before the teams tied 1-1 on Sunday ... That 1-1 tie was ended after five innings because of rain, while it was also a no-hitter by the Redbirds.
Career Against ISU: While Tara Oltman is 3-0 against the Redbirds in her career, her ERA against ISU (2.49) is over a run higher than her career average (1.12). She has pitched 19.2 innings in four appearances, two starts, against ISU, allowing 14 hits, .197 average, seven earned runs, three walks and 26 strikeouts. Oltman struck out a career-high 14 against ISU on April 21, 2007. Offensively, Jessica Wakasugi's six his in eight career games against ISU leads all active Bluejays., while she is hitting .286 in her career against the Redbirds. Renae Sinkler went 3-for-7 (.429) in last year's doubleheader at Normal, while she is 5-for-15 (.333) in her career against ISU. Liz McKewon was 3-for-4 in last year's doubleheader at ISU.
Last Losses: Creighton has won its last 10 MVC regular-season games, including a 3-0 start in Valley play this year. The last Bluejay loss in the MVC regular-season came to Illinois State on April 21 last year. Creighton has won its last 14 home MVC games, including a 12-0 home Valley mark in 2008. CU has not lost to an MVC foe in Omaha since Bradley topped the Jays 4-2 on May 5, 2007.
Here Last Year: At 12-8, Creighton has the exact same record as it had through 20 games last year. In fact, the Jays dropped to 12-9 on the year in 2008, before putting together a 31-5 stretch to end the regular-season.
Best for Last: Senior Laura Kratochvil is having her best offensive year as a Bluejay this season. The catcher already has a career-high 18 RBI through 20 games, after driving in 15 runs in 46 games in both 2006 and 2008. With her third home run of the year on Wednesday, she now has a career-high for round-trippers in a season. She leads the team with six multi-RBI games, seven multi-hit games and three three-hit contests.
Returning Home For First Time: Junior Sara Loeffelholz is a collegiate starter for the third straight season and an Omaha native, but made her CU Sports Complex debut this week. A transfer from New Mexico, where she started 84 of 94 games over the past two seasons, she homered in her first home at bat as a Bluejay on Wednesday. The outfielder has started all 20 games this year at CU and leads the team with 10 extra-base hits, five doubles and two triples.
Beating Arizona: For the second straight year, CU went to Arizona and defeated the nationally-ranked Wildcats earlier this month. This time CU crushed Arizona 6-0 on March 7, the first time the powerful UA offense had been shutout at home since UCLA did it in 2005. Tara Oltman scattered five singles to a line up which averaged 17 runs per game in its other five games during the Hillenbrand Invitational. Bailey Dawson and Laura Kratochvil both homered in the win over No. 13 Arizona.
High-Scoring Affair: Creighton blasted Saint Louis 18-5 on Feb. 20 at the Tulsa Select Festival. The 18 runs were the most scored by the Bluejays since setting the school record of 20 runs against the College of Saint Mary's on Feb. 9, 2000. The 18 runs are the second-most scored in a game in CU history and the most ever against a Division I opponent.
Leftovers: Creighton's 19 errors this year are the fewest in the MVC ... Jessi Jadlowski returned to the Bluejay lineup on Wednesday after missing 11 straight games with an arm injury ... Renae Sinkler had a 12-game hitting streak earlier this season, to give her the three longest hitting streaks by a Bluejay in the last two years. Last year she had a 17-game streak and eight-game streak ... CU is 9-3 this year when Sinkler starts as the designated player, 3-5 when she starts at first base ... Sinkler is 13-for-22 (.591) with runners in scoring position, as the team is hitting .328 with RISP ... Tara Oltman had a streak of 37.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run from March 1-15 ... Oltman has not lost at home since May 5, 2007.
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