Softball Hosts Wichita State to Close Regular-Season
5/1/2009 4:00:00 PM | Softball
Creighton hosts Wichita State
Saturday, May 2 ? CU Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? Noon (DH)
Sunday, May 3 ? CU Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? Noon
This Week: The Bluejays have split a pair of games against Big 12 opponents to start the week, losing at home 3-1 to Nebraska on Tuesday and winning on the road 3-1 at Iowa State on Wednesday. The first-place Bluejays now take aim at their third straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship when then play host to Wichita State this weekend. The Jays and Shockers play a doubleheader on Senior Day Saturday and close the regular-season on Sunday with a single game at noon.
Last Week: Creighton posted a 5-1 record last week, while claiming two more MVC season series wins. The Jays started the week with a 2-1 win at Drake on April 21 to take the series from DU 2-1. CU returned home to sweep a doubleheader from South Dakota State by scores of 14-1 and 5-1. The Bluejays set a school record by hitting five home runs in one inning, including Renae Sinkler and Bailey Dawson twice hitting back-to-back jacks in the frame. CU concluded the week by not allowing an earned run to Missouri State in a three-game series, winning 3-0 and 4-0, but dropping a 1-0 decision due to an unearned run.
Scouting Creighton (32-14, 17-5 MVC): Creighton is the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion and has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments in the last six years ... The Bluejays have won seven of their last nine games and need two wins (regardless of the outcome of any SIU games) to capture their third straight Valley title ... CU leads the MVC and ranks 18th in the NCAA with a .973 fielding percentage ... The Jays lead the MVC and are 11th in the NCAA with a 1.53 ERA, including 0.64 in MVC play ... Junior Tara Oltman is the all-time winningest pitcher in school history, and with 83 career victories she is just one shy of the MVC record entering the weekend ... The right-hander leads the MVC in ERA, wins, strikeouts, innings, shutouts and average against, while she ranks fourth in the NCAA in ERA and eighth in both wins and shutouts ... Junior first baseman Renae Sinkler is hitting a team-best .364, including .444 (12-27) in her last nine games ... Sinkler leads the MVC with a .690 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage, while she tops the team with a career-best 11 home runs ... Bailey Dawson, who ranks third in CU history with 120 career RBI, has six RBI in her last seven games after going without an RBI for 14 games ... Senior Jessica Wakasugi has started Creighton's last 211 games in center field ? every game of her career ? and her .317 career average is ninth in CU history ... Senior catcher Laura Kratochvil suffered a broken leg in practice on April 2 and will miss the rest of the season; at the time of her injury she had career-highs and led the team in hits, average, home runs and RBI.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 16th season at Creighton, owning a record of 513-350-2 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 661-421-3. 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.
Scouting Wichita State (20-30, 9-13 MVC): The Shockers enter the weekend fighting for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming MVC Tournament ... WSU helped its cause by winning two of three against Drake last weekend ... The only MVC team WSU has not defeated this year is Southern Illinois (losing two 2-1 games) ... WSU is second in the MVC in average (.267), hits (349), runs (201) and RBI (187), while they lead the league with 189 walks ... Heather Gerritse leads the team with a .342 average, followed by Kara L'Huillier (.340) who leads the team with 51 hits, 12 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBI ... Kiersten Dixon also has eight homers and leads the team with 31 runs scored ... Kersti Rowan leads the MVC with 15 stolen bases ... WSU is last in the MVC in team ERA (4.08), average against (.293) and home runs allowed (51) ... Brianna Smet (5-7, 3.74 ERA, 112.1 IP) and Kasha Kolb (14-22, 3.80 ERA, 197.1 IP) split time in the circle ... Kolb leads the team with 191 strikeouts.
CU-WSU Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Wichita State 37-23 ... WSU is the only MVC team since 2006 to defeat CU twice in the regular-season, as it won 2-of-3 in Wichita last year ... The Jays swept a three-game set from WSU the last time the Shockers came to Omaha in 2007.
Individuals vs. WSU: Michelle Koch's .278 career average against the Shockers is tops among Bluejays, as she is 5-for-18 in her career against WSU. Renae Sinkler is 4-for-15 (.267) in her career against WSU, including 4-for-8 with a home run and double last year. Tara Oltman is just 3-2 with a 1.46 ERA in seven career appearances against WSU. Last year, Oltman was 0-2 with a 2.28 ERA against the Shockers. She has struck out 32 in 38.1 innings pitched and WSU hits .158 against her.
Senior Citizens: Creighton will honor its five seniors between games of Saturday's doubleheader. Below are a few career highlights for each:
? Bailey Dawson ranks third in CU history with 120 RBI, fourth with 29 home runs, sixth with 118 runs and seventh with 35 doubles. She has started all 198 games she has appeared in, is a two-time all-MVC selection and was on the MVC All-Tournament team in 2007.
? Lau Emmsley-Chang started 93 of the first 95 games she appeared in during her career, before a torn ACL suffered in the 2007 MVC Tournament slowed her in her junior and senior seasons. She hit a career-high .284 with five stolen bases as a sophomore in 2007.
? Laura Kratochvil was enjoying a career-year in 2009 before her season was ended due to injury in early April. Despite playing just 26 games this year, she established career-highs in batting average, runs, hits, home runs and RBI. She started 109 of the 155 games she played.
? Cassidy Nee came to CU as a pitcher, but has been the Jays' top pinch-hitter over the past two seasons. She has 17 hits over the past two years, including a team-leading eight pinch-hits. The right-hander appeared in 30 games as a pitcher in her first two seasons, striking out 104 batters in 97 innings pitched.
? Jessica Wakasugi has started CU's last 211 games in center field ? every game of her career. She hit a career-high .353 last year when she was named first-team all-MVC. Her career average of .317 ranks eighth in school history.
Getting the Trifecta: Creighton is looking to capture its third consecutive MVC regular-season title this weekend, a feat the Bluejays also accomplished in 1998, 1999 and 2000 (sharing the title in 2000). Illinois State is the only other team in league history to win three straight titles, as the Redbirds have done so on three occasions; 1984-86, 1995-97 and 2001-03.
May Day: Creighton opens May looking to secure its 12th consecutive May without a losing record in the month. The Jays went 3-3 in May last year and have not had a losing record in the month of May since a 1-2 mark in 1997. CU's record in May since 1998 is 57-29 (.663). The Jays were 10-3 in May in 2004, 6-4 in 2005, 3-3 in 2006, 5-3 in 2007 and 3-3 last year.
Homer Happy: Creighton not only tied a school record for home runs in a game against South Dakota State on April 22, but the Bluejays set a school record for home runs in an inning by hitting all five blasts in the third inning. Renae Sinkler and Bailey Dawson twice hit back-to-back home runs in the frame, while Sara Loeffelholz chipped in with a blast as well. CU tied the school record for home runs in a game initially done against Northern Colorado on April 28, 2004.
Is it a Record?: The NCAA does not keep record of home runs in an inning, while initial research has resulted in two other teams (in NCAA history) hitting five home runs in one inning, including Illinois accomplishing the feat against Penn State on March 21 of this season. UT-San Antonio also homered five times in one inning on April 8, 2004 against Texas Southern.
In a Pinch: Every available player with the exception of game two's starting pitcher Kylie Hovinga appeared in Creighton's 14-1 game one win over South Dakota State on April 22, including five pinch-hitters in the span of six batters during the fourth inning. Freshman Kari Sakamoto walked in her first career plate appearance, while both Jess Stigge and Lau Emmsley-Chang added their first base hits of the season. Additionally Cassidy Nee and Alexa Mackevicius produced RBI in their pinch-hit at bats.
She's a Winner: Junior Tara Oltman is now the winningest pitcher in school history and is rapidly approaching the conference record. With 26 wins this season, she has moved her career win total to 83, moving past Tammy Nielsen's former school mark of 76. Oltman is now 83-27 in her career and ranks second in MVC history, just one shy of the Valley record.
Career Wins ? MVC Pitchers
No. Name (School) Wins Years
1. Amy Harre (SIU) 84 2002-05
2. Tara Oltman (CU) 83 2007-pr.
3. Cassidy Scoggins (SIU) 81 2004-07
4. Stacy Birk (ILSU) 77 2004-07
Margo Pruis (WSU) 77 2004-07
6. Tammy Nielsen (CU) 76 2003-05
Appears to be Another TO Record: Junior Tara Oltman has not only established the CU career victories record this season, but she has now appeared in more games as a pitcher than any player in school history. With 130 appearances, she has surpassed CU Hall of Famer Kelly Brookhart's former mark of 122.
1-0 Losses: Creighton has suffered four 1-0 losses this season, the most recent coming at Missouri State on April 25, in which the Bears scored an unearned run for the win. Tara Oltman has been the tough-luck loser in all four 1-0 defeats this year. In fact, in her career the Jays have now lost six 1-0 games and been shutout nine times in games Oltman starts. Oltman has lost 26 starts in her career, in which the Bluejays have scored a total of 29 runs.
Sacrificial Birds: Creighton again leads the MVC in sacrifice bunts this season, with 74 sacs in 46 games. The Bluejays dropped down 16 sac bunts in six games last week. In addition to their bunting, the Bluejays also doubled their sac fly total last week. With three sacrifice flies last week, CU now has six on the season.
Run Bailey-ed In: Bailey Dawson ranks third in school history with 120 career RBI, but recently went through an RBI dry spell. Through Dawson's first 14 games in April ? all of which she batted in the lead off spot ? she did not have an RBI. In her last seven games ? all of which she has batted cleanup ? she has six RBI.
Heating Up: In addition to the weather heating up, a few Bluejay bats have warmed up as well. Renae Sinkler is 12-for-27 (.444) in her last nine games to move her average up to a team-leading .364. Jessi Jadlowski went 4-for-4 in CU's doubleheader with South Dakota State on April 22 and has raised her average 54 points and driven in four of her eight RBI on the season in CU's last seven games. Freshman Lauren Larson has raised her average 38 points during her current six-game hitting streak.
Oltman's No-Hitter: Tara Oltman hurled the first complete game no-hitter of her career in a 5-0 win over No. 24 Southern Illinois on April 18. The no-hitter also served as her 77th career win to establish the school record for wins. Oltman allowed two base runners in the game - a walk and hit batsman - while she struck out eight in the victory. The right-hander was part of a combined no-hitter in her first collegiate start on Feb. 17, 2007, when she went three innings and Laura Fonda tossed the final two innings in CU's 17-0 win over Alabama A&M. It marked CU's first complete game no-no since Fonda topped La Salle in five innings on March 7, 2006.
Tara Time: Having fun with junior pitcher Tara Oltman's statistics:
? She enters the week on a streak of 24.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, her third streak of 20+ consecutive innings without allowing an earned run this year.
? She has allowed one earned run or less in 29 of her last 31 appearances.
? She has allowed more hits than innings pitched in just one of her last 70 appearances.
? She had a 2.42 ERA with 15 earned runs allowed in her first eight appearances this year, but has since allowed just 16 earned runs for a 0.56 ERA in her last 31 appearances.
? She is 22-3, with five saves, a 0.74 ERA, 10 shutouts and two combined shutouts at home over the past two seasons. Opponents are hitting .147 against CU in Omaha since the start of the 2008 season.
? She has appeared in 66 of CU's 70 MVC games over the past three seasons, throwing 45 complete games in 46 starts in that span.
20 HR for Sinkler: Renae Sinkler connected for her 20th career home run in Creighton's 2-1 win over Drake on April 15, becoming the seventh player in school history to reach that plateau. With 24 career home runs, she now ranks sixth in school history.
Battling the Best: Creighton won two of three games against No. 24 Southern Illinois (April 18-19) to improve its record to 3-3 this year against top-25 opponents. The Jays also lost 5-3 at No. 7 Oklahoma on March 1 and split a doubleheader at No. 13 Arizona on March 7, with Tara Oltman shutting out the top-hitting team in the NCAA 6-0, before the UA bats woke up to pound CU in a 19-2 loss. CU was 1-4 against the top-25 last year. The Jays are now 6-2-1 in their last nine home games against the top-25.
Perfection: Creighton is 20-0 when scoring at least four runs this season, but just 12-14 when scoring three or fewer runs. The Bluejays are also undefeated when leading after the first inning this year, with a 12-0 mark.
Game Starts in the First: While Creighton leads the MVC with a 1.53 ERA, the Bluejays have struggled to get on track in the first inning this year. The 24 runs opponents have scored in the first inning off of CU are the most of any inning against the Jays, while the Jays' first-inning ERA is an inning worst 2.74. The pitching staff has bounced back to log a 0.84 ERA over the second and third innings, including a best 0.46 ERA in the third frame. In fact, Drake's third inning run on April 15 was the first earned run a CU opponent had scored in the third inning this season. CU has allowed just five runs in both the third and sixth innings this year.
Outfield 200: Senior Jessica Wakasugi has started Creighton's last 211 games, serving as the starting center fielder in every game of her Bluejay career.
Home Numbers: While Creighton is 10-5 at home this year, the Jays struggled to hit at the CU Sports Complex early on, batting just .221 and scoring 29 runs in their first 12 home games before going 22-for-49 (.449) and scoring 19 runs in a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State on April 22 to raise their home batting average, as it now stands at .253. The Jays have managed success at home due to their slick fielding and tough pitching, as CU's home fielding percentage is .976 and its home ERA is 1.16, allowing just 17 earned runs, while allowing opponents to bat .167 in Omaha and tossing five shutouts.
The 700 Club: Junior Tara Oltman has surpassed 700 career strikeouts, joining Tammy Nielsen as the only two Bluejays to reach that mark. She is one of 13 players in MVC history to strikeout at least 700 in a career and now ranks ninth in league history with 744 Ks.
Career Strikeouts ? MVC Pitchers
No. Name (School) Ks Years
1. Darcy Wood (INSU) 990 2005-pr.
2. Tammy Nielsen (CU) 914 2003-05
3. Carisa Winters (SIU) 896 1997-00
4. Margo Pruis (WSU) 853 2004-07
5. Ashley Birdsong (BU) 819 2006-pr.
6. Nora Cagwin (MSU) 767 1996-99
7. Tara Oltman (CU) 760 2007-pr.
8. Erin Stremsterfer (SIU) 757 1998-01
9. Melissa Porche (MSU) 754 2005-08
10. Katie Markle (UE) 734 2002-05
Home Turf: Creighton is 10-5 at home this year, moving its record to 44-13-1 (.767) over the last three years. The Jays are 7-3 at home in Valley play on the season. After a perfect home MVC mark of 12-0 last year, the Jays are now 30-5-1 (.847) at home in Valley play over the last three years.
Bluejay Home Records since 1994
Year Overall W-L% MVC W-L%
2009 10-5 .667 7-3 .700
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
Vigness Gets 500: Head coach Brent Vigness picked up his 500th win at Creighton with a 4-0 victory over Bradley on April 4. One of only two coaches in school history, Vigness joins Bluejay Hall of Famer Mary Higgins with 500 victories on the Bluejay bench. Higgins was 564-298 in her 17 seasons at CU.
Sharing Shutouts: Freshman Kylie Hovinga and junior Tara Oltman combined for a pair of shutouts in April. Hovinga went 4.2 innings and gave way to Oltman with the bases loaded and one out in CU's 4-0 win over Bradley on April 4. Hovinga then went three innings and Oltman four in a 1-0 blanking of the best hitting team in the MVC, UNI on April 7. The pair also combined for a 4-2 win over Indiana State on April 10.
Kratochvil's Career: Laura Kratochvil's career has come to an end early, as the senior catcher broke a bone in her leg in practice on April 2. Kratochvil was enjoying a career-year in her final season, as she already had established career highs for hits, home runs and RBI. She led the team with a career-high .338 average and was tops on the team in home runs and RBI when she suffered the injury. Kratochvil's career batting average entering the season was .223, she raised it to .249. She ends her career with 68 RBI on 88 career hits.
The Streaking Note: Creighton won its fourth straight game over in-state foe Nebraska on April 1 and its fourth consecutive at NU's Bowlin Stadium. CU's 1-0 loss to Bradley on April 4 snapped CU's 13-game MVC winning streak (dating to last year). It was also CU's first home Valley loss since May 2007, snapping a streak of 17 straight home conference wins. That loss also ended Tara Oltman's 19-game home winning streak and nine-game overall winning streak this season.
Jays Sweep Honors Twice: On March 23, the Creighton battery of Laura Kratochvil and Tara Oltman were tabbed the MVC Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. On April 20, Oltman was joined by Renae Sinkler in earn Valley weekly honors, as Sinkler went 7-for-14 with three home runs in five games.
A First at CU: Creighton won five straight one run games March 21-25. Never before in school history had the Bluejays won five consecutive games by just one run.
Double Your Pleasure: Creighton tied a school record with six doubles in its 4-3 10-inning win over Kansas on March 25. CU had previously recorded six doubles in a game three times, but had not done so in 10 years. The last time CU had six doubles in a game was on Feb. 26, 1999 against Detroit. Bailey Dawson, Michelle Graner, Sara Loeffelholz and Jessica Wakasugi each had one double, while Liz McKewon notched her first two career doubles in the win.
Double the Doubles Notes: Bailey Dawson's leadoff double at Drake on April 21st was the 35th double of her career. With 35 two-baggers, she now ranks seventh on the CU career doubles list.
Three For .300: Three Bluejay upper classmen starters have better than a .300 career batting average, led by senior Jessica Wakasugi's .317 mark which ranks eighth in school history. Renae Sinkler's career mark of .316 ranks ninth in school history and Michelle Koch's career average of .310 is just outside of the CU career top-10.
Something Extra From Liz: Sophomore Liz McKewon has started all 106 games she's played at Creighton and through the first 84 games she had yet to record an extra-base hit. Her 85th game saw her not only hit her first career double, but she had a pair of two-baggers in CU's 4-3 10-inning win at Kansas (March 25). Her bloop double to lead off the 10th inning led to her scoring the game-winning run.
The Run Producer: Senior Bailey Dawson knows how to produce runs, as evident by her lofty career numbers. Dawson ranks third in school history with 120 career RBI, fourth with 29 career home runs, sixth with 118 career runs scored and seventh with 35 career doubles. A starter at shortstop in all 198 of her career games, she has a .288 career average.
Wakasugi Has CLASS: Senior center fielder Jessica Wakasugi was one of 30 national candidates for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. Wakasugi, a first-team all-MVC performer last year, owns a 3.64 cumulative GPA in business entrepreneurship and marketing.
Same Six Starters: Creighton has started six of the same players in all 44 games this year, with four players starting at the same position in every game. The Jays have had the same left side of the infield in every game, with Liz McKewon and Bailey Dawson starting at third base and shortstop, respectively, each game. Michelle Koch has joined that pair in starting at second base every game. Jessica Wakasugi has pushed her streak of 209 straight CU games started in center field. Renae Sinkler has split starts at first base (34) and designated player (12) and Michelle Graner has shared time in left field (34) and first base (12). In addition, Sara Loeffelholz has started 45 of the 46 games she has played this year.
Hovinga Minus Arizona: Freshman Kylie Hovinga is 6-3 with a 2.01 ERA on the season ? that is, if you subtract one game against one of the top offenses in the nation. The Wildcats unleashed an 18-hit, 19-run attack (16 earned) on the Bluejay rookie. If you subtract her UA outing (5 IP, 18 H, 19 R, 16 ER) from her season statistics (6-4, 3.52 ERA), Hovinga's ERA drops dramatically and she moves to 6-3 with a 2.01 ERA, having allowed 59 hits and 18 earned runs in 62.2 innings.
Beating Arizona: For the second straight year, CU went to Arizona and defeated the nationally-ranked Wildcats in March. 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.
National Rankings: Creighton ranks among NCAA leaders in a few statistical categories, while a few individuals also rank among the nation's elite.
? Creighton's 1.51 ERA ranks 11th in the NCAA.
? CU's .972 fielding percentage ranks 18th in the nation.
? Tara Oltman ranks fourth in the nation with her 0.83 ERA, ranks eighth in both shutouts (11) and wins (25) and is 20th with 232 strikeouts.
? Michelle Koch ranks 13th in the NCAA with 14 sacrifice bunts (0.32 per game).
Saturday, May 2 ? CU Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? Noon (DH)
Sunday, May 3 ? CU Sports Complex ? Omaha, Neb. ? Noon
This Week: The Bluejays have split a pair of games against Big 12 opponents to start the week, losing at home 3-1 to Nebraska on Tuesday and winning on the road 3-1 at Iowa State on Wednesday. The first-place Bluejays now take aim at their third straight Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship when then play host to Wichita State this weekend. The Jays and Shockers play a doubleheader on Senior Day Saturday and close the regular-season on Sunday with a single game at noon.
Last Week: Creighton posted a 5-1 record last week, while claiming two more MVC season series wins. The Jays started the week with a 2-1 win at Drake on April 21 to take the series from DU 2-1. CU returned home to sweep a doubleheader from South Dakota State by scores of 14-1 and 5-1. The Bluejays set a school record by hitting five home runs in one inning, including Renae Sinkler and Bailey Dawson twice hitting back-to-back jacks in the frame. CU concluded the week by not allowing an earned run to Missouri State in a three-game series, winning 3-0 and 4-0, but dropping a 1-0 decision due to an unearned run.
Scouting Creighton (32-14, 17-5 MVC): Creighton is the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion and has appeared in five NCAA Tournaments in the last six years ... The Bluejays have won seven of their last nine games and need two wins (regardless of the outcome of any SIU games) to capture their third straight Valley title ... CU leads the MVC and ranks 18th in the NCAA with a .973 fielding percentage ... The Jays lead the MVC and are 11th in the NCAA with a 1.53 ERA, including 0.64 in MVC play ... Junior Tara Oltman is the all-time winningest pitcher in school history, and with 83 career victories she is just one shy of the MVC record entering the weekend ... The right-hander leads the MVC in ERA, wins, strikeouts, innings, shutouts and average against, while she ranks fourth in the NCAA in ERA and eighth in both wins and shutouts ... Junior first baseman Renae Sinkler is hitting a team-best .364, including .444 (12-27) in her last nine games ... Sinkler leads the MVC with a .690 slugging percentage and .481 on-base percentage, while she tops the team with a career-best 11 home runs ... Bailey Dawson, who ranks third in CU history with 120 career RBI, has six RBI in her last seven games after going without an RBI for 14 games ... Senior Jessica Wakasugi has started Creighton's last 211 games in center field ? every game of her career ? and her .317 career average is ninth in CU history ... Senior catcher Laura Kratochvil suffered a broken leg in practice on April 2 and will miss the rest of the season; at the time of her injury she had career-highs and led the team in hits, average, home runs and RBI.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 16th season at Creighton, owning a record of 513-350-2 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 661-421-3. 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.
Scouting Wichita State (20-30, 9-13 MVC): The Shockers enter the weekend fighting for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming MVC Tournament ... WSU helped its cause by winning two of three against Drake last weekend ... The only MVC team WSU has not defeated this year is Southern Illinois (losing two 2-1 games) ... WSU is second in the MVC in average (.267), hits (349), runs (201) and RBI (187), while they lead the league with 189 walks ... Heather Gerritse leads the team with a .342 average, followed by Kara L'Huillier (.340) who leads the team with 51 hits, 12 doubles, eight home runs and 34 RBI ... Kiersten Dixon also has eight homers and leads the team with 31 runs scored ... Kersti Rowan leads the MVC with 15 stolen bases ... WSU is last in the MVC in team ERA (4.08), average against (.293) and home runs allowed (51) ... Brianna Smet (5-7, 3.74 ERA, 112.1 IP) and Kasha Kolb (14-22, 3.80 ERA, 197.1 IP) split time in the circle ... Kolb leads the team with 191 strikeouts.
CU-WSU Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Wichita State 37-23 ... WSU is the only MVC team since 2006 to defeat CU twice in the regular-season, as it won 2-of-3 in Wichita last year ... The Jays swept a three-game set from WSU the last time the Shockers came to Omaha in 2007.
Individuals vs. WSU: Michelle Koch's .278 career average against the Shockers is tops among Bluejays, as she is 5-for-18 in her career against WSU. Renae Sinkler is 4-for-15 (.267) in her career against WSU, including 4-for-8 with a home run and double last year. Tara Oltman is just 3-2 with a 1.46 ERA in seven career appearances against WSU. Last year, Oltman was 0-2 with a 2.28 ERA against the Shockers. She has struck out 32 in 38.1 innings pitched and WSU hits .158 against her.
Senior Citizens: Creighton will honor its five seniors between games of Saturday's doubleheader. Below are a few career highlights for each:
? Bailey Dawson ranks third in CU history with 120 RBI, fourth with 29 home runs, sixth with 118 runs and seventh with 35 doubles. She has started all 198 games she has appeared in, is a two-time all-MVC selection and was on the MVC All-Tournament team in 2007.
? Lau Emmsley-Chang started 93 of the first 95 games she appeared in during her career, before a torn ACL suffered in the 2007 MVC Tournament slowed her in her junior and senior seasons. She hit a career-high .284 with five stolen bases as a sophomore in 2007.
? Laura Kratochvil was enjoying a career-year in 2009 before her season was ended due to injury in early April. Despite playing just 26 games this year, she established career-highs in batting average, runs, hits, home runs and RBI. She started 109 of the 155 games she played.
? Cassidy Nee came to CU as a pitcher, but has been the Jays' top pinch-hitter over the past two seasons. She has 17 hits over the past two years, including a team-leading eight pinch-hits. The right-hander appeared in 30 games as a pitcher in her first two seasons, striking out 104 batters in 97 innings pitched.
? Jessica Wakasugi has started CU's last 211 games in center field ? every game of her career. She hit a career-high .353 last year when she was named first-team all-MVC. Her career average of .317 ranks eighth in school history.
Getting the Trifecta: Creighton is looking to capture its third consecutive MVC regular-season title this weekend, a feat the Bluejays also accomplished in 1998, 1999 and 2000 (sharing the title in 2000). Illinois State is the only other team in league history to win three straight titles, as the Redbirds have done so on three occasions; 1984-86, 1995-97 and 2001-03.
May Day: Creighton opens May looking to secure its 12th consecutive May without a losing record in the month. The Jays went 3-3 in May last year and have not had a losing record in the month of May since a 1-2 mark in 1997. CU's record in May since 1998 is 57-29 (.663). The Jays were 10-3 in May in 2004, 6-4 in 2005, 3-3 in 2006, 5-3 in 2007 and 3-3 last year.
Homer Happy: Creighton not only tied a school record for home runs in a game against South Dakota State on April 22, but the Bluejays set a school record for home runs in an inning by hitting all five blasts in the third inning. Renae Sinkler and Bailey Dawson twice hit back-to-back home runs in the frame, while Sara Loeffelholz chipped in with a blast as well. CU tied the school record for home runs in a game initially done against Northern Colorado on April 28, 2004.
Is it a Record?: The NCAA does not keep record of home runs in an inning, while initial research has resulted in two other teams (in NCAA history) hitting five home runs in one inning, including Illinois accomplishing the feat against Penn State on March 21 of this season. UT-San Antonio also homered five times in one inning on April 8, 2004 against Texas Southern.
In a Pinch: Every available player with the exception of game two's starting pitcher Kylie Hovinga appeared in Creighton's 14-1 game one win over South Dakota State on April 22, including five pinch-hitters in the span of six batters during the fourth inning. Freshman Kari Sakamoto walked in her first career plate appearance, while both Jess Stigge and Lau Emmsley-Chang added their first base hits of the season. Additionally Cassidy Nee and Alexa Mackevicius produced RBI in their pinch-hit at bats.
She's a Winner: Junior Tara Oltman is now the winningest pitcher in school history and is rapidly approaching the conference record. With 26 wins this season, she has moved her career win total to 83, moving past Tammy Nielsen's former school mark of 76. Oltman is now 83-27 in her career and ranks second in MVC history, just one shy of the Valley record.
Career Wins ? MVC Pitchers
No. Name (School) Wins Years
1. Amy Harre (SIU) 84 2002-05
2. Tara Oltman (CU) 83 2007-pr.
3. Cassidy Scoggins (SIU) 81 2004-07
4. Stacy Birk (ILSU) 77 2004-07
Margo Pruis (WSU) 77 2004-07
6. Tammy Nielsen (CU) 76 2003-05
Appears to be Another TO Record: Junior Tara Oltman has not only established the CU career victories record this season, but she has now appeared in more games as a pitcher than any player in school history. With 130 appearances, she has surpassed CU Hall of Famer Kelly Brookhart's former mark of 122.
1-0 Losses: Creighton has suffered four 1-0 losses this season, the most recent coming at Missouri State on April 25, in which the Bears scored an unearned run for the win. Tara Oltman has been the tough-luck loser in all four 1-0 defeats this year. In fact, in her career the Jays have now lost six 1-0 games and been shutout nine times in games Oltman starts. Oltman has lost 26 starts in her career, in which the Bluejays have scored a total of 29 runs.
Sacrificial Birds: Creighton again leads the MVC in sacrifice bunts this season, with 74 sacs in 46 games. The Bluejays dropped down 16 sac bunts in six games last week. In addition to their bunting, the Bluejays also doubled their sac fly total last week. With three sacrifice flies last week, CU now has six on the season.
Run Bailey-ed In: Bailey Dawson ranks third in school history with 120 career RBI, but recently went through an RBI dry spell. Through Dawson's first 14 games in April ? all of which she batted in the lead off spot ? she did not have an RBI. In her last seven games ? all of which she has batted cleanup ? she has six RBI.
Heating Up: In addition to the weather heating up, a few Bluejay bats have warmed up as well. Renae Sinkler is 12-for-27 (.444) in her last nine games to move her average up to a team-leading .364. Jessi Jadlowski went 4-for-4 in CU's doubleheader with South Dakota State on April 22 and has raised her average 54 points and driven in four of her eight RBI on the season in CU's last seven games. Freshman Lauren Larson has raised her average 38 points during her current six-game hitting streak.
Oltman's No-Hitter: Tara Oltman hurled the first complete game no-hitter of her career in a 5-0 win over No. 24 Southern Illinois on April 18. The no-hitter also served as her 77th career win to establish the school record for wins. Oltman allowed two base runners in the game - a walk and hit batsman - while she struck out eight in the victory. The right-hander was part of a combined no-hitter in her first collegiate start on Feb. 17, 2007, when she went three innings and Laura Fonda tossed the final two innings in CU's 17-0 win over Alabama A&M. It marked CU's first complete game no-no since Fonda topped La Salle in five innings on March 7, 2006.
Tara Time: Having fun with junior pitcher Tara Oltman's statistics:
? She enters the week on a streak of 24.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, her third streak of 20+ consecutive innings without allowing an earned run this year.
? She has allowed one earned run or less in 29 of her last 31 appearances.
? She has allowed more hits than innings pitched in just one of her last 70 appearances.
? She had a 2.42 ERA with 15 earned runs allowed in her first eight appearances this year, but has since allowed just 16 earned runs for a 0.56 ERA in her last 31 appearances.
? She is 22-3, with five saves, a 0.74 ERA, 10 shutouts and two combined shutouts at home over the past two seasons. Opponents are hitting .147 against CU in Omaha since the start of the 2008 season.
? She has appeared in 66 of CU's 70 MVC games over the past three seasons, throwing 45 complete games in 46 starts in that span.
20 HR for Sinkler: Renae Sinkler connected for her 20th career home run in Creighton's 2-1 win over Drake on April 15, becoming the seventh player in school history to reach that plateau. With 24 career home runs, she now ranks sixth in school history.
Battling the Best: Creighton won two of three games against No. 24 Southern Illinois (April 18-19) to improve its record to 3-3 this year against top-25 opponents. The Jays also lost 5-3 at No. 7 Oklahoma on March 1 and split a doubleheader at No. 13 Arizona on March 7, with Tara Oltman shutting out the top-hitting team in the NCAA 6-0, before the UA bats woke up to pound CU in a 19-2 loss. CU was 1-4 against the top-25 last year. The Jays are now 6-2-1 in their last nine home games against the top-25.
Perfection: Creighton is 20-0 when scoring at least four runs this season, but just 12-14 when scoring three or fewer runs. The Bluejays are also undefeated when leading after the first inning this year, with a 12-0 mark.
Game Starts in the First: While Creighton leads the MVC with a 1.53 ERA, the Bluejays have struggled to get on track in the first inning this year. The 24 runs opponents have scored in the first inning off of CU are the most of any inning against the Jays, while the Jays' first-inning ERA is an inning worst 2.74. The pitching staff has bounced back to log a 0.84 ERA over the second and third innings, including a best 0.46 ERA in the third frame. In fact, Drake's third inning run on April 15 was the first earned run a CU opponent had scored in the third inning this season. CU has allowed just five runs in both the third and sixth innings this year.
Outfield 200: Senior Jessica Wakasugi has started Creighton's last 211 games, serving as the starting center fielder in every game of her Bluejay career.
Home Numbers: While Creighton is 10-5 at home this year, the Jays struggled to hit at the CU Sports Complex early on, batting just .221 and scoring 29 runs in their first 12 home games before going 22-for-49 (.449) and scoring 19 runs in a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State on April 22 to raise their home batting average, as it now stands at .253. The Jays have managed success at home due to their slick fielding and tough pitching, as CU's home fielding percentage is .976 and its home ERA is 1.16, allowing just 17 earned runs, while allowing opponents to bat .167 in Omaha and tossing five shutouts.
The 700 Club: Junior Tara Oltman has surpassed 700 career strikeouts, joining Tammy Nielsen as the only two Bluejays to reach that mark. She is one of 13 players in MVC history to strikeout at least 700 in a career and now ranks ninth in league history with 744 Ks.
Career Strikeouts ? MVC Pitchers
No. Name (School) Ks Years
1. Darcy Wood (INSU) 990 2005-pr.
2. Tammy Nielsen (CU) 914 2003-05
3. Carisa Winters (SIU) 896 1997-00
4. Margo Pruis (WSU) 853 2004-07
5. Ashley Birdsong (BU) 819 2006-pr.
6. Nora Cagwin (MSU) 767 1996-99
7. Tara Oltman (CU) 760 2007-pr.
8. Erin Stremsterfer (SIU) 757 1998-01
9. Melissa Porche (MSU) 754 2005-08
10. Katie Markle (UE) 734 2002-05
Home Turf: Creighton is 10-5 at home this year, moving its record to 44-13-1 (.767) over the last three years. The Jays are 7-3 at home in Valley play on the season. After a perfect home MVC mark of 12-0 last year, the Jays are now 30-5-1 (.847) at home in Valley play over the last three years.
Bluejay Home Records since 1994
Year Overall W-L% MVC W-L%
2009 10-5 .667 7-3 .700
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
Vigness Gets 500: Head coach Brent Vigness picked up his 500th win at Creighton with a 4-0 victory over Bradley on April 4. One of only two coaches in school history, Vigness joins Bluejay Hall of Famer Mary Higgins with 500 victories on the Bluejay bench. Higgins was 564-298 in her 17 seasons at CU.
Sharing Shutouts: Freshman Kylie Hovinga and junior Tara Oltman combined for a pair of shutouts in April. Hovinga went 4.2 innings and gave way to Oltman with the bases loaded and one out in CU's 4-0 win over Bradley on April 4. Hovinga then went three innings and Oltman four in a 1-0 blanking of the best hitting team in the MVC, UNI on April 7. The pair also combined for a 4-2 win over Indiana State on April 10.
Kratochvil's Career: Laura Kratochvil's career has come to an end early, as the senior catcher broke a bone in her leg in practice on April 2. Kratochvil was enjoying a career-year in her final season, as she already had established career highs for hits, home runs and RBI. She led the team with a career-high .338 average and was tops on the team in home runs and RBI when she suffered the injury. Kratochvil's career batting average entering the season was .223, she raised it to .249. She ends her career with 68 RBI on 88 career hits.
The Streaking Note: Creighton won its fourth straight game over in-state foe Nebraska on April 1 and its fourth consecutive at NU's Bowlin Stadium. CU's 1-0 loss to Bradley on April 4 snapped CU's 13-game MVC winning streak (dating to last year). It was also CU's first home Valley loss since May 2007, snapping a streak of 17 straight home conference wins. That loss also ended Tara Oltman's 19-game home winning streak and nine-game overall winning streak this season.
Jays Sweep Honors Twice: On March 23, the Creighton battery of Laura Kratochvil and Tara Oltman were tabbed the MVC Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. On April 20, Oltman was joined by Renae Sinkler in earn Valley weekly honors, as Sinkler went 7-for-14 with three home runs in five games.
A First at CU: Creighton won five straight one run games March 21-25. Never before in school history had the Bluejays won five consecutive games by just one run.
Double Your Pleasure: Creighton tied a school record with six doubles in its 4-3 10-inning win over Kansas on March 25. CU had previously recorded six doubles in a game three times, but had not done so in 10 years. The last time CU had six doubles in a game was on Feb. 26, 1999 against Detroit. Bailey Dawson, Michelle Graner, Sara Loeffelholz and Jessica Wakasugi each had one double, while Liz McKewon notched her first two career doubles in the win.
Double the Doubles Notes: Bailey Dawson's leadoff double at Drake on April 21st was the 35th double of her career. With 35 two-baggers, she now ranks seventh on the CU career doubles list.
Three For .300: Three Bluejay upper classmen starters have better than a .300 career batting average, led by senior Jessica Wakasugi's .317 mark which ranks eighth in school history. Renae Sinkler's career mark of .316 ranks ninth in school history and Michelle Koch's career average of .310 is just outside of the CU career top-10.
Something Extra From Liz: Sophomore Liz McKewon has started all 106 games she's played at Creighton and through the first 84 games she had yet to record an extra-base hit. Her 85th game saw her not only hit her first career double, but she had a pair of two-baggers in CU's 4-3 10-inning win at Kansas (March 25). Her bloop double to lead off the 10th inning led to her scoring the game-winning run.
The Run Producer: Senior Bailey Dawson knows how to produce runs, as evident by her lofty career numbers. Dawson ranks third in school history with 120 career RBI, fourth with 29 career home runs, sixth with 118 career runs scored and seventh with 35 career doubles. A starter at shortstop in all 198 of her career games, she has a .288 career average.
Wakasugi Has CLASS: Senior center fielder Jessica Wakasugi was one of 30 national candidates for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: Classroom, Character, Community and Competition. Wakasugi, a first-team all-MVC performer last year, owns a 3.64 cumulative GPA in business entrepreneurship and marketing.
Same Six Starters: Creighton has started six of the same players in all 44 games this year, with four players starting at the same position in every game. The Jays have had the same left side of the infield in every game, with Liz McKewon and Bailey Dawson starting at third base and shortstop, respectively, each game. Michelle Koch has joined that pair in starting at second base every game. Jessica Wakasugi has pushed her streak of 209 straight CU games started in center field. Renae Sinkler has split starts at first base (34) and designated player (12) and Michelle Graner has shared time in left field (34) and first base (12). In addition, Sara Loeffelholz has started 45 of the 46 games she has played this year.
Hovinga Minus Arizona: Freshman Kylie Hovinga is 6-3 with a 2.01 ERA on the season ? that is, if you subtract one game against one of the top offenses in the nation. The Wildcats unleashed an 18-hit, 19-run attack (16 earned) on the Bluejay rookie. If you subtract her UA outing (5 IP, 18 H, 19 R, 16 ER) from her season statistics (6-4, 3.52 ERA), Hovinga's ERA drops dramatically and she moves to 6-3 with a 2.01 ERA, having allowed 59 hits and 18 earned runs in 62.2 innings.
Beating Arizona: For the second straight year, CU went to Arizona and defeated the nationally-ranked Wildcats in March. 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.
National Rankings: Creighton ranks among NCAA leaders in a few statistical categories, while a few individuals also rank among the nation's elite.
? Creighton's 1.51 ERA ranks 11th in the NCAA.
? CU's .972 fielding percentage ranks 18th in the nation.
? Tara Oltman ranks fourth in the nation with her 0.83 ERA, ranks eighth in both shutouts (11) and wins (25) and is 20th with 232 strikeouts.
? Michelle Koch ranks 13th in the NCAA with 14 sacrifice bunts (0.32 per game).
Players Mentioned
OF
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OF/1B
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OF
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IF
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C
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IF
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P
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P
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UT
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UT
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OF
/ SoftballCreighton 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
