Softball Hosts Missouri State This Weekend
3/31/2010 3:00:00 PM | Softball
Creighton hosts Missouri State
Friday, April 2 • CU Sports Complex • 2:00 p.m. (DH)
Saturday, April 3 • CU Sports Complex • 12:00 p.m.
This Week: Creighton plays host to a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series on Friday and Saturday. The Bluejays play a doubleheader against Missouri State on Friday at 2 p.m., and wrap up the series Saturday at noon. Fans can follow live stats for each game by following the links on www.gocreighton.com.
Last Week: The Bluejays dropped all four games played last week, losing a home doubleheader to Iowa State last Tuesday and getting swept in a doubleheader at Southern Illinois last Saturday. The four-game losing streak is CU's longest of the year, equalling its longest since 2006. The Bluejays were out-scored 19-4 in the four losses, with nine runs coming in a five-inning, 9-0, no-hit loss at SIU. Tara Oltman became CU's all-time leader in career strikeouts against ISU last Tuesday and Michelle Graner established the school record for career walks that same day.
Scouting Creighton (14-13, 2-2 MVC): Creighton is looking to make league history by becoming the first team to capture four straight MVC regular-season titles, as the Jays are 61-15-1 (.799) in Valley play since 2007 ... The Jays are again preseason favorites and are led by three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, NFCA All-American and National Player of the Year Candidate Tara Oltman and reigning MVC Player of the Year Renae Sinkler ... After an 0-3 start this season, the Jays won nine of their next 10 games, including a 2-1 win over 15th-ranked Northwestern, but enter play with a 4-8 mark in their last dozen games ... The Jays are 2-2 at home this year and 48-16-1 (.746) at home since 2007 ... Creighton's .202 batting average ranks last in the MVC ... Despite going 0-for-5 with six walks last week, Sinkler still leads the MVC in home runs (13), RBI (31), runs scored (26), slugging percentage (1.028), total bases (73) and on-base percentage (.537) ... Her 13 homers are more than three MVC team's totals ... Amy Baker led the team by going 3-for-10 with three RBI last week ... With 16 walks this year, Michelle Graner now owns the CU career record with 87 base on balls ... Sammy Snygg allowed only one earned run, seven hits and struck out seven in 9.2 innings pitched last week ... Oltman is the CU and MVC record-holder with 98 wins, which ranks second among all active pitchers in the NCAA ... Her 919 career strikeouts are a CU record and just 117 shy of the MVC record ... In Valley games alone during her career, she is 47-10 with a 0.77 ERA in 73 appearances ... The All-American is 7-1 with five shutouts and a 0.23 ERA (2 ER in 61.1 IP) in 10 appearances against Missouri State in her career.
Scouting Missouri State (8-18, 3-3 MVC): The Bears are 8-11 in their last 19 games after starting the season 0-7 ... MSU is 3-3 in Valley play, taking two of three at Evansville last weekend ... The Bears are tied for third in the MVC, hitting .274 as a team overall, while they are fourth in the league, hitting .312 in conference play ... MSU has scored 28 runs in six MVC games, as four starters are hitting at least .421 in conference action ... Christa Gammon leads the Bears with 26 hits, 14 runs, six stolen bases and a .329 average ... Caitlin Chapin, who is hitting .615 in MVC play, tops the team with 16 RBI and Ashley Knehans leads the way with five home runs ... Three hurlers split time for MSU, combining for a 3.91 ERA and .284 average against ... Lauren Supak (4-4, 3.52 ERA, 49.2 IP, 38 K), Lauren McGinley (3-7, 3.98 ERA, 63.1 IP, 17 K) and Natalie Rose (1-7, 4.15 ERA, 59 IP, 54 K) split the load in the circle ... Missouri State head coach Holly Hesse (1982) and associate head coach Sue Frederick (1989) are both Creighton graduates and each still rank in the top-10 on several CU career charts.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 17th season at Creighton, owning a record of 530-365-2 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 22 years as a head coach is 678-436-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), six NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-MSU Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Missouri State, 45-24, including 32-21 under Brent Vigness ... The Bluejays have won the last nine regular-season meetings with the Bears in Omaha ... CU swept MSU in a three-game MVC series in Omaha in 2008, out-scoring the Bears 11-1 in the set ... The Jays took two of three at MSU last year, losing 1-0, but winning 3-0 and 4-0 ... CU is 9-1 in its last 10 games with MSU and 14-4 in its last 18.
Oltman vs. MSU: Tara Oltman has thrown five shutouts in eight career starts against Missouri State and has allowed just two earned runs in 61.1 innings pitched against the Bears for a 0.23 ERA. Last year she did not allow an earned run in 20 innings pitched against MSU, but lost her only decision against the Bears due to an unearned run. She is 7-1 with a save, five shutouts and a combined shutout, allowing just 35 hits and 16 walks, along with 64 strikeouts in 61.1 IP against Missouri State. MSU has hit .167 against Oltman in the past three seasons.
Other Individuals vs. MSU: How other Jays have fared against the Bears in their careers ...
• Michelle Koch is hitting .318 in her career against MSU (7-22), with two doubles, a home runs, three RBI, five walks and eight runs scored in 10 games.
• Renae Sinkler has hit three solo home runs – two in Omaha in 2008 – against the Bears and has five RBI in nine games against MSU. She is 6-for-22 (.273) all-time against the Bears.
• Liz McKewon is 4-for-15 (.267) against MSU in her career, with two hits each of her first two seasons.
• Lauren Larson, a career .152 hitter, hit .375 against MSU last year (3-for-8).
• Michelle Graner went 4-for-11 against MSU as a freshman, but has gone 0-for-12 since.
This Never Happens: Creighton has won three straight MVC regular-season titles by dominating league opponents. When the Bluejays were swept by SIU in a doubleheader last Saturday, it marked the first time they had lost consecutive games in league play since April 6 & 15, 2007. Prior to last weekend, no Bluejay on this year's roster had ever experienced getting swept in an MVC doubleheader, as the last team to take a twinbill from the Bluejays was Illinois State on March 18, 2006.
More Rarities: Creighton has lost four straight games, equalling its longest losing streak in the past five seasons. The Jays also lost four consecutive games in 2008 and 2006. CU has not dropped five straight since 2005 and hasn't lost more than five straight since losing seven in a row in 2003. CU has not lost three straight MVC games since 2006 and has not lost three straight home games since 2004. CU had not been swept in a home doubleheader since 2004 prior to Iowa State's sweep (March 23).
No April Fools: After a 9-9 march, Creighton is likely happy to see the calendar turn to April this week – by far its most successful month in recent years. The Bluejays are 41-14-1 (.741) in April since 2007, compared to .664 in the other three competition months combined in that same span. The Jays have won their first game in April every year since 2005.
NCAA Ranks: Despite a season-long home run drought of four games, Renae Sinkler started this week still ranked third in the NCAA with a 1.028 slugging percentage, fourth in home runs per game (0.48) and sixth with 13 home runs. Sinkler is also in the NCAA top-50 in RBI (19th), on-base percentage (28th) and walks (44th). Tara Oltman ranks 10th in the NCAA in shutouts (6), while she also opened the week ranked in the NCAA top-50 in wins (41st), ERA (43rd) and strikeouts (49th).
More National Perspective: The only active pitcher in the nation with more wins than Creighton's Tara Oltman is Washington's Danielle Lawrie (2009 National Player of the Year). Oltman enters the weekend looking to reach the elite mark of 100 career wins. With 98 career victories, she trails just Lawrie's 114 among active NCAA pitchers. Her 919 career strikeouts rank sixth among active players.
Seniors Set Records: Renae Sinkler homered in both games against Indiana State (March 21) to claim sole possession of the CU career home run record with 39 – moving out of a tie with former record-holders Stacey Rybar and Lauren Cisneros. She now is tied with SIU's Katie Jordan for second in MVC history. Tara Oltman added to her numerous school records by moving past Tammy Nielsen (914) for the school record with 919 Ks. She now ranks second in league history in strikeouts, 117 shy of the MVC record. Michelle Graner is now CU's all-time leader in walks (87) and hit by pitches (31).
On Top of The Valley: Three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year Tara Oltman has continued her dominance of Valley foes to start this season as she logged 10 scoreless innings against Indiana State to open MVC play. Those scoreless innings continued a stretch of amazing numbers in MVC regular-season play. Before allowing four earned runs at SIU in a shortened start last Saturday, the All-American had allowed just one earned run in her previous 65.2 innings pitched (10 appearances) in MVC play for an eye-popping 0.11 ERA in that span. Oltman has gotten better each year in MVC play – 1.00 ERA as a freshman, 0.76 ERA as a sophomore and 0.46 ERA as a junior. The right-hander is now 47-10 with a 0.77 ERA and 22 shutouts during her career in Valley play alone.
Tara's Records: Tara Oltman has been setting records and climbing charts with almost every appearance in the circle this season. Oltman recently set the Missouri Valley Conference record for complete games (106). Early in the season she became the CU record-holder for innings pitched and is just 39 innings shy of Darcy Wood's MVC mark. She is now one of three players in league history with 900 strikeouts, with a school-record 919 Ks. Her school-record 38 shutouts are second in MVC history. The All-American is also in the top five in MVC history with 119 starts and 157 appearances in the circle.
Big First, Small Second: Creighton has scored 28 first-inning runs this year, its highest scoring inning of the season. The Jays have scored in the first inning in 15 of their first 26 games. The Jays scored just 26 first innings runs in 51 games last year, scoring in the first of 16 games all season.
The Jays have followed the first frame with their lowest scoring inning, having plated just one run in the second inning all season. Their lone second inning run came in a 7-0 win over Wisconsin on Feb. 13.
CU's .279 average in the first inning is its highest, while the Jays are hitting only .135 in the second and even lower .131 in the third inning.
Koch Shows Power to MVC: Senior Michelle Koch has hit 12 home runs in her career, hitting her first of the 2010 season against Indiana State (March 21). Of her dozen career blasts, 11 have come against MVC opponents. All three of her long balls as a rookie and her only shots as a junior and senior came in MVC regular-season play. She also hit a homer against Drake in the MVC Tournament and hit her only non-conference home run against UMKC on March 25, 2008.
Perfect Stats: Creighton hasn't lost a game this year when the following stats are true ...
• CU allows one or fewer runs (11-0)
• CU out-hits opponent (8-0)
• CU and opponent hits are even (4-0)
• CU scores exactly 4 or 6 runs (3-0 in each case)
• vs. Left-Hander starters (2-0)
• Extra-innings (2-0)
Baker's Bombs: Freshman Amy Baker has worked her way into the starting lineup, as CU's starting DP in the last 15 games. The rookie ranks second on the team with three home runs, 14 RBI and a .288 average. Two of her home runs came in one game, as the slugger connected for two, two-run home runs to lead the Bluejays past St. John's 4-0 on March 10. Before she cracked the starting lineup, she was 4-of-6 with a home run, double and four RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Get Out of the Way: Senior Michelle Graner has been hit by six pitches this year to rank second in the MVC, while CU's 23 hit-batters this year ranks second in the league. Graner has been hit by a pitch a school-record 31 times in her career. In each of Graner's four seasons at CU, she has ranked in the top-10 in single-season history in hit by pitches. Michelle Koch ranks third in CU history, getting hit by 21 pitches, while Liz McKewon and Renae Sinkler rank eighth, getting hit by 11 pitches in their careers.
Bluejays Can Run Too: Against UMKC (Feb. 27), Creighton had six stolen bases. The six steals were three shy of the school record and rank as the third-highest steals total in game in school history. It was the most stolen bases in a game by the Jays since swiping seven against Bradley on March 31, 2001.
Picky Picky: Lauren Larson has started every game and caught every inning for CU behind the plate this season. The sophomore backstop has picked off four runners this year after logging no pick offs in her 29 games at catcher last year. In fact, three of her four pick offs came in one game, as she nabbed three runners off first base in a 1-0 win over Samford (March 5).
Reigns at CF and SS End: Four different players have started a game in center field for the Bluejays this season. That is three more than started for the Jays in center from 2006-09. Jessica Wakasugi started 216 straight games for CU in center field over the previous four seasons. Christa Ruf, Sara Loeffelholz, Danai Martin and Emily Perry have each started in center this year, with Ruf's 17 starts leading the way.
While Bailey Dawson did miss a few games during her four-year career, she was a four-year starter at shortstop from 2006-09. Four players have also started at short for CU already this season. Liz McKewon, Danie Brinkmann, Jennifer Bohle and Michelle Koch has all started at short, led by McKewon's 11 starts.
Oltman's Honors: Senior pitcher Tara Oltman is on two impressive preseason lists this year. Oltman is one of 50 players to be named to the preseason USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. The right-hander from Cortland, Neb., is the only MVC student-athlete on the list which features players from 35 schools and 14 conferences.
Oltman was also one of 30 candidates on the initial list for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The 30 student-athletes excel on and off the field and 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.
Leftovers: Creighton is 86-17 (.835) when hitting a home run since 2007 and just 46-43-1 (.517) when not homering in that same span ... CU is hitting just .182 in its first four MVC games, but has faced two of the top-three pitching staffs in the league ... The lowest team batting average in CU history is .209 by the 1986 team which finished 36-22 ... Renae Sinkler has more mutli-RBI games this year (11) than the rest of the team combined (7) ... Michelle Koch is a career .291 hitter, but is a .318 career hitter in MVC play ... Koch made her first 173 career starts at second base before starting at shortstop in the second game of CU's doubleheader against Iowa State (March 23) ... Michelle Graner is not only the CU record-holder with 87 career walks and 31 hit-by-pitches, she also leads all active Bluejays with a .420 career on-base percentage, 90 runs scored and 17 stolen bases ... Tara Oltman has not allowed a run in the fifth inning this year, as opponents are just 5-for-53 (.094) against the ace in the fifth ... Oltman has allowed 10 earned runs in the third inning this year (4.67 ERA), but has allowed just 14 earned runs in all other innings combined on the season (1.01 ERA).
Friday, April 2 • CU Sports Complex • 2:00 p.m. (DH)
Saturday, April 3 • CU Sports Complex • 12:00 p.m.
This Week: Creighton plays host to a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series on Friday and Saturday. The Bluejays play a doubleheader against Missouri State on Friday at 2 p.m., and wrap up the series Saturday at noon. Fans can follow live stats for each game by following the links on www.gocreighton.com.
Last Week: The Bluejays dropped all four games played last week, losing a home doubleheader to Iowa State last Tuesday and getting swept in a doubleheader at Southern Illinois last Saturday. The four-game losing streak is CU's longest of the year, equalling its longest since 2006. The Bluejays were out-scored 19-4 in the four losses, with nine runs coming in a five-inning, 9-0, no-hit loss at SIU. Tara Oltman became CU's all-time leader in career strikeouts against ISU last Tuesday and Michelle Graner established the school record for career walks that same day.
Scouting Creighton (14-13, 2-2 MVC): Creighton is looking to make league history by becoming the first team to capture four straight MVC regular-season titles, as the Jays are 61-15-1 (.799) in Valley play since 2007 ... The Jays are again preseason favorites and are led by three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year, NFCA All-American and National Player of the Year Candidate Tara Oltman and reigning MVC Player of the Year Renae Sinkler ... After an 0-3 start this season, the Jays won nine of their next 10 games, including a 2-1 win over 15th-ranked Northwestern, but enter play with a 4-8 mark in their last dozen games ... The Jays are 2-2 at home this year and 48-16-1 (.746) at home since 2007 ... Creighton's .202 batting average ranks last in the MVC ... Despite going 0-for-5 with six walks last week, Sinkler still leads the MVC in home runs (13), RBI (31), runs scored (26), slugging percentage (1.028), total bases (73) and on-base percentage (.537) ... Her 13 homers are more than three MVC team's totals ... Amy Baker led the team by going 3-for-10 with three RBI last week ... With 16 walks this year, Michelle Graner now owns the CU career record with 87 base on balls ... Sammy Snygg allowed only one earned run, seven hits and struck out seven in 9.2 innings pitched last week ... Oltman is the CU and MVC record-holder with 98 wins, which ranks second among all active pitchers in the NCAA ... Her 919 career strikeouts are a CU record and just 117 shy of the MVC record ... In Valley games alone during her career, she is 47-10 with a 0.77 ERA in 73 appearances ... The All-American is 7-1 with five shutouts and a 0.23 ERA (2 ER in 61.1 IP) in 10 appearances against Missouri State in her career.
Scouting Missouri State (8-18, 3-3 MVC): The Bears are 8-11 in their last 19 games after starting the season 0-7 ... MSU is 3-3 in Valley play, taking two of three at Evansville last weekend ... The Bears are tied for third in the MVC, hitting .274 as a team overall, while they are fourth in the league, hitting .312 in conference play ... MSU has scored 28 runs in six MVC games, as four starters are hitting at least .421 in conference action ... Christa Gammon leads the Bears with 26 hits, 14 runs, six stolen bases and a .329 average ... Caitlin Chapin, who is hitting .615 in MVC play, tops the team with 16 RBI and Ashley Knehans leads the way with five home runs ... Three hurlers split time for MSU, combining for a 3.91 ERA and .284 average against ... Lauren Supak (4-4, 3.52 ERA, 49.2 IP, 38 K), Lauren McGinley (3-7, 3.98 ERA, 63.1 IP, 17 K) and Natalie Rose (1-7, 4.15 ERA, 59 IP, 54 K) split the load in the circle ... Missouri State head coach Holly Hesse (1982) and associate head coach Sue Frederick (1989) are both Creighton graduates and each still rank in the top-10 on several CU career charts.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 17th season at Creighton, owning a record of 530-365-2 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 22 years as a head coach is 678-436-3. He has led the Jays to five MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), six NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-MSU Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Missouri State, 45-24, including 32-21 under Brent Vigness ... The Bluejays have won the last nine regular-season meetings with the Bears in Omaha ... CU swept MSU in a three-game MVC series in Omaha in 2008, out-scoring the Bears 11-1 in the set ... The Jays took two of three at MSU last year, losing 1-0, but winning 3-0 and 4-0 ... CU is 9-1 in its last 10 games with MSU and 14-4 in its last 18.
Oltman vs. MSU: Tara Oltman has thrown five shutouts in eight career starts against Missouri State and has allowed just two earned runs in 61.1 innings pitched against the Bears for a 0.23 ERA. Last year she did not allow an earned run in 20 innings pitched against MSU, but lost her only decision against the Bears due to an unearned run. She is 7-1 with a save, five shutouts and a combined shutout, allowing just 35 hits and 16 walks, along with 64 strikeouts in 61.1 IP against Missouri State. MSU has hit .167 against Oltman in the past three seasons.
Other Individuals vs. MSU: How other Jays have fared against the Bears in their careers ...
• Michelle Koch is hitting .318 in her career against MSU (7-22), with two doubles, a home runs, three RBI, five walks and eight runs scored in 10 games.
• Renae Sinkler has hit three solo home runs – two in Omaha in 2008 – against the Bears and has five RBI in nine games against MSU. She is 6-for-22 (.273) all-time against the Bears.
• Liz McKewon is 4-for-15 (.267) against MSU in her career, with two hits each of her first two seasons.
• Lauren Larson, a career .152 hitter, hit .375 against MSU last year (3-for-8).
• Michelle Graner went 4-for-11 against MSU as a freshman, but has gone 0-for-12 since.
This Never Happens: Creighton has won three straight MVC regular-season titles by dominating league opponents. When the Bluejays were swept by SIU in a doubleheader last Saturday, it marked the first time they had lost consecutive games in league play since April 6 & 15, 2007. Prior to last weekend, no Bluejay on this year's roster had ever experienced getting swept in an MVC doubleheader, as the last team to take a twinbill from the Bluejays was Illinois State on March 18, 2006.
More Rarities: Creighton has lost four straight games, equalling its longest losing streak in the past five seasons. The Jays also lost four consecutive games in 2008 and 2006. CU has not dropped five straight since 2005 and hasn't lost more than five straight since losing seven in a row in 2003. CU has not lost three straight MVC games since 2006 and has not lost three straight home games since 2004. CU had not been swept in a home doubleheader since 2004 prior to Iowa State's sweep (March 23).
No April Fools: After a 9-9 march, Creighton is likely happy to see the calendar turn to April this week – by far its most successful month in recent years. The Bluejays are 41-14-1 (.741) in April since 2007, compared to .664 in the other three competition months combined in that same span. The Jays have won their first game in April every year since 2005.
NCAA Ranks: Despite a season-long home run drought of four games, Renae Sinkler started this week still ranked third in the NCAA with a 1.028 slugging percentage, fourth in home runs per game (0.48) and sixth with 13 home runs. Sinkler is also in the NCAA top-50 in RBI (19th), on-base percentage (28th) and walks (44th). Tara Oltman ranks 10th in the NCAA in shutouts (6), while she also opened the week ranked in the NCAA top-50 in wins (41st), ERA (43rd) and strikeouts (49th).
More National Perspective: The only active pitcher in the nation with more wins than Creighton's Tara Oltman is Washington's Danielle Lawrie (2009 National Player of the Year). Oltman enters the weekend looking to reach the elite mark of 100 career wins. With 98 career victories, she trails just Lawrie's 114 among active NCAA pitchers. Her 919 career strikeouts rank sixth among active players.
Seniors Set Records: Renae Sinkler homered in both games against Indiana State (March 21) to claim sole possession of the CU career home run record with 39 – moving out of a tie with former record-holders Stacey Rybar and Lauren Cisneros. She now is tied with SIU's Katie Jordan for second in MVC history. Tara Oltman added to her numerous school records by moving past Tammy Nielsen (914) for the school record with 919 Ks. She now ranks second in league history in strikeouts, 117 shy of the MVC record. Michelle Graner is now CU's all-time leader in walks (87) and hit by pitches (31).
On Top of The Valley: Three-time MVC Pitcher of the Year Tara Oltman has continued her dominance of Valley foes to start this season as she logged 10 scoreless innings against Indiana State to open MVC play. Those scoreless innings continued a stretch of amazing numbers in MVC regular-season play. Before allowing four earned runs at SIU in a shortened start last Saturday, the All-American had allowed just one earned run in her previous 65.2 innings pitched (10 appearances) in MVC play for an eye-popping 0.11 ERA in that span. Oltman has gotten better each year in MVC play – 1.00 ERA as a freshman, 0.76 ERA as a sophomore and 0.46 ERA as a junior. The right-hander is now 47-10 with a 0.77 ERA and 22 shutouts during her career in Valley play alone.
Tara's Records: Tara Oltman has been setting records and climbing charts with almost every appearance in the circle this season. Oltman recently set the Missouri Valley Conference record for complete games (106). Early in the season she became the CU record-holder for innings pitched and is just 39 innings shy of Darcy Wood's MVC mark. She is now one of three players in league history with 900 strikeouts, with a school-record 919 Ks. Her school-record 38 shutouts are second in MVC history. The All-American is also in the top five in MVC history with 119 starts and 157 appearances in the circle.
Big First, Small Second: Creighton has scored 28 first-inning runs this year, its highest scoring inning of the season. The Jays have scored in the first inning in 15 of their first 26 games. The Jays scored just 26 first innings runs in 51 games last year, scoring in the first of 16 games all season.
The Jays have followed the first frame with their lowest scoring inning, having plated just one run in the second inning all season. Their lone second inning run came in a 7-0 win over Wisconsin on Feb. 13.
CU's .279 average in the first inning is its highest, while the Jays are hitting only .135 in the second and even lower .131 in the third inning.
Koch Shows Power to MVC: Senior Michelle Koch has hit 12 home runs in her career, hitting her first of the 2010 season against Indiana State (March 21). Of her dozen career blasts, 11 have come against MVC opponents. All three of her long balls as a rookie and her only shots as a junior and senior came in MVC regular-season play. She also hit a homer against Drake in the MVC Tournament and hit her only non-conference home run against UMKC on March 25, 2008.
Perfect Stats: Creighton hasn't lost a game this year when the following stats are true ...
• CU allows one or fewer runs (11-0)
• CU out-hits opponent (8-0)
• CU and opponent hits are even (4-0)
• CU scores exactly 4 or 6 runs (3-0 in each case)
• vs. Left-Hander starters (2-0)
• Extra-innings (2-0)
Baker's Bombs: Freshman Amy Baker has worked her way into the starting lineup, as CU's starting DP in the last 15 games. The rookie ranks second on the team with three home runs, 14 RBI and a .288 average. Two of her home runs came in one game, as the slugger connected for two, two-run home runs to lead the Bluejays past St. John's 4-0 on March 10. Before she cracked the starting lineup, she was 4-of-6 with a home run, double and four RBI as a pinch-hitter.
Get Out of the Way: Senior Michelle Graner has been hit by six pitches this year to rank second in the MVC, while CU's 23 hit-batters this year ranks second in the league. Graner has been hit by a pitch a school-record 31 times in her career. In each of Graner's four seasons at CU, she has ranked in the top-10 in single-season history in hit by pitches. Michelle Koch ranks third in CU history, getting hit by 21 pitches, while Liz McKewon and Renae Sinkler rank eighth, getting hit by 11 pitches in their careers.
Bluejays Can Run Too: Against UMKC (Feb. 27), Creighton had six stolen bases. The six steals were three shy of the school record and rank as the third-highest steals total in game in school history. It was the most stolen bases in a game by the Jays since swiping seven against Bradley on March 31, 2001.
Picky Picky: Lauren Larson has started every game and caught every inning for CU behind the plate this season. The sophomore backstop has picked off four runners this year after logging no pick offs in her 29 games at catcher last year. In fact, three of her four pick offs came in one game, as she nabbed three runners off first base in a 1-0 win over Samford (March 5).
Reigns at CF and SS End: Four different players have started a game in center field for the Bluejays this season. That is three more than started for the Jays in center from 2006-09. Jessica Wakasugi started 216 straight games for CU in center field over the previous four seasons. Christa Ruf, Sara Loeffelholz, Danai Martin and Emily Perry have each started in center this year, with Ruf's 17 starts leading the way.
While Bailey Dawson did miss a few games during her four-year career, she was a four-year starter at shortstop from 2006-09. Four players have also started at short for CU already this season. Liz McKewon, Danie Brinkmann, Jennifer Bohle and Michelle Koch has all started at short, led by McKewon's 11 starts.
Oltman's Honors: Senior pitcher Tara Oltman is on two impressive preseason lists this year. Oltman is one of 50 players to be named to the preseason USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. The right-hander from Cortland, Neb., is the only MVC student-athlete on the list which features players from 35 schools and 14 conferences.
Oltman was also one of 30 candidates on the initial list for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The 30 student-athletes excel on and off the field and 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.
Leftovers: Creighton is 86-17 (.835) when hitting a home run since 2007 and just 46-43-1 (.517) when not homering in that same span ... CU is hitting just .182 in its first four MVC games, but has faced two of the top-three pitching staffs in the league ... The lowest team batting average in CU history is .209 by the 1986 team which finished 36-22 ... Renae Sinkler has more mutli-RBI games this year (11) than the rest of the team combined (7) ... Michelle Koch is a career .291 hitter, but is a .318 career hitter in MVC play ... Koch made her first 173 career starts at second base before starting at shortstop in the second game of CU's doubleheader against Iowa State (March 23) ... Michelle Graner is not only the CU record-holder with 87 career walks and 31 hit-by-pitches, she also leads all active Bluejays with a .420 career on-base percentage, 90 runs scored and 17 stolen bases ... Tara Oltman has not allowed a run in the fifth inning this year, as opponents are just 5-for-53 (.094) against the ace in the fifth ... Oltman has allowed 10 earned runs in the third inning this year (4.67 ERA), but has allowed just 14 earned runs in all other innings combined on the season (1.01 ERA).
Players Mentioned
OF/1B
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
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
