Softball Takes Second Aim at Home-Opening Weekend
4/1/2011 3:13:00 PM | Softball
Creighton hosts Bradley in Home-Opening Weekend
Saturday, April 2 • CU Sports Complex • Omaha, Neb. • Noon (DH)
Sunday, April 3 • CU Sports Complex • Omaha, Neb. • Noon
This Week: Head coach Brent Vigness became the winningest coach in Creighton athletics history on Thursday as the Bluejays won game two of a doubleheader at Iowa State 9-3, capturing his 565th win as head coach at CU. The Jays had dropped game one of the twin bill 7-1 and also lost at 13th-ranked Nebraska 7-2 on Wednesday night. The Bluejays host Bradley in a three-game MVC series this weekend at the Creighton Sports Complex, with the series serving as Creighton's home-opening weekend.
Follow the Bluejays: Fans can follow live stats for every Creighton softball home game here. Fans at the game wanting to follow live stats can do so at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Last Week: All five of Creighton's games last week were either postponed or cancelled due to weather. The Bluejays' doubleheader scheduled at Iowa State last Tuesday was moved to this Thursday. Creighton's three-game MVC series with Southern Illinois was cancelled completely due to snow accumulation and cold temperatures in Omaha last weekend.
Scouting Creighton (12-15, 2-1 MVC): Creighton, which has appeared in six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments and is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion, has been picked to finish sixth in this year's MVC race ... The Bluejays return just three starters from last year's 37-23 team, while they have 11 freshmen and just 10 returners on the roster ... The Bluejays, who set a school record with 66 home runs last year, have 23 in their last 23 games and 16 homers in their last 10 games ... Sophomore catcher Amy Baker has hit nine of her MVC-leading 10 home runs in Creighton's last nine games to move into the Creighton career top-10 with 25 home runs ... Junior center fielder Christa Ruf is hitting a career-high .316 and tops the team with a career-best 22 RBI, adding a career-high seven home runs and team-leading 13 runs scored ... Freshmen Ellen Homan is hitting .381 in her last 22 games to move her average to .316 on the season, tied with Ruf for the team-lead ... Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts this season ... Sophomore Danai Martin is tied for the MVC-lead with 10 stolen bases ... CU ranks second in the MVC with a .970 fielding percentage, is hitting .250 as a team and allowing opponents to hit .233 with a staff ERA of 3.27 ... Freshman Becca Changstrom, who has tossed five shutouts in 14 starts, has emerged as the staff ace, ranking second in the MVC with a 1.68 ERA and leading the team with an 8-6 record, 91.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts ... Changstrom tops the league, allowing opponents to hit just .154 against her.
Scouting Bradley (7-24, 0-4 MVC): The Braves enter the weekend on a seven-game losing streak and are 2-13 in their last 15 games, including two losses each to Illinois State and Drake ... BU is 0-9 in true road games this year ... Bradley is hitting .251 as a team, but ranks ninth in the MVC with a .311 on-base percentage ... BU's 30 stolen bases on the season rank third in the MVC, but its 50 errors are tied for the most in The Valley ... BU has two fewer home runs as a team (8), than Amy Baker (10) has alone this spring ... Julie Sherman leads BU with a .368 average and 32 hits ... Brittany Fairbaim (.320) with a team-high 17 runs scored, seven doubles and three triples ... Kate Singler (.309) tops the team with four home runs and 19 RBI ... BU pitchers have a 4.74 staff ERA and allow opponents to hit .323 ... Mackenzie Camp (3-8, 3.82 ERA, 66 IP, 35 K), Lindsay Hufeld (2-10, 4.52 ERA, 74.1 IP, 43 K) and Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (1-4, 5.57 ERA, 44 IP, 27 K) split time in the circle for the Braves.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 18th season at Creighton. With a record of 565-390-2 at Creighton, he is the winningest coach in Bluejay athletics history. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 23 years as a head coach is 713-461-3. The most tenured softball coach in school history has led the Jays to six MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), seven NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-BU Series: Creighton is 35-13 all-time against Bradley ... The Bluejays swept the three-game series at Bradley last year, out-scoring the Braves 15-7 in the sweep ... CU scored 14 runs in the Saturday doubleheader last year ... The Braves and Jays split a doubleheader the last time BU played in Omaha, on April 4, 2009 ... CU hasn't swept the Braves in Omaha since 2005.
He's a Winner: Head coach Brent Vigness captured win No. 565 as Creighton's leader on March 31 at Iowa State, a 9-3 win in Ames - just 30 miles from where he attended high school in Zearing, Iowa. The win moved him past Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Mary Higgins for not only the softball record victory total, but he is now the winningest coach in Creighton athletics history - any sport. In his 18th season, he is the most tenured softball coach in school history, moving past Higgins' 17 seasons between 1977-93.
Homecoming: After having its home-opening weekend cancelled because of winter weather last weekend, Creighton is scheduled to play its first home games of the season this weekend, when it hosts Bradley for a three-game MVC series at the CU Sports Complex. The Bluejays have played their first 27 games on the road this season, their longest season-opening road trip since playing their first 32 games on the road in 1999.
Home Openers: The Bluejays open their home season with a doubleheader against Bradley on Saturday. Creighton swept its home opening doubleheader against Indiana State last year on March 21, after splitting its previous four home-opening twin bills. The Jays have won five of their last six home openers, to move to 5-5 in their last 10 home opening games.
Speaking of Home: Creighton posted an 11-8 record at home last year, including 8-4 in MVC play. Amy Baker was Creighton's leading hitter in Omaha, batting .385 with a team-best eight home runs and 25 RBI in just 19 home games. Liz McKewon played in only seven home games last year because of her injured back, hitting .278 with five hits. Christa Ruf's only career home run before this season's six blasts came at home last year, where she hit .273 - compared to .184 outside of Omaha. Kylie Hovinga was 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine home appearances last year, including six starts.
Against the Best: After falling 7-2 at No. 13 Nebraska (March 30), Creighton is now 0-4 against top-25 teams this spring, also losing twice to Arizona State and once to Arizona, while both Pac-10 teams were ranked in the top-10. The Bluejays have at least one top-25 win in each of the past six seasons. The last time Creighton did not have a win against a nationally-ranked team was 2004, when the Jays went 0-4 against the top-25 – all four losses against nationally-ranked Nebraska. Since 2005, the Bluejays are now 16-27-1 (.375) against top-25 teams. CU's last victory over a ranked opponent was a 2-1 win on Feb. 14, 2010 against No. 15 Northwestern in Tempe, Ariz.
Help Yourself: Freshman Brittany Telecky made just her second start of the season on Thursday, picking up a win in the circle at Iowa State. In addition to the pitching start, she was inserted into the lineup and produced a hit, a walk and a run scored in her first collegiate trips to the plate. Fellow rookie Becca Changstrom replaced Telecky in the circle and lineup and was hit by a pitch – and she would come around to score a run in the 9-3 win.
Something New: Through each of Creighton's first 25 games, the Bluejays had started the same outfield and three of the four same infielders. But on Thursday at Iowa State, Emily Perry started both games in right field and Ashley Frutos started both games at second base – both logging their first starts of the season. Frutos' start shifted Jennifer Bohle from second to shortstop and that then moved Liz McKewon from short to third base. Both Frutos and Perry collected their first hits and RBI of the season in the doubleheader. Ellen Homan (left) and Christa Ruf (center) are now the only two Bluejay to start every game at the same position this year.
Homer Happy: Home runs haven't necessarily meant success for the Bluejays this season. Creighton is 6-8 when they hit a home run this year and 6-7 when they fail to hit a home run. The Jays homered twice in their loss at Nebraska on Wednesday – their only two hits of the night – and then hit a solo home run for their only run in a 7-1 loss to Iowa State on Thursday. Creighton then did not have an extra base hit, but scored nine runs on 10 singles in its 9-3 win over the Cyclones on Thursday.
High-Scoring BCS Win: Creighton scored nine runs in a 9-3 victory at Iowa State on March 31, the most runs it has scored against a school from a BCS conference since scoring 13 against Nebraska on April 9, 2008.
In a Pinch: Through Creighton's first 26 games, Bluejay pinch-hitters were 3-for-31 (.097) on the season. Bluejay pinch-hitters then went 2-for-3 with three RBI in CU's 9-3 win at Iowa State. McKenna Setlik and MaKenzie Michael each had pinch-hit RBI singles, with Michael's scoring two runs.
Shutout Streak Snapped: Freshman pitcher Becca Changstrom tossed three consecutive shutouts (March 12-19) to extend her scoreless innings streak to 25.1. That streak was ended when she surrendered a two-run home run with no outs in the first inning at No. 13 Nebraska on Wednesday. She went from March 11 to March 30 between runs allowed. The rookie became the first Bluejay to throw a shutout in three straight starts since All-American Tara Oltman did so as a sophomore in 2008.
Slow Starters: The first two innings haven't been kind to the Bluejays this year, as they have been out-scored 46-16 in the first two innings of games this year, including 20-6 in the first. The Jays' six runs scored and .157 average in the first are their worst totals of any inning this spring. Three of the six first-inning runs scored this year came in CU's first four games. The Bluejays have allowed 26 runs in the second inning this year, the most allowed in any frame.
League Leaders: Amy Baker leads the MVC with 10 home runs on the season, with nine of those coming in her last nine games. Danai Martin is tied for the MVC lead with a career-high 10 stolen bases. Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts. Becca Changstrom is tops in the MVC with an opponents batting average of just .154 against.
Sacrificing in Two Ways: Senior shortstop Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts this season, already passing last season's total by seven. She has now dropped down 41 sac bunts in her career, moving her into a tie for eighth place in school history in sac bunts. Not only does she sacrifice her at bats, but she also has sacrificed her body, getting hit by a pitch 15 times in her career to rank sixth in school history in that category. McKewon has actually walked as many times (15) in her career as she has been hit by pitches.
MVC Players of the Week: Freshman Becca Changstrom was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week and junior Christa Ruf was named the MVC Player of the Week on March 21 following their play at Evansville. Changstrom flirted with two no-hitters, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth in a two-hit shutout on Mach 19 before coming within one out of a no-no on March 20. She hurled 14 innings against UE, allowing just three hits in two complete game shutouts. Ruf went 3-for-4 with two home runs and all four RBI in Creighton's 4-0 win on March 20. She also walked three times, scored three runs and had a .600 on-base percentage during the three-game set.
Baker's Blasts: Amy Baker has two home runs this week – both hitting the scoreboards at Nebraska (on Wednesday) and at Iowa State (on Thursday). The sophomore was named the MVC Player of the Week (March 14) after an amazing three-game span at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. Baker hit five home runs in a doubleheader on March 11, tying the school record by hitting three home runs in a game against Campbell on March 11. She followed with another blast on Saturday, giving her six home runs in the span of eight plate appearances. All six of her hits during the week were home runs, while she topped the team with 11 RBI in six games as well.
Ruf Batted In: Christa Ruf is off to a fantastic start to her junior season, ranking second in the MVC with 22 RBI, and topping the team with 24 hits, 13 runs scored and .316 average. Her .316 average is 120 points higher than her career average at the start of the season and her 22 RBI through 27 games are eight more than she had through the first 86 games of her career. She is second on the team and MVC with seven home runs in 76 at bats – she entered the year with only one home run in her first 140 career at bats.
Outfield Speed: Sophomore right fielder Danai Martin leads the MVC with 10 stolen bases this spring, already equalling the team-leading total of Renae Sinkler from 2010, which is the most stolen bases by a Bluejay since Melanie Dorsey had 24 stolen bases in 2005. Freshman left fielder Ellen Homan is second on the team with six stolen bases. Since starting her career 0-for-13 at the plate, she is hitting .381 (24-63).
More on Martin: As mentioned in the previous note, Danai Martin leads the MVC with 10 stolen bases. Eight of those stolen bases have come in three games, as she stole two bases in the season-opener against Western Illinois (Feb. 11) and posted three stolen bases against Northern Colorado (March 4) and against Howard (March 12). She became the first Bluejay since Lauren Cisneros in 2005 to swipe three bases in one game. Martin has walked seven times this season – including three in the season-opener – after she did not get receive one free pass all of last season. The sophomore was 7-for-35 (.200) last year, but is already 16-for-62 (.258) this season.
Fresh Faces: With freshmen making up more than half of this year's roster, it's no surprise that several have been plugged into starting roles. Freshmen Malloree Grove and Ellen Homan each started the first 25 games this season at third base and left field, respectively, while Homan has still started every game this season. Homan is tied for the team-lead with 24 hits and a .316 average and Grove, who had a team-best eight game hitting streak earlier this season, is hitting .300 this year. Freshmen have started 19 of the 27 games at first base, with Brittanee Grove starting 14 and Brittnie Kreiser starting five, combined they are flawless in 122 chances in the field. Kreiser is third on the team with three home runs. McKenna Setlik went 3-for-3 with three RBI in her collegiate debut has two home runs and six RBI in 20 games. Rookie pitcher Becca Changstrom is the staff ace, leading the team with eight wins, 1.68 ERA, five shutouts, 10 complete games, 91.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts.
Leftovers: Creighton's highest-scoring inning this season is the fifth inning, plating 30 runs and hitting .339 in the frame. The Jays have not scored more than 14 runs nor are they hitting better than .291 in any other inning this season ... Creighton's ERA in the first three innings of play this spring is 3.80, while it drops to 0.52 in the fourth inning ... Amy Baker hit a team-high .489 with runners in scoring position last year, she is hitting .100 (3-30) with RISP this season ... Baker walked 13 times in 58 games last year, but walked 13 times in her first 21 games this season ... Baker has 25 career home runs, the rest of the team has a combined 14 career homers ... Brittany Telecky, Emily Perry and Ashley Frutos each collected their first hit and their first RBI of the season at Iowa State on Thursday ... Perry went 2-for-7 in the doubleheader at Iowa State – she was 1-for-17 in her career before Thursday (including 1-for-15 last year).
Saturday, April 2 • CU Sports Complex • Omaha, Neb. • Noon (DH)
Sunday, April 3 • CU Sports Complex • Omaha, Neb. • Noon
This Week: Head coach Brent Vigness became the winningest coach in Creighton athletics history on Thursday as the Bluejays won game two of a doubleheader at Iowa State 9-3, capturing his 565th win as head coach at CU. The Jays had dropped game one of the twin bill 7-1 and also lost at 13th-ranked Nebraska 7-2 on Wednesday night. The Bluejays host Bradley in a three-game MVC series this weekend at the Creighton Sports Complex, with the series serving as Creighton's home-opening weekend.
Follow the Bluejays: Fans can follow live stats for every Creighton softball home game here. Fans at the game wanting to follow live stats can do so at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Last Week: All five of Creighton's games last week were either postponed or cancelled due to weather. The Bluejays' doubleheader scheduled at Iowa State last Tuesday was moved to this Thursday. Creighton's three-game MVC series with Southern Illinois was cancelled completely due to snow accumulation and cold temperatures in Omaha last weekend.
Scouting Creighton (12-15, 2-1 MVC): Creighton, which has appeared in six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments and is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion, has been picked to finish sixth in this year's MVC race ... The Bluejays return just three starters from last year's 37-23 team, while they have 11 freshmen and just 10 returners on the roster ... The Bluejays, who set a school record with 66 home runs last year, have 23 in their last 23 games and 16 homers in their last 10 games ... Sophomore catcher Amy Baker has hit nine of her MVC-leading 10 home runs in Creighton's last nine games to move into the Creighton career top-10 with 25 home runs ... Junior center fielder Christa Ruf is hitting a career-high .316 and tops the team with a career-best 22 RBI, adding a career-high seven home runs and team-leading 13 runs scored ... Freshmen Ellen Homan is hitting .381 in her last 22 games to move her average to .316 on the season, tied with Ruf for the team-lead ... Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts this season ... Sophomore Danai Martin is tied for the MVC-lead with 10 stolen bases ... CU ranks second in the MVC with a .970 fielding percentage, is hitting .250 as a team and allowing opponents to hit .233 with a staff ERA of 3.27 ... Freshman Becca Changstrom, who has tossed five shutouts in 14 starts, has emerged as the staff ace, ranking second in the MVC with a 1.68 ERA and leading the team with an 8-6 record, 91.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts ... Changstrom tops the league, allowing opponents to hit just .154 against her.
Scouting Bradley (7-24, 0-4 MVC): The Braves enter the weekend on a seven-game losing streak and are 2-13 in their last 15 games, including two losses each to Illinois State and Drake ... BU is 0-9 in true road games this year ... Bradley is hitting .251 as a team, but ranks ninth in the MVC with a .311 on-base percentage ... BU's 30 stolen bases on the season rank third in the MVC, but its 50 errors are tied for the most in The Valley ... BU has two fewer home runs as a team (8), than Amy Baker (10) has alone this spring ... Julie Sherman leads BU with a .368 average and 32 hits ... Brittany Fairbaim (.320) with a team-high 17 runs scored, seven doubles and three triples ... Kate Singler (.309) tops the team with four home runs and 19 RBI ... BU pitchers have a 4.74 staff ERA and allow opponents to hit .323 ... Mackenzie Camp (3-8, 3.82 ERA, 66 IP, 35 K), Lindsay Hufeld (2-10, 4.52 ERA, 74.1 IP, 43 K) and Madeline Lynch-Crumrine (1-4, 5.57 ERA, 44 IP, 27 K) split time in the circle for the Braves.
Head Coach: Head coach Brent Vigness (Central College, 1988) is in his 18th season at Creighton. With a record of 565-390-2 at Creighton, he is the winningest coach in Bluejay athletics history. Vigness also served as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., for five years prior to coming to Creighton. His career record in 23 years as a head coach is 713-461-3. The most tenured softball coach in school history has led the Jays to six MVC Tournament titles (1999, 2003-05, 2007, 2010), six regular-season MVC crowns (1998-2000, 2007-09), seven NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2003-05, 2007-08, 2010) and was named MVC Coach of the Year in 1998 and guided the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2007 and 2008.
CU-BU Series: Creighton is 35-13 all-time against Bradley ... The Bluejays swept the three-game series at Bradley last year, out-scoring the Braves 15-7 in the sweep ... CU scored 14 runs in the Saturday doubleheader last year ... The Braves and Jays split a doubleheader the last time BU played in Omaha, on April 4, 2009 ... CU hasn't swept the Braves in Omaha since 2005.
He's a Winner: Head coach Brent Vigness captured win No. 565 as Creighton's leader on March 31 at Iowa State, a 9-3 win in Ames - just 30 miles from where he attended high school in Zearing, Iowa. The win moved him past Creighton Athletics Hall of Famer Mary Higgins for not only the softball record victory total, but he is now the winningest coach in Creighton athletics history - any sport. In his 18th season, he is the most tenured softball coach in school history, moving past Higgins' 17 seasons between 1977-93.
Homecoming: After having its home-opening weekend cancelled because of winter weather last weekend, Creighton is scheduled to play its first home games of the season this weekend, when it hosts Bradley for a three-game MVC series at the CU Sports Complex. The Bluejays have played their first 27 games on the road this season, their longest season-opening road trip since playing their first 32 games on the road in 1999.
Home Openers: The Bluejays open their home season with a doubleheader against Bradley on Saturday. Creighton swept its home opening doubleheader against Indiana State last year on March 21, after splitting its previous four home-opening twin bills. The Jays have won five of their last six home openers, to move to 5-5 in their last 10 home opening games.
Speaking of Home: Creighton posted an 11-8 record at home last year, including 8-4 in MVC play. Amy Baker was Creighton's leading hitter in Omaha, batting .385 with a team-best eight home runs and 25 RBI in just 19 home games. Liz McKewon played in only seven home games last year because of her injured back, hitting .278 with five hits. Christa Ruf's only career home run before this season's six blasts came at home last year, where she hit .273 - compared to .184 outside of Omaha. Kylie Hovinga was 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine home appearances last year, including six starts.
Against the Best: After falling 7-2 at No. 13 Nebraska (March 30), Creighton is now 0-4 against top-25 teams this spring, also losing twice to Arizona State and once to Arizona, while both Pac-10 teams were ranked in the top-10. The Bluejays have at least one top-25 win in each of the past six seasons. The last time Creighton did not have a win against a nationally-ranked team was 2004, when the Jays went 0-4 against the top-25 – all four losses against nationally-ranked Nebraska. Since 2005, the Bluejays are now 16-27-1 (.375) against top-25 teams. CU's last victory over a ranked opponent was a 2-1 win on Feb. 14, 2010 against No. 15 Northwestern in Tempe, Ariz.
Help Yourself: Freshman Brittany Telecky made just her second start of the season on Thursday, picking up a win in the circle at Iowa State. In addition to the pitching start, she was inserted into the lineup and produced a hit, a walk and a run scored in her first collegiate trips to the plate. Fellow rookie Becca Changstrom replaced Telecky in the circle and lineup and was hit by a pitch – and she would come around to score a run in the 9-3 win.
Something New: Through each of Creighton's first 25 games, the Bluejays had started the same outfield and three of the four same infielders. But on Thursday at Iowa State, Emily Perry started both games in right field and Ashley Frutos started both games at second base – both logging their first starts of the season. Frutos' start shifted Jennifer Bohle from second to shortstop and that then moved Liz McKewon from short to third base. Both Frutos and Perry collected their first hits and RBI of the season in the doubleheader. Ellen Homan (left) and Christa Ruf (center) are now the only two Bluejay to start every game at the same position this year.
Homer Happy: Home runs haven't necessarily meant success for the Bluejays this season. Creighton is 6-8 when they hit a home run this year and 6-7 when they fail to hit a home run. The Jays homered twice in their loss at Nebraska on Wednesday – their only two hits of the night – and then hit a solo home run for their only run in a 7-1 loss to Iowa State on Thursday. Creighton then did not have an extra base hit, but scored nine runs on 10 singles in its 9-3 win over the Cyclones on Thursday.
High-Scoring BCS Win: Creighton scored nine runs in a 9-3 victory at Iowa State on March 31, the most runs it has scored against a school from a BCS conference since scoring 13 against Nebraska on April 9, 2008.
In a Pinch: Through Creighton's first 26 games, Bluejay pinch-hitters were 3-for-31 (.097) on the season. Bluejay pinch-hitters then went 2-for-3 with three RBI in CU's 9-3 win at Iowa State. McKenna Setlik and MaKenzie Michael each had pinch-hit RBI singles, with Michael's scoring two runs.
Shutout Streak Snapped: Freshman pitcher Becca Changstrom tossed three consecutive shutouts (March 12-19) to extend her scoreless innings streak to 25.1. That streak was ended when she surrendered a two-run home run with no outs in the first inning at No. 13 Nebraska on Wednesday. She went from March 11 to March 30 between runs allowed. The rookie became the first Bluejay to throw a shutout in three straight starts since All-American Tara Oltman did so as a sophomore in 2008.
Slow Starters: The first two innings haven't been kind to the Bluejays this year, as they have been out-scored 46-16 in the first two innings of games this year, including 20-6 in the first. The Jays' six runs scored and .157 average in the first are their worst totals of any inning this spring. Three of the six first-inning runs scored this year came in CU's first four games. The Bluejays have allowed 26 runs in the second inning this year, the most allowed in any frame.
League Leaders: Amy Baker leads the MVC with 10 home runs on the season, with nine of those coming in her last nine games. Danai Martin is tied for the MVC lead with a career-high 10 stolen bases. Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts. Becca Changstrom is tops in the MVC with an opponents batting average of just .154 against.
Sacrificing in Two Ways: Senior shortstop Liz McKewon leads the MVC with 10 sacrifice bunts this season, already passing last season's total by seven. She has now dropped down 41 sac bunts in her career, moving her into a tie for eighth place in school history in sac bunts. Not only does she sacrifice her at bats, but she also has sacrificed her body, getting hit by a pitch 15 times in her career to rank sixth in school history in that category. McKewon has actually walked as many times (15) in her career as she has been hit by pitches.
MVC Players of the Week: Freshman Becca Changstrom was named the MVC Pitcher of the Week and junior Christa Ruf was named the MVC Player of the Week on March 21 following their play at Evansville. Changstrom flirted with two no-hitters, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth in a two-hit shutout on Mach 19 before coming within one out of a no-no on March 20. She hurled 14 innings against UE, allowing just three hits in two complete game shutouts. Ruf went 3-for-4 with two home runs and all four RBI in Creighton's 4-0 win on March 20. She also walked three times, scored three runs and had a .600 on-base percentage during the three-game set.
Baker's Blasts: Amy Baker has two home runs this week – both hitting the scoreboards at Nebraska (on Wednesday) and at Iowa State (on Thursday). The sophomore was named the MVC Player of the Week (March 14) after an amazing three-game span at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. Baker hit five home runs in a doubleheader on March 11, tying the school record by hitting three home runs in a game against Campbell on March 11. She followed with another blast on Saturday, giving her six home runs in the span of eight plate appearances. All six of her hits during the week were home runs, while she topped the team with 11 RBI in six games as well.
Ruf Batted In: Christa Ruf is off to a fantastic start to her junior season, ranking second in the MVC with 22 RBI, and topping the team with 24 hits, 13 runs scored and .316 average. Her .316 average is 120 points higher than her career average at the start of the season and her 22 RBI through 27 games are eight more than she had through the first 86 games of her career. She is second on the team and MVC with seven home runs in 76 at bats – she entered the year with only one home run in her first 140 career at bats.
Outfield Speed: Sophomore right fielder Danai Martin leads the MVC with 10 stolen bases this spring, already equalling the team-leading total of Renae Sinkler from 2010, which is the most stolen bases by a Bluejay since Melanie Dorsey had 24 stolen bases in 2005. Freshman left fielder Ellen Homan is second on the team with six stolen bases. Since starting her career 0-for-13 at the plate, she is hitting .381 (24-63).
More on Martin: As mentioned in the previous note, Danai Martin leads the MVC with 10 stolen bases. Eight of those stolen bases have come in three games, as she stole two bases in the season-opener against Western Illinois (Feb. 11) and posted three stolen bases against Northern Colorado (March 4) and against Howard (March 12). She became the first Bluejay since Lauren Cisneros in 2005 to swipe three bases in one game. Martin has walked seven times this season – including three in the season-opener – after she did not get receive one free pass all of last season. The sophomore was 7-for-35 (.200) last year, but is already 16-for-62 (.258) this season.
Fresh Faces: With freshmen making up more than half of this year's roster, it's no surprise that several have been plugged into starting roles. Freshmen Malloree Grove and Ellen Homan each started the first 25 games this season at third base and left field, respectively, while Homan has still started every game this season. Homan is tied for the team-lead with 24 hits and a .316 average and Grove, who had a team-best eight game hitting streak earlier this season, is hitting .300 this year. Freshmen have started 19 of the 27 games at first base, with Brittanee Grove starting 14 and Brittnie Kreiser starting five, combined they are flawless in 122 chances in the field. Kreiser is third on the team with three home runs. McKenna Setlik went 3-for-3 with three RBI in her collegiate debut has two home runs and six RBI in 20 games. Rookie pitcher Becca Changstrom is the staff ace, leading the team with eight wins, 1.68 ERA, five shutouts, 10 complete games, 91.2 innings pitched and 90 strikeouts.
Leftovers: Creighton's highest-scoring inning this season is the fifth inning, plating 30 runs and hitting .339 in the frame. The Jays have not scored more than 14 runs nor are they hitting better than .291 in any other inning this season ... Creighton's ERA in the first three innings of play this spring is 3.80, while it drops to 0.52 in the fourth inning ... Amy Baker hit a team-high .489 with runners in scoring position last year, she is hitting .100 (3-30) with RISP this season ... Baker walked 13 times in 58 games last year, but walked 13 times in her first 21 games this season ... Baker has 25 career home runs, the rest of the team has a combined 14 career homers ... Brittany Telecky, Emily Perry and Ashley Frutos each collected their first hit and their first RBI of the season at Iowa State on Thursday ... Perry went 2-for-7 in the doubleheader at Iowa State – she was 1-for-17 in her career before Thursday (including 1-for-15 last year).
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/ 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
